The American gardener's calendar; adapted to the climate and seasons of the United States

GIFT OF

-

V

i

i

-

OF THE
COLLEGE OF

THE

AMERICAN GARDENER'S
CALENDAR.

THE

AMERICAN GARDENER'S
CALENDAR, ^

ADAPTED TO THE

CLIMATE AND SEASONS OF THE UNITED STATES:

CONTAINING

A COMPLETE ACCOUNT OF ALL THE WORK NECESSARY TO BE DONE

KITCHEN-GARDEN, PLEASURE-GROUND,

FRUIT-GARDEN, FLOWER-GARDEN,

ORCHARD, GREEN-HOUSE,

VINEYARD, HOT-HOUSE, AND

NURSERY, FORCING-FRAMES,

FOR EVERY MONTH IN THE YEAR;

WITH

AMPLE PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR PERFORMING THE SAME.

ALSO,

GENERAL AS WELL AS MINUTE INSTRUCTIONS FOR LAYING OUT OR ERECTING EACH AND EVERY OF THE

ABOVE DEPARTMENTS ACCORDING TO MODERN TASTE AND THE MOST APPROVED PLANS ; THE

ORNAMENTAL PLANTING OF PLEASURE-GROUNDS, IN THE ANCIENT AND MODERN

STYLE, THE CULTIVATION OF THORN QUICKS AND OTHER PLANTS

SUITABLE FOR LIVE HEDGES, WITH THE BEST METHODS

OF MAKING THEM, ETC.

TO WHICH ABE ANNEXED

CATALOGUES OF KITCHEN-GARDEN PLANTS AND HERBS J AROMATIC, POT, AND SWEET HERBS ]

MEDICINAL PLANTS J AND THE MOST IMPORTANT GRASSES, ETC., USED IN RURAL

ECONOMY, WITH THE SOIL BEST ADAPTED TO THEIR CULTIVATION J

TOGETHER WITH

A COPIOUS INDEX TO THE BODY OF THE WORK.

BY

BERNARD M'MAHON.
i»

©bitten, featlg (Bnlargeb, gmgrofob, attb IUwsfrateb.

iSnP

'PHILADELPHIA:

J. B. OT^PINCOTT AND CO.

1857.

V

Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by
J. B. LIPPINCOTT AND CO.,

in the Office of the Clerk of the District Court of the United States in and for
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

PREFACE TO THE ELEVENTH EDITION.

M'MAHON'S GAEDENING is by far the most comprehensive,
complete, and best work that has been written for America.
The advantages of minute detail will be found to consist in
teaching how to perform many important operations, which those
having gardens should understand the rationale of, whether they
practise them all or not. Improved machinery and apparatus
have not superseded knowledge, and there are thousands of small
gardens where many of these detailed operations may still be
practised with economy and advantage.

The work has undergone great improvements in this edition,
having been carefully read by one of our best practical gardeners,
and in important particulars brought up to the knowledge of the
day. The newer vegetables are carefully noted, and a very few
passages that are not now relevant have been expunged, such as
the long description of the mode of cultivation of madder, and
substances that time has exploded in American gardens.

Wood-cuts have been inserted to add interest to the work, and
altogether the publishers present the volume with confidence to
the amateur and the practical gardener, as one which will bear
careful study. They have also procured a brief memoir of the
author, that so valuable a man's name " may not perish from
among the people."

23GMP.1

ORIGINAL PREFACE.

THE general utility of HORTICULTURE, or the art of improving
every kind of soil; of producing a plentiful supply of wholesome
vegetables and fruits, so necessary to health in all countries,
especially in warm climates; of cultivating the various plants
designed by INFINITE GOODNESS to minister to the comforts of
animal life, by correcting the divers maladies to which it is sub-
ject by nature, and still more so, in the human race, by intem-
perance; of raising many articles of luxury and commerce, as
well as materials for ornamenting the whole face of the country —
is too obvious to render any arguments necessary in favor of an
attempt to facilitate the general acquisition of that useful branch
of knowledge; but more especially in a country which has not
yet made that rapid progress in Gardening, ornamental planting,
and fanciful rural designs, which might naturally be expected
from an intelligent, happy, and independent people, possessed so
universally of landed property, unoppressed by taxation or tithes,
and blessed with consequent comfort and affluence.

The neglect in these respects is, no doubt, to be attributed to
various causes, among the most prominent of which is the neces-
sity of having reference for information on those subjects to
works published in foreign countries, and adapted to climates by
no means according with ours, either in the temperature or course
of the seasons, and in numerous iD stances differing materially in
modes of culture from those rendered necessary here by the pecu-
liarities of our climates, soils, and situations. And however ex-
cellent and useful these works are in the regions to which they
are adapted, they tend to mislead and disappoint the young
American Horticulturist, instead of affording him that correct,

Viii ORIGINAL PREFACE.

judicious, and suitable instruction, the happy result of which
would give impulse to his perseverance.

To obviate this necessity, as much as is in my power, and to
contribute my mite to the welfare of my fellow citizens, and to
the general improvement of the country, I have undertaken this
work, and arranged the matter according to the seasons of the
year, that the reader may have an easy reference to the particular
business to be performed in every month. By this means the
subject becomes a daily amusement and study, applicable at the
moment, and consequently leaving a lasting impression on the
memory; which, if attended to for a few years, may make any
person who has a taste for admiring and enjoying the magnifi-
cence, beauties, and bounties of Nature in its vegetable produc-
tions, a complete Master of the Art, and, if he pleases, his own
Gardener.

In writing this treatise, I have had recourse to the best publi-
cations, American, English, French, and Latin, lest any useful
suggestions or modern improvements in the art should escape my
notice or recollection; still keeping in view, not only the differ-
ence of climate, season, and the necessary modes of culture in
foreign countries, but also in the extensive region of which the
United States are composed. It is, however, probable, notwith-
standing all my assiduity and care in collecting as much informa-
tion as possible with respect to the most proper seasons for sowing
particular kinds of seeds,' &c., in the remote parts of the Union, that
I have fallen into some mistakes ; for these, as well as typographi-
cal errors, to which a work of this kind is unavoidably subject, I
solicit the reader's excuse; and shall consider myself under seri-
ous obligations to those whose personal friendship or patriotism
shall induce them to inform me of any horticultural errors which
I may have committed, or improvements that may be made, in
order that the former be corrected, and the latter, if justified by
experience, published in some future work, or edition of this.

The culture and management of Grape- Vines, and all other
kinds of fruit-trees which can be cultivated with us to advantage,
or even to indulge curiosity; the raising and planting of Thorn
Quicks and other plants suitable for Live Hedges; the cultivation
of Liquorice, Khubarb, Sea Kale (Cramle maritima), Cork-tree,
Manna, Ash, Tanner's Sumack (Rhus Coriaria), Paper Mulberry,

ORIGINAL PREFACE. ix

Mulberry-trees for feeding Silk-worms (and care of the insects),
with every other plant, not already common, which appeared to me
of sufficient importance, either in a commercial, manufacturing, or
ornamental point of view, or as affording any of the luxuries or
necessaries of life, have been treated of with due attention: and
in order to accommodate the Agriculturist, I have given a class-
ical catalogue of the most important and valuable grasses and
other plants used in rural economy ; and likewise pointed out the
particular kind of soil, in which each plant cultivated as a grass,
or exclusively on account of its foliage, has been found, upon
repeated trials, to succeed best.

From an experience which I have had of near thirty years in
PRACTICAL GARDENING, on a general and extensive scale; the
particular pains which I have taken, not only to designate the
necessary work of every month, but also the best methods of per-
forming it; the avoiding of all unnecessary repetitions, so frequent
in works of the kind, in order to render it as full of important
matter as possible; the assiduous endeavors to make it useful in
every State of the Union, and to induce an association of the sci-
ence of Botany with practical horticulture, without which the
latter can never be so advantageously conducted: it is hoped that
this will be found to be the most useful and valuable GARDENER'S
CALENDAR hitherto published in any country, but more particu-
larly so to the citizens of the United States, for whose use it has
been written, and to whom it is respectfully inscribed by the
Author.

BEKNAKD M'MAHON.

Philadelphia.

BRIEF MEMOIR OF BERNARD M'MAHON.

BERNARD M'MAHON was no common man. He sought the
American shores from political motives, as is understood, but
what these were has not been determined ; most probably it was
necessary to fly from the persecution of government. He found
American gardening in its infancy, and immediately set himself
vigorously to work to introduce a love of flowers and fruit. The
writer well remembers his store, his garden, and green-houses. '
The latter were situated near the Grermantown turnpike, between
Philadelphia and Nicetown, whence emanated the rarer flowers
and novelties such as could be collected in the early part of the
present century, and where were performed, to the astonishment
of the amateurs of that day, successful feats of horticulture that
were but too rarely imitated.

His store was in Second Street, below Market, on the east side.
Many must still be alive who recollect its bulk window, orna-
mented with tulip-glasses, a large pumpkin, and a basket or two
of bulbous roots; behind the counter officiated Mrs. M'Mahonr
with some considerable Irish accent, but a most amiable and ex-
cellent disposition, and withal an able saleswoman. Mr. M'Mahon
was also much in the store, putting up seeds for transmission to
all parts of this country and Europe, writing his book, or attend-
ing to his correspondence, and in one corner was a shelf contain-
ing a few botanical or gardening books, for which there was then
a very small demand ; another contained the few garden imple-
ments, such as knives and trimming scissors ; a barrel of peas, and
a bag of seedling potatoes, an onion receptacle, a few chairs, and
the room partly lined with drawers containing seeds, constituted
the apparent stock in trade of what was one of the greatest seed

Xli BRIEF MEMOIR OF BERNARD M'MAHON.

stores then known in the Union, and where was transacted a con-
siderable business for that day.

Such a store would naturally attract the botanist as well as the
gardener, and it was the frequent lounge of both classes, who ever
found in the proprietors ready listeners as well as conversers ; in
the latter particular they were rather remarkable, and here you
would see Nuttall, Baldwin, Darlington, and other scientific men,
who sought information or were ready to impart it. Mr. M'Ma-
hon was esteemed by these, and in several botanical works his
knowledge is spoken of with great respect and consideration;
Nuttall .has named a much esteemed species after him, though by
omitting the M' the circumstance has been little noticed.

After a long life of laborious and painstaking industry Mr.
M'Mahon paid his last debt, and left the concern to the manage-
ment of his wife, who conducted it under difficulties that would
have appalled most women. She, however, continued to be suc-
cessful, but was at length stricken with blindness; in this con-
dition, she still occupied a seat behind the counter, and gave
directions to assistants, having a kind word and a piece of intelli-
gence for all who frequented the shop. Her foreman supplied
the flowers, seeds, plants, and bulbs for a considerable length of
time, but at last she too disappeared, the store was closed, and the
business passed into other and more enterprising hands.

The writer of this very imperfect memoir, which he regrets
there are not materials extant to make more complete, has been
favored with the following letter from the able and well-known
botanist, Dr. William Darlington, which will fitly close this record
of a useful man.

WEST CHESTER, June 15, 1857.

MY DEAR SIB,

I am much gratified to learn that a new edition of M'MA-
HON'S " American Gardener's Calendar" is in press. That work
was among the earliest of its kind in our country, and I have
always regarded it as among the best. It is at once comprehen-
sive and complete; and, moreover, remarkable for its judicious,
practical, common sense views of the subject.

I had the pleasure of knowing BERNARD M'MAHON, in my
youthful days. He was, I believe, one of those Exiles of Erin
who sought and found a refuge in our country, near the close of

BRIEF MEMOIR OF BERNARD M'iMAHON. Xlli

the last century. In the autumn, I think, of 1799, he passed
some weeks at my native village of Dilworthtown, in Chester
County, in order to avoid the ravages of yellow fever, in Phila-
delphia, where he resided ; and in that rural retreat I first knew
him. I renewed the acquaintance in 1802, 3, and 4, while attend-
ing the medical lectures in the University of Pennsylvania, by
which time he had established his nurseries of useful and orna-
mental plants : and I ever found him an obliging, intelligent, and
instructive friend. He was a regularly educated gardener, of
much experience, and great enterprise. He gave the first decisive
impulse to scientific horticulture in our State ; and to him we are
mainly indebted, among other favors, for the successful culture
and dissemination of the interesting novelties collected by LEWIS
and CLAEKE, in their journey to the Pacific. When, in 1818, Mr.
NUTTALL published his Genera of North American Plants, he
named a beautiful shrub " in memory of the late Mr. BERNAED
M'MAHON, whose ardent attachment to Botany, and successful in-
troduction of useful and ornamental Horticulture into the United
States, lay claim to public esteem :" and although the genus has
been reduced by later botanists to a section of JBerberis, it is gene-
rally known by — and I trust will long retain — the popular name
of MAHONIA.

It was a well- deserved tribute of respect, from one who inti-
mately knew, and could justly appreciate the merits it commemo-
rated : and I am happy in the opportunity, even at this late day,
to add my own humble and inadequate testimonial to that of so
accomplished a judge of botanical worth, as THOMAS NUTTALL.
Very truly yours,

WM. DARLINGTON.

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE GREAT CONSERVATORY AT KEW GARDENS (Frontispiece}.

PAGE

Fig. 1. A Forcing Cucumber House . ... . . .20

" 2. Ten Illustrations of Training ..... 34

" 3, 4, 5, 6. Trimming and Pinching the Pear Tree . . .39

" 7. Pruning the Raspberry ...... 45

" 8, 9, 10. Good and Bad Pruning of Forest Trees , . .59

" 11. Design for a Villa Garden ..... 86

" 12. Raising Plants from Cuttings . . . . . 113

" 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Fancy Training of Fruit Trees . . 145

" 19. A Lean-to Cold Vinery . . . . . .173

" 20. A Covering for Half-hardy Plants . . . .196

" 21. The Fastolf Raspberry . . . . . .231

" 22. The Red Antwerp ....... 232

" 23. Strawberry Tiles ....... 233

" 24, 25, 26. Grafting Grape Vines . . . . .258

" 27. An Old Clipped Yew ...... 280

" 28. Weigela Amabilis . . . . . .289

" 29. Plan of Protecting Trees from Cattle . . . .303

" 30. Rationale of Draining Land . . . . .316

" 31. Ornamental Tower for Irrigation . . . t ' .345

" 32. A useful Trough for Irrigating Gardens .... 346

" 33. A Hanging Basket ...... 354

" 34. A Well Cultivated Pot Rose . . . . .368

" 35, 36, 37, 38. Transplanters ...... 371

" 39. A Cold Pit ....... 380

" 40. The Impostor's Graft . . . . .402

" 41, 42. Cutting round Roots . . . . . .419

" 43. Roots in Pot Culture . . . . . .420

" 44. Ditto " " ...... 420

" 45. 'The Corkscrew Root from Pot Culture . . . .421

" 46. Spur of the Pear Tree . . . . . .431

" 47. Shoot of a Fig Tree . . ,." . . .432

" 48. Branch of the Filbert . . . . . .433

" 49. Shoot of a Peach Tree ...... 437

" 50. Shoot of a Gooseberry Bush . . . . .438

" 51. Shoot of a Currant 439

XVI ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Fig. 52. Interior of an Orchideous House . . . . .458

" 53. Two Plans for Laying out a. Garden .... 475

" 54. Propagating by mere Leaves ..... 477

" 55, 56. Grapery and Green-house combined .... 518

" 57. Pruning and Training the Vine . . . . 519

" 58. A Plant Cabinet ....... 533

" 59. Fruit Room . . a.T Tf. I | J. . . 559

" 60. Artificial Mode of Heating Vine Borders . . . .598

THE

AMERICAN GARDENER'S
CALENDAR.

JANUARY.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

PREPARATIONS FOR EARLY CROPS.

IN such parts of the Union where the ground is not at this time
bound up with frost, continue to dig the waste quarters of your
kitchen garden, first giving them such manure as they require ; lay-
ing them in high sloping ridges, to sweeten and be improved by the
frost, &c., more especially if the soil be of a stiff nature; by which
method its adhesion is destroyed, the pores are opened for the admis-
sion of air, frost, rain and dews, all of which, abounding with nitrous
salts, contribute, in a high degree, towards its melioration and fertil-
ity ; and besides, a great quantity of ground thus prepared, can be
soon levelled in the spring for sowing or planting ; which, if neglected
would require much time to dig in a proper manner, and that at a
period when the throng of business requires every advantage of pre-
vious preparation.

When the ground at this time is frozen so hard as not, to be dug,
which is generally the case in the Middle and Eastern States, you
may carry manure into the different quarters and spread it, repair
fences, rub out and clean your seeds, prepare shreds, nails and twigs,
for the wall and espalier trees, which are to be pruned in this and
the next month ; get all the garden tools in repair ; and procure such
as are wanting ; provide from the woods a sufficient quantity of pea-
rods, and poles for your Lima and other running beans ; dress and
point them, so as to be ready for use when wanted.

Here it may be well to remark, that many people who neglect to
provide themselves with pea-rods at this season, when it can be so
conveniently done, are necessitated, when the hurry of business over-
takes them in spring, to sow their peas and let them trail on the
ground ; in which situation they will never produce, especially the
tall-growing kinds, one-third as many as if they were properly rodded.
2

18 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

The various kinds of Early Peas will require rods from four to
five feet high ; the taller Marrowfat, Champion of England, and other
tall-growing kinds, will require them to be from six to seven feet
high, exclusive of the part to be inserted in the earth ; they ought to
be formed or dressed fan fashion, the lower ends pointed, for the
ease of pushing them into the earth, and laid by, either under some
shed, or in any convenient place, till wanted ; one set of rods will,
with care, last for three years. The same kind of rods that the tall-
growing peas require, will answer for the generality of running Kid-
ney Beans ; the Lima beans requiring strong poles from eight to nine
feet high.

If in this and the next month, you neglect forwarding everything
that can possibly be done, in and for the garden, you will materially
find the loss of such inattention, when the hurry and pressure of
spring business overtake you. Every active and well inclined gar-
dener will find abundant employment in the various departments of
the garden at this season, and need not be idle, if disposed to be in-
dustrious, or to serve either himself or his employer.

FRAMING.

Many will think that the instructions hereafter given for the raising
of early Cucumbers and Melons, in frames, are too diffuse ; especially
in a country which abounds in these kinds of fruit, produced in such
quantities, in summer and autumn, without artificial heat, or very
much trouble.

The remark may be just, but the principal motive for giving these
lengthy instructions is, to exercise the young gardener in the art of
managing Garden Frames in general ; an art absolutely essential to
every good Gardener, and which cannot be better exemplified than
in the raising of early Cucumbers and Melons. And besides, these
fruits coming into use at an early season, will be much valued and
esteemed.

As several other kinds of kitchen garden vegetables are desirable
at an early season, such as cresses, rape, lettuce, mustard, radishes,
&c., to cut while young; asparagus, radishes, peas, kidney beans, &c.,
to be forwarded in early perfection ; cauliflower and cabbage plants,
to succeed those sown in September, and to produce a principal crop
for early summer use ; you should now provide the necessary sup-
plies of hot stable dung, rich earth, and other requisites proper for
their cultivation in hot-beds, as explained for each, under its respect-
ive head.*

HOT-BED FRAMES AND LIGHTS.

If not already provided with hot-bed frames and lights, you may
get them made agreeably to the following instructions. Large frames

* The whole of these requirements may be more effectually secured by
close and compact low houses, heated by hot-water pipes. Though more
expensive at first, there is a final saving.

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 19

ought to be made of inch and half, or rather two inch plank, of the
best yellow pine, nine feet two inches long, four feet ten inches wide,
as high again in the back as in the front, to give the top a due slope
to the sun and a proper declivity to carry off the wet when covered
with glass lights, to move off and on occasionally; every joint ought
to be tongued, the better to prevent the admission of cold air into,
or emission of warm air out of the bed, but in such manner as the
Gardener may think proper. The back and front are to be nailed to
corner posts, so as to admit the ends to fit in neatly, which ends are
to be made fast to the posts by iron bolts keyed in the inside, for the
greater facility of taking the frame asunder when necessary ; each
end must be made one inch and a half higher than the back and
front, so as that one-half its thickness may be grooved out on the
inside, for the sash to rest and slide on, and the other half left for
its support on the outside ; when finished give it two or three good
coats of paint before you use it, and with a little care and annual
painting, it may last you twenty years.

These frames will take three lights of three feet wide each, each
light containing five rows^of glass panes, six inches by four, over-
lapping one another about* half an inch, which of all other sizes is
the most preferable, on account of their cheapness in the first place,
the closeness of their lap, their general strength and trifling expense
of repairs ; however, each person will suit his own convenience as to
the dimensions of glass. Where the sashes when laid on the frame
meet, a piece of pine about three and a half inches broad and near
two thick, should run from back to front, mortised into each, for
their support, and for them to slide on ; in the centre of which, as
well as in the ends of the frame, it will be well to make a groove
five-eighths of an inch wide and near a quarter of an inch deep,
rounded at bottom to receive and carry off any wet which may work
down between the sashes.

But with respect to particular dimensions of frames, they are dif-
ferent, according to the plants they are intended to protect, but gene-
rally from nine to twelve feet long, from four feet eight inches to five
feet wide, from eighteen inches to three feet six inches in the back,
and from nine to eighteen inches in front, being for the most part
twice as high in the back as in front, if not more.

The common kitchen garden frames may be of three different
sizes, that is, for one, two, and three lights ; the latter of which, how-
ever, are the most material, and which are employed for general use :
but it is necessary also to have one or two-light frames, the former
as seedling frames, and the latter as succession or nursery frames, to
forward the young plants to a due size for the three-light frames, in
which they are to fruit.

EARLY CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

As it is generally the ambition of most gardeners to excel each
other in the production of early cucumbers, &c., all necessary prepa-
ration should be made this month for that purpose, by preparing
dung for hot-beds, in which to raise the plants ; for they, being of a

20

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

[JAN.

tender quality, require the aid of artificial heat under shelter of
frames and glasses, until the middle or latter end of May, especially
in the Middle and Eastern States.

But by the aid of hot-beds, defended with frames and glasses, we
obtain early cucumbers, in young green fruit, fit to cut or gather in
February, March, and April, &c., and ripe melons in May and June.
The proper sorts of cucumbers for the early crops are the early Ken-
yon's free bearer, and Syon House, and Walker's Improved ; of which
the first sort comes earliest ; but the latter is considerably the finest
fruit, and greatly preferable for general culture.

The following cut represents a house built for forcing the cucum-
ber, which may be done in the coldest weather with perfect success.

The house is heated

Fig. 1. by a flue A B, or still

better by hot- water pipes
and a boiler ; such a
house might be ten feet
long and ten wide, as
desired, and in it bush-
beans, strawberries, &c.,
could be forced, and
young flowering plants
will here find a conge-
nial atmosphere. There
is no necessity of going
to the expense of such
a house where there are
other buildings in which

tender exotics are grown and a night temperature of 60° is kept, as
a small space may be used for this purpose, and four or five plants
trained up near the glass, will give a supply for a small family the
whole winter.

If early melons are also required, there are several varieties of the
fruit : the Cantaleupe is one of the best for its handsome growth,
good size, and superior flavor ; and is in much estimation.

The true Cantaleupe, or Armenian warted Melon, is very scarce in
the United States ; its fruit is large, roundish, and deeply ribbed, a
little compressed at both ends, the surface full of warted protuber-
ances, like some species of squash, the flesh reddish, firm, and of a
most delicious rich flavor ; of which there are several varieties, differ-
ing principally in color, and commonly called black rock, golden
rock, &c.

This variety of melon derives the term Cantaleupe from a place of
that name near Rome, where it was first cultivated in Europe —
brought thence from Armenia, a country in Asia, in which is situated
the famous Mount Ararat.

But it may also be proper to raise some of the others for variety ;
the Eomana is a great bearer, comes early, but the fruit much smaller,
though well flavored ; the Polignac, Nutmeg, the best for general
crop, and Minorca, are also fine melons; but it may also be eligible
to raise two, three, or more of the best approved different sorts.

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 21

Observe, that in procuring these seeds for immediate sowing, both
of cucumbers and melons, it is advisable to have those of two, three,
or four year old, if possible, as the plants will generally show fruit
sooner, as well as prove more fruitful than those of new seeds, which
are apt to run vigorously to vine, often advancing in considerable
length before they show a single fruit ; but when seeds of this age
cannot be procured, new seeds may be improved by carrying them
a few weeks previous to sowing in your waistcoat or breeches pocket.

In order to raise early cucumbers and melons, you must provide a
quantity of fresh hot stable dung, wherewith to make a small hot-
bed for a seed bed, in which to raise the plants to a proper growth
for transplanting into larger hot-beds next month to remain to fruit ;
for this purpose a small bed for a one or two-light frame may be suf-
ficient, in which case two cart loads of hot dung will be enough for
making a bed of proper dimensions for a one-light box, and so in
proportion for larger.

Agreeably to these intimations, provide the requisite supply of
good horse-stable dung from the dung hills in stable yards, &c., con-
sisting of that formed of the moist stable litter and dunging of the
horses together, choosing that which is moderately fresh, moist, and
full of heat — always preferring that which is of some lively, warm,
steamy quality • and of which take the long and short altogether as it
occurs, in proper quantity as above. And being thus procured, pro-
ceed to make the hot-bed, or previously to forming it into a bed, if the
dung is rank, it would be proper to prepare it a little to an improved
state, more successful for that purpose, by forking the whole up into
a heap, mixing it well together, and let it thus remain eight or ten
days to ferment equally, and for the rank steam and fierce heat to
transpire or evaporate in some effectual degree; and* by which time it
will have acquired a proper temperament for making into a hot-bed,
by which treatment the heat will be steady and lasting, and not so
liable to become violent or burning, as when the dung is not previ-
ously prepared.

Choose a place on which to make your hot-bed, in a sheltered dry
part of the framing ground,* &c., open to the morning and south
sun ; and it may be made either wholly on the surface of the ground,
or in a shallow trench, of from six to twelve inches deep, and four
or five feet wide, according to the frame ; but if made entirely on
the surface, which is generally the most eligible method at this early
season, it affords the opportunity of lining the sides of the bed with
fresh hot dung, quite down to the bottom, to augment the heat when
it declines, and also prevents wet from settling about the bottom of
the bed, as often happens when made in a trench, which chills the
dung, and causes the heat soon to decay.

Then, according to the size of the frame, mark out the dimensions
of the bed, either on the ground, or with four stakes, making an

* Framing Ground is a part of the Kitchen Garden well defended from
cutting winds, and well exposed to the sun ; particularly intended for
framing of all kinds, and generally inclosed with live or reed hedges, or
board fences, the former being the most preferable.

22 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

allowance for it to be about four or five inches wider than the frame
each way ; this done, begin to make the bed accordingly, observing
to shake and mix the dung well, as you lay it on the bed, and beat
it down with the back of the fork as you go on ; but I would not
advise treading it, for a bed which is trodden hard will not work so
kindly, and be more liable to burn that which is suffered to settle
gradually of itself: in this manner proceed till the bed has arrived
at the height of four feet, which will not be too much, making an
allowance for its settling six or eight inches or more, in a week or
fortnight's time; and as soon as finished, let the frame and glass be
put on; keep them close till the heart comes up, then raise the glass
behind that the steam may pass away.

The next thing to be observed is about earthing the bed, in which
to sow the seed ; and for which occasion should have a proper sup-
ply of rich, light, dry earth, or compost, ready at this season under
some airy dry shed or hovel, covered at top to keep out rain, that
the earth may be properly dry; for if too moist or wet at this time,
it would prove greatly detrimental both to the growth of the seed
and young plants, as well as be very apt to cake and burn at bottom
next the dung by the strong heat of the bed ; therefore, observing
that for early hot-beds of cucumbers and melons should generally
deposit a necessary quantity of proper earth, under some cover as
above, either the beginning of winter, or at least a fortnight or three
or four weeks previous to making the hot-bed, in order to have it in
the dry, mellow state above mentioned, ready for immediate use
when wanted.

Three or four days after the bed is made, prepare to earth it ; pre-
viously observing, if it has settled unequally, to take off the frame
and glasses, and level any inequalities ; make the surface smooth,
put on the frame again, and then lay therein as much of the above-
mentioned earth as will coyer the whole top surface of the bed about
three or four inches thick; then fill two, three, or more middling
smallish garden-pots with more of the aforesaid rich earth, place
them within the frame on the hot-bed, put on the glass or glasses,
and continue them till the earth in the pots is warm, and when that
is effected sow the seeds in the pots, both of cucumbers and melons,
each separately, more or less in each pot, according to the quantity
of plants required, but generally considerably more of cucumbers
than of melons at this season, covering in the earth near half an
inch deep with the same earth.

This done, place the pots towards the middle of the bed, plunging
the bottom part a little into the earth, drawing some of the same up
round each pot at the same time ; or in two or three days after, may
sow a few seeds in the earth of the bed, to have a chance both ways ;
but by sowing in pots, if the beds should heat too violently, as is
sometimes unavoidably the case, the pots can be readily drawn up
more or less out of danger of (burning the earth, &c., therein; and
thus the sowing in pots in a new made hot-bed in full heat may
prove of greater advantage than sowing in the earth of the bed with
regard to more probable safety from burning.

After sowing the seeds, put on the lights or glasses close ; but

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 23

when the steam from the heat of the bed rises copiously, give it
vent by raising one corner of the upper ends of the lights half aa
inch or an inch, which is also necessary in order to prevent any
burning tendency from the great heat of the bed in its early state ;
60° by night, and 80° with sunshine, will be a proper temperature.

Continue now to cover the glasses of the hot-bed every evening,
about an hour before sun-setting, if mild weather, but earlier in pro-
portion to its severity, with garden mats ; and uncover them every
morning, not sooner than between eight and nine o'clock at this sea-
son; and observe, in covering up in the evening, that as the bed
will at first have a strong heat and steam within the frame, it may
be advisable to cover only a single mat thick for the first three or
four nights, as a thicker covering in the early state of the bed might
be apt to occasion a too violent internal heat and steam of a burning
nature; but as the great heat decreases, augment the covering,
being careful not to suffer the ends of the mats to hang down con-
siderably below the frame, over the sides of the bed, except in severe
weather, which would draw up a hurtful strong steam from the dung,
as well as confine the steam and heat too much, and keep the bed
too stiflingly close from the external air, which would weaken the
germination or sprouting of the seed, and the plants would come up
weak and of a sickly yellowish hue ; observe, therefore, these and the
following precautions, in order both to prevent too great a heat in
the bed, and that the plants may rise with a proper degree of strength
and healthful growth.

Likewise observe, on the above considerations, that in covering up,
or applying the night covering of mats over the glasses, during the
time the strong heat and steam continue in the bed, it would be pro-
per when the mats are put on in the afternoon to raise the upper ends
of the glass or glasses, a quarter of an inch, or a little more or less,
occasionally, both to give vent to the internal rank steam, and to
admit a moderate degree of fresh air ; and in which may fasten one
of the covering mats to hang down a little over the part where the
lights are occasionally opened to prevent the cutting external air
from rushing immediately into the frame, especially after the plants
are advancing ; but this, necessary as it is, cannot be done with safety
in very severe weather.

Great care is requisite that the earth in the pots have not too much
heat, for the bed is yet very hot, and therefore let the degree of in-
ternal heat in the bed be daily examined; and, if anything of burning
should appear, you can conveniently raise the pots farther from the
dung, from which the danger proceeds, without disturbing the seeds
or plants, and thereby prevent all injury from too much heat, pro-
vided you examine the bed every day, and give proper vent to the
rank steam within the frame, while of a burning quality.

In two, three, or four days after the seed is sown, you may expect
the plants to appear ; when it will be proper to admit fresh air to
them, by raising the upper end of the glass a little every day : and
if the earth in the pots appears dry, refresh it moderately with a
little water that has stood in the bed all night, just to take off the
cold chill ; applying it about eleven or twelve o'clock of the day, and

24 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

principally only to the earth, about the roots, not over the tops of the
plants ; which done, shut down the glasses close for about half an
hour or an hour, then opened again a little, and shut close towards
the evening ; when continue to cover the glass every night with garden
mats. And at this time also, if the heat of the bed is strong and the
weather not very severe, raise the glass a little behind with a prop,
when you cover up in the evening, to give vent to the steam ; and
nail a mat to hang down over the ends of the glass that is raised, to
break off the sharp edge of the external cold night air from the plants;
but when the heat is more moderate, the glasses may be shut close
every night, observing to uncover in proper time every morning, to
admit the essential benefit of day-light, sun, and air, to the plants ;
being careful to continue the admission of fresh air at all proper op-
portunities in the day-time, to promote strength in the plants, other-
wise they would run weak, and very long and feeble-shanked ; raising
the glass as before observed, and if windy or very sharp air, to hang
a mat before the place as above.

On the day that the plants appear, sow a little more seed in the
same bed, in the manner before mentioned ; for these plants being
liable to suffer by different causes at this season, it is proper, there-
fore, to sow a little seed at three or four different times in the same
bed, at short intervals ; for, if one sowing should miscarry, another
may succeed.

When the plants, however, both of the first and succeeding sow-
ings, are two, three, or four days old, they should be planted in
small pots, which pots must be placed also in the hot-bed, in the
manner following : —

Observe to fill the pots, the day before you intend to remove the
plants, with some rich, dry earth, and set them within the frame till
the next day, when the earth in the pots will be warm ; then proceed
to planting, take the plants carefully up in the seed-pots, raising
them with your finger, &c., with all the roots as entire as possible,
and with as much of the earth as will readily adhere about the fibres ;
and thus, the pots of earth being ready, and forming the earth thereof
a little concavely hollow a small depth, place the plants in the hol-
lowed part of the earth slopingly, with their roots towards the centre,
and earth over their roots and stems near an inch thick ; observing
to plant three plants in each pot ; and if the earth is quite dry, give
a very little water just to the roots of the plants only; and directly
plunge the pots into the earth on the bed, close to another, filling up
all the spaces between with earth ; and let every part of the bed
within the frame be covered with as much earth as will prevent the
rising of the rank steam immediately from the dung, which would
destroy the plants by its pungency.

Be careful to examine the bed every day, to see that the roots of
the plants do not receive too much heat ; if anything like that ap-
pears, draw up the pots a little, or as far as you see necessary for the
preservation of the plants, re-plunging them again to their rims when
the danger is over.

Two or three days after planting, if the bed is in good condition,

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 25

the plants will have taken root ; though that is effected sometimes in
twenty-four hours.

When the plants are fairly rooted, if the earth appears dry, give
them a little water in the warmest time of the day; and if the sun
shines it will prove more beneficial : let the watering be occasionally
repeated very moderately, according as the earth in the pots becomes
dry, and appears in want of a little moisture : and for this purpose
always have some soft water set within the frame a few hours, to
be ready to water the plants as you shall see occasion ; but always
with very great cautious moderation at this season.

If there is now a brisk growing heat in the bed, you should, in
order to preserve it as long as possible, apply some outward protec-
tion of long stable-litter, straw, waste hay, dried fern, or leaves of
trees, round the sides of the bed, raising it by degrees round the out-
sides of the frame.

This will defend the beds from cold piercing wind, heavy or driving
rains and snow, if either should happen; for these, if suffered to
come at the bed, would chill it, and cause a sudden decay of the
heat, whereby the plants would certainly receive a great check.

If a lively heat be kept up, you may admit air to the plants every
day, to strengthen their growth, by tilting the glasses in proportion
to the heat of the bed, and temperature of the external air ; generally
observing, in this case, that when there happens a sharp cold air, or
cutting wind, it would still be advisable to nail a garden-mat to the
upper end of the glasses, to hang down over the place where the air
is admitted, supported a little hollow or detached underneath, two or
three inches from the frame ; and it will thus break off and prevent
the cutting external air from entering immediately into the frame
upon the plants, and at the same time admit a proper degree of mild
fresh air to a greater advantage : however, in calm, moderate weather,
this precaution is not materially necessary.

About a fortnight, or a little more or less time after the bed is
made, you will carefully examine the heat thereof, to see if it wants
augmentation; and when the heat begins to decline considerably,
remove the temporary protection of straw, hay, fern, or leaves from
the front and back of the bed, if any was laid round it as before
added; then apply a lining of fresh hot horse-dung, close to one or
both sides as it shall seem necessary, by the heat being less or more
decreased; for a constant regular degree of internal heat must be
supported to resist the external cold, and continue the plants in a
proper state of advancing growth; but if the heat is not greatly de-
clined, it would be advisable to line only one side first, applying it
to the back of the bed ; and in a week or fortnight after, line the
front, &c., forming the lining about fifteen or eighteen inches wide ;
but raise it very little higher than the dung of the bed, lest it throw
in too much heat immediately to the earth and roots of the plants ;
covering the top with earth two inches thick to preserve the heat,
and prevent the rank steam of the new dung from coming up and
entering into the frame, where it would prove destructive to the
plants ; the lining will soon greatly revive the declining heat of the
bed, and continue it in good condition a fortnight longer.

26 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

Ten or twelve days after lining one side, proceed as before, removing
the protection of straw-litter, &c., if any, from the other side, and
applying a lining of hot dung as above afterwards to both ends ; —
and these will again revive and augment the heat for another fort-
night or more.

After performing the lining, if very cold, wet, or snowy weather
prevail, it may be proper to lay a quantity of dry long litter all
around the general lining, which will protect the whole from driving
cold rains and snow, and preserve the heat of the bed in a fine grow-
ing temperature.

By applying these linings of hot dung in due time, and renewing
them as there shall be occasion, you may preserve the bed in a pro-
per temperature of heat of sufficient duration to continue the plants
in a free growing state in the same bed until of due size for ridging
out into the larger hot-beds, finally to remain to produce their heat.

Observe, however, that where there is plenty of hot dung, and
every proper convenience, you may, in order to forward the plants
as much as possible, prepare a second hot-bed, by way of nursery,
about a fortnight after making the seed-bed, in order to receive the
plants therefrom in their pots, when the heat begins to decline,
plunging the pots in the earth as above directed ; continuing to sup-
port the heat of this bed, as already explained, and in which the
plants may be nursed and forwarded till they acquire a proper size
for transplanting finally into the fruiting hot-beds. (See next month.)

When the plants have advanced in growth with their two first
rough leaves, about two or three inches broad, and have pushed their
two first running buds in the centre, or are a little advanced in the
formation of one or two short runners, they are then of a proper size
for ridging out into the large hot-beds, where they are finally to re-
main, which perform in proper time, according to the directions
given in February under the article Cucumbers.

But in order to strengthen the plants in a more firm stocky
growth, and to promote a production of fruitful runners, each plant
must be stopped (as the gardeners term it), or topped at the first or
second joint, i. e. the top of the first advancing runner, when formed
in the centre like a small bud, should be pinched or cut off close to
the joint, as directed in February (which see), where the method of
performing it is more fully explained.

CARE OP THE VARIOUS SORTS OF LETTUCES.

If you have lettuce plants in frames, or under hoop-arches de-
fended with mats, let them enjoy the open air at all opportunities,
by taking the glasses, or other shelters, entirely off, when the wea-
ther is mild and dry ; but if the plants are frozen, let them, while
in that state, be carefully protected from the hot sun, which would
materially injure them.

In very wet weather, and when sharp cutting winds prevail, keep
the glasses over them, observing, however, to raise the lights or glasses
behind two or three inches, in mild days, to admit air to the plants ;
for, if they are kept too close, they will be drawn up weak, and

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 27

attain to but little perfection ; but let the glasses be close shut every
night. In severe frosty weather keep them close night and day,
and cover the glasses with mats, or straw, &c., both of nights and
occasionally in the day-time, if the frost is rigorous; also let the
same care be observed to those under hoop-arches; but let them have
the full air in mild open weather.

Or where any lettuces are planted in a south border, close to a
wall or board fence, &c., it would be advisable, in hard frost, to cover
them as above.

In the above lettuces, in general, pick off all decayed leaves when
any appear, keep them always cleared from weeds, and destroy slugs,
which often greatly annoy them ; and in mild weather stir the sur-
face of the earth between, which will much enliven the plants.

SOWING LETTUCES.

When lettuces have not been sown in autumn for early spring use,
you may now sow any of the cos* or cabbage kinds, on a slight hot-
bed under glasses, to be planted out in spring ; the young plants
may be greatly forwarded, if pricked into another fresh hot-bed
next month; and in the latter end of March, or beginning of April,
they will be strong, and fit for transplanting into warm borders ; a
sufficiency may be retained in the frame to arrive at early perfection.

FORCING EARLY ASPARAGUS.

Hot-beds for forcing asparagus may be made with success any time
this month, which will furnish young asparagus for the table in Feb-
ruary and March. It may also be forced under the stage of a warm
green-house.

Observing, for this occasion, you must be furnished with plants
that have been raised in the natural ground till of three or four years'
growth, of proper size and strength to produce eligible crops of good
sized asparagus shoots, when planted in a hot-bed ; and must be pro-
vided with plenty of good hot dung, wherewith to make substantial
hot-beds, from three to four feet high, and with proper large frames
and glasses to place on the beds, and garden mats for covering of
nights, &c.

But for general particulars of the plants, and the necessary quan-
tity, as well as of the hot-bed and other requisites — see the article
Forcing Asparagus in February, which is equally applicable on the
present occasion.

MINT, TANSEY, &C.

Make a small hot-bed for some mint, or plant the roots close to-
gether in boxes and place in the hot-house, when it is required at an

* The cos lettuces, however, are of little use in the North ; they are
too tender to bear our severe winters, and soon run to seed in the sum-
mer ; consequently the cabbage kinds are best for all purposes.

28 % THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

early season, in young green shoots, for salads and mint-sauce, &c.
A bed for a small or middling garden frame, of one or two lights,
may be sufficient for supply of a moderate family ; and in general
about two feet thick of dung ; set on the frame, and lay about four
or five inches deep of earth on the bed, ready for planting.

Then having some roots of common spear-mint, place them upon
the surface, pretty thick, and cover them with earth about an inch
and a half deep; or you may place the roots in drills, and draw the
earth over them.

The mint will appear in about a week or fortnight, and will be in
fine order for mint-sauce, &c., and either to use alone as a salad, or
to mix among other small herbs.

By the same means you may obtain green tansy and tarragon.

SMALL SALADING.

Make a slight hot-bed, in which to sow the different sorts of small
salading, such as cresses, mustard, radish and rape, and likewise let-
tuce, to cut while young.

The hot-bed for these seeds need not be more than about two feet
thick of dung, and must be covered with a frame and glasses. The
earth must be light and dry, and laid about four or five or six inches
thick on the bed ; then let small shallow flat drills be drawn from
the back to the front of the bed; sow the seed therein, each sort
separately, and very thick, covering them not more than a quarter of
an inch deep with earth; or, if but just covered, is sufficient, and the
plants will rise more expeditious and regular ; or the seed may be
sown thick all over the surface of the bed, each sort separate ; smooth
it down with the spade, then sift as much light earth over as will
just cover it, as above observed, and directly put on the glasses ; or
in want of frames and lights, may use hand-glasses, observing in
general to cover the glasses every night, and in severe frosty weather,
with mats or straw litter, &c.

As soon as the plants appear, give them as much air as the state
of the weather will admit of, by raising the glasses on props ; other-
wise they will be apt to mould or fog, and spoil as fast as they come
up.

It must be remembered that where a regular succession of these
small herbs is required for salad, should repeat the sowings, at least
once a fortnight.

If you have not hot dung to spare to make hot-beds for this pur-
pose, may sow in a sloping bed of natural earth, under a shallow gar-
den frame, covered with glasses: allotting for this occasion some
warm compartments of rich earth in the full sun : preparing it in a
sloping manner fronting the south, a foot higher on the north side
than in front. Set a frame thereon, sinking the back part, &c., so
as to have the whole surface of the earth within six or eight inches
of the glasses ; sow the salading, put on the glasses, cover them care-
fully with mats, &c., at night and in very severe weather, and you
need not doubt of success ; though, generally, a hot-bed will always
prove the most effectually successful on this occasion.

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 29

CAULIFLOWER PLANTS.

Look over, in open weather, the cauliflower plants which were
raised and planted in frames last autumn for protection in winter, to
plant out in spring for an early summer crop ; and where withered or
damaged leaves appear, let them be picked off; suffer no weeds to
grow among them, and stir the surface gently between, which will
enliven and cherish the plants.

In open weather let the plants have plenty of air every day, by
raising the glasses, or by taking them entirely off when the weather
is mild and dry ; but generally continue the glasses over in rainy
weather : keep them close down every night, and do not open them
at all in severe frosty weather.

In severe weather cover the glasses every night with mats, straw,
or fern, &c., also, if there be occasion, in the day-time, in very rigor-
ous frost ; likewise, in such weather, lay some litter round the out-
sides of the frame, for this will be very serviceable in preventing the
frost from entering at the sides.

Cauliflowers under hand or bell-glasses must also have air every
mild day, by raising the glasses two or three inches on the warmest
side j in sharp weather keep them close ; in severe frost lay some litter
round, and straw or mats over each glass ; this will protect the plants
greatly ; in mild dry weather the glasses may be taken off every day
for a few hours ; but they must be kept close every night.

SOWING CAULIFLOWER SEED.

Sow cauliflower seed the beginning, middle, or any time this month,
to raise plants to succeed those sown in autumn ; or also, in case none
were sown at that time for an early summer crop, or that they have
been killed by the severity of the winter ; but in order to bring the
plants up soon, and forward them in growth, it will be necessary to
sow them in a slight hot-bed. Plants sown at this season, if well
managed, are to be more depended on for a general crop, than those
which were sown in autumn, as they are not so apt to button or run
to seed in April or May as the others, and will produce their flowers
within ten days as early ; though such of the autumn raised plants
as do not button, generally produce larger flowers and earlier.

Make the bed as directed for cucumbers, in page 21, to about three
feet high, which, when settled, will fall to about two feet six inches,
and put a frame on ; then lay four or five inches of rich earth over
the bed, sow the seed on the surface, but not until the violent heat
of the bed is over ; cover it by sifting or otherwise, with light dry
earth, about a quarter of an inch deep, and then put on the glasses.

When the plants appear, let them have air every day that the
weather will permit, by raising the upper ends of the lights an inch
or two ; and in very mild weather, the lights may be taken off en-
tirely for a few hours in the warm part of the day : the plants must
not be kept too close, for that would draw them up so weak as to
render them of little value ; therefore give them as much air as pos-
sible, consistent with their preservation and promotion of growth;

30 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JAN.

but let them be covered carefully at night, and in very severe
weather.

Water them frequently, but sparingly, with water which has stood
over night in the hot-bed ; keep them free from weeds, and in one
month they will be fit for transplanting into another hot-bed. (See
February!) ; : ,v

SOWING CABBAGE SEED.

This is a proper time to sow a full crop of early cabbage seed, to
raise plants to succeed those sown in September; the kinds most
suitable are the early Wakefield, early York, early dwarf Battersea,
and early Vanack ; they are to be treated in every respect, as di-
rected for the cauliflower plants, with this difference, that as they are
somewhat more hardy, a less degree of heat will be sufficient.

Sow also some of the large late kinds of cabbage, such as the flat
Dutch, drum-head, &c., likewise some of the red pickling cabbage ;
and plants from this sowing will be fit for use in July, August, &c.,
and will produce better and larger heads than if sown in April or
May ; and besides, they will immediately succeed the early summer
kinds above mentioned.

SOWING CARROTS.

In some families young carrots are required as early as possible,
and they may be forwarded by sowing the seed in a moderate hot-
bed, about the end of this month.

Make the hot-bed about two feet thick of dung, and procure some
light, rich, dry earth, which lay six inches thick on the bed. Sow
the seed thinly on the surface, and cover it with the same kind of
earth a quarter of an inch deep.

When the plants come up, let them enjoy the free air in mild
weather, and cover them in cold nights, and also in very severe frost,
whilst young ; and when an inch or two high, thin them to about
three inches asunder; and you will thus have young spring carrots
for drawing in April and May. The early horn carrot is the best
for this purpose.

SOWING RADISHES.

In order to have radishes as early as possible, recourse must be
had to the assistance of hot-beds ; therefore, any time in this month,
make a moderate hot-bed for one or more garden frames, only about
two feet and a half depth of dung, sufficient just to promote the early
germination of the seed, and forward the plants moderately without
running them up long shanked, &c. When the bed is made, set on
the frame, lay in about six inches depth of good light garden earth,
then having some seed of the best early-frame, olive or short-topped
radish, sow it evenly on the surface, press it into the earth with the
back of a spade, cover it nearly half an inch deep with light mould,
and put on the glasses.

When the plants appear, give them a large share of air, either by

JAN.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 31

taking the glasses, &c., entirely off, whenever it can be done with
safety, even for half an hour at a time, or tilting them up high at
one end, as the weather will permit, otherwise they will draw, or run
up long shanked, and be spoiled ; and after the plants have been up
a few days, thin them regularly with your hand, where they stand
too thick, and leave the strongest plants standing not less than an
inch asunder. Support a gentle heat in the bed, when it declines,
by applying a moderate lining of hot dung.

MUSHROOMS.

Mushroom-beds should be carefully attended to at this season.
They should have sufficient covering to defend them effectually from
the frost, rain, or snow; which should not be less than two feet
thick } and if heavy rain or snow should have penetrated quite
through the covering, this must be removed immediately, or your
spawn will be in danger of perishing. Replace it with good covering
of clean and dry wheat or other straw ; and in order to defend the bed
more effectually from wet and cold, it is advisable to spread some
large garden mats, or canvas cloths, over the straw, which will greatly
preserve the beds.*

ARTICHOKES.

Artichokes, if not landed up before, should not be neglected any
longer, except the severity of the frost prevents it : in which case, as
these plants are liable to suffer greatly by rigorous frosts, it is ad-
visable to give some temporary protection, first clearing away the
decayed and large old leaves, then apply a good thiok covering of
long, dry, strawy dung, or mulchy litter, close about each plant : but,
if open dry weather, it would be most expedient to land them up ;
observing, preparatory to this, to cut away all the large and decayed
old leaves close to the ground ; then dig between, and earth up the
plants, as in November and December.

But the work of landing up artichokes should always be performed
in November or December ; for which see the work of these months.
It should never be omitted j for it is the most general effective
method of preserving the plants in severe winters.

And after they are landed, if the frost should j>rove very severe,
it will also be proper to lay light, dry, long litter over the rows : if
the plants are of the true globe sort, too great care cannot be taken
to preserve them ; for sometimes a severe winter makes a great havoc
among them ; and, in spring, young sets to recruit the plantations
may be very difficult to procure.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In Georgia, South Carolina, and such parts of the other southern
States as are not subject to winter frosts, you may sow carrots, parsneps,

* The most economical and sure way to grow mushrooms is in a cellar
or shed, where a temperature of 50° to 55° is maintained.

32 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

beets, spinach, lettuce, radish, celery, parsley, cabbage, cauliflower,
borecole, broccoli, leeks, onions, &c., especially towards the latter end
of the month.

Sow peas and plant beans of various kinds, earth up such peas and
beans as are advanced in growth, rod and stake such of them as re-
quire it; plant out cabbage and cauliflower 'plants, earth up late
celery, and tie up endive for blanching : and, in short, do all the
work directed to be done in the kitchen garden for the month of
March, where you will find ample instructions for performing the
same.

In such of the southern or western States as frosts are prevalent
in, at this season, the above work must be deferred till such period
in next month, or even in March, as it can be done in, without dan-
ger from frost; with the exception of planting the Windsor-bean
(Vioia Faba), and all the different varieties of that species, which
ought to be planted as soon after the middle of January as it is pos-
sible to get the ground in a proper state of preparation to receive
them : they are very hardy, are not subject to rot in the ground like
kidney beans, provided it be dry ; they thrive best in a heavy strong
soil, and are seldom very productive in the United States, if not
planted early.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

PRUNING.

WHERE pruning was neglected in November or December, it can
now be done ; though the latter end of February is a preferable time
in the middle States, and the beginning of March in the eastern ;
however, apple and pear-trees being perfectly hardy, may be pruned
at any time during the winter months with safety ; plums and cher-
ries may also be pruned any time that the weather is tolerably mild :
and as this month will answer extremely well in the southern States
for pruning almost all kinds of fruit-trees, it may be useful to give
at this time general instructions for performing the same, which may
be referred to at any other period.

PRUNING ESPALIER AND WALL TREES.

As some people have not a sufficient idea of what is meant by
espaliers, the following explanation, and instructions for forming
them, &c., may not be unacceptable.

Espaliers are edges of fruit-trees, which are trained up regularly
to a lattice or trellis of wood work, and are commonly arranged in a
single row in the borders, round the boundaries of the principal divi-
sions of the kitchen-garden J there serving a double or treble pur-
pose, both profitable, useful, and ornamental. They produce large
fine fruit plentifully, without taking up much room, and being in a
close range, hedge-like, they in some degree shelter the esculent
crops in the quarters ; and having borders immediately under them

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 33

each side, afford different aspects for different plants, and also they
afford shelter in winter, forwardness to their south-border crops in
spring, and shade in summer ; and as to ornament and variety, what
can be more delightful in spring, in the excursion of the walks, than
the charming appearance which the trees make when covered with
their showy bloom, differing in themselves, in those of different
genera, species, and varieties ; or in summer, to see the fruit of the
different sorts advancing to perfection, and in autumn arrive suc-
cessively to maturity ? And as the trees are arranged all of an equal
height, not exceeding six feet, closely furnished with branches,
ranged horizontally at regular distances one above another, from the
very ground upwards, the fruit hereby are exhibited to great advan-
tage, and being low, and the branches fixed, are convenient to pull,
and not liable to be blown down by wind.

An espalier has this advantage over a wall tree, that as being
wholly detached, the branches have liberty to form fruit spurs on
both sides, which in the wall tree cannot be effected but on one; in
fact, common fruit- walls are unnecessary in the United States, except
in the eastern and some of the middle States, where they are useful
in forwarding to due perfection and flavor some late kinds of superior
peaches, grapes, and other late fruits ; but when walls are built for
other purposes, and are conveniently situated, advantage ought to be
taken of them for raising fruit, observing to suit the various kinds to
the various aspects.

Trellises are also used occasionally for wall trees, where the wall
does not admit of nailing the branches immediately against it ; also
for training wall trees in forcing-houses and forcing-frames, and are
formed according to different degrees of taste, for use and ornament,
as well as of different dimensions, from four or five to six, or in
forcing-houses, to seven, eight, or ten feet high.

For common espalier fruit-trees in the open ground, a trellis is
absolutely necessary, and may either be formed of common stakes
or poles, or of regular joinery work, according to taste or fancy.

The cheapest, the easiest, and soonest made trellis for common
espalier trees, is that formed with straight poles, being cut into pro-
per lengths, and driving them into the ground in a range, a foot
distant, all of an equal height, and then railed along the top with
the same kind -of poles or slips of pine or other boards, nailed down
to each stake to preserve the whole straight and firm in a regular
position ; to which the branches of the espalier trees are to be fast-
ened with small ozier-twigs, rope-yarn, &c., and trained along hori-
zontally from stake to stake, as directed for the different sorts under
their proper heads.

To render the above trellis still stronger, run two or three hori-
zontal ranges of rods or small poles along the back parts of the up-
rights, a foot or eighteen inches asunder, fastening them to the
upright stakes either with pieces of strong wire twisted two or three
times round, or by nailing them.

But when more elegant and ornamental trellises of joinery work
are required in any of the departments, they are formed with regu-
larly squared posts and rails, of good durable timber, neatly planed
3

34

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

[JAN.

and framed together, fixing the main posts in the ground, ten or
twelve feet asunder, "with smaller ones between, ranging the hori-
zontal railing from post to post in three or more ranges; the first
being placed about a foot from the bottom, a second at top, and one
or two along the middle space, and if thought convenient, may
range one between each of the intermediate spaces; then fix thin
slips of lath, or the like, upright to the horizontal railing, ten inches
or a foot asunder; and paint the whole with oil color to render it
more ornamental and durable; and in training the trees, tie their
branches both to the railing of the trellis and to the upright laths,
according as they extend in length on each side.

In either of the above trellises for a common espalier, five or six
feet at most is a sufficient height, as, if much higher, the winds,
having great power, would be very apt to loosen and displace them.

The permanent trellises ought not to be made till the second or
third year after planting, except the trees have had as long a time
of regular and judicious training; for while they are young, it will
be sufficient to drive a few short stakes into the ground on each side
of the trees in a straight line, to which the branches should be fast-
ened in a horizontal position as they are produced, in order to train
them properly for the espalier ; these will be sufficient for the two
or three first years, for should you make the regular espalier or
trellis the first year the trees are planted, many of the stakes would
rot before the espalier is covered. For directions respecting the
planting espalier and wall-trees, see March and October.

TRAINING.

The following representations of the modes of training convey to
the eye examples which it will be well to study : —

a. The herring-bone fan. b. The irregular fan. c. The stellate fan. d. The drooping
fan. e. The wavy fan. /. The horizontal, g. The horizontal, with screw-stem, h. The
horizontal, with double stem. i. The vertical, with screw shoots, k. The vertical, with
upright shoots.

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 35

PRUNING APPLE AND PEAR-TREES IN ESPALIERS, OR TRAINED TO
WALLS OR BOARD FENCES.

Apple and pear-trees being of the spur-bearing kind, and their
mode of bearing similar, one method of pruning answers for both ;
they producing their fruit upon short natural spurs from the sides
and ends of the branches, and the same branches continue bearing
for many years, increasing their quantity of fruit spurs as they gra-
dually advance in length ; let it therefore be remarked, that in the
general course of pruning those trees, their branches and shoots are
not to be shortened, but generally trained along horizontally to the
espalier and wall at their natural length, at least as far as there is
scope of room to extend them; never shortened, except on particular
occasions below explained, and the whole trained four to five or six
inches asunder.

Keeping therefore this in mind, look over the general branches,
in which observe, that in such advancing young trees as are still in
training, requiring a further supply of young wood to form the head,
be careful to select and retain a proper quantity of the best placed
last summer's shoots at full length, and generally a terminal shoot to
each mother branch, and cut out all the superfluous and irregular
ones; but in full-trained or old trees, still retaining the former
trained or same individual bearing branches for many years, as long
as they continue fruitful ; and only examine any particular branches
that appear worn out or decayed, or any that are too much crowded
or very irregular, and let such now be pruned out; at the same time
observe where any of the last summer's shoots are wanted to supply
vacant spaces, and retain them accordingly; cutting out all the super-
fluous or over abundant close to the main branches; likewise, let all
foreright and other irregular-placed shoots be cut away, carefully re-
taining the leading shoot to all the main branches where there is a
scope to run them, so retaining the general branches and the neces-
sary supply of young wood about four to five or six inches asunder,
to be trained to the trellis or wall, &c., all at their full length as
aforesaid ; and, according as they advance in length, still continue
extending them, or without shortening, at least as far as their limited
space admits.

In the course of this pruning, have particular care to preserve all
the natural fruit-spurs ; but cut away all those formed of the remain-
ing stumps of shorted shoots, for these rarely produce anything but
a confusion of unnecessary wood-shoots every summer; and for
which reason be careful, in pruning out the superfluous and irregular
shoots, always to cut them off quite dose from whence they originate.*

Then train in all the remaining proper branches and shoots at
their full length, about from four to five or six inches asunder, as

* The better way to prevent superfluous lateral shoots is to pinch them
into a few buds from time to time through the summer, and prune into one
or two eyes in the winter. This practice will, after some two or three
years, destroy the exuberance, and form fruit-buds, instead of wood-shoots.

36 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

i

aforesaid, without reducing them in length either in the summer or
winter pruning.

By the above practice, the shoots of branches of these trees will,
about the second or third year after they are laid in, begin to pro-
duce short shoots or spurs (as they are generally termed) about an
inch or two in length, some not above half an inch j and from these
the fruit is produced.

But if the branches of these trees were to be shortened, it would
be cutting off the very part where blossom buds or spurs first begin
to appear; and instead of those fruitful parts, they would send forth
a number of strong wood- shoots. This plainly shows that the shoots
which were intended for fruit-bearing must not be generally short-
ened, for if that is practised, the trees would constantly run to wood,
and never produce any tolerable crop of fruit.

If, indeed, there is a want of wood in any part of these trees, then
the occasional shortening of some of the adjacent young shoots may
be necessary, whereby to promote a production of laterals the ensuing
summer, to furnish the vacancy.

For instance, if there is any vacant part in the tree, and two,
three, or more shoots are requisite to furnish that vacancy, and only
one shoot was produced in that part the preceding summer, that shoot,
in such a case, being now shortened to four or five buds,if it be strong,
will produce three or four lateral shoots.

PRUNING PLUMS AND CHERRIES.

This is also a proper season to prune plums and cherries, either
against walls or espaliers, especially where the weather is mild.

Let it be observed in the pruning of these trees against walls or
espaliers, that, like the apples and pears, they being of the. spur-
bearing kind, producing the fruit upon short natural spurs or studs,
emitted along the sides of the branches, or from two or three to many
years old, so must accordingly retain the same branches many years
for bearers, which must not be shortened in the course of pruning,
but trained horizontally at their full length, about three or four to
five or six inches asunder; also all young shoots of the last year's
growth, as are now proper to be reserved in vacancies, to furnish the
wall or espalier with bearing wood, must not be shortened ; but every
such shoot or branch must be left entire ; and this should at all times
be observed, which is the only certain method whereby to render the
branches fruitful.

In the operation of pruning these trees, observe, as advised for
the apple and pear trees, to give proper attention both in any young
trees still under training, and in the fully trained older trees furnished
with the requisite expansion of branches.

Observing, in the former, i. e., the young trees under training,
that where further supplies of branches are required in order to form
a proper expansion of bearers trained in regularity, should be careful
to leave some best well-placed young shoots for that purpose, and
cut out the improper and unnecessary, such as fore-right and other
irregular placed growths ; or also any superfluous or over-abundant

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 3t

shoots that may occur in particular parts of the trees, retaining the
reserved proper shoots mostly at their full length, for training as
above ; and they will thus in from one to two or three year's growth,
furnish natural fruit spurs for bearing ; but generally sooner in the
cherries than the plums, as some sort of cherries will probably bear
fruit the same year on the young shoots now trained in : the morella
in particular bears mostly on the one year old shoots. For observa-
tions thereon see November.

And in the full trained trees of the above sorts, look carefully
over the general expansion; and where any occasional supply of
young wood appears necessary, select and retain some best- placed
proper shoots of last summer accordingly, either to furnish any pre-
sent vacancy, or to train in between the m'ain branches where it may
seem expedient, in order to be advancing to a bearing state, ready to
supply any apparent future occasion; but in the morella particularly,
above mentioned, retain always a general supply for principal bear-
ers : (see November :) and prune out all irregular and superabundant
shoots close to the mother branches ; and if casual worn-out or de-
cayed old unfruitful branches occur, let them now be cut out, retain-
ing young wood of proper growth, &c., to supply their place; pre-
serving also, in all vacant spaces, a supply of the best young shoots
at their natural length, as above advised, and a leading one to each
branch ; being careful to preserve all the short natural fruit spurs,
and cut away close any remaining naked stumps of former shortened
shoots : then, as soon as the tree is thus pruned, proceed to train in
all the proper shoots and branches to the wall or espalier, at their
full length as aforesaid, at the above mentioned distances: and all
those thus treated will in two or three years' time send out many
short shoots or fruit spurs, about half an inch or an inch in length ;
and from these spurs the fruit is always produced.

These spurs generally appear first toward the upper part, or that
which was once the superior part of the one, two or three years old
branches ; and if shortening was to be practised, those parts would
consequently be cut away where the blossom-buds would have other-
wise first made their appearance. Therefore, in the course of prun-
ing apple, pear, plum, and cherry-trees, never shorten or top the
young shoots that are left for a supply of bearing wood, nor any of
the bearing branches, if there is room to extend them ; and they will
thus all gradually form themselves into a plentiful bearing state.

But if shortening was generally practised to these kinds of fruit-
trees, as is the case with many pruners, it would prove their mani-
fest destruction in regard to preventing their fruitfulness : for in the
places where fruit-buds would otherwise naturally appear, there would
advance nothing but strong wood shoots ; so that the trees would be
continually crowded with useless and unfruitful wood.

When, however, there is at any time a supply of wood wanted,
then shortening particular shoots may be proper, as observed above
for the apples and pears.*

* The reader will also consult with advantage the pages of the Horticultur-
ist, and Barry's and Thomas1 Fruit Books for remarks on pruning garden
and orchard trees.

THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS IN PRUNING ALL THE ABOVE TREES.

I observed above, that shortening the branches of apple, pear,
plum and cherry-trees, was not proper in the general course of prun-
ing; it, however, in some particular cases, is most necessary; for
which take the following hints : —

For example, when the trees, for walls and espaliers particularly,
are about one year old from the budding or grafting, either in the
nursery, or newly planted against walls or espaliers, with their first
shoot immediately from the budding or grafting, at full length, it
is proper to shorten or head down these shoots near the insertion of
the bud or graft, to force out lateral branches, which is called head-
ing down the trees ; but this should not be done till February or
March, cutting them down to four or five eyes ; which will procure a
production of lateral shoots near the head of the stock from these
remaining lower eyes or buds, the following summer, in order for
training in accordingly, that the wall or espalier may be regularly
furnished with branches from the bottom. After this, the branches
are to be trained along at their full length, except it appears neces-
sary to shorten some or all of these lateral shoots, in order that each
may throw out also two or three lateral branches to furnish that part
of the tree more effectually; training the said lateral shoots also at
their full length; but if there appear to be still more branches want-
ing, some of the most convenient of these last shoots may also be
shortened, to promote their producing a farther supply of lateral
branches, sufficient to give the tree its proper form ; for the great
article in this training- pruning is to encourage and assist young wall
and espalier fruit-trees in their first two or three years' growth, to
produce shoots in proper places, so as to cover the wall or espalier
regularly with branches from the bottom to the top.

But when the trees have acquired branches enough to effect the
first proper formation of the head, they will afterwards naturally fur-
nish further supplies to cover the wall or espalier regularly every
way to the allotted extent, without any further shortening, except on
particular occasions, when a vacancy happens in any part, according
to the rule mentioned in the article of apples and pears.

There is one thing further to be observed in pruning apple, pear,
plum, and cherry-trees ; and that is, when the trees have acquired
branches enough to cover the wall or espalier at the distance above
mentioned, then all those young shoots of the last summer's growth,
that are not wanted in vacancies to form new bearers, must be cut
off quite close to the place from whence they arise, leaving no spurs
but the fruit-spurs that are naturally produced, which every branch
will be plentifully furnished with if the above rules are observed.

''<§' PINCHING THE PEAR-TREE.

Nipping with the finger and thumb the soft young shoots, forms
an excellent remedy for defects of growth. Following up this stop-
ping at regular intervals of the tree's growth, the operator secures a

JAN.]

THE- FRUIT GARDEN.

39

profusion and regularity of lateral branches. He does not wait till
his plant has grown tall and misshapen, but as soon as he sees well
formed buds in the axils of the leaves, he knows that by stopping the
terminal growth these buds will be forced onward and produce lateral
shoots.

An undue share of vigor in one or more shoots, weakens all the
other parts of the tree by appropriating all the nutriment to them-
selves. Fig. 3 represents a tree which became slightly bent, and
this arrested the continuous flow of sap to the summit; the conse-
quence was the development of a very strong shoot, which controlled
the whole tree. That strong grower pushing out with undue vigor,
should have been checked, and thus an equal distribution of growth
would be secured, that would leave, at the end of the season, a tree
somewhat resembling Fig. 4.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5.

Fig. 6.

Pinching is an indispensable operation in the management of trees
trained as dwarfs, pyramids, or espaliers. Most trees have a natural
tendency to grow most vigorously towards the top and at the ex-
tremity of the branches; this should be kept in continual check, for
if one portion be permitted but for a short time to grow more vigor-
ously than the others, the balance is destroyed, and much time and
severe measures are required to restore it.

In the case of young trees that have been cut back for the purpose
of producing the pyramid form, it often happens that three or four
buds at the summit push so vigorously as to draw all the sap past
those below them, and a tree something like Fig. 5 is the result. If
the upper shoots next the leader had been checked by pinching, the
lower branches would have been benefited, and we should see a tree
like Fig. 6.

PEACHES, NECTARINES, AND APRICOTS.

In the training and pruning of peaches, nectarines, and apricots,
little or no difference is to be observed ; they all produce their fruit

40 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

principally upon the young shoots of the former summer, the fruit-
blossoms rising directly from the eyes of the shoots ; a plentiful sup-
ply of which must be reserved annually in every part, to train in for
bearing ; they also sometimes bear on the small natural spurs arising
on the two or three years' wood, which generally occur more fre-
quently in the apricots ; and all such spurs should be carefully pre-
served, for they generally bear good fruit ; keeping in mind, how-
ever, that the young yearling shoots are to be considered as the gene-
ral bearers : observing that as the general branches and bearing shoots
are to be trained to the wall or espalier horizontally, about three to
four or five inches distant, we must prune out annually all super-
abundant shoots, or that are more than can be trained in with proper
regularity, likewise a considerable part of the old, or two last year's
bearers; and, observing, that as a general supply of the best of the
last year's shoots must annually be left in a regular manner in every
part of the tree, to bear the fruit the succeeding summer, each of the
said shoots must be shortened more or less, according to their strength,
now in the winter pruning, as directed below, in order to encourage
them to produce a more regular succession of bearing wood in the
ensuing summer. The wood which is then produced, will bear fruit
in the summer after that ; and the same shoots both bear the fruit
and a supply of successional shoots at the same time for future bear-
ers, &c.

Before you begin to prune, in these trees particularly, it is proper
generally to unnail and unbind all the young shoots which were
nailed or bound in last summer, and great part of their respective
mother branches ; by which means you will have room to examine
the shoots, and to use your knife properly.

In the course of pruning these trees, be careful to select the most
promising and best situated shoots at the above distances, in a regular
manner, advancing, as it were, one after another in every part of the
tree, making room for them by cutting out all the other useless or
unnecessary shoots, together with a proportionable share of the for-
mer bearers, before intimated, and old naked branches not furnished
with bearing wood.

For example, you are to observe, that these young shoots are, as
above hinted, produced principally upon those shoots, which were laid
in last winter, and which produced the fruit last summer, and some
casually on the older wood ; but shall suppose many of the said
shoots or branches, which were laid in last winter, to have produced
each three shoots in summer, and that they now all remain, but that
there may not be room to lay in more than one of the said shoots on
each of the branches, it remains to be considered which of these
three shoots on each branch is proper to be left; whether the upper-
most, middle, or lower of the three : there is no general rule for this,
but we will suppose the middlemost, in which case cut off the lower
one quite close to the branch, and then that part of the branch which
hath the upper shoot upon it must be pruned down to the middle
one ; so that there is only the middle shoot now remaining, which
terminates or makes the end of the branch ; but, if it is thought
most convenient to leave the uppermost of the three, the middle and

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 41

lower are to be cut away close to the branch ; or, on the contrary, if
the lower shoot only is to be left, cut off the branch with the middle
and upper shoot thereon, close to the lower one j and if thought most
proper to leave in any place two out of the three shoots on a branch,
then the upper and lower are apparently most proper, provided they
are the best shoots, and so cut out the middle one ; or if two lower
shoots appear best for your purpose, cut off the upper part of the
branch with the top shoot close to the middle one ; and, if to retain
the two upper shoots, prune out the lowermost : there may not always
happen to be just three young shoots on every year's branches, but I
choose to mention that number, that I may be the better able in this
small compass to explain and convey some idea of the method prac-
tised in pruning these sorts of trees.

At the same time observe, in the above general pruning, to retain
the most promising well-placed shoots of the best middling, or mode-
rately strong growth, and which appear the most fruitful, or likely to
furnish a proper supply of blossom-buds, rejecting very weakly slender
shoots, and such as are very long-jointed, likewise uncommonly thick
spongy growths, as also remarkably rank luxuriants, cutting them
all clean out ; likewise the foreright and others ill placed, that could
not be trained with proper regularity. And, as you proceed, cut out
some considerable part of the past bearers of the last, or two or three
preceding years, to make room for the above young supply, pruning
them down to some eligible lateral shoots, or some occasionally to
their origin, as it may seem expedient : also take out casual old
naked branches, advanced of some considerable length, without being
now furnished with lateral young bearers, or fruitful shoots, eligibly
placed for training where wanted ; pruning them either entirely out
to make room for the more fruitful wood, or pruned down, more or
less, to any more prolific well-placed young branch proceeding there-
from, and that is furnished with young shoots for bearing.

Next let it be remembered, that as you proceed in pruning these trees,
most of those young shoots that are left to bear must be shortened,
especially the smaller and middling, and those of moderate growth,
both to strengthen them in their future production, and to promote
their producing more certainly a supply of successional lateral shoots
next summer, properly situated, so as to continue every part of the
tree always well furnished with bearers ; for without this precaution
of shortening the shoots, many of them are apt to run up, producing
laterals only, mostly towards the upper part, leaving the bottom
naked, whereby the tree in time becomes devoid of bearing shoots
below, so that the shortening should be performed, more or less, ac-
cording to their strength, and that of the tree in general. Though
with standard trees of these kinds, shortening the shoots is not neces-
sary, yet when trained to walls or espaliers, it certainly is, for the
reasons above assigned.

For instance, if a t^e is weak, or but a moderate shooter, gene-
rally leaving the shoots about five or six inches apart, for training in
nearly at that distance, let them be shortened according to their
strength ; some of the weaker shoots to five, six, or eight inches ;
others of stronger growth to about ten or twelve, to fifteen or eighteen

42 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

inches long ; for the shortening should always be performed, more
or less, according to the different shoots, and, in some degree, ac-
cording as the blossom-buds appear situated higher or lower on the
respective shoots ; never shorten below all the said buds, in those
shoots designed principally for bearing.

When a tree is in a moderate good condition, neither very vigorous
nor weakly, but a middling strong shooter, the shoots may be left
nearly about three to four or five inches asunder, and should be
shortened rather less in proportion than the foregoing, but agreeable
to the same rules in shoots of different growths ; pruning some to
about eight, ten, or twelve inches, others to fifteen or eighteen inches
long, or more, according to their strength and situation in different
parts of the tree, as well as in some cases the apparent situation of
the blossom-buds, in being placed higher or lower on the respective
shoots selected for bearers, as before observed.

But when any trees are of very vigorous growth in their general
shoots, they must be shortened but moderately ; or some shoots very
little, in which some of the less vigorous may be cut to about twelve
or fifteen inches ; but in stronger shoots prune off only about one-
third or fourth of their length, or some of the most luxuriant left
mostly at their full length ; for if the strong shoots of a generally
vigorous tree were to be much shortened, it would occasion their
shooting still more luxuriantly to rampant unfruitful wood ; there-
fore the vjgorous shoots should be very moderately shortened; and
where they are general in a tree, it is advisable both to leave them
closer and of much greater length than the shoots in moderate grow-
ing trees, that the exuberance of sap may be expended in the larger
extent and expansion of wood, and the tree thereby in time become
a more moderate shooter and a good bearer.*

Observe, however, in shortening the shoots in general, both in
trees of moderate, middling, and strong growth, that in those shoots
adapted for principal bearers the ensuing season, you should be careful
not to cut away too low, or below all or most of the blossom-buds, or
parts where they are expected to advance, being generally distin-
guishable from the leaf or shoot-buds by their round, plump, swelling
appearance, the others being oblong, narrow, and fiattish ; and there-
fore should give proper attention to shorten accordingly in the shoots
were the fruit-buds are apparent.

Likewise observe, that in shortening the bearing shoots or others
of those trees, they should generally, where practicable, be cut to an
eye or wood-but that is likely to produce a shoot for a leader the
ensuing season ; the shoot-bud eyes being distinguishable from the
fruit or blossom-buds by their longer, flattish form ; the others being
roundish, swelling, and turgid, or may also, occasionally, prune to
an eye having one or two blossom-buds, as frequently, from the same
eye, shoot-buds are also formed on one side of the single or between
the two twin blossom-buds aforesaid, and from which a good leading

* If all superfluous shoots "be rnbbed out during the summer, this exu-
berance of sap will be prevented, and the flow equalized over the whole
tree.

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 43

shoot will be most likely produced, which is necessary to the welfare
of the fruit ; for where a leading shoot is produced at or near the
extremity of a bearing branch, it draws nourishment to the fruit
more effectually.

After having pruned one tree, let it be directly nailed or bound as
you go on, observing to lay in the branches and shoots horizontally,
perfectly straight, and parallel to each other at the above mentioned
distances, nailing them all close to the wall, or tying them to the
trellis in a neat manner.

PRUNE GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT-TREES.

Gooseberries and currants bear both on the young one or two
years' wood, and upon the several years' branches, generally upon
small spurs rising naturally all along the sides ; and in each winter-
pruning it will be required to cut out any casual worn-out, decayed,
and very irregular branches, and a proportionate supply of last sum-
mer's young shoots retained, and the rest pruned out.

In pruning gooseberries let them be always kept thin of branches,
and these not permitted to grow ramblingly across one another, but
all pruned to some regular order, so as the main bearers, or general
branches and shoots, stand six or eight inches distant at the ex-
tremities ; and generally either keep the middle somewhat hollow, or
if permitted to run up full in the heart, keep it thin of branches, as
above advised ; so that you will now prune out any irregularities, &c.,
such as casual crowding cross-placed wood, and any worn-out or
naked old branches retaining young shoots, where necessary to sup-
ply their place ; and cut out all the superabundant lateral shoots of
last summer, close to the old wood, only retaining here and there a
good one in vacancies, or occasionally towards the lower parts, to be
advancing to a proper state to supply the place of casual worn-out
bearers; and generally leave, where practicable, a terminating or
leading shoot to each main branch, either such as is placed naturally
at or near the end of the branch ; or, occasionally, where any branch
is too long or rambling, prune it down to some convenient lateral
shoot, &c., to remain for a terminal leader ; and, in both cases, gene-
rally leave but one terminal to each branch ; and all those shoots
now retained, both lateral and terminal, should either be mostly left
entire, and only shorten long stragglers, and very bending and re-
clining growths occasionally ; or at least by no means shorten the
shoots of these trees too much, for by cutting them very short, they
are made to produce a deal of wood and but small fruit ; and being
so full of wood as to exclude the sun and free air in summer, the
fruit cannot ripen well ; and it likewise renders it troublesome to get
at the fruit when fit to gather. Never clip the trees with garden
shears, as is the practice of some ignorant persons.

Currant bushes should likewise be kept thin and regular, not suf-
fering the branches to run promiscuously across each other ; for
when suffered to grow so irregular and crowding they produce but
small fruit ; and the great thicket of branches excluding the essen-
tial benefit of the sun, the berries will not ripen freely and regular,

44 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

with a good flavor; observing therefore to keep the general branches
thin, about six or eight inches asunder, in which, if any are too
crowded or over abundant, prune out the most irregular ; also any
cross-placed branches, and casual worn-out old bearers, together with
all the irregular-placed and superabundant young shoots of last
summer, preserving only occasional supplies of the most regular ones
in vacancies, and a leading one at the termination of each branch,
agreeable to the rules exhibited above in pruning the gooseberry
bushes; and the general upper shoots may be mostly shortened more
or less where required to keep the head to a moderate extent, and a
compact handsome growth.

Observe in pruning young gooseberry and currant bushes, let those
designed for standards be pruned to a clean single stem, eight, ten,
or twelve inches; and being careful to retain a requisite supply of
the best young shoots properly situated ' above, to form the head
accordingly, cut out the irregular and ill-placed ; and the retained
proper shoots may in some be moderately shortened, especially such
as run away straggling from the rest ; and any proper shoots ad-
vancing below may be permitted to remain entire till advanced equal
with the others above, &c., that the whole may come on as equally
as possible to form a regular head.

Currants and gooseberries trained against walls, palings, trellises,
&c., should also have a necessary pruning and regulation in the gene-
ral branches, or as may be required, cutting out the superabundant
and irregular-placed shoots of last summer, or any casual too crowd-
ing and disorderly growing older branches, or such as appear unfruit-
ful, or any of a worn-out or decayed state, and all dead wood;
retaining young shoots advancing from below, and in the most va-
cant parts, shortened more or less, or left entire, according to room
for extending them; and train the general branches, &c., three or
four to five or six inches distant. For more particulars, see Oc-
tober.

FIG-TREES.

Fig-tree pruning is advised to be deferred till March or April,
where see the method explained.

PROTECTING THE ROOTS OF NEW-PLANTED TREES.

If the weather should now prove severe, it will be proper to pro-
tect the roots of new-planted fruit-trees from being hurt by the frost,
by laying mulch, or long dung litter, on the surface of the ground ;
particularly the choicest of the stone-fruit kinds — as peaches, necta-
rines, apricots, and any principal sorts of cherries and plums.

RASPBERRIES.

If you have neglected to afford the protection directed in Novem-
ber to your Antwerp Raspberries, you should no longer omit it ;
especially in those parts of the Union where severe winter frosts

JAN.]

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

45

prevail. As to pruning and planting the various kinds, when not
done in October or November, it will be better to defer this business
till the latter end of February, or beginning of March; except in
such of the States as the severity of the frost does not interrupt the
tillage of the ground during winter ; in which you can perform this
business now with safety, agreeably to the directions given in Oc-
tober.

PRUNING THE RASPBERRY. •*'•£*?'

The accompanying figures represent the wood of the preceding
summer's growth.

The portion with buds, marked a a, is from the upper part of
the shoot; that with buds,

marked b b, is taken from Fig. 7.

the lower part of the shoot
or cane. The buds a a,
can scarcely be termed
blossom-buds, inasmuch as
they do not contain the
rudiments of flowers like
the blossom-buds of larger
fruit ; but each of them
possesses the power of pro-
ducing a branchlet, and on
this blossom-buds are form-
ed. The buds b b, on the
lower part of the cane, do
not generally push unless
the upper have been cut
away, and then the lower
are stimulated, producing,
however, shoots and fruit
later in the season than
those obtained from the
buds a a. Advantage has
been sometimes taken of
this, to procure a succes-
sion of fruit in autumn.
Raspberry shoots, or canes,
growing up in one summer,
and producing fruit in the
next, and then dying to the
ground, a succession hav-
ing, meantime, sprung up,

the pruning usually consists in the obvious operation of cutting
away all the dead wood — that which has borne fruit; and, in the
shortening that which is alive, thinning the canes so as to leave
three, four, five, or six, from a plant, according to its strength.

An improvement may, however, be effected on this general mode.
As the finest and best of these fruits are, in all cases, the produce of

46 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

strong and well-ripened canes, it becomes necessary that the shoots
should have every advantage afforded them. This may readily be
effected by causing all the former year's canes to be cut down to the
ground as soon as they have produced their crop, instead of allowing
them to stand till the winter or spring; this removes an unnecessary
incumbrance, and, at a season when sun and air are of infinite im-
portance to the young canes, and, consequently, to the succeeding
crop.

In autumn, or the early part of winter, the young canes should be
shortened to about four-fifths of their original height, or to the place
where the growth of the upper part of the shoot forms a sort of bend-
ing or twisting. They may then be either tied to stakes or arched,
by tying their tips to those of the adjoining plant. When a late
succession of fruit is desired, some plants may have all their shoots
cut back to within a few inches of the ground.

FORCING EARLY STRAWBERRIES.

Now is a proper time, about the latter end of this month, to begin
to make a hot-bed to raise a few early strawberries; those which are
planted now in a hot-bed will produce fruit fit to gather in March or
April.

About the middle or end of this month, provide for that purpose
as much new horse-dung as will make a hot-bed about four feet high,
for one or more three-light frames.

Let the dung be thrown in a heap, and let it lie about eight or
ten days : in that time it will be in good condition to make the hot-
bed.

But in this business, a tan-bark hot-bed, made in a bark-pit, de-
fended with a proper frame and glasses, would generally be more
successful in fruiting these plants early.

But, previous to this, there should be a proper quantity of straw-
berry-plants potted, ready to place on the said hot-bed, as directed in
September.

Having, however, prepared the dung for the hot-bed, make it for
one or more frames, about three feet high, and directly set on the
frame and lights, to protect it from wet, and draw up the heat sooner j
and when the violent heat is over, lay therein either some dry light
earth, or some waste tanner's bark of a decayed bark-bed, four or five
inches thick ; then bring in the plants and plunge the pots into the
earth or tan, up to the rims, and close together as can be, filling up
also all the interstices between with earth, &c.

When all the pots are plunged, put on the glasses, and keep them
close till the steam arises in the bed, when it will be necessary to
raise them a little behind, to let the steam pass off.

When the plants begin to push, let them have air at all opportu-
nities, when the weather is favorable; for if kept too close, they will
draw up weak, and not blossom well, and the blossoms would drop
off, without being succeeded by fruit : you should frequently refresh
them with a little water, and cover the glasses every night with
mats, and support the heat of the bed by linings of hot dung.

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN.

N. B. In forcing strawberries, the plants may be taken up out of
the natural ground with balls of earth, if not prevented by too hard
a frost, and placed immediately in the earth of the hot-bed without
potting them. However, when it is intended to force strawberries,
either in a common hot-bed, or in a hot-house, it would be the best
method to plant some bearing plants in pots, in September or Oc-
tober, and so place the pots close together in a garden frame, till the
time they are to be placed in the hot-bed.

But where there is the convenience of a pine-apple stove, or any
kind of fruit forcing-house or hot-wall, &c., may raise plenty of early
strawberries in great perfection, with but very little trouble : having
some bearing plants ready in pots, place them in the hot-house, any-
where near the glasses, giving frequent light waterings; they will
fruit early in great abundance.

FORCING-FRAMES.

The great convenience of forcing-frames, either to force fruits or
flowers into early perfection, or to preserve during winter, various
kinds of exotic plants, may induce persons of taste to go to the ex-
pense of erecting such ; to whom the following descriptions may not
be uninteresting.

A forcing-frame is a sort of glass case, or light building, fronted
with glass-frames, in which to force flowers and fruits to early per-
fection, by aid of artificial heat, either of dung, tanner's bark, or
actual fire.

The general acceptation or meaning of forcing-frame is, a fixed
erection full to the south sun ; the length may be from ten to fifty
or one hundred feet ; the width from five to fifteen, and from five to
ten feet high ; having an upright back wall, of wood or brick ; and
a front of glass work, made sometimes in one continual range of
slope, from near the ground in front to the top of the back wall ; and
sometimes with upright glass work, head high, ranging immediately
along the front, and from the top of which a glass roof is carried to
the top of the back or main wall; either of which may be for general
use, for the reception of various sorts of flower-plants, small flowering
shrubs, esculents, and dwarf fruit-trees, &c., occasionally, to force
into bloom or fruit in winter, or early in spring and summer ; whereby
many sorts of the more curious flowers and fruits may be obtained
some months before their natural season, which will be a great curi-
osity, and which is effected as aforesaid, by aid of dung, bark or fire
heat; the first (dung heat), both by applying the dung principally
against the outside of the back wall, and by forming it into a bed
internally ; the second (bark heat), by forming it into a bed, in a pit
within side : and the third (fire heat), by having several returns of
flues against the inside of the back wall, and that of the front and
both ends, for the heat to pass along ; each of which are hereafter
described ; for these kind of frames are of different construction, ac-
cording to the sorts of plants chiefly intended to be forced ; and the
materials of heat, as dung, bark, or fuel, most convenient to be ob-

48 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAX.

tained for forcing them ; so that the construction of each kind of
frame is separately explained.

These frames may be employed to advantage in the vicinity of
large towns for forcing various plants early for market, by the as-
sistance of which you will have for sale, in February, March and
April, various sorts of flowers, fruits and esculents that would not in.
their natural state of growth have appeared till May, June, or July.

But, for private use, where there is a roomy pine-apple stove, it
may also be used, occasionally, for forcing many sorts of plants,
flowers, and some sorts of fruits, with equal success, sufficient for the
supply of a family.

However, where a considerable supply. is required, a forcing-frame,
distinct from the pine-stove, would be more convenient.

In either of these departments may be introduced for forcing, pots
of strawberries, kidney-beans, roses, honeysuckles, jasmines, and any
other flowering shrubs ; likewise carnations, pinks, sweetwilliams,
wall- flowers, stock-gilliflowers, narcissuses, jonquils and early dwarf
tulips, and any other desirable flower-plants or roots that may be
required early for curiosity; also several kinds of curious annuals,
and other rare plants. You may likewise have several sorts of dwarf
fruit trees, as early May and May-duke cherries, peaches, nectarines,
apricots, figs, grapes, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, &c.

The general construction of each sort of these frames is explained
under separate heads, according to the materials of heat used in
forcing them, viz : by dung-heat, bark-bed heat, and by fire-heat.

By Dung heat. — This is not only the most simple and cheapest
kind of forci-ng-frame in its construction, but also considerably the
cheapest in working, with respect to the article heat, as it may be
forced effectually by substantial linings of hot dung against the back
and ends.

This frame is formed with an upright back and ends of pine plank-
ing, and a sloping front of movable glass-lights ; the length may be
ten, twenty, or thirty feet, or more; the width from three to five,
and five or six high : the frame-work should be of two inch pine
planking, tongued, and closely joined, that no steam from the dung
may penetrate into the frame, raised five, six, or seven feet high
behind, and but ten or twelve inches high in front, raising both ends
answerable to the front and back; the glass-work to range from the
upright in front, sloping upward towards the back wall to about a
foot width at top, there resting the ends upon proper framework of
wood; and bars or bearers, three inches in width, must range sloping
from the back to front, for the support of the lights, as in common
hot-bed frames, and the top -of all to be boarded wind and water
tight ; within side may be two or three ranges of narrow shelves
along the back and ends for pots of small plants, and the bottom
levelled on which to place pots of larger kinds ; or you may have
shelves rising one behind another, quite from the front half way up
the back ; so may place the lowest plants in front, the others in order
behind them, rising gradually to the tallest in the back row.
. From the above general sketch you will easily form an idea of the

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 49

proper construction of a dung-heat forcing-frame, which you may im-
prove as you shall see convenient.

This kind of frame may be used with good success where dung is
plenty, and easily obtained; particularly for forcing roses or any
other small flowering plants, whose flowers have merit in beauty or
fragrance ; you may also try pots of dwarf cherries, peaches, &c. ;
also pots of gooseberries, currants, and strawberries, carnations, pinks,
and the like; having all the sorts in pots separately, and in which
they are to be placed in the frame.

The season to begin to work this frame is January and February,
and may be continued occasionally till May; but for any kind of
fruit-trees, the beginning of February is time enough, though those
plants of any kind that are designed to be forced may be placed in
the frame a month or two before forcing time, to be occasionally pro-
tected with the glasses in hard frosts; but at other times let them
enjoy the full air till you begin forcing.

The method of working this frame is thus : after having placed
the pots of plants in regular order, the tallest behind, and the lowest
in front, &c., then put on the lights, and having sufficient quantity
of fresh stable-dung, full of heat, prepared as for common dung hot-
beds, let it be piled up close against the outside of the back and ends
a yard wide at bottom, drawing it gradually into a foot width at the
top of the frame, finishing it somewhat sloping, to throw off wet;
observing, that according as the dung settles or sinks down, a fresh
supply must be added at the top to maintain the lining to the full
height of the frame.

The lining will effectually throw in a fine growing heat, and soon
set all the plants in motion; observing to give air in the middle of
fine days by sliding one or more of the lights a little down, especially
when the plants begin to push ; give also moderate watering occa-
sionally in mild sunny weather, and cover the glasses in cold nights
with mats.

In three or four weeks, when the heat begins to decrease consider-
ably, it must be renewed, either by entire fresh dung, or if new
dung is scarce, by shaking up the old, taking the worst away, and
mix the remainder with a due quantity of new, working the whole
again in a pile close againsl the back and ends as before, which
work must be repeated every three weeks or month, or as often as
you shall see occasion, for the heat must be constantly preserved to
a regular brisk temperature.

A frame of the above construction may be appropriated entirely
for fruit-trees, planting them in a border prepared within the frame
against the back part, and trained in the manner of wall-trees to a
trellis, ranged five or six inches from the back erection, in which
may be planted early dwarf cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots,
grapes, figs, currants, &c., so may be worked by dung-heat against
the back of the frame as above directed; beginning in February,
and continuing the glasses on, as well as support the dung-heat until
May, and there is no doubt, with good management, but that the dif-
ferent sorts of fruit may be brought to perfection early.

But a dung-heat forcing-frame may be constructed of more capa-

50 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

cious dimensions, to admit of making a substantial hot-bed of dung
internally, both to produce an increased degree of heat, and wherein
to plunge pots of several sorts of flowering and esculent plants to
bring them forward in growth, being assisted also with a lining of
hot dung applied to the exterior of the back part of the frame, as
explained in the foregoing; and for the internal hot-bed should form
a bottom pit of proper width, length, and depth, making the bed
therein a yard depth of good hot dung, covering the top with light
dry earth, or old or new tan-bark, six or eight inches thick, in which
to plunge the pots of flowers, or those of early esculents, such as
kidney-beans, peas, strawberries, salading, &c.

JBark-bed heat. — This kind of forcing- frame, or rather forcing-
house, is worked by aid of a tanner's bark hot-bed, formed in a pit
withiuside the whole length.

This frame may be formed either of wood or brick-work, and
fronted, &c., with sashes of glass like the former ; the length may be
ten, twenty, or thirty feet, or more, eight or ten wide, and six or
eight high; and may be constructed either nearly like the dung-
heat frame, six or eight feet behind, and one in front, the ends con-
formable, and sloping frames of glass-work raised from the front,
sloping either quite to the top of the backfall, or to incline only
about one-half towards that part, meeting a covered roof at top, half
way, which should be raised high enough in front to throw the water
off behind, as well as to admit as much sun as possible to every part
of the frame, or it may be constructed with an upright front of glass,
head high, and a sloping roof of glass-work, ranging from the up-
right front to the top of the back wall, which is rather the most
eligible form, both for convenience and benefit of the plants ; either
of which constructions may be erected detached, or against a south
wall already built, which will serve for the back and save some ex-
pense; the ends may either be of wood or brick, and the glass-work
in every part should be made to move on and off, as well 'as to slide
backward and forward to give air, and to do other necessary work ;
and at one end, near the back wall, may be a door to enter occasion-
ally, and withinside must be a pit for the bark-bed three feet deep,
part sunk, and the greater part raised, continued the whole length
and width, except about a foot and a half alley to go in to perform
the necessary culture, as well as to view and gather the produce of
the different plants.

The pit within is to be filled with new tan any time in winter or
spring you intend to begin forcing, though January is soon enough,
and the beginning of February is not too late ; the bark will support
a growing heat three months, and if then stirred up to the bottom,
will renew its heat, and continue it two months longer.

In this frame may plunge in the bark-bed pots of roses, or any
other choice flowering shrubs you would force into an early bloom ;
likewise may place pots of strawberries towards the front and top
glasses ; and pots of kidney beans and early dwarf peas may be
placed in any part of the frame ; also pots of dwarf fruit-trees, before
mentioned, pots of double pinks, carnations, and any other moderate
growing fibrous-rooted perennials, as well as any sorts of bulbous or

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 51

tuberous-rooted flowers, as narcissuses, jonquils, tulips, anemones,
ranunculuses, hyacinths, and various other sorts.

The heat of the bark-bed will effectually warm the earth and in-
ternal air sufficiently to forward any sorts of hardy flowers and fruits
to perfection at an early season ; observing, that although they do
not always flower and fruit so abundantly as in the full ground, yet,
if there are but a few of any sort, a month or two before their
natural season, they, if for sale, will sufficiently pay ; and if for pri-
vate use, they will always be acceptable as a rarity and curiosity in
the family.

Fresh air must be admitted in fine sunny days at all opportunities,
by sliding some of the glasses more or less open, keeping them close
at night; and in very severe weather, the glasses must be covered
with mats, or closed with sliding shutters made for that purpose, par-
ticularly at night, which trouble might be avoided if there was a fire-
flue, by which heat could be introduced to counteract the extreme
rigor of the frost, when necessity required.

When the heat of the bark declines considerably, do not omit
forking it over to the bottom, which will revive the decaying heat six
or eight weeks longer.

A bark-heat forcing-frame, nearly of the above dimensions, might
be contrived entirely for forcing fruit-trees, having a border within-
side along the back wall, three or four feet wide ; there plant young
bearing dwarf fruit-trees of any sorts before mentioned, at six or eight
feet distance, in the manner of wall or espalier trees, training them
also in the same manner as directed for the respective sorts in their
natural state of growth. The bark-pit should here be almost half
sunk ; and in the beginning of February fill the pit with new tan-
bark, which will soon set the trees into bloom, and will ripen their
fruit early.

But the most eligible general forcing-frame for various sorts of
plants, is one of the above mentioned construction, having also flues
for fire-heat ; the walls must be of brick-work, having two or three
returns of flues formed of the same materials, running the whole
length of the back wall within, and one or two along the front and
ends, by which to convey fire-heat occasionally in severe frosts, cold
nights, and in all very cold and intemperate weather, which will be
a great improvement in very early forcing, so that this kind of frame
will be nearly of the plan of a stove or hot-house.

In default, however, of any of the above kinds of bark-heat
forcing-frames, one might be effected by a common bark-pit, made in
any dry sheltered situation, with a brick wall, to any convenient size,
and covered with glass lights. This pit is to be principally above
ground and filled with good fresh tan to the depth of four feet, in
which you may plunge pots of roses, or any other shrubs, any sort of
low herbaceous flowering plants, fibrous or bulbous rooted; kidney-
beans, strawberries, &c. ; observing, however, that in severe frost, the
wall of this pit must be protected by hot dung, leaves or straw," in
order to prevent the frost penetrating into the bed, and it must be
carefully covered with mats at night, and even in the daytime in very
severe weather.

52 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

By Fire-heat. — This kind of forcing-frame is worked by actual
fire, burned in a furnace behind, at one end or middle, from thence
communicating the heat by internal flues or funnels, running the
whole length of the back wall in three returns, one above another,
and continued in a flue round the front, and the frame thus con-
structed is often employed for ripening several of the more valuable
fruit-trees at an early season, or for forwarding such to perfection
which do not ripen freely without artificial aid.

This frame or forcing-house, must be formed of brick-work, at
least the back or main wall, for the convenience of having fire and
flues, and the whole front, &c., must be glass, like the other sorts ;
the length may be from twenty to forty feet or more, though one fire
will not warm more than that length ; the width may be from five or
six to twelve or fifteen feet, and height eight or ten. It may be con-
trived either of moderate width for one row of trees only, to range
against the back wall, or may be capacious enough to have a range of
trained wall-trees behind, as just mentioned, and some small half
standard, ranging also from the back to the front.

If it is therefore intended to have a narrow frame for only a row
of trained trees behind, the width from four to five or six feet is suf-
ficient, having the back or main wall formed of brick or stone, as
aforesaid, eight or ten feet high, with several flues withinside, re-
turned over each other, running the whole length of the wall ; in the
front must be a low wall a foot high, on which to lay a plate of tim-
ber, and from which are ranged glass frames or lights in one con-
tinued slope to the top of the back wall, there received into proper
framework ; but for the greater convenience, the lights may be in
two tiers or ranges, an under and upper tier, the upper range made
to slide up and down over the others, but so as all the glass-work can
be moved away occasionally, to admit the full air to the trees after
the work of forcing ; the whole bottom space within this frame must
be of good loamy earth, or any good garden mould, two spades deep,
which must be dug or trenched in the common way j then plant a
range of trees behind, towards the wall, and two or three yards
asunder, erecting a trellis behind them, upon which to train the
branches as against a wall or espalier ; besides these trees, there may
be other inferior plants set in the border or in pots, in front of the
trees, as strawberries, dwarf kidney beans, dwarf peas, &c., dwarf
roses or the like, that will not rise high enough to shade the fruit-
trees in the back range.

A frame of this construction, forty feet long, may be worked by
one fire ; but if longer, two furnaces for fires will be requisite.*

But to have a more capacious frame both for trained trees and low
standards, it may be of any length from twenty to fifty feet or more,
but must be ten or fifteen feet wide, having an upright back wall of
brick ten feet high, with flues as above directed, and a low wall in

* Hot water circulated through cast iron pipes is much better than com-
mon flues, and though more expensive on first erection, is afterwards most
economical. One fire, if large enough, may be made to heat several large
houses.

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 53

front one or two feet high, on which is erected upright glass-work,
four or five feet perpendicular ; and from the top of these, a sloping
roof of glass frame, continued to the top of the back wall, supported
upon proper bearers three feet or three feet six inches distance, hav-
ing the top glasses in two ranges, an upper and under range, as before
advised, both of which, and those of the upright in front, made to
slide and move away occasionally : in this frame there will be room
to walk under the glass-work in any part, and there will be also due
room for the trees, both .dwarfs and low standards ; and then having
the whole ground space withinside of loamy or other good earth, as
in the other frame, you may plant your trees, some in one range
against the back wall, as peaches, nectarines, apricots, grapes, figs,
&c., six or eight feet asunder, erecting a trellis for training them
upon, and in front of these may be planted rows of young cherries,
both in small standards, half standards, and dwarfs ; the full stand-
ards to have about five feet stems ; each sort, both trained trees and
standards, to be planted when about from three to four or five years
old, as soon as they acquire a bearing state, with regular heads of
two or three feet extent at first planting. Having procured the trees
and the ground ready for their reception, may then plant one range
of the choicest sorts as before noticed, next the back wall two or
three yards asunder, the others in rows from back to front, at six or
eight feet distance, the tallest behind and the lowest in front, at three
or four feet distance in each row, making each row range against the
intervals of the trained tree behind ; or if they are all standards, and
half standards, there will be more room for several sorts of smaller
plants under them ; and as their branches will be nearer the top
glasses, it may be of particular advantage ; and in the intervals may
be planted some low currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries,
dwarf beans, kidney beans, &c. But a frame of these dimensions is
sometimes planted entirely with standards, more particularly cherries,
as being more moderate shooters and soonest arrive to a bearing
state, so as to bear any tolerable quantity of fruit; planting them
five or six feet distance : sometimes standard plums, apricots,
peaches, and nectarines are also planted, and vines to train up under
the glasses.

A frame of these dimensions, twenty-five feet long, may be worked
by one fire ; but if more than thirty feet in length, two furnaces for
fires, with each its set of flues, will be necessary.

With respect to the age of trees for both the above kinds of fire-
heat forcing-frames, they should be from three to four or five years
old, with regular heads of branches, two or three feet extent, and
just arrived at a tolerable bearing state ; no very vigorous shooters
must be admitted, but such only as assume a moderate, regular
growth, and are trained in the nursery until they have acquired a
proper size, each as directed under its respective head, whether as
wall trees or standards; they are to be transplanted into the frame in
October or November to remain for forcing ; but should be permitted
to have a year or two's growth here before you begin forcing them,
that they may be firmly rooted; during which time all the glasses
should be entirely away, that the trees may have the full air till

54 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JAN.

forcing time is nearly arrived ; or may occasionally have trained bear-
ing trees of small sizes in pots, which is the best for this speciality,
if they have been in good growth for one season at least, and so re-
moved in their said pots into the frame at the proper season as above.

In both the above kinds of forcing-frames, you msfy also plant some
grape-vines on the inside of the front glasses in the full ground, and
conduct the shoots along up towards the glass-work to a sort of slight
trellis, keeping the branches quite thin; and they will ripen early
fruit in great perfection.

The season for beginning to make the fires for forcing the trees in
either of the above described fire-heat frames, is any time in Janu-
ary, though about the middle or towards the latter end of that month,
or beginning of February, is, for the general part, rather the most
successful time to begin the general forcing to have a good crop ; for
if the trees are forced very early, there will be some danger of their
miscarrying ; as, if they should come into blossom when severe wea-
ther prevails, that air cannot be freely admitted at intervals, they
seldom set any tolerable crop of fruit ; more particularly, cherries,
peaches, nectarines and apricots ; therefore, by beginning to make the
fires about the time above directed, the trees will be in blossom about
the middle o{ February, when we may expect some fine sunny days
for the admission of a moderate portion of fresh air, which is essen-
tially necessary to promote the natural impregnation of the fruit, and
improve its free growth ; for if kept too close they are apt to drop off
in their infant state.

The fires are to be lighted in the furnace every afternoon about four
or five o'clock, and if kept burning till ten or twelve, it will sufficiently
heat the flues to warm the internal air of the house till next morn-
ing, when, if very cold, frosty, or cloudy damp weather, a moderate
fire may also be made occasionally ; and by no means force the trees
too much, for a moderate warmth will prove the most successful;*
and thus continue the fires occasionally till towards the latter end of
April, but less in proportion as the weather grows warmer.

Fresh air must be occasionally admitted in fine days, by sliding
some of the glasses a little open, and, as the trees advance to blos-
som and fruit, the days grow longer, and the power of the sun greater,
allow a greater proportion of air accordingly. Likewise give fre-
quent waterings to the borders.

Thus your trees will be in full blossom in February, and some will
ripen fruit in April, particularly cherries and strawberries ; you may
also expect early apricots, peaches and nectarines, in May, and plums
and early grapes in June.

After the fruits of the different sorts are all gathered, the glasses
should be taken entirely away, that the trees may have the full air
during summer ; and in December they should be placed upon the
frame again ready for forcing in January.

* In forwarding all stone fruit the thermometer ought to range from 45O
to 500 at night, and 6(P to 7(P in the day while in, and for a short time
after the blossoms are expanded. Grapes will be the better with an
average of 10° higher.

JAN.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 55

With respect to pruning the trained trees, that is those that are
trained as wall trees against the trellis, &c., they are to be pruned
and trained every summer and autumn, each sort according to its
kind, as other wall trees, and as directed under all their respective
articles ; and as to the standards, their requisite pruning is princi-
pally in autumn, to cut out any irregular growth, and thinning out
any crowding shoots, for the branches must be kept thin and regular,
clear of each other, six or eight inches distant ; and any stragglers
which extend in length considerably, should be reduced to order ; and
as the branches in general become so long as to press against the
glasses, or spread too much, they should also be reduced a little, to
preserve them within due compass, observing always, when shorten-
ing the standards, it is necessary to cut to a bud situated on the out-
side of the shoot or branch, making the cut on the inside.

Every autumn, after pruning the trees, the borders must be digged
carefully one spade deep.

It must be remarked that the trees in these frames or houses, if
annually forced, are not so durable nor plentiful bearers as those in
the full air ; therefore, when you shall see any become weak, sickly,
or bad bearers, others should be ready in training, or procured from
the nurseries to plant in their stead ; and in this no time should be
lost. Here is the main advantage of growing in pots.

But to continue the same trees more effectually in health, and in a
bearing state, some have a double portion of walling and framing
planted, but more particularly that of the first described fire-heat
frame, which is sometimes contrived to move or slide along from one
place to another, for one framework and glasses to serve two portions
of walling, so that being alternately worked, one part one year, the
other the year after, each portion of trees will have a year of rest in
their natural growth, and will succeed each other in due order for
forcing, whereby the health and vigor of the trees will be better sup-
ported, and each year a greater crop of fruit may be expected than if
the same trees were successively forced every year.

HOT WALLS.

Hot walls are ranges of brick or stone walling faced with glass,
generally running due east or west, fronting the south and inclosing
a space of several feet width, furnished with internal fire flues, &c.,
wholly for forcing fruit-trees to early production. But as hot walls
and forcing-houses are nearly similar in their construction, use, and
general management, to forcing-frames, reference should be had to
that article for their general explanation.

VINERIES.

Various buildings have Been contrived to effect the ripening of the
more choice kinds of late grapes, which cannot be effected in the open
ground, as likewise to force the earlier sorts, so as to have them fit
for the table in May, June and July. The constructions of these
kinds of buildings are different, though all answering the same pur-

56 THE ORCHARD. [JAN.

pose : some are constructed with flues ranging within the wall where
the vines are trained up ; but as the vines would receive more heat at
times by being closer to the wall than is proper, a lattice- work is
generally detached therefrom, to which the branches are trained, and
the whole is covered with a range of sloping glass ; but the more
common method is to train them under the sloping glasses of the
hot-house, or other similarly constructed stoves or forcing-frames ; in
such places the vines are generally planted close to the outside, and
introduced through holes contrived for the purpose in the upright
timbers of the front-lights, as low down as can conveniently be done.
In some vineries the vines are planted near the front, in the inside,
and trained up to neat trellises made for that purpose close under the
roof or sloping glasses. This is the best in all cases.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In the southern States, especially such of them as have not severe
winter frosts, you may plant apple, pear, peach, nectarine, apricot,
cherry and plum-trees, both for espaliers and standards : plant also
almonds, quinces, gooseberies, currants, raspberries, and every other
kind of hardy fruit bearing trees and shrubs, which are usually planted
either in the fruit-garden or orchard.

You may also prune each and every of the above kinds, according
to the directions given in this month, March and October ; and in the
two last months you will find ample instructions, both for preparing
the ground and planting the various kinds of fruit-trees above men-
tioned.

THE ORCHARD.

THE Orchard is a department consigned entirely to the growth of
standard fruit-trees for furnishing a large supply of the most useful
kinds of fruit ; in which you may have as standards, apple, pear,
plum, cherry, peach, apricot, quince, almond, and nectarine-trees ;
also mulberries, filberts, medlars, and berberries ; Spanish chestnuts
and English walnuts ; which two latter are more particularly appli-
cable for the boundaries of large orchards, in which they will screen
the other trees from impetuous winds and cold blasts, all of which
are to be arranged in rows at the distances directed in March and Oc-
tober; in which months you will find ample directions for raising, pro-
pagating, and planting the various kinds of fruit-trees necessary for
all the departments.

But sometimes orchards consist entirely -of apple-trees, particularly
when apples are wanted in large quantities for cider or whiskey
making ; and sometimes whole orchards of very considerable extent
of peach-trees, when the fruit is designed for distillation ; likewise
entire orchards of cherry-trees, but particularly within a moderate

JAN.] THE ORCHARD! 5t

distance of large cities and towns, where sale can be obtained for the
fruit ; pear orchards are also extensive where people are in the habit
of making perry.

A general orchard, however, composed of all the before mentioned
fruit-trees, should consist of a treble or more proportion of apple and
peach-trees, because they are considerably the most useful fruits, par-
ticularly the former, as they, exclusive of their use in distilling and
cider-making, may be continued for table use, in the different sorts,
the whole year round.

But the misfortune is, that too frequently after orchards are
planted and fenced, they have seldom any more care bestowed upon
them. Boughs are suffered to hang dangling to the ground, their
heads are so loaded with wood as to be almost impervious to sun and
air, and they are left to be exhausted by moss and injured by cattle,
&c.

By a redundancy of wood the roots are exhausted unprofitably, the
bearing wood is robbed of part of its sustenance, and the natural life
of the tree unnecessarily shortened, whilst the superfluous wood en-
dangers the tree by giving the winds an additional power over it, and
is injurious to the bearing wood, by retaining the damps and prevent-
ing a due circulation of air.

The outer branches only are able to produce fruit properly ; every
inner and underling branch ought therefore to be removed. It is
common to see fruit-trees with two or three tiers of boughs pressing
so hard upon one another, with their twigs so intimately interwoven,
that a small bird can scarcely creep in among them. Trees thus
neglected acquire, from want of due ventilation, a stinted habit, and
the fruit becomes of a crude inferior quality.

The trees are very often almost entirely subdued by moss, which
kills many, and injures others so much that they are only an incum-
brance to the ground and a disgrace to the country. This evil may
easily be checked by scraping and rubbing off the moss at this season
of the year, with a rounded iron scraper, &c., when men have little
else to employ them, and only seek work in idle, expensive, and un-
profitable amusements. Draining the land, if too retentive of mois-
ture, will sometimes prevent or cure moss, or digging round the trees
on the approach of winter, or in spring, and bringing fresh mould, or
the scouring of ponds and roads, or the rubbish of old walls, well
prepared and pulverized, and laid round them. Whatever contributes
to the health of the tree, will cure, or in some degree mitigate, this
and other diseases.

These considerations ought to induce to an examination of your
standard apple, pear, plum and cherry-trees, &c., and where found
necessary, to thin their branches, scrape and rub off moss, cut off all
dead or irregularly placed limbs and branches, and also any luxuriant
unfruitful shoots, and such branches as appear to be in a decaying
or cankery state, all of which must be cut off dose to where they
were produced, or to some healthy leading branch or shoot ; for the
bark cannot grow over a stump, because there is no power to draw
the sap that way, for which reason always cut rather a little within
the wood.

58 THE ORCHARD. [JAN.

Smooth the cut parts, and if the amputations are large, apply
thereto a light covering of the medicated tar below mentioned, which
is to be laid on with a painting brush ; if under an inch in diameter,
it is scarcely worth while to go to that trouble, for suchj when well
pruned, will heal and cover freely.

Be particular to use a saw in taking off all the limbs and branches
that are too large for the knife, and smooth the cut parts with either
your pruning-knife or a neat draw-knife, which answers better for
large amputations.

The medicated tar is composed of half an ounce of corrosive sub-
limate, reduced to a fine powder, and then put into a three pint earthen
pipkin, with about half a gill of gin, or other spirit, stirred well to-
gether, and the sublimate thus dissolved. The pipkin must then be
filled by degrees with common tar, and constantly stirred till the mix-
ture is intimately blended. This quantity will be sufficient for two
hundred trees. Being of a very poisonous nature, it should not be
suffered to lie carelessly about the house. The sublimate dissolves
better when united with the same quantity of the spirit of hartshorn
or of sal ammoniac. This mixture being apt to run, consistency may
be given it by mixing it with either pounded chalk or whiting.

The above composition will be found eminently useful, as no worm
of any kind can live near its influence, and no evil whatever will
arise to the trees from its poisonous quality ; it yields to the growth
of the bark, and affords a complete protection to the parts against the
influence of the weather.

A solution of corrosive sublimate, made as directed under the head
Orchard next month, will be found the most effectual wash that can
be applied to peach and other trees for the destruction of the worm
which so generally annoys them.

Those who wish to apply Forsythe's or Barnes's compositions, will
find instructions, both for making and applying them, under the head
Orchard in March.

When pruning is judiciously done, fruit-trees will come into
bearing sooner, produce more abundantly, and continue in vigor for
nearly double their common age. No branch of your orchard trees
should ever be shortened unless for the figure of the tree or the rea-
sons before mentioned, and then it should be taken off close, as before
observed, to where it was produced, or to a leading shoot. The more
the range of branches shoot circularly, a little inclining upwards,
the more equally will the sap be distributed, and the better will the
tree bear. The ranges of branches should not be too near each
other, that the fruit and leaves should all have their full share of sun,
and where it suits, the middle of the tree should be so free from
wood that no branch crosses another, but all the extremities point
upwards.

If any of your particularly valuable fruit-trees are partly decayed,
or in a bad state of health, and you wish to attempt their restoration
by judicious pruning and the application of good composition, you
must defer it till March, or when the sap begins to ascend in spring,
which will be manifest by the swelling of their buds j then prune
them and apply the composition as directed in March.

JAN.]

THE ORCHARD.

59

I am not an advocate for much doctoring with old decayed or sickly
tree, but the reverse; therefore recommend as the most preferable
way to replace such with young healthy trees, so soon as they show
strong symptoms of decay. Whenever you meet with a tree, the
fruit of which you esteem, propagate it immediately whilst in health,
by budding or grafting, &c. ; and if it should afterwards get into a
declined state, replace it with one of the same, or some other good
kind. Never propagate from a sickly tree if you can well avoid it,
for its disorder will be carried with the buds or grafts, and in all pro-
bability will ultimately work their destruction.

For the method of propagating fruit-trees, &c., by budding or in-
oculation, see the Nursery in July.

GOOD AND BAD PRUNING OF FOREST-TREES.

The annexed wood-cuts will explain the effects of judicious and
injudicious pruning better than a lengthened disquisition. Fig. 8
represents a tree of thirty years' growth, which has been regularly
and properly pruned. Fig. 9, a tree of the same age, which has been
neglected as to pruning during its early growth, and has now been
pruned in a way too frequently practised — namely, by sawing and
lopping off the branches^ after they have attained a large size. Fig.
10 shows the bad consequences of neglecting early pruning, in the

Fig. 8.

Fig. 10.

case of a plank cut from an ash-tree which had been pruned by lop-
ping off the large branches many years before it was felled. The cuts
in this case had been made several inches from the bole, and the
branches being very large, the stumps left had become rotten. The
enlargement of the trunk had not, however, been stopped, for the
new wood had covered over all the haggled parts, in some places to

60 THE VINEYARD. [JAN.

several inches thick. Yet the effects of the previous exposure to the
action of the weather, by injudicious pruning, is strikingly marked
by the decayed state of the parts connected with the branches which
had been amputated ; progressive pruning of deciduous trees, com-
menced while they are young, if it is to be practised at all, will pro-
duce no such blemishes when the timber is cut up. In a school for
gardeners, or indeed in every school, these effects should be demon-
strated by examples of bad pruning ; the best collection of such is to
be found in the economic museum of Sir William Hooker's founda-
tion at Kew Gardens, but it would be very easy to collect specimens
for exhibition at horticultural societies and State and county fairs.

THE VINEYARD.

THE cultivation of the vine merits the attention and support of
every lover of his country. The practicability of producing Wine in
the United States, cannot be doubted ; the experiment has been made
successfully in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, and South
Carolina. Nothing is now wanted but the liberal and spirited exer-
tions of the citizens to carry it to such perfection, especially in the
middle and southern States, as in the course of a few years to pro-
duce a sufficient supply for home consumption, and, in time, a large
quantity 'for exportation.*

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE VINEYARD.

In severe weather, when other work cannot be performed, prepare
poles for the support of the vines ; these, for sake of durability, ought
to be made of red cedar, white oak, or chestnut, split and seasoned,
and to* be made one inch and a half or two inches square, and six
and a half or seven feet long, pointed at the lower end ; and if that
part which is to be inserted in the ground, and about three inches
above it, say fifteen inches, be dipped in boiling pitch, it will be of
considerable advantage j if this is not convenient, let that part be
slightly scorched in the fire, which will prevent their rotting so soon
as they otherwise would. Round poles, such as are used for hoops,
of about two inches diameter will do, but these soon rot, and will
require to be replaced every two or three years, when the former
would last, if made of the heart of well-grown timber, fifteen or
twenty years. Sticks of four or five feet long may also be made for
the purpose of supporting young vines during the first and second
years of their growth, after which they are to be taken away to an-
swer a similar purpose, and replaced with the tall poles ; those may
be made one inch and a quarter square, pointed, and dipped in pitch
as above.

* This is now being carried out to a prodigious extent ; the neighborhood
of Cincinnati alone furnishes about one million gallons of first quality.

JAN.] THE NURSERY. 61

You may also at this season cart manure into the vineyard, and
spread it as directed in February, repair old fences, and prepare posts
and rails, or boards for new ones ; examine your ploughs, harrows,
spades, shovels, hoes, mattocks, and all your other tools, and have
such as need it repaired ; purchase any new tools that may be want-
ed, and have all your necessaries in readiness for the opening of the
spring.

In such of the southern States as have mild winters and early
vegetation, vines may now be pruned, as directed under the head
Vineyard in February, but with them, November would be a much
more eligible time for this work. In the middle States you must defer
the pruning of vines to the last week or ten days in February, not
later, except in extremely severe weather, but on no account later
than- the first week of March, for soon after that period the sap be-
gins to ascend, after which, were you to prune them, they would
bleed so copiously from where the wounds were inflicted, as to greatly
exhaust and injure them, and even totally to destroy some. In the
eastern States this work may be done between the first and tenth of
March, according as the spring may be early or late, observing that
it is safer to prune too early than too late.

Under the head Vineyard in March, you will find general instruc-
tions for the different methods of propagating and cultivating the
vine, both as espaliers, and in the field way ; likewise concise descrip-
tions of the various kinds which have been generally cultivated, either
for table use or making wine ; and also, observations on the kinds
most likely to succeed in the various parts of the Union.

THE NURSERY.

THOUGH this is not a period in which much business can be done
in the Nursery, especially in the middle and eastern States, it may
be well to call attention to that eminently useful department ; in
order that those who have not yet attempted it, may have time to
consider of its utility, and be determined, when the season arrives in
which it can be commenced.

The many advantages which every lover of improvement and plant-
ing may derive from having a nursery of his own, especially in such
a country as this, where public nurseries are so scarce and frequently
so remote, as to render it extremely inconvenient to procure such
trees as maybe wanted; the expenses of transportation to a con-
siderable distance ; the length of time the trees have to be out of
ground, and the consequent uncertainty of their growth ; the hazard
of procuring the intended or even good kinds — except the proprietors
are men of experience, knowledge, and integrity — are strong induce-
ments to the establishing small and convenient nurseries, in which
the owners may raise such kinds of fruit and forest-trees, ornamental
shrubs and other plants, as may be pleasing and profitable to them-
selves, useful to posterity, and ornamental to the country.

62 THE NURSERY. [JAN.

The raising of Osage orange, buckthorn, thorn- quicks and other
plants, suitable for making live hedges, ought also to command at-
tention ; especially in such parts of the Union as timber is getting
scarce and dear in. The planting and establishing of such hedges
must ultimately be resorted to, and the sooner it is commenced the
better.

Conscious of the great utility of such establishments, I shall in
the course of this work give such ample and minute instructions, for
the raising and propagation of fruit and forest-trees, ornamental trees
and shrubs, thorn-quicks, &c. &c., as may lead the most inexperi-
enced persons to a complete knowledge of the business ; which may
be pursued upon a small or a more extensive scale, as it suits.

In the nursery may also be raised all sorts of hardy herbaceous
plants, both fibrous, bulbous, and tuberous-rooted, for adorning the
flower garden, pleasure-ground, and to plant for medical use, &c.

EXTENT, SOIL, SITUATION, &C.

With respect to the proper extent or dimensions of a nursery,
whether for private use or public supply, it must be according to the
quantity of plants required, or the demand for sale : if for private
use, from a quarter to half an acre or more may be sumcient, which
must be regulated according to the extent of garden ground and
plantations it is required to supply ; and if for a public nursery, for
any general cultivation, not less than three or four acres of land will
be worth occupying as such, and from that to fifteen or twenty acres
or more may be requisite, according to the demand.

The soil for a mirsery, requires particular attention. It ought to
be naturally good for at least one full spade deep, or if more, the
better ; always prefer a loamy soil of a moderately light tempera-
ment, which cannot naturally be too good, notwithstanding what
some advance to the contrary, even though the trees should after-
wards be removed into a poorer soil. Reason teaches, that young
trees growing vigorously and freely in a good soil, will form numerous
and healthy roots, and when they come to be afterwards planted in
worse land, they will be able, from the strength of their constitution
and multiplicity of roots, to feed themselves freely with coarser food.
On the contrary, young trees raised upon poor land, by having their
vessels contracted and their outward bark mossy and diseased, will be
a long time, even after being removed into a rich soil, before they
attain to a vigorous state. If the roots of the young plants have not
a good soil, or sumcient room to strike in, there will be little hope of
their furnishing themselves with that ample stock of roots and fibres
which is necessary to a good plant, and with which every young tree
ought to be well furnished, when removed for final transplantation.

Most authors who have written on the kind of soil most suitable
for a nursery have differed in their opinions, even so far as to be
almost quite contradictory to one another; and the common opinion
is in favor of the soil being the same, nearly similar, or rather worse,
than that into which the trees are to be finally planted. But this is
setting out upon a very wrong principle ; for, were a nursery to be

JAN.] THE NURSERY. 63

established on a poor gravel or stiff clay, the plants raised on such
would be poor, small, hide-bound, starved things, very unfit for plant-
ing in any land.

If an animal was to be only half fed, from its first having life, for
one year, I believe that such would never grow -to be of a large size
of its kind, if afterwards it was put into better keeping j but suppose
it was put to harder fare, it would certainly make a poor figure. If
this same animal had been moderately fed for one year, and then put
into worse feeding, it would have made a better beast.

Some will say that these observations are unnecessary, as the
ground in which fruit-trees are generally planted is for the most part
good, being particularly selected for that purpose, and that a soil
similar thereto will do very well ; granted, provided the ground be
naturally good ; but if these people had a large extent of poor gra-
velly soil, or stiff clay, to plant with forest or ornamental trees, live
hedges, &c., would they seek out a similar spot for a nursery, to raise
plants for planting the same ? If so, they would discover their mis-
take when too late. This is the error I wish to correct, being very
desirous that every attempt towards this kind of improvement should
prove successful ; and in order to effect this, it is necessary to set out
on right principles.

It is very wrong to enrich nurseries with dung, particularly until
it is very old, and almost turned into earth j although many eminent
nurserymen dung their ground very plentifully, yet they do it with
great judgment, and never plant trees until it is well rooted and
mixed with the mould, so as to be quite incorporated, and generally
take a crop or two of vegetables before they plant trees therein.

It is not absolutely necessary that the soil should be exceedingly
rich, nor over carefully manured ; a medium between the two extremes
is best ; such as any good substantial garden ground ; or good mellow
pasture land, having the sward trenched to the bottom, will do very
well for the growth of trees. '.,< ; •-•

As to situation, it ought to be somewhat low, but dry, fully ex-
posed to the sun and free air, and, if possible, where there is the con-
venience of water for the occasional watering of young seedlings and
newly planted trees, &c.

As to a small nursery for private use, it may be formed out of part
of the kitchen garden, if large enough, or some other convenient
place ; or it may be made somewhere convenient to the pleasure
ground, if any, and so contrived as to lead insensibly into it by wind-
ing walks, so as to appear to be part of the same. ,

FENCES, PREPARING AND LAYING OUT THE GROUND.

A fence round the whole ground is necessary : this may either be a
hedge and ditch, or a paling ; the former is the cheapest, and in the
end most durable ; though in some places where rabbits abound, paling
fences at first are eligible for preserving the nursery from the depre-
dations of those animals which often do great mischief to the young
plants by barking and cropping them : a good hedge and ditch fence,
however, may be made very effectual against the inroads of both men

64 THE NURSERY. [JAN.

and brutes; and the most eligible plant for this purpose is the haw-
thorn ; but a paling, or other similar close fence, either in general or
part, would be extremely useful, against which to train young wall-
trees to a proper growth for garden or espalier plantations.

The ground must then be all regularly trenched one or two spades
deep, according as the natural depth of the soil will admit, for by no
means dig deeper than the natural good soil, being either one spade,
one and a half, or two spades deep.

Then, having trenched the ground, proceed to divide it by walks
into quarters and other compartments; a principal walk should lead
directly through the middle or some principal part of the ground,
which may be from five to eight or ten feet wide, according as it shall
seem proper for use or ornament, having a broad border on each side ;
another walk should be carried all round next the outward boundary,
four or five feet wide, leaving an eight or ten feet border next the
fence all the way ; then may divide the internal part by smaller cross
walks, so as to form the whole into four, six. or eight principal divi-
sions, which are commonly called quarters.

One or more of the divisions must be allotted for a seminary, i. e.}
for the reception of all sorts of seeds for raising seedling plants to
furnish the other parts ; therefore divide this seminary ground into
four feet wide beds, with foot-wide alleys at least between bed and
bed : in these beds should be sown seeds, &c., of all such trees, shrubs
and herbaceous plants as are raised from seed ; and which seeds con-
sist both of the various sorts of kernels and stones of fruit, to raise
stocks for grafting and budding ; seeds of forest and ornamental trees,
shrubs, &c., and seeds of numerous herbaceous perennials, both of
the fibrous-rooted and bulbous-rooted tribes : the sowing season is
both spring and autumn, according to the nature of the different
sorts, which is fully illustrated in their proper places; and when the
young tree and shrub seedling-plants so raised are one or two years
old, they are to be planted out in nursery-rows into the other princi-
pal divisions ; but many kinds of herbaceous plants require to be
picked out from the seed-beds, when but from two to three or four
months old, as directed for each under their own respective heads.
On the other hand, most kinds of bulbous seedlings will not be fit for
planting out in less than one or two years.

Part of the nursery ground should be allotted for stools of various
trees and shrubs for the propagation by layers, by which vast num-
bers of plants of different kinds are propagated. These stools are
strong plants of trees and shrubs, planted in rows three or four feet
distant every way, and such of them as naturally rise with tall stems,
are, after being planted one year, to be headed down near the ground,
to force out many lower shoots conveniently situated for laying.

And as to cuttings, suckers, slips, offsets, &c., those of hardy
trees, shrubs, and plants, may be planted in any convenient compart-
ment, and in shady borders, &c., and for the more tender kinds should
allot some warm sheltered situation.

The other principal divisions, therefore, of the nursery-ground,
are for the reception of the various sorts of seedling plants from the
above seminary quarters, also for all others that are raised from

JAN.] THE NURSERY. 65

suckers, layers, cuttings, &c., there to be planted in rows from one
to two or three feet asunder, according to their natures of growth;
observing to allow the tree and shrub kinds treble the distance of
herbaceous perennials. Of the tree and shrub kinds, some are to
be planted for stocks to graft and bud the select sorts of fruit-trees
upon, and other choice plants, which are usually propagated by those
methods; others are trained up entirely on their own roots without
budding or grafting, as in most forest and other hardy tree kinds, as
also almost all the sorts of shrubs. Here they are to remain to have
two, three, or several years' growth, according as they shall require,
for the several purposes for which they are designed in their future
situations in the garden and plantations, &c., which are directed in
their respective cultures.

In a complete nursery it is also proper to allot some dry, warm,
sheltered situation in the full sun, on which to have occasional hot-
beds of dung or tan for raising and forwarding many sorts of tender
or curious exotics, by seed, cuttings, suckers, slips, &c., and for
which purposes you should be furnished with eligible frames and
lights, hand-glasses, garden-mats, and other relative requisites.

GENERAL MODE OF ARRANGING THE PLANTS OF THIS DEPARTMENT.

In the distribution of the various sorts of plants in the nursery,
let each sort be separate; the fruit-trees should generally occupy
spaces by themselves; the forest- trees, &c., should also be stationed
together; all the shrub kind should be ranged in separate compart-
ments ; allot also a place for herbaceous perennials : a warm place
should likewise be allotted for the tender plants, and defended with
yew, juniper, or private hedges, or a reed hedge, &c., in which com-
partments you may station all such plants as are a little tender whilst
young, and require occasional shelter from frost, yet are not so tender
as to require to be housed like green-house plants, &c., so that in
such compartments there may also be frames of various sizes, either
to be covered occasionally with glass-lights, or some with mats, to
contain such of the more choice of the above tender kinds in pots, to
be nursed up a year or two, or longer, with occasional shelter, till
hardened gradually to bear the open air fully.

The arrangement of all the sorts in the open ground must always
be in lines or nursery-rows, as formerly observed, to stand till arrived
at a proper growth for drawing off for the garden and plantation ;
placing the fruit-tree stocks, &c., for grafting and budding upon, in
rows three feet asunder, if for dwarfs, but standards four feet, and a
foot and a half or two feet in the lines ; though after being grafted
and budded, they then commencing fruit-trees, &c. ; if they are to
stand to grow to any large size, they should be allowed the width of
five feet between the rows. Forest-trees should also be placed in
rows four feet asunder, and eighteen inches distance in the rows,
varying the distance both ways according to the time they are to
stand ; the shrub kind should likewise be arranged in rows about two
feet asunder, and fifteen or eighteen inches distant in each line; and
as to herbaceous plants, they should generally be disposed in four
5

66 THE NURSERY. [JAN.

feet wide beds, or large borders, in rows, or distances from six to
twelve or eighteen inches asunder, according to their nature of growth
and the time they are to stand.

By the above arrangement of the various sorts of hardy trees,
shrubs and herbaceous plants, in rows at those small distances in the
nursery, a great number of plants are contained within a narrow
compass, which is sufficient room, as they are only to remain a short
time; and that by being thus stationed in a little compass they are
more readily kept under a proper regulation for the time they are to
remain in this department.

In the public nurseries they often plant many kinds of seedling
trees and shrubs in much closer rows at first planting out than the
distances above prescribed, not only in order to husband the ground
to the best advantage, but by standing closer it encourages the^ stem
to shoot more directly upward, and prevents them expanding^them-
selves much anywhere but at top; as for instance, many sorts of
evergreens that are but of slow growth the first year or two, such as
the pine-trees, firs, and several others, which the nursery gardeners
often prick out from the seminary, first into four feet wide beds, in
rows lengthways, six inches asunder ; and after having two years'
growth there, transplant them in rows a foot asunder ; and in two
years after give them another and final transplantation in the nursery,
in rows three feet asunder, as observed above ; and by these different
transplan tings it will encourage the roots to branch out into many
horizontal fibres, and prepare them better for final transplantation,
which is the more particularly necessary in several of the pine and
fir kinds and several other evergreens.

With respect to the different methods of planting nursery plants,
after being raised either by seed, layers, cuttings, &c., it is performed
in several ways to different sorts ; some are pricked out by dibble,
especially small seedlings, others are put in by the spade, either by
trenches, slitting-in, trenching, or holing, and some are drilled in by
a spade or hoe.

As to most of the tree and shrub kind, sometimes the young seed-
ling-trees and shrubs are pricked out from the seminary by dibble ;
sometimes they are put in by the spade in the following method :
first, having set a line to plant by, strike the spade into the ground
with its back close to the line, and give another stroke at right angles
with it, then set a plant into the crevice made at the second stroke,
bring it close up into the first made crevice even with the line, and
press the mould close to it with the foot, then proceed to plant
another in the same way, and so proceed till all are planted. A
second method is for plants with rather larger roots; strike the spade
down with its back close to the line, as aforesaid, and then with a
spade cut out a narrow trench close along the line, making the side
next the line perfectly upright; then placing the plants upright
against the back of the trench close to the line, at the proper dis-
tances before mentioned; and, as you go on, trim in the earth upon
their roots; when one row is thus planted, tread the earth gently all
along close to the plants, and then proceed to plant another row. A
third method of planting out small tree and shrub plants is, having

JAN.] THE NURSERY 67

set the line as above, then turning the spade edgeways to the line,
cast out the earth of that spit, then a person being ready with plants,
set one in the cavity close to the line, and directly taking another
such spit, turn the earth in upon the roots of the plant, and then
placing another plant into the second cut, cover its roots with the
earth of a third spit, and so on to the end ; but sometimes when the
roots are considerably larger, holes are made along by the line wide
enough to receive the roots freely every way, so covering them in, as
above, as you go on, observing always to press the earth gently with
the foot close to the roots, and close about the stems, to settle the
plants firmly in their proper position.

Herbaceous fibrous-rooted plants are, for the most part, planted
with a dibble, except when the roots are large and spreading, or such
as are removed with bails of earth, then they are more commonly
planted by holing them in with a garden trowel, or small spade.

Bulbous and tuberous rooted plants sometimes are planted with a
dibble, but many sorts may also be planted in drills drawn with a hoe.
These sorts are also sometimes planted as follows : rake or trim the
earth from off the top of the beds from about three to four inches
deep into the alleys, then place the roots in rows upon the surface,
thrusting the bottom a little into the ground, and immediately cover
them with the earth which was drawn off into the alleys for that
purpose, spreading it evenly over every part, so as to bury all the
roots an equal depth.

As to the tender kinds of exotic plants that require occasional
shelter whilst young, many of them should be potted, in order for
moving to a warm situation in winter, or some into frames, &c., to
have occasional shelter from frost, by glasses or mats, as they shall
require ; hardening them, however, by degrees, to bear the open air
fully in the nursery the year round.

And the most tender kinds that require the aid of a green-house
or stove, must all be potted and placed among the respective plants
of those conservatories.

GENERAL CULTURE OF THE PLANTS OF THIS DEPARTMENT.

With respect to the management of the various hardy nursery
plants : —

Those designed as stocks for fruit-trees should have their stems
generally cleared from lateral shoots, so as to form a clean, straight
stem, but never to shorten the leading shoot until it is decayed, or
becomes very crooked, in which case it may be proper to cut it down
low in spring, and it will shoot out again, training the main shoot
for a stem, with its top entire for the present, till grafted or budded.

But in the above nursery culture of the fruit-tree kind, some sorts
designed for principal wall or espalier trees should, when of one year's
growth from grafting and budding, be transplanted against some close
fence in the nursery, either a wall, paling, or trellis, &c., and . their
first graft or bud- shoot headed down in the spring, to promote an
emission of lower lateral shoots and branches, in order to be regularly
trained to the fence in a spreading manner for two years or more, or

68 THE NURSERY. [JAN.

till wanted, whereby to form the head in a regular spreading growth
for the intended purpose of garden trees, which in the public nur-
series in particular should always be ready in proper training to supply
those who may wish to have their espaliers, &c., covered as soon as
possible by means of such ready trained trees.

A similar training, both for wall and espalier fruit-trees, may be
practised to some principal sorts in the nursery rows in the open
quarters of ground by arranging their branches in a spreading man-
ner, to stakes placed for that purpose.

But for standard fruit-trees, they should be trained with a clean
single stem, five or six feet for full standards, by cutting off all lateral
shoots arising below ; half standards trained with a three or four feet
stem, and dwarf standards in proportion, by the same means ; and
as to the heads of the standards, it may be proper in some to have
the first immediate shoots from the graft or bud when a year old
pruned short in spring to procure several laterals, in order to form a
fuller spread of branches, proceeding regularly together from near the
summit of the stem that the head may advance in a more regular
branchy growth.

Forest-trees, in general, should be encouraged to form straight
clean single stems, by occasional trimming off the largest lateral
branches, which also promote the leading top-shoot in aspiring
straight and faster in height ; always suffering that part of each tree
to shoot at full length, that is, not to top it, unless, however, where
the stem divides into forks, to trim off the weakest, and leave the
straightest and strongest shoot or branch to shoot out at its proper
length to form the aspiring top, as above.

The different sorts of shrubs may either be suffered to branch out
in their own natural way, except just regulating very disorderly
growths, or some may be trained with single clean stems from about
a foot to two or three high, according as you shall think proper with
respect to the sorts or the purposes for which you design them in the
shrubbery ; but many shrubs appear the most agreeable when per-
mitted to shoot out laterally all the way, so as to be branchy or
feathered to the bottom.

Each species of fruit-trees, as soon as grafted or budded, should
have all its different varieties numbered, by placing large flat-sided
sticks at the ends of the rows, for which purpose some nurserymen
use the spokes of old coach wheels, or anything about that size of
any durable wood, painting or marking the numbers thereon, 1, 2, 3,
&c., on different sticks, entering the numbers in the nursery book,
with the name of the varieties to which the number-sticks are
placed ; whereby you can at all times readily have recourse to the
sorts wanted.

The same method may be practised to any other trees, shrubs, or
herbaceous plants, especially the varieties of particular species, when
they are numerous, as in many of the flowery tribe, such as auriculas,
carnations, tulips, anemones, ranunculuses, and the like.

With respect to watering the nursery plants, this may be very re-
quisite in dry hot weather in spring and summer to seed beds, and
tender seedling plants while young, and when first planted out, till

JAN.] THE NURSERY. 69

they have taken good root ; also occasionally to new-layed layers,
and newly planted cuttings in dry warm weather; but as to hardy
trees and shrubs of all sorts, if planted out at the proper time, that
is, not too late in spring, no great regard need be paid to watering,
for they will generally succeed very well without any; indeed, where
there are but a few, you may, if you please, water them occasionally,
if it proves a very dry spring in April and May ; but where there
are great plantations, it would be an almost insupportable fatigue,
and a great expense.

Every winter or spring the ground between the rows of all sorts
of transplanted plants in the open nursery quarters must be digged;
this is particularly necessary to all the tree and shrub kinds that
stand wide enough in rows to admit the spade between; which work
is by the nurserymen called turning-in ; the most general season for
this Work is any time from October to the latter end of March; but
the sooner it is done the more advantageous it will prove to the
plants. The ground is to be digged one spade deep, proceeding row
by row, turning the top of each pit clean to the bottom, that all
weeds on the top may be buried a proper depth to rot : this work of
turning-in is a most necessary annual operation, both to destroy
weeds and to increase the growth of the young nursery plants.

In summer be remarkably attentive to keep all sorts clean from
weeds; the seedlings growing close in the seminary beds must be
hand-weeded; but among plants of all sorts that grow in rows wide
enough to introduce a hoe, this will prove not only the most expe-
ditious method of destroying weeds, but by loosening the top of the
soil it will prove good culture in promoting the growth of all kinds
of plants ; always perform this work of hoeing in dry weather in due
time, before the weeds grow large, and you may soon go over a great
space of ground, either with a common drawing hoe, or occasionally
with a scuffling hoe, as you shall find the most convenient.

According as any quarters or compartments of the nursery ground
are cleared from plants, others must be substituted in their room
from the seminary, &c., but the ground should previously be trenched
and lie some time fallow to recruit or recover its former vigor ; giving
it also the addition of manure, if it shall seem proper; and after
being trenched in ridges, and having the repose only of one winter
or summer, or a year at most, it will sufficiently recover its vegeta-
tive force, and may be planted fresh.

It will be of advantage to plant the grounds with plants of a dif-
ferent kind from those which it occupied before.

The tender or exotic plants of all kinds that require shelter only
from frost, whilst young, as formerly mentioned, and by degrees be-
come hardy enough to live in the open air ; should such of them as
are seedlings in the open ground have the beds arched over with
hoops or rods at the approach of winter, in order to be sheltered with
mats in severe weather; and those which are in pots, either seedlings
or transplanted plants, should be removed in October in their pots
to a warm sunny situation sheltered with hedges, &c., placing some
close under the fences facing the sun, where they may have occa-
sional covering with mats in frosty weather ; others that are more

TO THE NURSERY. [JAN.

tender may be placed in frames to have occasional covering either of
glass lights or mats, &c., from frost; observing of all those sorts here
alluded to, that they are gradually to be hardened to the open
ground, and need only be covered in frosty weather; at all other
times let them remain fully exposed, and by degrees, as they acquire
age and strength, inure them to bear the open air fully; so as when
they arrive at from two or three, to four or five years old, they may
be turned out into the open ground. The sorts requiring this treat-
ment are pointed out under their proper heads in the different
months.

The green-house kinds of all sorts, or such as require constant
shelter in winter, are to be managed as directed under the article

GREEN-HOUSE.

And the hot-house or stove-plants, or such as require constant
shelter all or the greater part of the year, together with the aid of
artificial heat, are to be managed as exhibited under the article
HOT-HOUSE.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE NURSERY.

Young apple and pear-trees may now be pruned agreeably to the
rules laid down in March; though if your stock of these is not
very numerous, and that you are desirous to have so much work
done out of the way when the hurry of business conies on in spring,
it will be quite as well to defer doing it till the end of February or
beginning of March.

Trim up the stems of forest and other hardy trees where they re-
quire it; this may be done when little else can in the nursery; for
if it is performed in frosty weather the trees will receive no harm by
the operation, especially the hardy deciduous kinds.

Carry well-rotted dung or compost, and lay it on such parts of the
nursery as require it. This may be necessary to such particular
quarters as have been lately cleared, and that are intended to be
planted again with a fresh stock in autumn, taking off a summer
crop of vegetables previous thereto; and when the frost permits,
let it be trenched in regularly one full spade deep at least. If the
necessity requires it this ground may be planted with young trees,
&c., in spring.

In severe weather, when out-work cannot be done, make label-
sticks ; and have them in readiness when wanted, to mark the various
kinds and varieties of fruit and forest-trees, shrubs, plants, &c.,
which you intend to planter propagate in spring ; the largest to mark
rows of fruit-trees, &c., should be about the size of a coach-wheel
spoke, and for sake of durability, made of white oak, or some other
good durable wood, with the numbers marked or painted thereon ;
such will last you for several years : small kinds for labelling flowers,
or the various sorts of small seeds which you intend to sow, may be
made of old or new shingles, or pieces of good pine, cut and split to
such lengths as you desire ; form these neatly, and when you are go-
ing to use them, rub one side of the upper end for about two inches
with white oil-color paint; on which, while yet wet, write your num-

JAN.] THE NURSERY. 71

bcr, or the name of the plant at full length with a black-lead pencil;
this will endure any kind of weather for one year at least, and be
legible for several years, when, placed in pots, with GREEN- HOUSE or
HOT-HOUSE plants.

CARE OF TENDER AND YOUNG SEEDLING TREES.

Take great care now of all the tender kinds of seedling trees,
shrubs, and other young plants of similar quality raised from seed,
or by other means, last year or before ; many kinds will, in hard frost,
need shelter, particularly the young seedling plants of the cedar of
Lebanon, &c., China arborvitse, the tender kinds of pines and firs,
and the seedling plants of cypress, and such like kinds of young
seedling evergreens, which will all need occasional protection in severe
weather : and therefore, at the approach of the first hard frost, the
pots or boxes, &c., containing them should be removed into a garden
frame, or some other convenience of occasional shelter, and in the
time of hard frosts the glasses and other covering put on ; but they
must be kept constantly open in mild weather, when it can be done
with safety to the plants.

The tender seedling plants which are growing in beds, and require
shelter in time of frost, should be covered at such time with mats ;
first erecting some hoops across the bed, and the mats to be drawn
over them occasionally for defence of the plants.

Likewise some of the more hardy kinds of young plants may be
sheltered in bad weather by laying some straw, fern, or long dry litter
lightly over them ; this will protect the tender tops and roots from
the frost.

But this covering must not be suffered to remain longer than
necessary to defend the plants.

Likewise any curious or tender young evergreens, &c., that are
planted in pots, should be placed under shelter in severe frosts; such
as arbutus or strawberry tree, magnolia grandiflora, cistuses, China
arborvitae, English and Portugal laurels, &c., placing them in a
frame, or where they may be defended either with glasses, mats or
other covering in rigorous weather.

SOUTHERN STATES.

Dig the ground, if open weather, between the continuing rows of
young trees and shrubs of all sorts.

But previous to performing this work, give any necessary pruning
to the shrubs and trees, especially the deciduous kinds ; then let the
ground be digged one spade deep : as you go on trim off any strag-
gling roots of the trees and shrubs ; and in digging, give every spit a
fair turn off the spade that the weeds on the surface may be buried
properly.

Transplanting of young forest and ornamental trees in the nursery,
and where required, may be performed any time this month if the
weather is open and the ground not too wet.

Particularly deciduous forest-trees, &c., of the hardy kinds, may

12 THE NURSERY. [JAN.

be removed any time this month if mild weather ; but this should
not be generally practised to evergreens this season, especially where
smart frosts may be expected to follow.

Prune honeysuckles and roses, and all other kinds of hardy deci-
duous flowering shrubs that want it, training each with a single
stem, and trimming their heads as you shall see occasion ; that is,
either to cut out or shorten all straggling shoots in such manner as
you shall see necessary to keep their heads somewhat to a regular
form.

In open and settled weather you may now transplant, where neces-
sary, most sorts of hardy deciduous flowering shrubs, both in the
nursery order, and for shrubbery plantations, &c., in a dry soil; but
where the soil is apt to lodge wet there should not be any planted
therein before February.

Plantations of fruit-tree stocks, for grafting and budding upon,
may be made at any time of this month, if mild open weather.
Many of those raised from seed, &c., last spring, or the year before,
will be fit for this, digging them up out of the seed-bed, &c., with
their full roots, and let them be planted in nursery rows, three or
four feet asunder, and fifteen or eighteen inches distant from each
other in the rows ; and when they have attained one or two years'
growth in these rows, will be proper for budding and grafting. See
the Nursery in October for the method of planting ; that of March
for grafting, and July and August for budding.

You may still make layers in open weather of many sorts of deci-
duous trees and shrubs that you desire to increase.

This work of laying down the branches of shrubs and trees to pro-
pagate them, is very easily performed ; and there are a great many
kinds of trees and shrubs to be increased by this operation, in the
manner following : —

In the first place it must be remarked, that the young branches
that were produced last summer, are the most proper parts to be
layed ; for these will put out roots more freely than the branches that
are a year or two older. Observing further, that many of the shrub
kinds branching out near the earth, afford an opportunity of laying
them with great facility, but such as run up with tall -stems, and those
of the tree kinds, require that some strong young plants, principally
deciduous, with stems one, two, or three inches thick, be cut down
near the ground a year or two before to form stools to furnish a sup-
ply of shoots near the earth, convenient for laying therein. The
ground must be dug about the shrub or tree that is to be layed ; and
as you go on bring down the branches, and fasten them in the ground
with hooked pegs, observing to lay down all the young wood on each
branch into the earth, covering therewith the body of each layer three
or four inches deep, and fastening each also with a peg, if necessary,
and raise the tops upright out of the earth.

But in laying some hard-wooded trees and shrubs it is necessary
to slit the layer by making a gash with a knife on the under side,
slitting it an inch or more upward, so laying that part in the earth,
keeping the gash a little open, which will greatly assist the rooting
by promoting the emission of fibres at the cut part. And this may

JAN.] THE NURSERY. T3

also be performed to the same advantage in the laying of trees and
shrubs in general. Or you may give the young shoot a twist in that
part which you intend laying in the earth, by which method it will
root more freely than if laid down without it.

Those which are layed in this or next month will be tolerably well
rooted by next autumn, and may then be separated from the tree,
and planted in the nursery to get strength.

Cuttings of many kinds of flowering shrubs and trees may also still
be planted ; and there are vast numbers of plants that may be propa-
gated by this method. There is hardly any tree or shrub but what
may be increased either by this method, or by layers or suckers from
the root.

The manner of propagating trees or shrubs by cuttings is this :
the cuttings must be young shoots of the last year's growth, which
must be cut with a sharp knife from the tree or shrub you desire to
propagate j they must be from about six or eight to twelve or fifteen
inches long, according to their strength and manner of growth ; let
them be planted in rows eighteen inches asunder, and from five to
eight inches distance in the row, and every cutting inserted two-
thirds of its length into the ground.

Propagate gooseberries and currants by cuttings, as directed in
October ; and prune such of the old plants as require it, agreeably
to the directions given in this and that month.

In open weather, you should, as much as possible, forward the
digging and trenching vacant compartments of ground, where young
trees and shrubs are to be planted in this and next month.

Now prepare some ground where it is not wet, for the reception of
stones and kernels of hardy fruits, to raise a supply of stocks for the
purpose of budding and grafting upon.

These may be sown any time this month, observing to sow them
in beds four feet wide ; cover the stones an inch and a half deep with
earth, and the kernels half an inch : the plants will appear in March,
April, and May, when they must be kept clean from weeds, and mode-
rate watering in dry weather will be serviceable when they are newly
come up. Some of them will be fit for transplanting in nursery rows
next November.

Sow the various kinds of hawthorn, holly, red cedar, yew, meze-
reon, juniper, sweet bay, English and Portugal laurel berries j like-
wise the seeds of hornbeam, ash, spindle-tree, bladder-nut, and all
the other kinds of tree and shrub seeds which require a year's prepa-
ration previous to sowing, as noticed in February. The sooner now
these kinds of seeds are sown the better, provided the ground be dry,
and that it works loose and light.

For particular instructions respecting the sowing of these seeds,
&c., see February and March.

*\

THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

ORNAMENTAL DESIGNS AND PLANTING.

The district commonly called the Pleasure, or Flower Garden, or
pleasure-ground, may be said to comprehend all ornamental compart-
ments or divisions of ground surrounding the mansion ; consisting
of lawns, plantations of trees and shrubs, flower compartments, walks,
pieces of water, &c., whether situated wholly within the space gene-
rally considered as the pleasure-garden, or extended to the adjacent
fields, parks, or other out-grounds.

In designs for a pleasure-ground, according to modern gardening,
consulting rural disposition in imitation of nature, all too formal
works being almost abolished, such as long straight walks, regular
intersections, square grass-plats, corresponding parterres, quadrangu-
lar and angular spaces, and other uniformities, as in ancient designs ;
instead of which are now adopted rural open spaces of grass-ground,
of various forms and dimensions, and winding walks, all bounded
with plantations of trees, shrubs, and flowers, in various clumps ;
other compartments are exhibited in a variety of imitative rural forms,
such as curves, projections, openings and closings in imitation of na-
tural assemblage; having all the various plantations and borders
open to the walks and lawns.

For instance, a grand and spacious open lawn of grass-ground is
generally first presented immediately to the front of the mansion, or
main habitation; sometimes widely extended on both sides to admit
of a greater prospect, &c., and sometimes more contracted towards
the habitation ; widening gradually outwards, and having each side
embellished with plantations of shrubbery, clumps, thickets, &c., in
sweeps, curves, and projections towards the lawn, with breaks or
opens of grass-spaces at intervals between the different plantations ;
together with serpentine gravel walks, winding under the shade of
the trees : extended plantations ought also to be carried round next
the outer boundary of the pleasure-ground, when extensive; in various
openings and closings, having gravel walks winding through them,
for shady and private walking; and in the interior divisions of
the ground, serpentine winding walks and elegant grass openings,
ranged various ways, all bordered with shrubberies and other tree and
shrub plantations, flower compartments, &c., disposed in a variety of
different rural forms ; in easy bendings, concaves and straight ranges,
occasionally; with intervening breaks or opens of grass-ground, both
to promote rural diversity and for communication and prospect to the
different divisions; all the parts of the pleasure-ground being so ar-
ranged, as gradually to discover new scenes, each furnishing fresh
variety, both in the form of the design in different parts, as well as
in the disposition of the various trees, shrubs and flowers, and other
ornaments and diversities.

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 75

In designs for a pleasure-ground, according to modern taste, a
tract of ground of any considerable extent may have the prospect
varied and diversified exceedingly, in a beautiful representation of
art and nature, as that in passing from one compartment to another,
still new varieties present themselves in the most agreeable manner ;
and even if the figure of the ground is irregular, and the surface has
many inequalities,- the whole may be improved without any great
trouble of squaring or levelling j for by humoring the natural form,
you may cause even the very irregularities and natural deformities
to carry along with them an air of diversity and novelty which fail
not to please and entertain most observers.

In these rural works, however, we should not abolish entirely the
appearance of art and uniformity; for these, when properly applied,
give an additional beauty and peculiar grace to all our natural pro-
ductions, and set nature in the fairest and most beautiful point of
view.

But some modern pleasure-grounds, in which rural design is copied
to an extreme, are often very barren of variety and entertainment, as
they frequently consist only of a grass lawn, like a great field, having
a running plantation of trees and shrubs all round it, just broad
enough to admit a gravel walk winding through it, in the serpentine
way, in many short twists and turns, and bordering at every turn
alternately upon the outward fence and the lawn; which are con-
tinually obtruded upon the sight, exhibiting the same prospect over
and over, without the least variation; so as that after having tra-
versed the walks all around this sort of pleasure-ground, we find no
more variety or entertainment than at our first entrance, the whole
having presented itself at the first view.

Therefore, in laying out pleasure-ground, the designer ought to
take particular care that the whole extent be not taken in at one
view ; only exhibiting at first a large open lawn or other spacious
open compartment, or grand walk, &c., terminated on each side with
plantations of curious trees, shrubs, and flowers, exhibiting only some
openings at intervals, and behind these have compartments of the
like plantations, with grass openings, gravel walks, water, and other
ornaments ; so that a spectator will be agreeably surprised to find
that what terminated his prospect only served as an introduction to
new beauties and varieties.

It is impossible to exhibit any regular direction for planning an
extensive pleasure-ground, as the different figures and situations, &c.,
of the ground may require different designs, therefore general hints
only can be given.

SKETCH OF THE DESIGN.

The following general sketch may be varied according to the situa-
tion and extent of the ground, and may be useful to persons who are
inexperienced in designs of the kind.

• With respect to situation, this must be immediately contiguous to
the mansion house, whether high or low situated ; remarking, how-
ever, that a somewhat elevated situation, or the side or summit of

76 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

some moderate rising ground is always the most eligible on which to
erect the chief habitation, arranging the pleasure-ground accordingly;
such an exposure being the most desirable, both for the beauty of
the prospect and healthfulness of the air : there are, however, some
level situations, forming plains or flats, that possess great advantages
both of soil and prospect, and also the beauties of water, without too
copious damps or moisture; there are also some large tracts of
ground, consisting both of low and high situations, as level plains,
hollows, eminences, declivities, and other inequalities, which may be
so improved as to make a most desirable pleasure-garden, as the
scene may be varied in the most beautiful manner.

The extent of pleasure-ground may be varied according to that
of the estate or premises, and the fortune of the owner; so may be
from even a quarter or half an acre to thirty, forty, or more.

The ground should be previously fenced, which may be occasion-
ally a hedge, paling, or wall, &c., as most convenient.

With respect to the arrangement of the several divisions, the fol-
lowing general sketches are on a supposition of a considerable tract
of ground; and if the piece of ground is small, greater simplicity of
design must be observed.

First, an open lawn of grass-ground is extended on one of the
principal fronts of the mansion or main house, widening gradually
from the house outward, having each side bounded by various planta-
tions of trees, shrubs, and flowers, in clumps, thickets, &c., exhibited
in a variety of rural forms in moderate concave and convex curves
and projections, to prevent all appearance of a stiff uniformity ; in-
troducing between the plantations, at intervals, breaks or openings of
grass-ground communicating with the lawn and internal divisions, in
some places widely spread, in others more contracted ; leaving also
tracts for serpentine gravel-walks, some winding under the shade of
the plantations, so conducted as to command views of the lawn and
interior divisions occasionally, and at intervals of the most beautiful
parts of the surrounding country.

This ground must be more contracted as it approaches near the
mansion, that company may the sooner arrive in the walks of the
shrubbery, wilderness, &c., under the shade and shelter of trees;
but the outward extension on each boundary should widen gradually
towards the extreme termination, to give an air of grandeur, and
admit of a full prospect from and to the mansion.

Each boundary must be planted with a choice variety of orna-
mental trees and shrubs, deciduous, and evergreens, arranged prin-
cipally in several clumps; some consisting of lofty trees, others being
entirely of the shrub kinds, and consisting of trees, shrubs, and her-
baceous plants together ; in all of which arrange the taller growing
kinds backward, and the lower forward, according to their gradation
of height, embellishing the front with the more curious low flowering
shrubs and evergreens, interspersed with various herbaceous flowering
perennials, all open to the lawn and walks.

In the general arrangement, the great art is to vary the prospect
of the different divisions so as they may variously present an air of
novelty and source of convenience and entertainment.

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. f if

Around towards the outward boundary fence is generally arranged
a plantation of trees and shrubs, in varied easy sweeps, and broad
enough to admit of a serpentine walk through the whole extent,
under cover of these trees and shrubs, for private and shady walk-
ing; with breaks and openings here and there to admit of prospects,
both to the lawn and surrounding country.

In various parts of the pleasure-ground leave recesses and other
places surrounded with clumps of trees and shrubs for the erection
of garden edifices, such as temples, grottos, rural seats, statues, &c. ;
and if water from some upper spring or head can be led in a winding
course through the lower parts in gentle meanders, it will have a
charming effect.

Other internal divisions appear with an air of grandeur and mag-
nificence when exhibiting a spacious opening of grass- ground, bounded
by the noblest trees and shrubs in various, elegant clumps, groves,
groups, and straight ranges, and the opening terminated by some
fine open prospect, grand piece of water, or ornamental building.

Another part shall appear more gay and sprightly, displaying an
elegant flower-ground or flower-garden, designed somewhat in the
parterre way, in various beds, borders, and other divisions, furnished
with the most curious flowers, and the boundary decorated with an
arrangement of various clumps of the most beautiful flowering shrubs
and lively evergreens ; each clump also bordered with a variety of
the herbaceous flowery tribe.

Another division, sometimes to diversify the scenery, presents a
wilderness in irregular partitions of plantations, having intervening
spaces of grass-ground and gravel walks extended in various direc-
tions ; some by winding mazes or labyrinths into openings formed in
different parts ; the boundary plantation of this division being gener-
ally planted in close assemblage with serpentine walks between;
some leading in private meanders towards the interior parts, or
breaking out sometimes into other walks that are open and spacious,
both of grass and gravel occasionally, conducted in serpentine turns
to cause the greater variety ; some places being closely bordered with
tall trees to effect a gloominess and perfect shade; the different walks
leading now and then into circular openings, each being surrounded
with plantations as aforesaid, making the^principal walks terminate
in a grand opening in the centre of the wilderness, in which may be
some ornamental edifice or fine piece of water, &c.

Straight ranges of the most stately trees are sometimes arranged
on grass-ground in different parts, in contrast with irregular planta-
tions, and produce a most agreeable effect, which, though prohibited
in many modern designs, always exhibit an air of grandeur; being
arranged sometimes in single rows, others double, or two ranges at
certain distances, forming a grand walk : in other parts, several
regular ranges of trees together, in the manner of groves ; the whole
combined, forming a diversity pleasing to the senses, and conducive
to health by exciting to the salutary exercise of walking.

In other parts are sometimes discovered eminences or rising
grounds, as a high terrace, mount, steep declivity, or other eminence,
ornamented with curious trees and shrubs, with walks leading under

18 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

the shade of trees, by easy ascents, to the summit, where is presented
to the view an extensive prospect of the adjacent fields, buildings,
hamlets, and country around, and likewise affording a fresh and cool-
ing air in summer.

Regular compartments and figures, in various forms, are also some-
times introduced in some extensive grounds for variety, in contrast
with the irregular works, and still to preserve some appearance of
the remains of ancient gardening; such as straight walks verged with
borders, square spaces, circles and octagons, &c., inclosed with low
clipped hedges, hedge-work formed into various devices, detached
evergreens formed into pyramids and other regular figures, regular
grass-slopes formed on the side of some declivity or rising ground,
elevated terraces, clumps of trees surrounded with low evergreen
hedges, straight avenues of trees in ranges, &c. ; a little of each being
judiciously disposed in different situations, may prove an agreeable
variety by diversifying the scene in contrast with the rural works
before mentioned.

Sometimes a bleak declivity, rocky ground, or rough vale is made
to exhibit a wild and uncultivated scene, and tends to set off the im-
proved parts to great advantage.

Pieces of water are always, where possible, exhibited in the most
conspicuous points contiguous to the termination of the main lawn or
other spacious openings, representing sometimes a lake, basin, Ac.,
and sometimes a natural river winding its course through different
divisions, and its termination concealed by a curious turn, making it
appear to lose itself in the adjacent plantations.

With respect to the walks, some ought to be made of gravel and
some of grass ; the former for common walking and the latter for
occasionally walking in the heat of summer, which, in dry, hot
weather, may be more agreeable than the gravel walks ; therefore,
some of each sort is proper both for convenience and variety.

Gravel walks, however, should lead all round the pleasure-ground
and into the principal internal divisions, so as to have dry and firm
walking at all times of the year; for frequently, but particularly in
winter and in wet weather, grass walks are very uncomfortable and
even .unhealthy to walk on. These walks should be of proportional
width in different parts, and larger and smaller in proportion to the
extent of the ground.

As to the distribution of gravel walks — first a magnificent one,
from fifteen to twenty or thirty feet wide, should range immediately
close and parallel to the front of the house, and be conducted directly
across the lawn into the nearest side shrubberies ; from this main
walk other smaller ones, from five to ten or fifteen feet wide, accord-
ing to the extent of the ground, should branch off at proper intervals,
directed in the serpentine way — some leading through the outer
boundary plantations as already hinted — others into the internal di-
visions, and others carried along the boundary plantation of the main
lawn ; all of which walks being conducted through the different parts
in order to afford the convenience of shade and retirement occasion-
ally, as well as to enjoy the variety of the trees, shrubs, and flowers,
variously presenting themselves at different turnings: for the walks

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 79

having various sweeps and windings discovering, only a moderate
length at once, every turning produces new varieties, and should like-
wise be so contrived as at proper intervals to discover openings for
prospects into different principal divisions of the ground, having in
some places the plantation of trees, shrubs and flowers bordering close
upon the walks ; in other parts have on one side of the walks con-
siderable grass spaces running into the plantation in one or more con-
cave curves, to form the greater diversity.

In some places the winding of walks should be gradual and mode-
rate ; in others, exhibit sudden turns and sweeps — some displaying
magnificent projections in the plantation; others, spacious openings
bordered with curious plants ; in other parts a close thicket, which
sometimes may seem to terminate the walk, when by a sudden turn
it breaks out all at once into some grand open division, spacious open
walk, an avenue or elegant piece of water, open groves, &c. ; and in
other parts a walk suddenly divides into two or three divisions lead-
ing different ways in gradual sweeps, each separation being formed
by a projecting clump of shrubbery work or group of trees, &c., and
each division of the walk is conducted by such varied serpentine
turns as soon to be concealed from the other by the intervening com-
partments.

Sometimes, a spacious gravel walk is extended in a perpendicular
line immediately from the front of the house dividing the lawn, or
extended on both boundaries and in other directions, with a wide
border on each side, either straight or sometimes a little serpentined,
and planted with the most curious low flowering shrubs, evergreens
and herbaceous flowering plants.

All these gravel walks should be laid with the best gravel, six or
eight inches deep at least, but if more the better.

All the open grass spaces may be considered as grass walks,
whether formed in the manner of walks, or as breaks or divisions
between the various plantations, all of which serving both for com-
munication to different parts and to render the ground more rurally
ornamental, and for occasional walking in dry weather in summer;
but some tracts of considerable width and length formed into grass
walks leading to different divisions, having each side bounded with
clumps of trees, shrubs and flowers, gives an air of grandeur to the
place, allotting smaller breaks or opens of grass branching off be-
tween the plantation compartments, as formerly mentioned.

The grass-ground may be formed either by sowing grass seed or
by laying it with turf, cut from some common ; but in extensive
works turfing the whole would be an endless expense ; therefore seed
is the most eligible for the principal space in very large gardens.

Water being so ornamental in all garden designs, no pains should
be spared to introduce it where possible ; but where it admits of a
constant running stream from some adjacent upper spring, its beauties
may be rendered admirably fine, as it may be conducted in meanders
through the plantation, so as to effect a beautiful assemblage of
verdure and water together; and if it should be continued to any
considerable length, one or more ornamental Chinese bridges may be
carried over it at convenient places, which will have a beautiful effect

80 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

and serve for communication with the opposite divisions on each side
of the rivulet.

Cascades and other waterfalls have also a fine effect, where there
is a constant plentiful stream and the situation proper to give the
water a due fall from a higher to a lower part, upon a parcel of
rugged stones, to increase the noise and break and disperse the
water.

In some grounds, by their natural situations, water may be ob-
tained at a moderate expense; as sometimes a contiguous vale or
meadow, bounded by rising ground, and with a brook or rivulet con-
stantly running through it, may be easily thrown into the most agree-
able form ; and sometimes large springs issuing from an upper ground,
and running down a moderate descent between two rising grounds to
some vale below, may either form one entire lake, &c., or be contrived
by making proper heads at distances to form several lakes strung
together, as it were, one above another, up to the beginning of the
spring; each head may form a beautiful waterfall or cascade, having
the rising grounds on each side embellished with plantation clumps.

Lakes and artificial rivers may also be contrived in a flat or level
ground, where there are any contiguous brooks that can be conducted
to supply them with water.

All pieces of water should generally be contrived in a natural imita-
tion, as much as the situation will admit ; and its boundary on all
sides should be grass-ground to some considerable width, sloped off as
easy as possible, corresponding with the other adjacent grass-ground,
to admit of a prospect of the water at some distance.

On the verges of large compartments of water, some Babylonian
or Weeping Willows, disposed in particular situations, singly at dis-
tances, sometimes in concave and- projecting parts, terminations, &c.,
will have a very agreeable effect in their long, bending, arched
branches, and numerous pendulous shoots, suspended over the water
in a loose waving manner, sometimes sweeping the surface thereof;
and when arrived to some considerable growth in their numerous low
pendent branches suspended all round, display an air of peculiar
solemn grandeur.

The various compartments of ground intended for the different
plantations should be digged or trenched for the reception of the
plants, particularly for all plantations of shrubbery, and wilderness
quarters, flower compartments, &c. ; and the ground for clumps
should, if not thought too expensive, be raised above the common
level in a gentle swell ; especially all detached compartments, such
as shrubbery clumps, and flower partitions ; and most other detached
compartments of ground for any kind of ornamental planting in gar-
dens. These should generally be raised in a moderate rounding
swell gradually from each side to the middle ; or for any continued
side plantation, it may be raised in a gentle slope ; for the swelling
and sloping figure always strikes the eye the most agreeably, as well
as shows the plants to the best advantage.

But where intended to have groves of stately trees, or any straight
ranges of trees, either single or double lines, forming a walk or ave-

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 81

cue, it is most in character to dispose them all on grass-ground, in
which they will appear most rural and beautiful.

Likewise elegant ornamental trees, both as single standards and
in detached groups or clumps, appear the most beautiful when dis-
posed on spacious openings of grass-ground.

All the plantation compartments of shrubbery, wilderness, &c.,
should be planted with some considerable variety of different sorts of
trees, shrubs, and flowers, artfully disposed in various arrangements ;
the tallest behind, the lowest forward, and the different sorts so in-
termixed as to display a beautiful diversity of foliage and flowers,
disposing the more curious kinds contiguous to the principal walks
and lawns.

As trees and shrubs are of two different tribes, deciduous and
evergreen kinds, those of each tribe should be mostly planted in
separate clumps, in which they will effect the most agreeable variety ;
and in some places exhibit clumps composed of both sorts to cause
the greater diversity ; and many of the most conspicuous deciduous
compartments may be embellished towards the fronts with some
showy evergreens, thinly dispersed, which will appear ornamental
and lively in winter, when the deciduous plants are destitute of
leaves.

In planting the several shrubbery clumps, &c., some may be
entirely of trees, but the greater part an assemblage of trees and
shrubs together; some entirely of the low shrub kind, in different
situations, between and in front of the larger growths; likewise
should intersperse most of the shrubbery and wilderness compart-
ments with a variety of hardy herbaceous flowery plants of different
growths, having also here and there clumps entirely of herbaceous
perennials : the distribution or arrangement of the clumps and other
divisions of the different kinds, both trees, shrubs, and flowers,
should be so diversified as to exhibit a proper contrast, and a curious
variation of the general scene.

And in the disposing the various trees, shrubs, and other plants
in their respective compartments, observe, for the most part, to place
the tallest towards the middle or back part, and the lower forward
towards the front, according to their natural stature of growth ; ob-
serving also to intermix the different sorts in each clump, &c., in such
order as to display a diversity of different foliage and flowers as afore-
said, as well as to exhibit a conspicuous variety. Likewise placing
the various sorts at such proportionable distances and dispositions
according to their various growths as each may have full scope to
spread its head, and so as the prospect of one may be no interruption
or impediment to the growth and appearance of another, but all so
judiciously arranged as to set off each other and appear distinct, and
to proper advantage from the contiguous lawns, walks, and other
divisions.

In planting any continued or running plantation where shady

walks are designed, particular care is requisite in arranging a due

share of the taller trees and shrubs nearer the walks ; and in such

order as to produce the desired effect ; particularly in the continued

6

82 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

plantation of shrubbery-work around the outward boundary and
other running plantations.

These plantations for shady walks are highly necessary to retire
to occasionally for shelter from the various changes and injuries of
the weather; they afford shade from the scorching rays of the sum-
mer's sun, shelter from tempestuous winds and cold blasts, and op-
portunity for private and contemplative walking, almost at all seasons
of the year.

But where very close and gloomy shade is required in any particu-
lar parts for diversity, some trees and tall shrubs should be arranged
nearer to the verge of the walks, backed and fronted with a variety
of hardy shrubs, in such order as to produce the desired effect.

The planting in groves and avenues should consist principally of
the tree kind, and such as are of straight and handsome growth,
with the most branchy, full, regular heads, and may be both of the
deciduous and evergreen tribes, but generally arranged separately;
groves and avenues should always be in some spacious open space,
formed into grass-ground, either before or after planting the trees ;
and in planting the groves it is most eligible to arrange the trees in
lines, in some places straight rows, others in gentle bendings, or
easy sweeps, having the rows at some considerable distance, that the
trees may have full scope to display their branchy heads regularly
around ; and in some places may have close groves to form a perfect
shade.

Avenues and walks of trees may be formed either entirely of de-
ciduous trees, or of evergreens ; but the deciduous kinds are in most
estimation for this purpose ; however, avenues and grass walks,
planted with fine evergreen trees, make a beautiful appearance, and
will always command admiration. In both sorts the trees are most
commonly disposed in rows, one on each side of the avenue, though
sometimes grand walks of trees may be both in single straight lines
and in double rows, to exhibit the greater variety; planting the
trees generally, both in avenues and walks, at proper distances, to
have full scope to branch out regularly around and display their
beautiful heads and foliage.

Thickets may be composed of all sorts of hardy deciduous trees
planted close and promiscuously, and with various common shrubs
interspersed between them, as underwood, to make them more or less
close in different parts, as the designer may think proper. They
may also be of evergreen trees, particularly of the pine and fir kinds,
interspersed with various low-growing evergreen shrubs.

In some open spaces of grass-ground, such as spacious open lawns,
or other considerable open fields, &c., you should dispose some of the
most beautiful trees and elegant shrubs detached, both separately as
standards or single objects, and in groups, from two or three, to five,
ten, or more, in different groups or clumps, some irregularly, others
in curves, straight lines, &c., for variety ; arranging both single stand-
ards and groups a considerable distance asunder, not to obstruct the
prospect, and at such varied distances as if they had grown there by
chance.

It very frequently happens that on the spot or tract which is de-

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 83

signed for a pleasure-ground, are found large stately trees of con-
siderable standing, properly situated to be introduced into the design ;
and sometimes numbers in suitable assemblages for constituting
groves or thickets, and some for single standing groups or clumps,
&c. ; these should be preserved with the utmost care, as it would re-
quire many years to form the like with young plantations; and al-
though the trees should stand ever so close, irregular, or straggling,
with proper address in thinning and regulating them, where neces-
sary, they may be made to become beautifully ornamental to the
place, and to prevent ai considerable expense.

In some spacious pleasure-grounds, various light ornamental build-
ings are introduced as ornaments to particular departments ; such as
temples, bowers, banqueting-houses, alcoves, grottos, rural seats,
cottages, fountains, obelisks, statues, and other edifices ; these, and
the like, are usually erected in the different parts, in openings be-
tween the divisions of the ground, and contiguous to the termination
of grand walks, &c;

These kinds being very expensive, are rather sparingly introduced;
sometimes a temple is presented at the termination of a grand walk
or opening, or sometimes a temple, banqueting-house, or bower is
erected in the centre of some spacious opening or grass-ground in the
internal divisions; other parts present alcoves, bowers, grottos, rural
seats, &c., at the termination of different walks ; and rural seats are
placed in different parts by the sides of long walks, under the shade
of trees, &c., for places of rest.

Fountains and statues are generally introduced in the middle of
spacious openings ; statues are also often placed at the terminations
of particular walks, sometimes in woods, thickets, and recesses, upon
mounts, terraces, and other stations, according to what they are in-
tended to represent.

Sometimes, also, there are exhibited root-houses, rock and shell-work,
ruins, and other rustic devices, representing hermitages, caves, &c. ;
such being generally stationed in some retired or private situation ;
these kinds of buildings being commonly arched or vaulted, are, for
the most part, covered with a coat of earth and turfed with grass, so
as to appear like a sort of mount or hillock, and planted with some
little clumps of shrubs, &c., having private walks leading to the en-
trance.

In some parts are exhibited artificial rock-work, contiguous to
some grotto, fountain, rural piece of water, &c., and planted with a
variety of sexatile plants, or such as grow naturally on rocks and
mountains.

Ornamental bridges over artificial rivers, or any rural piece of water
in some magnificent opening, so as to admit of a prospect thereof, at
some distance from the habitation, have charming effects.

Let it be particularly remarked, that although water, when exhi-
bited with due taste and handsome design, adds considerable to the
beauty of pleasure-grounds; yet, in districts subject to diseases oc-
casioned by the effluvia arising from marshes and stagnant water, it
ought to be cautiously introduced ; a due regard to health will of
course prevent its introduction, especially in large sheets, where likely

84 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

to become stagnant. When such are admitted, they should always
be situated in a clay or gravelly soil, and possess a sufficient head or
stream to render the change of their contents frequent.

A foss, or ha-ha, is often formed at the termination of a spacious
lawn, grand walk, avenue, or other principal part of parts of the
pleasure-ground, both to extend the prosp*ect into the adjacent fields
and country, and give these particular parts of the ground an air of
larger extent than they really have ; as at a distance nothing of this
kind of fence is seen, so that the adjacent fields, plantations, &c.,
appear to be a continuation of the pleasure-ground.

A foss, or ha-ha, is a sunk fence, ditch-like, five or six feet deep,
and ten, twenty, or more wide, and is made in different ways accord-
ing to the nature of the ground. One sort is formed with a nearly
upright side next the pleasure-ground, five, six or seven feet deep,
faced with a wall of brick, or stone, or strong post and planking, &c. ;
the other side is made sloping outward gradually from the bottom of
said wall, till it terminates as near a level as possible.

It being absolutely necessary to have the whole of the pleasure-
ground surrounded with a good fence of some kind, as a defence
against cattle, &c., a foss being a kind of concealed fence, will answer
that purpose where it can conveniently be made, without interrupting
the view of such neighboring parts as are beautified by art or nature,
and at the same time effect an appearance that these are only a con-
tinuation of the pleasure ground. Over the foss in various parts may
be made Chinese and other curious and fanciful bridges, which will
have a romantic and pleasing effect.

DESIGN FOR A VILLA GARDEN.

To lay out a rural residence satisfactorily, it is necessary to study
the form and location of the ground, as well as to consult with, and
ascertain the particular requirements of the family. It would be
an easy matter to offer a series of designs, many of which might
be useful to those in need. I conceive, however, that it will serve
a more useful purpose to select a sketch as it occurs in practice,
as many opportunities are presented of taking advantage of exist-
ing features and turning them to account in the general improve-
ment. Individual taste must be recognized in the disposition of the
various adjuncts to a dwelling. While some desire the purely orna-
mental character to predominate, others have more utilitarian objects
in view. The most numerous class are those who wish to have a
little of everything — vegetables, fruit, flowers, and ornamental trees
— as shown in the following design. It was required to arrange the
grounds, although limited in extent, so as to appropriate a small spot
for flowers, as well as have a few of the most desirable ornamental
trees disposed on the lawn, with convenient walks for their inspec-
tion. Flowering shrubs had also to be kept in view ; a small space
was also desired for cultivating some of the smaller kinds of fruits,
and lastly, a portion had to be reserved for vegetable culture.

In arranging these various parts, the principle of distinctiveness
has been kept prominently in view. On the west side, the short

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 85

walk leading from the street to the principal entrance of the house,
leads through a small flower-garden, consisting of a few simple figures
geometrically arranged. The grape-arbor forms a very appropriate
division between the ornamental and vegetable ground, and its prox-
imity to the house renders it useful and convenient as a shady resort
in summer. The open spaces of grass form a relieving contrast to
the groups of trees and shrubs, and suggest a feeling of extent j a
principle that is seldom adopted in small places, although it is most
important ; the same space of ground dotted over with plants, would
appear confused, monotonous, and confined. The fruit garden, which
is separated from the ornamental planting by an arbor- vitae hedge, is
adapted for dwarf pear-trees, strawberries and raspberries. The pears
are arranged parallel to the walks, inclosing a space for strawberries.
The raspberries are planted on a narrow border close to the fence.
Currant and gooseberry bushes are planted along the walks in the
vegetable garden, the whole being excluded from the stable-yard and
road by an evergreen hedge.

References to Plan. — A. House. B. Barn. C. Hose clumps.
D. Central figures of flower garden. E. Lawn. F. Grape-arbor.
G. Vegetable grounds. H. Fruit department. K. Yard. L. Pi-
azza. S. Rustic seat. V. Vase. The ground measured 120 feet by
200 feet.

The entire ground is level and elevated ; in order, therefore, to im-
prove the architectural appearance of the house, the first floor is ele-
vated three feet six inches above the surface, and connected with it
by a small turf terrace.

A few of the principal trees are named below, with reference to
their location. Owing to the method I have adopted in indicating
the position of the plants on the lawn, I could not conveniently refer
them to numbers on so small a scale. They are selected chiefly in
regard to color and diversity of foliage. Those nearest the walks are
mostly deciduous shrubs, planted sufficiently apart to allow full de-
velopment. An annual pruning in of the strongest branches will
improve their appearance when thus arranged, but not clipped into a
formal shape. The masses of shrubbery shown by distinct outlines
are thickly planted in the first instance, attention being given in the
arrangement with a view to a gradual thinning out of the least desi-
rable, as may be found necessary to allow space for the more select
kinds. The line of shrubbery included between the walk and bound-
ary north and east of the house, is planted in like manner, with the
addition of a few hemlock and Norway spruce firs and other smaller
sized evergreens, on purpose to shelter from cold winds.

The following named trees are placed as indicated by the figures
on the plan : 1. Magnolia purpurea, Purple Magnolia. 2. Magnolia
conspicua, Chandelier Magnolia. 3, 4. Cedrus Deodar, Deodar Ce-
dar. 5, 6. Abies canadensis, Hemlock Spruce. 7. Liquidambar
styraciflua, Sweet Gum. 8. Fagus sylvatica purpurea, Purple Beech.
9. Acer campestre, English Maple. 10. Chionanthus Virginica,
Virginia Fringe Tree. 11. Magnolia tripetala, Umbrella Magnolia.
12. Rhus cotinus, Mist Bush. 13. Cytisus laburnum, Golden Chain.
14. Virgilea lutea, Yellow Wood. 15. Halesia tretraptera, Silver

THE PLEASURE, OR

[JAN.

Bell. 16. Larix Europa, European Larch. 17. Celtis occidentalis,
Nettle Tree. 18. Acacia julibrissin, the Julibrissin Tree. 19. Jug-
lans regia, Madeira Nut. 20. Berberis purpurea, Purple Berberry.

Fig. 11.

O 0 O O o O o

0

o

u

0

0

3

0

•L

0

0

C

0

0

0

o

0

c

)

0

21. Pyrus Japonica, Japan Quince. 22. Buxus sempervirens arbo-
rea, Tree Box. 23. Euonymus Japonica, Evergreen Euonymus.

At D in the flower-garden, a plant of the weeping cherry, and the
* shows the position of sugar maples for shade.

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 87

OF ANCIENT DESIGNS.

Designs in ancient gardening for a pleasure-ground, consulted uni-
formity in every part, exact levels, straight lines, parallels, squares,
angles, circles, and other geometrical figures, &c., all corresponding
in the greatest regularity to effect an exact symmetry and proportion.

Straight walks were everywhere observed, and all arranged parallel
and crossing one another in regular intersections ; generally a grand
one of gravel was extended in a straight line immediately from the
front of the main house, having each side verged either with a regu-
lar straight border of earth, furnished with a variety of flowers, &c.,
and sometimes having a verge of grass three or four feet wide, then
a border, embellished as above with various plants; this main walk
being often intersected by others at regular distances, so as sometimes
to divide the spaces immediately in the front of the house into four,
six, or more equal squares, some of which were sometimes formed
into parterres, sometimes only naked grass-plats, or other uniform
divisions ; and often the whole garden was thus divided by straight,
parallel, and intersecting walks, into many regular squares and angles
without any variation.

Grand parterres were very commonly presented immediately on the
front of the main house, having a grand walk of grass or gravel
directly from the house through the middle, or dividing the parterre
ground into two divisions.

A parterre is a spacious level spot of ground divided into many
partitions, of different figures and dimensions, by means of edgings
or lines of dwarf-box, &c., or by verges of grass-turf and tracks of
sand, fine gravel, shell, and scroll-work, &c.

These works were in great estimation in ancient gardening, and
were commonly situated directly in front of the house, generally the
whole width of the front, or sometimes more.

The general figure of a parterre is an oblong or long square; be-
cause the rules of Perspective, or the natural declension of the visual
rays in optics, a long square sinks almost to a square, and an exact
square appears much less so than it really is, when viewed at a
distance ; therefore, parterres were generally made twice as long as
broad.

These were bounded by a long bed, or border of earth, and the
internal space within divided into various little partitions or inclos-
ures, artfully disposed into different figures corresponding with one
another, such as long squares, triangles, circles, various scroll-works,
flourishes of embroidery, and many other fanciful devices; all of
which figures were edged with dwarf-box, &c., with intervening alleys
of turf, fine sand, shells, &c.

The partitions or beds were planted with the choicest kinds of
flowers, but no large plants to hide the different figures, for such were
intended as a decoration for the whole place long after the season of
the flowers was past.

Though parterres in general are now become rather unfashionable,
a little of that kind of work might still be permitted for variety's sake,

88 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

though not immediately in front of the house as heretofore. A spa-
cious lawn, bounded with rural shrubberies, is the most eligible situ-
ation for such ; but a plain parterre of a moderate extent, either
formed with lines of box, or with turf, might be introduced in some
of the more internal parts, and distributed either into plain or com-
plex departments, or beds of earth for flowers, so as to answer the
purpose of a flower-garden for the most curious sorts j it will have an
agreeable effect in forming a contrast with the more rural scenes.

In the more interior parts, large tracts of ground were frequently
divided by straight grass-walks into many square and angular divi-
sions of wilderness, each division surrounded by regular hedges of
various kinds of trees and shrubs, kept in uniform order by annual
clippings ; having the interior part of each quarter planted with trees
and shrubs, which were in a manner concealed by the hedges from
persons in the adjacent walks, so that hardly anything but close
hedges, the same thing over again, appeared to view on each side of
the walks ; and all the walks generally led into uniform openings of
grass, particularly to a grand circle or octagon, forming some central
part.

Frequently there were partitions of regular hedge-work, particu-
larly of evergreens, surrounding large squares of grass-ground, de-
signed as pieces of garden ornaments ; the hedge-work being often
formed into various uniform devices, such as pilasters, arcades or
arches, porticos, galleries, amphitheatres, pavilions, cabinets, bowers,
pediments, niches, and cornices ; likewise regular arbors, having the
sides formed into arcades, and sometimes the top vaulted ; and with
various other formal imitations, all performed in hedge-work, which
were often so arranged and trained, as to effect an air of grandeur
and art. High hedges were also in great repute, as boundaries to
grand walks and avenues, sometimes carried up from fifteen or twenty
to thirty or forty feet high ; sometimes trained perfectly close from
the very bottom to top ; others open below a considerable way, and
formed into regular arches, &c., all of which sometimes appeared
magnificent and ornamental, but were troublesome and expensive to
keep in order, on account of their great height : however, all sorts of
hedge-work were generally esteemed so ornamental in ancient garden-
ing, that almost every division was surrounded with regular hedges
of one sort or other, presenting themselves to view in every part,
shutting out all other objects from sight ; but in modern designs, such
hedges are rarely admitted ; every compartment of the plantation be-
ing left open to view from the walks and lawns, in order to afford a
full prospect of the various trees, shrubs and flowers, which conse-
quently are more beautiful than continued ranges of close hedges ;
but for the sake of variety, a little ornamental hedge-work might still
be introduced in some particular parts of the ground.

Labyrinths or mazes of hedge-work, in the manner of a wilderness,
also prevailed in many large gardens.

A labyrinth is a maze or sort of intricate wilderness plantation,
abounding with hedges and walks, formed into many windings and
turnings, leading to one common centre, extremely difficult to find
out, designed in large pleasure-grounds by way of amusement.

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 89

Detached trained figures of evergreens, as yew, cypress, juniper,
holly, box, and various other close-growing evergreen plants, were
also very predominant in ancient designs, and generally disposed in
regular ranges along the borders and other verges of grand walks ;
being trained by clipping into various formal shapes, as pyramids,
obelisks, columns, &c., in a variety of forms, with other formal
figures, all placed in the most exact arrangement.

Straight rows of the most beautiful trees, forming long avenues and
grand walks, were in great estimation, considered as great ornaments.

Regular grass slopes also greatly prevailed in most old gardens as
ornaments to particular divisions ; sometimes such were formed at
the beginning of some rising ground, and sometimes at the termina-
tion or lower part ; frequently canals and other pieces of water were
bounded by a range of them, and likewise the sides of terraces and
other elevated places. Moderate grass slopes, also, often formed
a boundary to some open spaces, such as bowling-greens, flower garden,
&c., forming a sort of terrace all around, and frequently having a
gravel walk at top ; these slopes were always formed with the greatest
regularity and exactness, which in some situations were very orna-
mental.

Regular terraces, either on natural eminences or forced ground,
were often introduced by way of ornament for the sake of prospect,
and of enjoying the fresh air in summer; they were of various di-
mensions with respect to height, from two to ten, or twenty feet ac-
cording to the nature of the situation and purpose they were designed
for ; some being ranged singly, others double, treble, or several, one
above another, on the side of some considerable rising ground in
theatrical arrangement.

For the sake of diversity, some of the more elegant regular works
ought still to be admitted, which would form a beautiful contrast with
the general rural improvements, and diversify the whole scene, so as
to have a most enchanting effect.

GENERAL CARE AND CULTURE.

With respect to the general culture of the ground, neatness must
ever be observed in every part ; the walks, lawns, shrubbery, clumps,
&c., and the several compartments of trees, shrubs, and flowers, kept
duly furnished with a proper stock of the various plants.

In the provision of plants, both of the tree and shrub kinds, let it
be remarked, that when such are taken out of the woods or swamps,
and planted in open exposures, they seldom succeed ; therefore the
better way will be to propagate them in your nursery, either by cut-
tings (of such as grow that way) or by seed ; and when arrived there
at a proper size, they may be transplanted into the pleasure-ground
or elsewhere with success.

The gravel walks must always be kept free from weeds and all sorts
of litter, and should be rolled at least once every week or ten days
in summer, particularly the principal walks; previously trimming the
edges, especially if verged with grass-ground, and sweeping off all
loose litter.

90 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

The rolling in summer should be occasionally performed immedi-
ately after showers of rain, particularly the first after any continuance
of very dry weather, to settle all the loose parts compact and smooth ;
in winter the rolling should also be occasionally performed, observing
that it is improper to break up the walks at that season in rough
ridges, as often practised, to remain in that unsightly manner till
spring, whereby they are rendered useless at a time when there is
hardly any dry or safe walking upon grass or other parts ; besides,
they have a disagreeable and slovenly appearance.

I would therefore advise to let the walks remain undisturbed, at
least until spring, when, if the surface be foul or mossy, they may be
broken up, the top turned to the bottom, and immediately raked and
rolled, and rendered in a fit condition for walking on.

All the principal grass walks and lawns within the limits of the
pleasure-ground, especially such parts as are intended for walking on,
should also be kept perfectly neat by frequent mowing in summer
to keep the grass short, close and fine ; give also occasional rolling,
both to clean up the scattering worm-casts and to render the surface
smooth and firm. Always make choice of a dewy morning or moist
weather for the work of mowing, as the short grass will cut much
better then than when dry : be careful to have each mowing per-
formed with an even hand, not to score, or leave the mark of the
scythe at each stroke, which has a most disagreeable appearance, and
directly after rake up all the swarths of grass into heaps and carry
them away.

Rolling the grass should be occasionally performed, between the
times of mowing, in order to continue the surface always firm, even,
and of a close, smooth appearance.

In extensive pleasure-grounds, and large extended lawns, walks,
&c., the rolling is sometimes done by horses, having a very large roller
furnished with horse-shafts, and the horses' feet occasionally muffled,
especially when the ground is rather soft, to prevent their cutting the
surface of the grass in holes.

Keep all grass-ground clear from litter, such as fallen leaves of
trees, &c., which may be expeditiously effected by a light broom or
besom on a long handle.

The edges of all principal grass walks and those of grass-ground
next to gravel walks in particular, should always be kept close and
even, and dressed once or twice a year at least, with an Edging-Iron,
which ought to be made of the best steel, and kept very sharp ; this
instrument is made somewhat in the crescent form, and about nine
inches in diameter, pretty much like a saddler's cutting-knife, rounded
below at the edge part, and with a socket above, upright in the middle,
in which to fix a straight handle of wood, about four feet long ; with
this instrument a man can dress as much grass-edging in a day as
three men with spades, do it much neater, and without wasting the
edges of the borders.

The above dressings ought particularly to be given previous to
turning the gravel-walks ; at other times during the summer the edges
may be trimmed occasionally as the grass grows rank, either with a
pair of garden shears, or with shears made for that purpose, exactly

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 91

in the form of sheep-shears, but a little larger and longer in the
blades.

The shrubbery plantations should generally be all suifered to take
their own natural growth, and branch out into full heads, only just
giving a little occasional trimming to any very irregular growths, such
as retrenching or reducing any very luxuriant rude shoots, or con-
siderable ramblers running wildly from all the other branches. Cut
out all dead wood and keep all the shrubs from entangling with one
another, so as the head of each shrub may appear distinct, and show
itself to proper advantage.

The ground of the principal shrubbery plantations, in which the
shrubs stand distant, not covering the surface, should be digged every
year, late in autumn, or in spring, previously giving the shrubs any
necessary pruning as above observed ; this operation gives health and
vigor to the plants, kills weeds, and gives the place an air of culture,
and a lively neat appearance.

After this general digging, the ground must be kept clean from
weeds all summer, by occasional hoeing in dry weather, which with
a scuffling-hoe may be expeditiously performed.

Particular care must be taken of the flower borders, &c.; they must
be neatly and carefully dug in autumn, and pointed and dressed afresh
in spring, according as the various plants grew up, let such as need
support have sticks placed to preserve them upright; and as the
herbaceous perennials and annuals have done flowering and their
stalks decay, cut them down close, clearing off all decayed leaves and
other rubbish.

All kinds of hedge-work and detached trained figures of evergreens
should be clipped twice a year — that is to say, in June and in Sep-
tember, for without this, they will not have that neat, handsome ap-
pearance that inspires admiration and does credit to the person under
whose care they are.

For further particulars, see the work under this head in the differ-
ent months.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

A commodious piece of good ground for a flower garden, situated
in a convenient and well-sheltered place, and well exposed to the sun
and air, ought to be allotted for the culture of the more curious and
valuable flowers.

The form of this ground may be either square, oblong, or some-
what circular, having the boundary embellished with a collection of
the most curious flowering shrubs ; the interior part should be divided
into many narrow beds, either oblong, or in the manner of a par-
terre ; but plain four feet wide beds arranged parallel, having two
feet wide alleys between bed and bed, will be found most convenient,
yet to some not the most fanciful.

In either method a walk should be carried round the outward
boundary, leaving a border to surround the whole ground, and with-
in this, to have the various divisions or beds raising them generally
in a gently rounding manner, edging such as you like with dwarf-

92 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

box, some with trift, pinks, sisyrinchium, &c., by way of variety, lay-
ing the walks and alleys with the finest gravel. Some beds may be
neatly edged with boards, especially such as are intended for the finer
sort of bulbs, &c.

In this division you may plant the finest hyacinths, tulips, poly-
anthus-narcissus, double jonquils, anemones, ranunculuses, bulbous-
irises, tuberoses, scarlet and yellow amaryllises, colchicums, fritil-
laries, crown imperials, snow-drops, crocuses, lilies of various sorts,
and all the different kinds of bulbous and tuberous- rooted flowers,
which succeed in the open ground ; each sort principally in separate
beds, especially the more choice kinds, being necessary both for dis-
tinction's sake and for the convenience of giving such as need it pro-
tection from inclement weather ; but for particulars of their culture,
see the respective articles in the various months.

Likewise in this division should be planted a curious collection of
carnations, pinks, polyanthuses, and many other beautiful sorts,
arranging some of the most valuable in beds separately; others may
be intermixed in different beds, forming an assemblage of various
sorts.

In other beds you may exhibit a variety of all sorts, both bulbous,
tuberous, and fibrous-rooted kinds, to keep up a succession of bloom
in the same beds during the whole season.

Here I cannot avoid remarking that many flower gardens, &c., are
almost destitute of bloom during a great part of the season ; which
could be easily avoided, and a blaze of flowers kept up, both in this
department and in the borders of the pleasure-ground, from March
to November, by introducing from our woods and fields the various
beautiful ornaments with which nature has so profusely decorated
them. Is it because they are indigenous that we should reject them?
Ought we not rather to cultivate and improve them ? What can be
more beautiful than our Lobelias, Orchises, Asclepiases, and Asters;
Dracocephalums, Gerardias, Monardas and Ipomreas ; Liliums, Poda-
lyrias, Rhexias, Solidagos and Hibiscuses; Phloxes, Gentianas, Spi-
gelias, Chironias, and Sisyrinchiums, Cassias, Ophryses, Coreopsises
and Cypripediums; Fumarias, Violas, Rudbeckias and Liatrises; with
our charming Limodorum, fragrant Arethusa, and a thousand other
lovely plants which, if introduced, would grace our plantations and
delight our senses ?

In Europe, plants are not rejected because they are indigenous ;
on the contrary, they are cultivated with due care ; and yet here we
cultivate many foreign trifles, and neglect the profusion of beauties
so bountifully bestowed upon us by the hand of nature.

WORK TO BE DONE THIS MONTH.

Prune such of your ornamental shrubs, &c., as need it, particularly
the hardy deciduous kinds ; all decayed, ill-placed and straggling
branches ought to be cut off close to where they were produced, and
such others shortened as are growing in a disorderly way, always
taking great care to form the heads in a full and handsome manner,

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 93

that they may appear well furnished and display the beauty of their
foliage and bloom in due season.

Great care should be taken at this time of the choicest kinds of
flowering plants and other tender kinds in pots — they should be
carefully protected from severe frosts, by giving each sort suitable
covering.

AURICULAS.

The best auriculas in pots should be well protected from excessive
rains, snow or sharp frosts ; which will preserve them in strength to
flower in great perfection.

The choicest varieties of these plants should always be removed in
their pots, about the beginning of November, and placed in frames,
or in a bed arched over with hoops, in a warm, dry situation in the
full sun, where they can be occasionally covered when the weather is
unfavorable; but let the covers be kept constantly off in the daytime
when the weather is mild and dry.

CARE OF CARNATIONS.

Take great care to protect your fine carnations that are in pots
from hard frosts, excessive rains and snow ; for notwithstanding the
plants being hardy enough to stand the winter in the open air, it is
advisable to defend the choicest sorts in bad weather, to preserve
them in good strength for flowering in the greatest perfection.

These pots should be plunged in a raised bed of dry compost, in
the beginning of winter, and the bed arched over low with pliant
rods or hoops at that time ; this will be of great advantage to the
plants, if you are careful to draw mats over the arches when the
weather is severe.

But if the pots were to be placed in garden frames it would be
still better, if you take care to put the glasses over them in rigorous
weather and at night; but be careful to give them as much free air
as possible by day, when the weather permits ; either by taking the
glasses totally off for a few hours, or tilting them up behind.

CARE OF CHOICE HYACINTHS AND TULIPS.

In severe frosty weather it would be of beneficial advantage if the
beds, wherein you have deposited the choicest kinds of hyacinths
and tulips, or any other curious bulbous roots, be covered either with
an awning of mats, or, in default thereof, with straw, fern, leaves of
trees, or dry long litter ; but it must be removed as soon as the severe
weather is over.

Old decayed fine tan is a good article to cover hyacinths, tulips,
and other bulbs with ; it may be laid on one inch, or one inch and a
half deep, immediately previous to the commencement of the severe
winter frost, and need not be removed, as it will keep down the
weeds in spring, and protect the roots from intense heat and drought
during their period of ripening.

94 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

RANUNCULUSES AND ANEMONES.

The beds or frames in which are planted your choice kinds of
ranunculuses and anemones, sfiould be carefully protected from frost
by laying tan, earth, or litter round the outsides of the frames, and
carefully covering them at nights and in severe weather with glasses,
or with boards laid lengthwise or across the frames, with mats or
other covering on top, but carefully observing to give them plenty of
air every day that the weather is tolerably mild, for if too much con-
fined they will draw up and be good for nothing.

Plant ranunculuses and anemones in mild, dry, open weather, if
you have any now out of the ground, and the frost will admit of your
working it ; these now planted will succeed those which were put into
the ground in October or November.

For their reception choose a dry situation where the ground is of
a light, rich nature. Let it be well digged, breaking the earth fine,
and form it into beds of three an4 a half or four feet wide ; rake the
surface smooth, and then plant the roots. These roots, after plant-
ing, should be protected, as above, from severe frost and too much
wet; either of which would, at this season, materially injure them.

For the particular method of preparing the beds and planting roots,
see the work of October.

In warm, dry, and well sheltered situations, in the middle States
and generally in the southern States, these beautiful flowers may be
planted in the open borders in small patches with other kinds, and
will there make a very agreeable appearance. You may plant four
or five roots in a small circle of about six inches diameter, one in
the middle and the rest round the extreme part of the circle ; and let
these patches or clumps be from two or three to five, ten, or twelve
feet asunder, and the roots be covered from one to two inches deep,
according to the lightness of the ground.

The above practice, however, of planting those roots in patches
about the borders is meant principally for the common sorts ; for it
is necessary to plant the fine varieties together in narrow beds or
frames, as above, in order both to have the opportunity of protecting
them occasionally in severe weather, and that when in flower they
may display a spacious show together in their various colors, stripes,
and tints, in the different varieties ; and also in the spring, when the
plants are in bloom, they can be more readily sheltered from great
rains or too much sun, both of which would hasten the decay of the
flowers ; and as the pleasure of admiring the bloom is the only inten-
tion of cultivating these flowers, no pains should be spared to protect
the more beautiful sorts.

PLANTING TULIPS.

Tulips, if you have any out of the ground, should now be planted
the first settled open weather, to blow late, and to succeed those
planted late in autumn.

Let this be done as soon as the weather will permit ; for if these

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 95

roots are kept much longer out of the ground, they will blow very
poorly. If they are to be planted in beds, let them be made three
or four feet wide, raised two or three inches, somewhat rounding,
that they may throw off the redundant wet of heavy rains, and re-
main dry during winter.

If intended to plant any of the inferior sorts in the borders, in
assemblage with other flowers, they may either be planted in a single
row towards the front, or some dotted singly, or by three together,
to effect a greater variety ; but these flowers, when planted in the
borders, make the best appearance in little clumps ; that is, in a circle
of about six or eight inches, plant four or five roots, and about from
three or four to five or ten feet farther, plant another such clump,
and so proceed, in a varied order, towards the front and middle.

Observe that hyacinths, tulips, and other hardy bulbs, which, to
do them justice, ought to be planted in October, or early in Novem-
ber, should have lighter or more shallow covering, in proportion to
the length of time they are kept out of ground after that period ; for
instance, tulips, which ought to get four inches of light covering in
October, will not be able to bear more than three in December, two
and a half in January, two in February, and one and a half if kept
up till March ; for many of the bulbous kinds become so exhausted
by keeping them too long out of the ground, that if planted at the
usual depth they have not strength to bear up through it, and ulti-
mately perish. However, this partial remedy ought by no means to
induce to the keeping of bulbous roots out of ground after their
proper season ; but by attending to it, roots may be preserved that
would otherwise perish, and which, by planting in due time the suc-
ceeding season, may produce tolerably good flowers, and an increase
of their kinds.

Be particular never at any season, nor under any circumstance, to
give less covering to any kind of a bulbous or tuberous root when
planted in the open ground than one inch over the crown or upper
part.

PLANTING CROCUSES AND SNOW-DROPS.

Any sort of crocuses may still 'be planted if dry, mild weather ;
generally planting them along the edges of the flower borders, next
the walks, and in flower beds, &c., commonly within five or six inches
of the edge, either in a continued row, or dotted in little patches
planted about one inch and a half deep : though those designed for
the borders appear to greater advantage when disposed in small
patches than in any other way. Draw a small circle with your finger,
about four or five inches diameter ; in the middle plant one root, and
plant three or four round the edge of the circle; about eighteen
inches or two or three feet farther make another circle, and plant the
roots as above; and so proceed to the end of the border, &c., or you
may vary the patches in having some near the edge, and others more
towards the middle ; observing, if you have different kinds, to plant
each sort separate; and if you plant the first patch with yellow
crocuses, plant the next with blue, and so proceed with others of
different sorts.

96 THE PLEASURE, OR [JAN.

Snow-drops may also now be planted in the same manner as the
crocuses ; but neither of them, when planted so late, flower well the
spring following — the former, in particular, will totally perish if
kept much longer out of the ground. These kinds ought to have
been planted in September, or early in October, for being flowers of
early bloom, they do not agree with being kept up after their proper
time of planting.

When you desire a considerable increase of crocuses or snow-drops,
take up the roots but once in two years ; if you let them remain
longer, though the increase will be numerous, the roots become very
small and produce but poor flowers.

PLANTING VARIOUS SORTS OF BULBS.

Jonquils, ornithogalums, narcissuses, hyacinths, bulbous irises,
Persian irises, gladioluses, fritillaries, crown imperials, or any other
kinds of hardy bulbous flower roots that yet remain above ground
should now be planted as soon as the weather will permit. Mild dry
weather ought to be chosen for planting these and all other kinds of
bulbous roots, and see that the ground is not too wet.

When it is intended to plant any of the common sorts of the
above, or other kinds of bulbous roots in the borders, they may be
planted in the manner mentioned above for the common tulips, &c.,
observing particularly that the longer you keep them out of the
ground after October or November the shallower they must be
planted.

FLOWERS TO BLOW IN THE HOUSE.

Several sorts of bulbous roots may be placed upon bulb-glasses of
water for blowing in the apartments of the house, such as hyacinths,
narcissuses, jonquils, early dwarf tulips, bulbous irises, &c. The
glasses for this purpose are to be had at the seed and glass shops.
Being made concave at the mouth, they contain each one root, and
are to be filled with soft water, and one root placed in each glass
with its bottom touching the water, placing the bottles upon a shelf
or chimney-piece of some warm room, or in the inside of a warm
window, and if where the sun comes it will be an additional advan-
tage; but in severe frost remove them to the interior part of the
room where a fire is kept. They will soon shoot their roots down
into the water, which, when become very foul or fetid, should be
renewed with fresh occasionally; they will thus blow very agreeably
early in the spring, and may be greatly forwarded if placed in a hot-
bed or hot-house.

You may plant various sorts of bulbous and tuberous flower roots
in pots for blowing in a house, such as hyacinths, narcissuses of all
kinds, early tulips, crocuses, anemones, ranunculuses, or any other
spring flowering kind. Having small pots or boxes filled with light
sandy earth, plant the roots therein just over their crowns, and place
the pots near a window ; when the roots begin to shoot, give occa-
sional light waterings, and they will flower in good perfection at an
early season.

JAN.] FLOWER GARDEN. 97

BLOWING FLOWERS EARLY IN HOT-BEDS, ETC.

Many sorts of bulbous, tuberous, and fibrous-rooted perennial
flowers, if planted in pots, and now placed in a hot-bed, hot-house,
or any forcing department at work, will shoot and flower early with-
out much trouble, only to give occasional watering. Pots of roses,
dwarf almonds, double-blossom cherry, peach, &c., may also be
placed in the forcing houses for early bloom.

CARE OF PERENNIAL FIBROUS-ROOTED PLANTS IN POTS.

Double wall-flowers, double stocks, double sweet-williams, and any
other of the choicer kinds of perennial plants in pots, should be
well secured from severe frosts. If these plants in pots are placed
in frames, let the glasses or other covering be kept over them at all
times when the frost is keen, or occasionally in very wet weather ;
but in mild dry weather the plants must not be covered in the day-
time.

Take care now of all other choicer kinds of fibrous-rooted peren-
nial plants in general, which are in pots, to secure them from frost.

Those plants which are in pots should, where there is not the con-
venience of frames, be plunged to their rims in a dry and warm
border, and at night and in severe weather be covered with garden-
mats, supported on arched hoops placed low over such bed or border.

SEEDLING FLOWERS.

Boxes or pots of any tender or choice kinds of seedling flowers
should be covered in frosty weather either with mats, long litter,
fern, or the like, which should be laid a good thickness over them,
and close round the sides, or remove them under a garden-frame and
glasses, &c., which will be the better way.

Likewise beds of the more tender and curious sorts of seedling
flowers, in the common ground, should also be covered in hard frosts
with mats or long dry litter, but remove the covering when the
weather is mild.

PROTECTING FLOWERING-SHRUBS.

If you have hardy flowering-shrubs or evergreens in pots, you
should, to protect their roots from the frost, plunge the pots to their
rims in the ground (if omitted doing in November or December),
and cover the pots with some tan, leaves of trees or dry litter, allot-
ting them for this purpose a dry, warm situation, where water is not
apt to stand.

But any tenderer or more curious young evergreens, &c., in pots,
should have the protection of frames or occasional covering of mats,
&c., in severe weather. '• / *

Protect also the roots of the choicer kinds of new planted flower-
ing shrubs and evergreens from frost. This is done by laying dry

98 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [JAN.

mulchy litter on the surface of the ground, close round the lower
part of the stem of each, as far as their roots extend or rather
farther.

Likewise support such new-planted shrubs as require it with stakes,
that they may not be displaced by the wind.

GRASS AND GRAVEL WALKS.

The grass and gravel walks should all be kept in decent order,
especially in the principal parts of the garden and pleasure-ground :
suffer no leaves of trees or other litter to remain thereon, for such
would give them an unbecoming appearance.

SOUTHERN STATES.

Where mild weather is now prevalent and the ground not bound
up bv frost, you may plant all kinds of hardy deciduous trees and
shrubs; and towards the latter end of the month, especially where
smart frosts are not expected to follow, you may plant the different
kinds of hardy evergreen trees and shrubs.

Plant cuttings and make layers of such kinds as you wish to propa-
gate by these methods : plant dwarf box for edgings, which is superior
to every kind of plant for that purpose. Transplant suckers from
the roots of roses and such other shrubs as produce them, and are
worthy of cultivation.

Hedges of the various kinds of hawthorn, hornbeam, beach, elm,
privet, white mulberry, &c., may now be planted. Make and repair
grass and gravel walks ; keep such as are made in clean and neat
order, and give them occasional rollings.

Sow hardy annual and perennial flower seeds, and do the various
other works directed to be done in the flower garden and pleasure-
ground in March.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

A green-house is a garden building fronted with glass, serving as
a winter residence for tender plants from the warmer parts of the
world, which require no more artificial heat than what is barely suffi-
cient to keep off frost, and dispel such damps as may arise in the
house, occasioned by the perspiration of the plants or a long con-
tinuance of moist weather.

A very considerable share of the vegetable creation, which in their
respective native countries grow naturally in open fields, &c., in all
seasons, require, when cultivated in less favorable climates, protec-
tion in winter j but observe, however, that those of the green-house de-
partment, being from the warmer parts of the world, require protec-
tion from frost only, not needing aid of artificial heat like stove plants,
which are generally natives of the hottest regions, except in very

JAN.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 99

severe weather; but the aid of a moderate fire, burned in a furnace
contrived outside, either in the end or back wall, communicating the
heat to the flues or funnels ranging along the inside, will be neces-
sary not only in severe frosts, but also in moist foggy weather; a
moderate fire now and then will dry up the damps, which would other-
wise prove pernicious to several of the more tender kinds, especially
to those of succulent habits.

A green-house should generally stand in the pleasure ground, and
if possible, upon a somewhat elevated and dry spot fronting the south,
and where the sun has full access from its rising to setting; the
building ought to be of brick or stone, having the front almost
wholly of glass-work, ranging lengthwise east and west, and con-
structed upon an ornamental plan.

As to its general dimensions, with respect to length, width and
height, it may be from ten to fifty feet or more long, according to
the number of plants which you intend it should contain, and its
width in the clear, from ten or fifteen to twenty feet; though for a
middle sized house fifteen or eighteen feet is sufficient; its height to
the top of the upright front glasses equal to its width ; as to erect-
ing rooms over it, as is commonly directed, I disapprove of, such being
not only an additional and unnecessary expense, but they give the
building a heavy appearance ; on the contrary all pieces of garden
architecture ought to display a light, gay, and sprightly taste.

The walls of the back and ends should be carried up three bricks,
or about two feet three inches thick, the more effectually to keep out
frobt; a furnace ought to be erected outside, either in the back wall
or one of the ends, as before observed, communicating with flues
within, ranging in two or three returns along the back wall, with,
only a brick on edge, with the plastering between them and the inside ;
also one flue running along the front and end walls, raised wholly
above the floor; and as to the front of the building it should have
as much glass as possible, and a wide glass door should be in the
middle, both for ornament and entrance, and for moving in and out
the plants ; a small door at the end for entrance in severe weather will
be found of considerable utility.

The width of the windows for the glass sashes may be five or six
feet, and the piers between them may be either of timber, six, eight
or ten inches wide, according to their height, or if of brick or stone,
they must be about two feet wide, sloping both sides of each pier
inward, that by taking off the angles a more free admission may be
given to the rays of the sun ; the bottom sashes must reach within
a foot or eighteen inches of the floor of the house, and their top
reach within eight or ten inches of the ceiling ; and if brick or stone
piers two feet wide, folding shutters may be hung inside to fall back
against each pier.

In the modern construction of green-houses, in order to have as
much glass as possible in front, the piers between the sashes are
commonly made of good timber from six to eight or ten inches thick,
according to their height, so as to admit as great a portion of light
and heat of the sun as may be; and, on the same account, one-half
or one-third of the roof is formed of glass-work, made in the manner

100 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [JAN.

of hot-bed lights, the remainder being either covered with slate or
shingles and tarpaulins, or very strong canvas fixed on rollers, to be
let down over the roof-glasses in very severe weather ; you may also
have large canvas cloths upon rollers to let down occasionally be-
fore the windows, or in default of such, you may nail up garden
mats.

Let one-third of the front side of the roof, for the whole length of
the house, be formed of glass-work, and the back wall raised, so as
that a horizontal ceiling may be carried from the upper part of these
lights to it, which will cause the back half of the roof to be some-
what more flat than the front. Ornamental wood- work may be erected
outside along the top of those lights to give a light appearance to the
roof. Or, if the house be small, you may carry the entire roof with
a gentle slope from the front to the back wall, which must be made
of a proper height for that purpose ; one-third or one-half of such
roof may be made of glass-work, from the termination of which carry
the ceiling on a level to the back part of the house.

The better to confine the air warmed by the sun in the day-time,
and to prevent the cold air from rushing in on the approach of night,
when that within begins to cool, and consequently to contract in bulk,
I would advise to have ail the panes in the roof-lights neatly and
closely puttied where they overlap one-another; and to have either
one, two or three of those lights, in proportion to the length of the
house, so constructed, as to slide down and up a few feet by means
of pulleys, in order to give vent to the foul air generated in the house,
which naturally ascends to the upper part. The sized glass, recom-
mended in page 11, for hot-bed lights, is what I would particularly
recommend for these roof-lights, being not only the strongest but by
much the cheapest.

The windows, or upright front-lights, must be made with large
panes of glass, &c., to admit the more light, as well as to give a hand-
some appearance to the house , the upper half of each window must
be so contrived as to slide down, and the lower half up occasionally,
to admit air to the plants when necessary.

If a spacious and ornamental window be placed in each end (if
the house be detached), to receive the benefit of the rising and set-
ting sun, it will be of considerable advantage ; these particularly
should have good close shutters either inside or outside, and be kept
shut every night during the winter, and also in the day-time in very
severe weather, except while the sun immediately shines on them.
If the front is so contrived that inside shutters to the windows can-
not be conveniently hung, outside sliding shutters should be made to
be used only when necessity requires.

But let it be particularly observed, that all the lights, cases, doors,
and wood-work of the house be made of good seasoned wood, and
well painted, to prevent either their swelling by wet or shrinking by
drought; that all parts be well jointed and fitted together, so as to be
as nearly air-tight as possible.

A house constructed on this plan will very seldom require the as-
sistance of fire-heat, which ought always to be used with great caution

JAN.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 101

in a green-house ; it will admit light, collect heat, and give health,
beauty, and vigor to all the plants.

Some green-houses, for large collections of plants, have two wings
of smaller dimensions added to the main building, one at each end,
in a right line, separated sometimes from it by glass partitions and
sliding sashes for communication, the front almost wholly of glass,
and part glass roofs, as above observed ; thus, by these additional
wings, the green-house will consist of three divisions, whereby the
different qualities and temperatures of the various plants can be more
eligibly suited. The middle or main division may be for all the prin-
cipal and more hardy, woody or shrubby kinds, which require pro-
tection from frost only } one of the wings may be appropriated for
the succulent tribe, and the other for the more tender kinds that re-
quire occasional heat in winter, yet can live without the constant heat
of a stove or hot-house.

Many green-houses, as they are commonly built, serve more for
ornament than use ; their situation to receive the south sun being the
only essential that seems to be regarded towards preserving the
health of the plants which they are intended to protect. It is rare
to find one that will keep plants in good health during the winter,
either by reason of their situation in moist places, their want of a
sufficiency of glasses to attract heat and admit a due quantity of light,
or of the glasses not being constructed so as to slide up and down
occasionally, as they ought — as well to suffer the foul air to be dis-
charged as to admit fresh. Sometimes where a green-house has been
well considered in these points, all is confounded by the introduction
of a mettle stove and pipes, which never can be managed so as to
give, when necessary, that gradual and well regulated heat, which
will protect the plants without injuring them ; and, besides, both the
stove and pipes unavoidably emit in the house a quantity of smoke,
which seldom fails to annoy the plants. It does not unfrequently
happen when such a house is intrusted to the care of an ignorant or
negligent person, that the whole collection is destroyed in one night
by excessive heat, or at least rendered of very little value ; this is an
evil which ought to be carefully guarded against.

For the particular method of erecting the furnace and flues, see
the article HoT-HousE, for this month, with which it agrees in every
respect, only that one range round the house and two along the back
wall will be sufficient; and that the flues may or may not be erected
close to the walls, at pleasure.

On whatever plan the green-house is constructed, let the whole
inside, both ceiling, walls and flues, be neatly finished off with good
plaster and white-wash, and all the wood-work made with the most
critical exactness, of good seasoned timber, particularly the doors,
sashes and sash-frames — the whole to be painted white — and let the
bottom or floor be paved with large square paving tiles, or some simi-
lar materials.

The floor of the green-house should be raised at least twelve inches
above the level of the ground, and higher in proportion as the situa-
tion is moist or springy — for damps sometimes arise during the
winter months which prove very pernicious to plants.

102 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [JAN.

In the green-house should be tressels, which may be moved in and
out, upon which rows of plants should be fixed so as to place the pots
or tubs of plants in regular rows one above another, whereby the
heads of the plants may be so situated as not to interfere with each
other. The lowest row of plants or those nearest to the window
should be placed about four feet from them that there may be a con-
venient breadth left next the glasses to walk in front ; and the rows
of plants shou d rise gradually from the first, in such a manner that
the heads of the second row should be considerably advanced above
the first, the stems only being hid, and so on for the whole. At the
back of the house there should be allowed a space of at least four
feet for the conveniency of watering the plants, and particularly to
admit a current of air around them. There may also be narrow tem-
porary open stairs of boards erected at one end, leading to a platform,
erected at the back on a level with the highest part of the stage,
which will be found very convenient for watering as well as for com-
mon access to the highest and most remote plants ; and also to place
thereon near the back wall pots and tubs of deciduous plants, which
would appear very unsightly in the front of the stage, observing that
the boards of such platform be laid one inch at least asunder for the
free admission of the circulating air.

If two or three air-holes be made in the back wall a little above
this platform, or even below it, about six inches square in the outside
and twelve inside, with close shutting doors towards the outside and
within, both opening inward, they will be found very useful in mild
weather for ventilating the house and driving off any foul air from
the back part. In these holes, between both doors, you may stuff
in any kind of wadding to prevent air coming in that way but when
wanted.

Never crowd the plants, for when pent in too closely a stagnant
rancid .vapor is generated, which often occasions a mouldiness upon
the tender shoots and leaves, very destructive to the plants ; neither
should too great a proportion of succulent plants ever be placed in
this department.

THE CONSERVATORY.

The green-house and conservatory have been generally considered
as synonymous; their essential difference is this — in the green-house
the trees and plants are either in tubs or pots, and are placed on
stands or stages during the winter till they are removed into some
suitable situation abroad in summer. In the conservatory the ground
plan is laid out in beds and borders, made up of the best composi-
tions of soil that can be procured, three or four feet deep. In these
the trees or plants taken out of their tubs or pots are regularly
planted in the same manner as hardy plants are in the open air. This
house is roofed as well as fronted with glass-work, and instead of
taking out the plants in summer as in the green-house, the whole of
the glass roof is taken off, and the plants are thus exposed to the
open air, and at the approach of autumn frosts the lights are again
put on, and remain so #11 the May following.

JAN.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 103

This building being furnished with flues, &c., may be used as a
green-house at discretion by introducing stages instead of beds, and
in that case the glass roof may be permanently fixed.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE GREEN-HOUSE.

In mild days, when the weather externally is moderate and calm,
let the windows be opened a little for the admission of fresh air
about ten or eleven o'clock, and about two or three in the afternoon
let them be shut close again; but the time of opening and the time
they should be kept so must always be determined by the weather,
for there are many changes sometimes in a few hours at this season.
The upper lights may be let down a few inches for the admission of
fresh air as well as to let out the foul air of the house, even when
the under lights cannot be raised with safety.*

In frosty weather the windows must be kept constantly closed,
and if very severe let the window shutters be shut every night, and
even occasionally in the daytime when the frost is extremely rigor-
ous, and no sun ; or, in default of shutters, on this occasion let gar-
den-mats be nailed up against all the windows, or strong canvas
hung on rollers be let down before them, and remove the small or
more tender plants in front as far from danger as possible.

Keep the plants perfectly clear from decayed leaves, and as clean
as possible from any considerable foulness, and every part of the
house clean and free from litter of fallen leaves, &c., all of which is
essential at this time for the prosperity of the plants in general.

When the weather is foggy or very wet, it will be proper to keep
the windows and doors close.

Water must be given to such plants as you see require it, but let
that be given in very moderate quantities, and always, if possible,
take the opportunity of a mild day, and if sunny the better. In the
forenoon from eleven to twelve or one o'clock is the proper time of
the day for watering at this season, and generally prefer soft water
for this occasion.

But very little water must be given at this season of the year to
any of the alofis, sedums, or any other of the succulent plants.

Let it likewise be observed that such of the woody exotics —
as oranges, myrtles, geraniums, &c. — as you shall see necessary to
water, should have but a very moderate quantity given them at any
one time.

In such green-houses where there is the convenience of flues for
occasional fire-heat in very rigorous weather, you should in time of
continued severe frost make moderate fires in an evening and morn-
ing, just sufficient to warm the inclosed air enough to resist the frost;
also in very foggy or moist weather may make a very moderate fire
to expel the damp, which often proves pernicious to some of the more
delicate exotics of this department.

* The opening of these under or front windows during cold weather is
the cause of most of the mildew so often complained of. In the middle
of winter always lower the temperature by opening the top ventilators.

104 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN,

THE HOT-HOUSE.

Hot-houses or Stoves, are buildings erected for preserving such
tender exotic plants, natives of the warmer and hottest regions, as
will not live in the respective countries where they are introduced,
without artificial warmth in winter.

Though there are great varieties of these stoves, yet they are re-
ducible to two, the dry stove and the bark stove. They are both
comparatively of modern invention ; the first, as far as I can learn,
not having been in use more than one hundred and twenty-one years,
being introduced by Mr. Watts, gardener at the apothecaries' garden
at Chelsea, near London, who in the year 1684, contrived flues under
his green-house ; the latter being much posterior, not having been
brought into repute till about the year 1720, when Mr. Le Cour, of
Leyden, in Holland, discovered its utility for the propagation of the
pine-apple, which had never before been brought to good perfection
in Europe. Before the use of bark-beds was introduced, all stoves
or hot-houses were worked by fire-heat only, hence they obtained the
name of stoves.

These stove departments are generally constructed in an oblong
manner, ranging in a straight line east and west with the glass front
and roof fully exposed to the south sun, and in dimensions may be
from fifteen or twenty to fifty or a hundred feet long, by twelve or
fourteen to sixteen feet wide in the clear, and commonly from ten to
fourteen feet high in the back wall, by five or six in front, including
the wall and upright glasses together, and furnished with flues round
the inside of the front and end walls and in several returns in the
back wall for fires, and with the whole roof overhead sloping to the
south entirely of glass-work, supported on proper cross-bearers.

Stoves of much more capacious dimensions are frequently erected
by persons of fortune and curiosity, for the cultivation of the taller
growing kinds of exotics, which shall be taken due notice of after the
less expensive and more generally used kinds are described.

THE BARK STOVE.

The Bark Stove is so called, as being furnished with an internal
pit for a bark bed, as well as with flues for fire-heat, and was formerly
the most universally used, as being the most eligible for the general
culture of all kinds of the tenderest exotics, as well as for forcing
several sorts of hardy plants, flowers and fruit to early perfection ;
but its complex arrangements may now be dispensed with by the
more simple and efficient hot-water apparatus ; the bark being de-
signed to effect a constant moderate moist heat all the year round,
and the flues used occasionally for fire- heat in winter or during cold
weather, to produce such an additional warmth in the internal air
as may be requisite at that season; the bark bed is productive of a
uniform moderate growing heat of long duration, and was considered
to be adapted for the reception and growth of the most tender exotics,

JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 105

which require to be kept constantly plunged in their pots in it, such
as pine-apple, &c., in order to enjoy the benefit of that durable, moist
bottom heat about their roots, peculiar to bark beds, whose heat also
evaporates and warms the air of the stove at all times, that even the
plants on the surrounding shelves are comforted by its influence ; so
that with the aid of fire-heat in winter, regulated by a well graduated
thermometer placed constantly in the stove distant from the fire
place, and as much in the shade as possible, there are hardly any
exotics from the hottest regions of the world, either woody, her-
baceous, or succulent, but may be cultivated in it, by replacing them
in such different situations as their nature may require.

In the arrangement of the plants in this stove, some require the
bark-bed, others succeed in any part of the house, and others, such
as the succulents, require the dryest situation near the flues ; many
of the more tender, herbaceous and shrubby plants, natives of the
hottest countries, generally succeed best when plunged in the bark-
bed, though many sorts, both herbaceous and woody, thrive tolerably
well in any part of the bark stove.

Such stoves as are intended principally for* pine-apples, and for
forcing flowers, strawberries, and some sorts of culinary esculents,
&c., may be only ten or twelve feet high behind, which generally
answers better for such than those of more lofty dimensions ; or by
raising the bark-pit within wholly above the surface, and sinking the
front walk about a foot, the roof may be lower, and such plants by
that means be brought nearer to the glass, which proves extremely
advantageous to their growth.

When stoves are erected for cultivating and bringing to the great-
est possible perfection the taller kinds of exotics, they are made from,
sixteen to twenty, or even to twenty-five feet high in the back wall,
with width in proportion, by only six feet height in the front glasses,
in order to suit low as well as high plants ; and with the roof sloping
quite from the top of the back wall to the front, and wholly of
glass-work, having a capacious bark-pit within, formed towards the
front; behind which is sometimes a pit of earth, either on a level
with the bark-pit or with the back walk, to receive particular plants ;
in rear of this is a walk, between which and the back wall is formed
a border of good earth, to receive the tallest growing plants which are
intended to be cultivated. In this kind of stove you may cultivate
exotics, &c., from the lowest to almost the highest stature, by placing
those of the shortest growth forward, the tallest behind, and so on
according to their several gradations of height.

However, these very lofty and capacious stoves are not recom-
mended for general use, they being both very expensive in erecting
and in the consumption of a great quantity of fuel, and not so well
calculated for the growth of the general run of exotics as stoves of a
moderate height, and the hot-water apparatus.

Flues ought not to be erected along the back wall in such stoves
as have plants trained thereto or growing immediately close to them ;
and one range round the front and ends will not be sufficient to keep
up a due warmth in such large houses in severe weather, without
consuming an immense quantity of fuel, and at times raising a scorch-

106 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN.

ing heat in the parts of the house next to this single range, by over-
heating it in order to force through it a heat sufficient to keep the
entire of the house warm ; this can never protect and promote the
growth and health of plants so well as that gradual glow of moderate
warmth issuing from flues of several returns, carried under the walks
or other convenient places, as well as round the front and end walls,
either in double or single ranges, and especially under the back walk,
over which broad planks may be laid, resting on loose bricks, for the
convenience of walking during the winter season ; from these the
heat will be equally diffused through the whole house, and to pro-
duce which, half the fuel will not be necessary that must be con-
sumed in keeping the house warm by a single range round the front
and ends only.

In the erection of stoves it will not be necessary to have the ends
glazed more than half the width of the house, or at most, to within
eighteen inches of the doors, leaving that much for piers between the
doors and the upright end sashes ; the remainder may be carried up
with brick as high as the roof lights.

In stoves that are so long as to require two fires, each with its re-
spective ranges of flues, it will be proper to make a glass partition in
the middle, and to have two tan-pits, that there may be two different
degrees of heat for plants from different countries ; and were a range
of stoves built all in one, and divided by glass partitions at least
half the width of the house towards the front, it would be of great
advantage to the collection, because they may have different degrees
of heat according to their different natures, and likewise the air in
each division may be shifted, by sliding the glasses of the partitions,
or by opening the glass door which should be made between each
division, for the more easy passage from one to the other.

In the warmest of these stoves or divisions, should be placed the
most tender exotic trees and plants. These being natives of very
warm countries, should be plunged in the bark-bed, and over the flues
may be shelves on which to place the various species of Cactuses,
Euphorbiums, Mesembryanthemums, and other very tender succulent
plants which require to be kept dry in winter.

As in this stove are placed the plants of the hottest parts of the
East and West Indies, the heat should be kept up equal to that
marked Ananas upon the botanical thermometers, and should never
be suffered to be more than eight or ten degrees cooler at most, nor
should the spirit be raised above ten degrees higher in the thermome-
ter during the winter season, both which extremes will be equally in-
jurious to the plants.

The roofs of some stoves are so made, that the glasses do not slide
either up or down, which is an evil of great magnitude; for where
the sun is so powerful in the months of April and May, as it is in
every part of the United States, the superabundance of heat col-
lected in the house on very hot days, cannot be discharged by the
doors and sliding upright sashes in front, which forces the plants into
an extreme state of vegetation, and renders them unfit to bear the
open air towards the latter end of May, when otherwise the greater
number of them might be brought out with safety, without receiving

JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. lot

such a check by the transition, as many cannot recover during the
summer, and causing many more to appear much less beautiful than
they otherwise would, were they gradually inured to the open air in
the hot-house before their being brought out, by occasionally sliding
open the roof as well as the front glasses, and never letting the heat
arise in the house to too high a degree.

NURSERY AND SUCCESSION STOVES.

Besides the main bark-stove already described, it is very convenient
to have one or two smaller, such as a nursery-pit, and a succession
stove, particularly where there are large collections, and more espe-
cially in the culture of pine-apples ; one serving as a nursery-pit, in
which to strike and nurse the young offspring crowns, and suckers of
the old pines for propagation ; the other as a succession- house for re-
ceiving the year old plants from the nursery-pit, and forwarding them
a year to a proper size for fruiting as succession plants, to furnish the
main stove or fruiting-house every autumn, to succeed the old plants
then done fruiting.

These smaller stove departments prove materially useful in the
culture of pines, particularly to raise and nurse the young plants,
until arrived at a proper age and size to produce fruit, then moved
into the main stove or fruiting-house, which being thus supplied
from these smaller stoves, with a succession of fruiting-plants an-
nually, without being crowded or incommoded with the rearing of
the said succession plants, proves a particular advantage, not only in
the culture of the fruiting-plants, as they often require a higher de-
gree of heat than the succession plants at particular times, in order
to forward and improve the growth of their fruit, but it is also mak-
ing the best advantage of this main department, to have the bark-bed
instantly filled with fruiting-plants only, producing a full crop of
proper sized pine-apples every year, which could not always be effected
with such certainty and perfection without the aid of these succes-
sion-stoves, because the pine-plants in their infant state require some-
times different management from the fruiting-plants, particularly in
respect to the degree of fire-heat, which, in general, should be more
moderate than for the fruiting-plants, lest too much should force them
into fruit in their minor growth, when incapable of producing such
in any tolerable perfection.

Therefore, these smaller succession-stoves may be erected as ap-
pendages to the main house, or may be detached at some little dis-
tances, as may be convenient ; though if the situation admits, it may
be both more convenient and ornamental to join them in a line with
the main stove, one at each end, and nearly of the same construction,
but smaller both in length, width, and height, if thought proper :
these are sometimes formed in the manner of a common detached
bark-pit, without any upright glasses in front, having a wall all
around, five or six feet high behind, gradually sloping at each end
to about four feet in front, and with only sliding glasses at top, more
particularly the nursery-stove, commonly and simply called the pit,
because the whole internal space in length and width is often allotted

108 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN.

entirely as a pit for a bark-bed without any walk within, or door for
entrance, the necessary culture being performed by sliding open the
glasses at top, and the flues for the fires being formed in the upper
part of the back wall above the surface height of the bark-bed : how-
ever, it may be more eligible to form the succession-stove particularly,
nearly like the main one, with erect glasses in front and sloping
sashes at top, with a door for entrance, and an alley or walk next
the back wall at least, or more eligible if continued all round the
bark-pit.

Observing, however, if these smaller stoves are joined to the end
of the main one, they may be divided from it only by a sliding glass
partition for communication with each other, particularly the succes-
sion and main stove, but with separate furnaces and flues to each de-
partment, because the young pine plants do not at all times require
the same degree of fire-heat as the older pines, especially those of
proper size for fruiting, so that by having separate fires, the heat can
be regulated accordingly.

The nursery stove or pit may be of smaller dimensions in respect
to width and height than the succession house, if thought convenient;
and if designed wholly as a pit without any path or walk within, six
or seven feet width may be sufficient, by five or six high in the back
wall, and four in front, the whole internal space being filled with tan
three feet deep to form the bark bed, serving chiefly as a nursery
in which to strike and nurse the annual increase of crowns and
suckers of the ananas or pine plants the first year ; also to raise many
tender plants from seeds, cuttings, &c., without incumbering the main
stove ; and when they are forwarded to such a state of growth as to
require more room, they are removed to the succession house.

But the succession house may be nearly on the plan of the main
stove, though of smaller dimensions both in the width and height,
and is intended to receive the year old pine plants from the pit or
nursery stove. In order to plunge them at greater distances, suffi-
cient to give the whole proper scope to take their full growth another
year, when they will generally be arrived to a proper size for fruit-
ing the year following, being previously removed in autumn to the
main fruiting stove to succeed the old fruiting plants, which gene-
rally by September have all yielded their. produce, are then removed
away and their place supplied by a sufficient quantity of large
plants from the succession house, being arrived to a proper state of
growth to produce fruit next summer; the largest succession house
is at the same time replenished with the plants from the nursery pit,
which next autumn will probably be also arrived to a proper size for
removing to the fruiting house to succeed the others, and the nursery-
pit supplied with young crowns and suckers of the year, from the
fruit and old plants, to strike and forward them in ready successions
for the above occasions.

Thus by having the different stove departments always furnished
with pine plants of three different stages of growth, succeeding one
another regularly, i. e. the nursery pit containing the yearly crowns
and suckers, the succession pit the one and two year plants, and the
main stove the fruiting plants, a constant succession is thereby annu-

JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 109

ally obtained, for the same individual plants never produce fruit but
once; they, however, produce a plentiful supply of crowns and suckers
which commence proper plants, attaining a fruiting state in regular
succession.

However, in many places, the situation or convenience not admit-
ting but of one common stove to raise and forward the pines and
other exotics in their different stages of growth, at least with probably
the assistance only of a small detached bark-pit, or a bark and dung
hot-bed under a large garden frame, to strike and nurse the yearling
crowns and suckers of the pines, £c., of each year, until they are
about a year old, then moved into the stove ; where, with the proper
requisite culture, are produced not only very good pine-apples, but
also many curious exotics, flowers, other fruits, &c., at an early
season.

But having a main stove with two smaller ones adjoining nearly
on the same plan as above hinted, you can always, with greater
certainty, obtain a regular annual succession of fruiting pines in
perfection.

A private passage or small door, made from the back shed into the
hot-house, close to one of the ends, or at any convenient place, will be
found extremely useful in severe weather for entering into the house
to examine the temperature of the heat, or to do the other necessary
work, when it would be ineligible to open the outer doors.

It would be an eligible way, for persons who have large collections
of exotics, to have the green-house in the middle, with a stove and
glass case at each end ; the stoves to be next the green-house, and
the glass cases at the extremities, made exactly in the same manner
as the bark stoves, and to range with them.

These glass cases being furnished with flues, but no bark-pits, are
in fact dry stoves ; they may be kept of different temperatures of
heat, and ought to be furnished with roof and front coverings of some-
kind to be used occasionally. The bark stoves may also be kept of
different temperatures, so as to suit the various habits of the plants.

Thus by contriving the green-house in the middle, and a stove and
glass case at each end, there will be a conveniency for keeping plants
from all parts of the world ; which cannot be otherwise maintained
in good health, but by placing them in the different degrees of heat,
corresponding with that of their native countries.

THE DRY- STOVE.

This stove differs in no wise from the bark-stove, but in not hav-
ing a bark-pit; it is furnished with flues as the other, and conse-
quently produces a more dry heat; being intended principally for the
culture of some very succulent tender exotics of parched soils that
require it to be kept always dry. Persons who have full collections
of exotics prefer this kind of stove, in order to deposit the most suc-
culent kinds therein, separate from plants which perspire more freely,
lest the damp occasioned by such perspiration, and the more frequent
watering of these kinds, should be imbibed by the succulents and
injure them.

110 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN.

However, most of the tender succulent kinds are cultivated and
preserved in the bark- stove, placed on shelves, and in dry situations,
with very good success.

In this kind of stove are erected movable shelves or stands above
one another, theatre ways, on which to place the pots of the various
kinds of plants intended to be kept therein.

Stoves have been constructed on various other plans, according to
the fancy of the owners or their desire to try experiments; some cir-
cular, some crescent form, and others ranging north and south, with
double roofs and upright sashes, all of glass-work; but these not
being found to answer as well as those described, it is unnecessary to
take further notice of them.

For the various kinds of forcing-frames, and their respective uses,
see pages 47 and 48.

PINES.

At this season the pinery hot-house requires good attendance, for
some of the pines will now, towards the end of the month, begin to
show fruit ; and your assistance is at no time more necessary than
when the fruit first appears, especially in one particular, the support-
ing a proper bottom heat; for if the heat of the bark-bed is not kept
up at that time, the young fruit will receive a cheek more than may
be imagined; as, notwithstanding the air of the house can be suffi-
ciently warmed by the flues, yet these plants also require always a
moderately brisk growing heat to their roots, but especially when the
fruit is young; and without that assistance, they will not advance
freely in the first growth, and being checked therein, will be much
inferior in size to what they otherwise would have been.

Examine therefore carefully at this time, the heat of the bed
in which the pots of pines are plunged ; and if you find it very faint,
take up all the pots, and let the bed be forked up to the bottom.
But before you proceed to this, if the heat is found much decayed,
or the bark considerably wasted, or become very small or earthy, it
will be advisable to add at the same time some new tan, first removing
away some of the wasted bark at top and sides, and then fill up with
new bark, working the old and new well together. When that is
done, let the pots be replunged again to their riras, in a regular man-
ner. • This will enliven the heat greatly; and, if done in proper time,
the young fruit will grow freely.

Let the fires be made very regularly every evening and morning,
and take care that they are not made too strong, for that would be
of very bad consequence ; and to avoid this, have a thermometer
placed in the hot- house, as a direction to regulate the degree of heat.
Let the thermometer range from 70° at night to 85° or 90° with sun
light.

Water should be given to the pine-apple plants once a week, or so
often as it may seem necessary, and always very moderately ; and let
as little as possible fall into the heart or between the leaves at this
season.

For the conveniency of watering the pines and other plants that

JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. Ill

are plunged in the bark-bed, a long pipe, made of tin, would be
eligible to use occasionally ; this should be in three different joints,
in order that it may be shortened or lengthened as you see it con-
venient : one of these joints should have a funnel made at the
largest end, that by pouring the water out of a handy watering-pot,
into the funnel, the water is conveyed to the pots in any part of the
bed with greater exactness, without pouring it into the heart of the
plants.

All other tender exotic plants in the hot-house or stove should be
supplied with water as they require it.

The woody kinds will require it often, those of the succulent
tribe but seldom ; or at least but very little must be given them at a
time.

Be sure to have soft water for watering the different sorts of plants,
for which purpose you may have a tub or cistern in some convenient
part of the house to contain it, in which it is to remain till the cold
chill is completely off.

In the management of the plants in the bark-bed there must be a
particular regard had to the temperature of the bark, which should
be about 90°, and the air of the house, that neither be too violent,
as also to water them frequently but sparingly, especially the shrub-
by kinds, because, when they are in a continual warmth, which will
cause them to perspire freely, if they have not a proper supply to
answer their discharge, their leaves will decay and soon fall off.

In very severe weather, when necessity requires strong fires to be
kept up for any length of time, and that the internal air becomes
thereby of a dry and parching nature, it will be well to sprinkle the
flues occasionally with water, to raise a comforting steam in the house,
and to restore the air to its true atmospheric quality, which is always
most congenial to the health of plants.

Every plant in the hot-house or stove should be kept perfectly
clean from dust or any sort of foulness; if anything of that nature
appears on their leaves, let the large-leaved sorts be washed with a
sponge, &c., the others by occasionally watering them all over the
top.

KIDNEY BEANS RAISED IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Those who have the conveniency of a hot-house may raise early
kidney beans with little trouble. The early cream-colored dwarf,
early China and Mohawk, are proper sorts for this purpose.

The method is this : Fill some large pots or oblong narrow boxes
with rich dry earth, and place them on the top of the surrounding
wall of the bark-bed, or upon any of the shelves near the glasses,
observing to plant four or five beans in each about an inch deep, or,
if oblong boxes, of about two feet length, plant the beans triangu-
larways along the middle, two or three inches asunder; and thus
the pots, &c., being placed as above, the beans will soon sprout and
come up.

When the beans have sprouted, sprinkle the earth with a little

112 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JAN.

water, which will help the plants to rise ; when they are up, water
them frequently.

Let the plants be supplied with proper waterings two or three
times a week, and they will grow freely, and produce plentiful crops
of beans in March and April.

Plant a successional crop in a fortnight or three weeks after, in
small pots, ready for turning out with balls of earth into the larger
pots, &c.

OF CUCUMBERS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Cucumbers are sometimes raised early, in tolerably good perfec-
tion, in the hot-house.

This is effected by sowing the seed or planting young plants in
large pots, or oblong narrow boxes, which are to be placed in a con-
venient situation in the hot-house near the glasses. The boxes for
this purpose may be the same length and depth as for kidney-beans.
Fill the pots or boxes with rich earth, and place them up near the
top glasses, behind or upon the top of the back or end flues, with
the bottoms raised or detached two or three inches that the heat of
the flues may transpire freely, without injury to the plants.

But the best situation in the hot- house for cucumber plants is to
place them by means of supports within about fifteen or eighteen
inches of the top glasses, nearly under or towards the upper ends
of the superior tiers of lights, not to shade, &c., the other plants
below.

The seed may either be sown in small pots and placed in a dung
hot-bed or in the bark-bed in the hot-house to raise the plants, or may
be sown at once in the pots or boxes, six or eight seeds in a small
patch, or in a box of two or three feet long you may sow two such
patches; and when the plants are up they should be thinned out,
leaving two or three of the strongest plants in each place.

Or, if you raise the plants first in small pots plunged in the bark-
bed or in a dung hot-bed, let them be afterwards transplanted, with
a ball of earth about their roots, into the boxes or larger pots.

When the runners of the plants have advanced to the outside of
the pots or boxes, you may fix up some laths to support the vines or
runners, which should be fastened thereto. Let them have water
frequently, for they will require a little every other day at least.

EARLY STRAWBERRIES IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Strawberries may be brought to early perfection in the hot-house ;
and, if desired, this is the time to begin to introduce therein some
pots of good bearing plants.

The Jjongworth's prolific, large early scarlet and alpine strawber-
ries are the kinds that succeed for forcing; for this purpose they
should be taken up and planted in proper sized pots, either in the
months of September or October, as then directed, and protected in
garden-frames, till wanted for forcing ; but, if the weather permits,
you may take them up at any time, with balls of earth about their

JAN.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 113

roots, planting one good plant in each pot — always observing to
choose those of two or three years old and which are full of bearers.
Place these pots towards the front of the hot-house, near the
glasses, and let them have .water frequently, especially when they
are in blossom and setting young fruit, but observing at these times
not to water too freely over the flowers for fear of washing off the
impregnating farina, giving it chiefly to the earth in the pots.

OF FLOWERING PLANTS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

You may now introduce into this department many kinds of
flowering plants, to be forced into bloom at an early season, such as
honeysuckles, African heaths, double-flowering dwarf almonds, and
cherries, &c ', also pots of pinks, carnations, daisies, double sweet-
williams, rockets, wall and stock-gilly flowers, &c., and pots or
glasses of any kind of bulbous roots, planted either in earth or
water, may also be introduced, with a variety of curious annual
flowers, which may be sown in pots and forwarded there to early
perfection.

RAISING PLANTS AND CUTTINGS.
Pig. 12.

Many shrubs and plants that are difficult to raise by cuttings may
be increased by layers. A layer may be defined as a cutting only
partially separated from the plant. The branch is bent down to the
ground, and, at the bend, a cut is made half through the shoot, cut-
ting upwards for about half an inch. Some plants do as well as if
the shoot is twisted at the bend ; anything to check the flow of sap
will cause a root formation. The figure shows the appearance of a
layer. The line at 1 represents the surface. At 2, the cut part is
shown, and strong branches will require to be kept in place by a
stout peg, as here represented. Nearly all plants, even fir-trees, may
be increased by this practice.

114 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

FEBRUARY.

DESIGNS FOR A KITCHEN GARDEN.

THE Kitchen Garden is a principal district of garden-ground allot-
ted for the culture of all kinds of esculent herbs and roots for culi-
nary purposes, &c.

This may be said to be the most useful and consequential depart-
ment of gardening, since its products plentifully supply our tables
with the necessary support of life ; for it is allowed that health de-
pends much on the use of a proper quantity of wholesome vegetables,
so that it is of the utmost importance for every person possessed of
a due extent of ground to have a good kitchen garden for the supply
of his family. This garden is not only useful for raising all sorts of
esculent plants and herbage, but also all the choicer sorts of tree and
shrub fruits, &c., both on espaliers and standards ; and the annual
cultivation of the ground by manuring, digging, hoeing, &c., neces-
sary in the culture of the esculent herbage, greatly encourages all
sorts of fruit-trees, preserves them in health and vigor, so as always
to produce large and fair fruit ; for which reason, in the kitchen gar-
den should always be. plan ted the choicest sort of fruit-trees, particu-
larly for espaliers and walls; likewise some standards, if set a con-
siderable way asunder, so as not to shade the under crops too much ;
and when the trees are judiciously disposed, there will be nearly the
same room for the crops of herbaceous esculents as without them ;
so that this garden may be reckoned both as a kitchen and fruit
garden.

As to the situation of this garden, with respect to the other dis-
tricts, if designed principally as a kitchen and fruit garden, distinct
from the other parts, and there is room for choice of situation, it
should generally be placed detached entirely from the pleasure-
ground j also as much out of view of the front of the habitation as
possible, at some reasonable distance, either behind it or towards
either side thereof, so as its walls or other fences may not obstruct
any desirable prospect either of the pleasure garden, fields, or the
adjacent country; having regard, however, to place it, if possible,
where the situation and soil is eligible, as hereafter illustrated ; and
if its situation is unavoidably such as to interfere with the pleasure
gardens, so as its fences may be thought disagreeable to view, they
may be shut out from sight by intervening plantations of shrubs and
trees.

But as in many places they are limited to a moderate compass of
ground, and in others, though having scope enough, require but a
small extent of garden, you may, in either case, have the kitchen,
fruit, and pleasure garden all in one ; having the principal walks
spacious, and the borders next them of considerable breadth ; the

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 115

back part of them planted with a range of espalier fruit-trees, sur-
rounding the quarters ; the front with flowers and small shrubs ; and
the inner quarters for the growth of the kitchen vegetables, &c.

SITUATION, SOIL, WATER, EXTENT, ETC.

As to situation, it can only be observed in general, that both high
and low, if the soil be suitable, will produce good crops of esculent
herbage and fruits, though a moderately low situation is the most
preferable, as being less exposed to the influence of cold cutting
winds in spring, and more retentive of moisture during the summer
months, which are advantages worthy of attention both on account
of the early and of the other principal crops. A situation having a
moderate slope is very eligible for this purpose, as in such a spot
there will not be any danger of water standing, nor of being too wet
at any season ; and if it slopes towards the south, it is the more de-
sirable, as it will not only be better defended from the cold north-
westerly winds, but by its exposure or aspect inclining to the sun, you
may always expect to have the earliest crops ; or when the situation
is in some parts a little elevated or gently sloping, and in others low
and moist, it may be some advantage, as the higher or sloping ground
will suit some early crops, arid serve for wintering several sorts of
plants that are impatient of copious moisture in that season, such as
artichokes, spinage, corn, salad, lettuce, &c.; and the low ground
will be eligible for late summer crops, as beets, kidney-beans, cauli-
flowers, cabbages, lettuce, and several others. -However, as to choice
of situation and soil, this only is practicable in large estates; but
where persons are limited to a moderate space, they must be content
with such as nature affords ; observing in this case, that if the natural
soil is of a proper temperament and depth, you need not be under
any great anxiety about the situation if it is moderately dry, and not
apt to be overflowed in winter ; even in that case, it may be remedied
or greatly helped, by digging two or three long, narrow canals, and
from these some under-ground hollow drains, the earth from which
will help to raise the contiguous ground higher, and the water in the
canals will be convenient for watering the plants. Remarking that
a situation too wet in winter should be guarded against as much as
the nature of the place will admit ; for in such land you can never
have early nor good general crops, nor will the fruit-trees be pros-
perous.

With respect to soil, that for a kitchen garden of all others, re-
quires to be naturally good, of depth enough for the growth of the
large perpendicular esculent roots, as carrots, parsneps, red beet,
horse-radish, &c., also for the growth of fruit-trees, a very material
article; so that the proper soil for these general purposes should, if
possible, be from about a foot and a half to two feet deep, or more ;
but much less than a foot and a half depth will be a disadvantage ;
so much depends upon the quality of the soil for a kitchen and fruit
garden, that where there is scope of ground to choose from, we can-
not be too cautious at first in fixing on a proper spot where the soil
is good and deep enough, as above, before gravel, clay, or other bad

116 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

soils are come at, which should always be more particularly attended
to when designed to furnish the ground with a choice collection of
fruit-trees, either for walls, espaliers, or standards; for, without a
due depth of good earth, these will neither bear well nor be of long
duration.

Different sorts of soils are met with in different parts, as loamy,
clayey, sandy, &c. A loamy soil, either of a brown or black color,
is the best that can be for this purpose, more particularly a light
sandy hazel loam, which always works pliable at all seasons, not apt
to be too wet and cloggy at every shower of rain, nor bind in dry,
hot weather; this soil, however, although in many places it is the
most general superficial earth, is not common to all parts. A clayey,
strong, stubborn soil, is the worst of all earths, and must be mended
by sandy materials, ashes, and other loosening light substances. A
sandy soil is common in many places, which is of a very light, sharp
nature ; this must be fertilized by plenty of rotten dung and strong
earths, when they can be easily procured.

It is observable that ground which constantly produces good crops
of grain and grass, is also proper for the growth of all esculent herbs
and fruit-trees.

Choose, however, the best soil you can, according to the situation
and extent of your ground, and if it happens to prove unfavorable
art must assist; for if it is of a light sandy nature, it may easily be
mended by adding a quantity of any kind of rotten or other good
dung ; and if of a very light, sharp, hungry temperament, earths of
stronger substance, such as loam and the like, if it can be easily
obtained, must be added occasionally, along with plenty of dung,
working the whole with the natural soil of the garden ; and should
your garden be of a clayey, cold, damp nature, add light materials,
both of rich composts and light sandy soils ; nothing is more proper,
where it can be had, than plenty of coal ashes, &c., for opening and
warming all tough, stubborn, cold soils.

Water is a very essential article in a kitchen garden in summer,
to water all new transplanted plants and others that cannot subsist
without a due supply of moisture during the drought of that season ;
therefore, in large gardens, where practicable, one or more reservoirs
of water should be contrived in the most convenient part of the
ground, either in basins or narrow canals, and supplied with water
from some contiguous spring, river, brook, pond, well, &c.

The necessary space of ground proper for a family kitchen garden,
may be from about a quarter of an acre, or less, to six or eight acres,
or more, according to the appropriated limits of ground, the number
and demand of the family, the consumption by sales, or the expense
the proprietor would choose to bestow on the making and general
culture. A kitchen garden of an acre will nearly employ one man,
especially if it be furnished with espalier and other fruit-trees, and
so in proportion to a garden of smaller or larger extent : a garden of
the above size will produce a very plentiful supply of esculent herbage
and fruit sufficient at least for a family of ten or fifteen persons ; but
on large estates, and where the family is considerable in proportion,

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. lit

and not limited to space of ground, three or four acres of kitchen
garden may be necessary ; and some very large families have them
of six or eight acres extent.

If the produce is intended for sale, the garden must be large in
proportion to the demand.

FENCES FOR INCLOSING THE GROUND.

With respect to fences for inclosing the ground, it is most neces-
sary to have an effectual fence of some sort around the kitchen-gar-
den, both for security of the produce and to defend tender and early
crops from cutting winds.

Previous to fencing the ground, the proper shape or form for the
garden is to be considered ; the most eligible form of a kitchen-gar-
den is that either of a square or oblong square ; but the figure may
be varied as the necessity of the case may require ; keeping, however,
as near as possible to the square or oblong form, especially if the
ground is to be fenced with materials for training fruit-trees ; no other
shape answers so well for that purpose ; for trial having been made
of circles, ovals, semicircles, angles, &c., none succeed near so well
as the square form.

Different sorts of fences are used for inclosing this ground, as walls,
palings, and hedges, &c.

Sometimes board fences or palings are used, both for protection
and for training fruit-trees to. When such are intended for trees,
the boarding should be tongued and closely joined edge to edge, so
as to form a plane or even surface for the commodious training the
branches.

In gardens where no wall trees are intended, a hedge, or bank and
hedge is a very proper fence ; which may be so trained as to form
both an effectual fence against men and beasts, also to shelter par-
ticular parts of the ground for raising early crops : a hawthorn hedge
is the most proper, though other sorts may be used.

No fencing, however, for a kitchen-garden where intended to have
wall trees, especially in the more northerly parts of the Union, is
equal to brick walls, which are considerably stronger, warmer, and
more durable than paling fences; and their natural warmth, together
with their reflection of the sun's heat, is the most effectual for the
growth and ripening of the latest and more delicate kinds of fruit.

Hot walls for forcing by fire heat, &c., are often erected in large
kitchen-gardens j for an account of which see page 55.

PREPARING AND LAYING OUT THE GROUND.

The whole ground should be regularly trenched two spades deep ;
observing if the soil is poor or of bad quality, and wants amendment,
either of dung or any of the materials before mentioned, such must
previously be added, and then trenched in betwixt the bottom and
top pits, so as next year when it comes to be digged again, and the
compost being well meliorated, will be worked up and mixed with
the natural soil.

118 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

Do not omit enriching and improving the borders of the wall* and
espalier trees, by adding a considerable portion of rotten dung; and
if the natural soil is not good, add also, if possible, some good loamy
earth from the surface of a field or pasture common, either to the
whole, or rather than fail, a few barrowfuls at first to each place
where a tree is to stand, and improve the rest afterwards by degrees
at leisure.

The ground must be divided into compartments for regularity and
convenience. A border must be carried round close to the boundary
walls or fences, not less than five, but if six or eight feet wide, the
better, both for raising various early and other kitchen crops, and
for the benefit of the wall trees, if any, that their roots may have
full scope to run in search of nourishment; and moreover, the annual
digging and stirring the ground for the culture of the herbaceous
esculents, greatly encourages the trees ; hence the utility of having
a broad border. Next to this border a walk should be continued also
all around the garden of proper width, as mentioned below ; then
proceed to divide the interior parts into two, four or more principal
divisions and walks, if its extent be large ; first, if the ground is of
some considerable width, a straight walk should run directly through
the middle of the garden ; and another, if thought necessary, may
be directed across the ground, intersecting the first ; and if the gar-
den extends any considerable length, two or more such cross walks
may be necessary; the width of the walks may be from about five
to ten or twelve feet, in proportion to the extent of the garden ; and
each of the quarters should be surrounded with a five or six feet
wide border ; and a range of espalier fruit-trees may be planted along
towards the back part of each border, so that every quarter will be
inclosed with an espalier, which will be ornamental in growth, and
profitable in the annual production of superior fruit of different
kinds.

I would not, however, by any means advise dividing small or
moderate-sized gardens into too many walks and small quarters, espe-
cially if they are to be surrounded by espaliers, which would render
them too confined for the proper growth of culinary herbage ; besides,
it would be wasting too much of the ground in walks.

In one of the quarters a place should be allotted for the framing
ground ; that is, a place for making the hot-beds for raising early
cucumbers, melons, and other tender plants ; fixing on a spot for this
purpose, full to the sun from rising to setting, sheltered as much as
possible from the northerly winds, and conveniently situated for
bringing in the dung for the hot-beds.

This place, if not so situated as to be sheltered by the walls or
other fences of the garden, it will be of much advantage to inclose
it with a close fence of some kind, serving both to break off the
winds, and by having a door to lock, will preserve your crops more

* Observe that all trees planted against and trained to either paling or
board fences, &c., producing fruit on one side only, are denominated wall
trees, as well as if planted to actual brick or stone walls ; in contradistinc-
tion to espalier trees, which produce fruit on both sides.

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 119

secure ; these fences may be six or seven feet high in the back or north
side, with both the side fences sloping gradually to about five feet
high in front, which should always be lowest to admit the sun freely.

With regard to the borders and walks of this garden, the outer
borders adjoining the walks should be neatly formed, the edges made
firm and straight, and the walk gravelled, or laid with other dry ma-
terials.

The edges of the borders in small gardens are frequently planted
with box, &c., especially in gardens where the kitchen and pleasure-
ground are all in one } sometimes part are edged with under shrubby
aromatic herbs, as thyme, savory, hyssop, and the like, but unless
these are kept low and neat they appear unsightly ; some, however,
use no planted edgings at all in kitchen gardens, only have the edge
of the border made up even, treading it firm that it may stand, then
cut it straight by line ; sometimes along the top of this edging is
planted a row of strawberries, a foot or fifteen inches asunder ; they
will bear plentifully and have a good effect, observing to string
them several times in summer to preserve them neat and within due
compass.

Sometimes grass-walks are used, but these are rather improper for
general use in kitchen gardens, especially in such parts of the gar-
den where wheelbarrows are obliged to come often, which would cut
and greatly deface them ; besides, they are apt to be wet and dis-
agreeable in all wet weather and in winter ; but if any are intended
for summer's walking, they should be only in some dry part of the
garden, and never let them be general, for besides the aforementioned
inconveniences, they are apt tp harbor slugs and other crawling ver-
min, to the detriment of the adjacent crops.

The espaliers should be planted in one range round each main
quarter, about four or five or six feet from the outer edge of the bor-
der, in proportion to its width, and from about fifteen to twenty feet
asunder, according to the sorts of fruit-trees you plant.

Within the espaliers in the quarters, you may plant some standard
and fruit-trees of the choicer sorts, at fifty feet or more distance each
way, especially the large growing standards, that they may not shade
the ground too much.

Likewise in the quarters may be planted the small kinds of fruit-
shrubs, as gooseberries, currants and raspberries, in cross rows, so as
to divide the quarters into breaks of twenty or thirty feet wide, or
more ; others in a single range along near the outward edges, or some
in continued plantations, placing the bushes nine feet asunder in each
row, and if kept somewhat fan-spreading the way of the rows, they
will not encumber the ground, and will bear very plentiful crops of
large fruit ; besides, between these rows you can have various early
and late crops of vegetables.

In many places, however, as formerly noticed, there is but a small
compass of ground, or so limited as to be obliged to have the kitchen,
fruit, and pleasure-gardens all in one, or at least often all within the
same general inclosure, in which case, if any distinct part of the
ground is required for ornament, a portion of it next the house may
be laid out in a lawn or grass-plat, bounded with a shrubbery, beyond

120 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

•which have the kitchen-ground, separating it also from the other with
shrubhery compartments : the kitchen garden may also be laid out with
ornamental walks and borders, having a broad border all round, and
next this, a walk from five or six to eight feet wide, carried all round
the garden, in proportion to its size, and if the ground is of some
considerable width, may have one of similar dimensions extended
directly through the middle ; and next the walks have a border of
four or five to six or seven feet wide, carried round the quarters or
principal divisions, which border, if raised a little sloping, from the
front to the back part, will appear better than if quite flat; planting
a range of espalier fruit-trees along towards the back edge of the
border, so as immediately to surround the quarters, allotting the out-
sides of the borders for small esculents or flowers, and small flower-
ing shrubs, having the edges planted with box, &c., or some with
strawberries and other edging-plants, and the walks neatly laid with
gravel or other materials before mentioned ; the inside, within the
espaliers, to be the kitchen-ground, dividing it, if thought necessary,
by rows of gooseberry, currant, and raspberry plants.

But when necessary to have the whole space of the kitchen gar-
den employed for real use, no ground should be lost in ornamental
borders and walks : have a border all around the boundary fence, five
or six feet wide, except the south borders, which should be seven or
eight feet broad, because of their great use for raising early crops ;
and have a walk around the garden, not more than a yard to five or
six feet wide, allowing the same width for the middle walks, or so as
to admit of wheelbarrows passing to bring in the manure, &c., and
may either have a four feet wide border all around each quarter next
the walks, or not, as you shall think proper; laying the walks neatly
with any gravelly materials, or with coal ashes, &c., so as to have
dry walking and wheeling with a barrow in all weathers.

GENERAL CULTURE OF THE GROUND.

With respect to the general culture of the kitchen garden, it con-
sists principally in a general annual digging, proper manuring, sow-
ing and planting the crops properly, pricking out, planting, and trans-
planting various particular crops, keeping the ground clean from
•weeds, and watering the crops occasionally in summer.

As to digging, a general digging must be performed annually in
winter or spring, for the reception of the principal crops; also as
often as any new crops are to be sown or planted at any season of
the year, remarking that the general digging for the reception of the
main crops of principal esculents in spring, I should advise to be
performed by trenching either one or two spades deep, besides the
paring at top, though except for some deep rooting plants, as carrots,
parsneps, &c., one good spade deep may be sufficient for common
trenching, unless on particular occasions, to trench as deep as the
good soil admits, to turn the exhausted earth to the bottom and the
fresh to the top to renew the soil. However, you should be careful
not to trench deeper than the proper soil ; and the trenching only
one spade deep, will much more effectually renew the soil than plain

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 121

digging; and by paring the top of each trenching two or three inches
deep into the bottom, all seeds of weeds on the surface are thereby
buried so deep that they cannot grow ;* and I should likewise advise
that the general digging be performed principally, especially in stiff
ground* before the setting in of the winter frosts, or early in spring;
but it would be better if done some considerable time before the sea-
son for putting in the crops, that the ground might have the advantage
of fallow, to meliorate and enrich it, and always let the ground be
trenched in rough ridges, that it may receive all possible benefit from
the sun, air, rains, frosts, &c., to fertilize and pulverize the soil before
it is levelled down for the reception of seeds and plants ; and this
levelling down will be an additional improvement in breaking, divid-
ing, and meliorating the earth. Plain digging, however, may be
sufficient for most of the slight crops, especially in summer or autumn,
after the ground has been trench-digged in the general winter or
spring digging.

As to manure — any kind of dung, or compost of dung and earth,
is proper ; and if this could be suited to the nature of the soil, it
would be of greater advantage, that is, for ground of a strong, heavy,
cold nature, have for manure a compost of well-rotted dung, ashes,
or any sandy earths ; and if light sandy ground, have the moistest
sort of dung and heavy earths ; though any kind of well-rotted dung
will suit as proper manure for almost every soil, but none better than,
the dung of old hot-beds, which is the most common manure in.
kitchen gardens, being horse-stable dung, first used in hot-beds, where
it becomes rotted to a soft, moist temperament of an extremely en-
riching quality, and suits almost all kinds of soil and plants, or some
of the same quality from dung-hills is equally eligible ; but well-rotted
neat's dung is also very good, particularly for light grounds ; or a
compost of different kinds, as horse dung, neat's dung, hog's dung,
farm-yard dung or mulch, ashes, lime-rubbish broken small, sawdust,
rotten tan, having all lain together till well rotted, will make excel-
lent compost manure.

The manuring or dunging the ground may be necessary every year
or two ; for all crops being of an exhausting nature in every soil, the
vegetative vigor of the soils must be supported accordingly by a pro-
per application of manure ; but once every two or three years, at
farthest, the ground in general will want amendment ; though, where
there is plenty of dung, give it as far as it will go every year, espe-
cially for the principal crops, such as onions, cauliflowers, cabbages,
&c., for as the different crops exhaust the soil, the addition of dung
fertilizes and renews it, which when duly applied in proper quantities,
the various crops will not only be much finer, but arrive to earlier
perfection than in poor starved ground.

But for some particular crops, ground which has been well manured
the year before, will be more eligible than if immediately fresh
dunged the same year ; such as for some of the long fusiform-rooted
kinds, as carrots and parsneps, &c., unless the dung is perfectly rotted,

* When the good soil is less than two feet deep, the under base, or in-
ferior portion, my be loosened and left in the bottom.

122 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

mellow and mouldy, that these long roots can readily make their way
straight through in their perpendicular, downward growth ; for when
the dung manure is rank and lumpy, it is very apt to impede the
young descending radicle, and occasion the main root to fork or grow
crooked, more especially the carrots, which also in some fresh-dunged
ground are sometimes apt to canker.

All manuring should generally be performed in winter or spring,
to be dug in at the general annual digging, taking opportunity of
frosty or very dry weather to wheel in the dung for the principal ma-
nuring, as it may then be performed more easy and clean without
clogging or spoiling the walks, or tearing up the ground ; laying it
in heaps by barrowfuls at equal distances ; afterwards spread it evenly,
and dig it in one spade deep or more.

In regard to cropping the ground, the proper situation for, and
method of raising the different plants, is fully explained in the dif-
ferent months under their respective heads ; I will therefore only hint
here, that it is eligible to allot the driest, warmest, and most sunny
situation for the early crops, and the other parts for the main crops.

The south borders are proper for raising the earliest plants, as
early peas, beans, radishes, spinage, lettuce, carrots, small salad-herbs,
kidney-beans, &c. ; the east and west borders for succession of early
crops, and the north borders, which, being shady and cool, serve for
raising and pricking out many small plants, slips and cuttings in
summer; though all these borders, in every exposure, may be made
useful at all seasons. The borders next the espaliers are proper for
crops of small plants at all seasons of the year, as lettuce, endive,
spinage, small salad-herbs, strawberries, and several others, both to
stand and for transplantation, according to the mode of culture of the
different sorts ; and by keeping all the borders constantly well fur-
nished with various esculents, disposed according to their different
growths, they, besides their usefulness, effect a delightful variety.

In the internal parts, called the quarters, should always be raised
the larger principal crops, such as cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli,
cole worts, peas, beans, kidney-beans, onions, leeks, carrots, parsneps,
beets, potatoes, turnips, artichokes, celery, general crops of lettuce,
spinage, horse-radish, &c.

As many of the esculent plants succeed best in rows, such as peas,
beans, cauliflowers, and all the cabbage kinds, transplanted lettuces,
endive, potatoes, artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, celery, and some
others, particular regard is requisite that the rows are at proper dis-
tances for the plants to have full scope to grow, and would advise that
all the tall-growing sorts, sown in drills, such as peas, beans, kidney-
beans, &c., for early crops, have their rows ranging north and south,
if possible, that the sun may shine on each side of the rows more
effectually, as well as on the ground between the rows ; both of which
are of more advantage to early crops than may be generally imagined;
for when the rows range east and west, one row shades another, so
that when the plants grow up, they cannot all receive an equal benefit
of the sun. •

The great art in cropping a kitchen garden, is to make the most of
every part of the ground where necessary, by having each quarter

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 123

well occupied with as many crops annually as possible, as practised
by the experienced market gardeners and others, who have occasion
to cultivate the whole kitchen ground to every possible advantage,
often having two or three different crops advancing in successive
order together on the same compartment, especially where the prin-
cipal crops are in wide rows, as in cauliflowers, cabbages, beans, &c.
Other kinds are frequently inter-cropped, at proper periods, with
those of peculiar growth in the respective sorts ; not to impede each
other nor the principal crops above intimated. Sometimes slight
crops of quick growth are sown to come off soon, or by the time the
others begin to advance considerably; or sometimes, in the advanced
state of the main crops, they are inter-cropped with others of a more
continuing and larger growth to be coming forward, ready, as the
others are going off; fully occupying the same spot in a succession
of crops in some advanced growth, whereby both time and ground
are occasionally gained, though, where there is a plentiful scope of
kitchen ground, especially in private gardens, any considerable inter-
cropping would be unnecessary, as generally each sort raised sepa-
rately will, in some degree, be superior ; however, on the other hand,
as in many places the kitchen ground is much limited, it is incum-
bent on the occupier or cultivator to inter-crop occasionally where it
can be done with a good prospect of success, agreeably to the above
intimations. With regard to the different methods of sowing and
planting the different crops, these shall be designated in the course
of the work.

Destroying weeds is a most necessary culture in the kitchen gar-
den, which must be very particularly attended to ; for the success of
the crops greatly depends thereon, and without a full determination
to keep them clean, it is in vain to sow or plant any.

The utmost attention is necessary never to suffer weeds to perfect
their seeds in any part, whether in cropped or vacant quarters, or on
dung-hills or compost heaps, as they would lay the foundation of
several years' trouble to extirpate them; for, as in digging and hoe-
ing the ground, some of the seed would be buried near the surface,
and others much deeper, at every time of stirring the earth, a fresh
crop of weeds would arise from the same stock of seeds, which veri-
fies the saying, " One year's seeding makes seven years' weeding."

WORK TO BE DONE IN THIS MONTH.

The various preparations for early crops, noticed last month, in
page 17, &c., I would again recommend to your particular attention,
as you ought to " take time by the forelock" at this season, and have
as much as possible in a state of forwardness, in order to ease the
great press of business which will naturally come on next month.

CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

Where the raising of early cucumbers and melons was not begun
last month, it may now be commenced the beginning or middle of
this, with a greater prospect of success ; observing exactly the same

124 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

method of making the seed hot-bed, sowing the seed, and the general
management of the bed and plants, as directed under the head Cucum-
bers, &c., in the kitchen garden for January.

RIDGING OUT EARLY CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

If the cucumber and melon plants which were raised last month,
or the beginning of this, have not suffered by any of the accidents
that are attendant on them at this season, the former are now, and
the latter will, in the course of this month, be arrived to a proper
growth for ridging out into a larger hot-bed, finally to remain.

A new bed or beds, for one or more large frames, should there-
fore be prepared in due time for the reception of these plants, and
made in the same manner as directed in January, pages 2 1 and 22 ;
observing that such must be three feet and a half, or four feet high
when finished ; for a less depth of dung will not produce the neces-
sary heat which these plants require at this inclement season ; and,
besides, if the beds were made of a more shallow depth their heat
wfculd be soon spent, and lining could not be applied to them with so
much advantage : for the latter reason particularly, they must be
made wholly above ground.

The bed being finished, put on the frame or frame and lights,
which will defend it from wet, and bring up the heat the sooner,
tilting the upper ends of the lights a little that the steam may pass
off. In a week after the bed is made, if it has settled unequally,
take off the frame and make the bed level, then immediately put it
on again for good.

After this let the state of the bed be daily examined with good
attention ; and when you find the violent heat is over, lay in the
earth, but be sure to let that first pass away.

The earth for this purpose should be rich and tolerably dry ; for
that is a material article to be regarded at this season. The earth
proper for cucumbers may be either any prepared compost of rich
loam and rotten dung, or of the temperature of light rich kitchen-
garden soil ; but to prepare for this you ought, about the latter end
of September, or in October (if the most convenient), to take from
some quarter of the kitchen-garden, which is naturally light and dry,
and well enriched by manure, a sufficient quantity of earth, and throw
it up in a heap ridge-ways, in some dry place, open to the sun and
air ; mixing therewith at the same time some good rotten dung, break-
ing and blending the whole well together ; a due quantity of this com-
post-heap should be carried into some shed or other sheltered place,
open in front to the sun or free air, a month or a fortnight at least
before you want it, that it may be preserved perfectly dry for earth-
ing the bed.

Then, when the bed is in order, lay about half a bushel or rather
more of earth under the middle of each light, rising each parcel of
earth in a round hillock about ten inches high ; let the spaces be-
tween the hills and quite to the sides of the frame be covered with
the same sort of earth, only two or three inches thick at this time,
while the bed is in strong heat for fear of burning, as explained

FEB.], THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 125

below; but which, when the heat is become moderate, is by degrees
to be augmented till raised as high as the top of the hills, as here-
after directed.

The reason for laying the earth in little hills, and not earthing the
bed fully at once, is by way of precaution in case of violent afterheat,
in which case it will more readily pass off in steam between the hills;
and likewise, because we may venture to use the bed some days
sooner than if it was earthed all over at once to the full thickness ;
for if the bed should burn after the plants are in, you can more
readily prevent the earth and also the roots of the plants from being
burnt thereby, by drawing the earth away from around the bottom
of the hills if it burns, and supplying the places with more fresh
mould.

As soon as the bed is earthed as above, put on the glasses, and by
the next day the hillocks of earth will be warm ; if they are, level
the top of each a little, so that they may be about eight or nine
inches deep; then proceed to put in the plants, the cucumbers, and
melons separately, in different hot-beds, or distinct frames, &c.

Previous to this observe, that as having last month directed the
plants to be pricked into small pots, three in each separately, and as
they are now to be turned out of these pots with the balls of earth
entire, and planted, one pot of plants in each of the above hills, I
would intimate, in this final transplanting, that two of the best cucum-
ber plants and only one melon, would be sufficient to remain, cutting
the others away as soon after planting as you are able to distinguish
which are most likely to do well; however, it is advisable, previously
to transplanting, that, in order to have the whole ball of earth adhere
closely about the roots, to give the pots some water the day before ;
and the method of planting is this : having some pots of the strongest
plants ready, place your hand on the surface of the pot, taking the
stems of the plants carefully between your fingers, then turn the
mouth of the pot downwards, and strike the edge gently on the frame,
the plants with the ball of earth to their roots will come out entire ;
then making a hole in the middle of each hill of earth, place one pot
of plants with the ball entire in each hole, closing the earth well
around it, and about an inch over the top, bringing the earth close
around the stems of the plants ; this done, shut down all the lights
close for the present, till the steam rises again strong, then they must
be tilted a little behind, in proportion, to give it vent.

The plants being ridged out finally into the beds where they are to
remain for fruiting, you must be careful to give them fresh air every
day, by raising the glasses a little for its admission, and for the great
steam to pass off; and it is necessary to cover the lights every night
with mats, putting them on about half an hour before the time of sun-
setting, or a little earlier or later as the weather happens to be either
mild or severe, and uncover them in the morning as soon after the
sun begins to shine on them, or after sun-rising, as the state of the
weather will permit : in covering up, observe, that while the bed is
very hot, and the steam copiously rising, never to let the ends of the
mats hang down over the dung outside of the frame, which would
draw up a hurtful steam, and stifle the plants.

126 THE KITCHEN GARDEN, [FEB.

Air must be admitted to them every day when the weather is any
way favorable, by raising the upper ends of the glasses from about
half an inch to an inch or two, or in proportion to the sharpness or
mildness of the outward air and internal heat and steam of the bed.

In giving the plants air, it is a good method at this season, espe-
cially in severe cutting weather, to fasten a mat across the ends
of the lights were tilted, to hang down detachedly over the place
where the air enters the frame ; the mat will break the wind and
sharp air before it reaches the plants, and yet there will be a due
proportion admitted without exposing them directly to it, and there
will also be full liberty to let the steam pass off.

Likewise, in covering the glasses on nights with mats, if there be
a strong heat and great steam in the bed, let the lights be raised a
little behind when you cover up ; let them remain so all night, and
use the mats as above mentioned, to hang down low before the place
where the glasses are raised ; but this must be done with caution in
very severe frost.

One great article to be attended to now is to support a constant
temperate heat in the hot-bed, so as to keep the plants in a regular
growing state— about 65° at night and 70° to 80° in the day. The
first thing to be observed towards this is that in six or eight days
after ridging out the plants, provided the heat of the bed is become
moderate, it will be very proper to give some outward protection of
dry, long litter, waste hay, fern, straw, leaves of trees, &c., laying
it close around the sides a foot thick, and as high as five or six
inches up the sides of the frame ; but this will be particularly ser-
viceable in very wet weather, but more especially in driving cold
rains or snow, and also if there be cold piercing winds, all of which
would chill the bed, and, without the above precaution, would some-
times occasion such a sudden and great decay of the heat as to prove
the manifest destruction of the plants ; whereas the above lining will
defend the bed, and preserve a fine heat till the dung begins naturally
to decline or decay of itself, which is generally in about three weeks
or a month after the bed is made, when the warmth of it must be
renewed by adding a lining of fresh hot dung close to its sides and
ends.

But for the first week or ten days after the plants are ridged out
into this hot-bed, mind that their roots have not too much heat; for
it sometimes happens that a bed after the mould and plants are in
(the earth confining the heat and steam below in the dung) will begin
afresh to heat so violently as to be in danger of burning the earth at
the bottom of the hills, and without some precaution is taken the
burning will soon reach the roots of the plants ; therefore, for the
first week or ten days, let the bottom of these hills be at times exa-
mined by drawing away a little of the earth below; and, if any
burning appears, remove the burnt earth, replace it with new, and,
by drawing some away quite around, let the hills be kept as narrow
as they will just stand, so as to support the plants, and let them
remain till the danger of burning is over, when you may replace it
again.

When the great heat abates, or the roots of the plants begin to

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 12t

appear through the sides of the hills, then add some fresh, light, rich
earth all around them. About three days after you may lay some
more ; and in two or three days after that you may earth the bed all
over to the full thickness. But before you lay the fresh earth to the
sides of the hills, let it be first laid a few hours, or for one night in
the frame, up towards the sides, that it may acquire an equal degree
of warmth with that in the bed ; then, being applied as above, it will
not be in danger of chilling the roots of the plants.

The next particular care is that of lining the hot-bed when the
heat declines ; therefore, when the heat of the bed begins to decrease
much, let a lining of the best hot dung be applied in due time to
the back or front of the bed, or to both if the heat is very much de-
clined. The dung for this purpose should be prepared in the same
manner as that for making the bed. Remember, that if there was
a lining of dry litter laid around the sides of the bed to defend it
from wet, &c., as before directed, this must first be removed before
you apply the lining; then line the sides of the bed about from
twelve to fifteen or eighteen inches wide, according as the heat is less
or more declined, which should be raised about four or five inches
higher than the dung of the bed, to allow for settling. Lay some
earth on the top of the lining to keep the rank steam of the fresh
dung from coming up that way, which, if it did, would be apt to
enter the frame at the place where the lights are raised to admit air,
and prove of bad consequence to the plants.

OP STOPPING OR TOPPING THE ABOVE PLANTS.

The young plants, both cucumbers and melons, should be stopped
or topped, if not done before, at the first joint, by pruning off the
top of the first runner-bud, which is necessary to promote a stocky
growth, and cause them to put forth lateral shoots at the first and
second joints to form fruitful runners, and from these others of the
same nature will be produced.

This operation should be performed when the plants have two
rough leaves, and when the second is about an inch broad, having
the first runner-bud rising at its base. The sooner this is detached
the sooner the plants acquire strength and put out fruitful runners.
It is to be done in the following manner : —

You will see arising, in the centre of the plant, at the bottom of
the second rough leaf, the end of the first runner, like a small bud,
which bud or runner, being the advancing top of the plant, is now
to be taken off close, and may be done either with the point of a pen-
knife or small scissors, or pinched off carefully with the finger and
thumb ; but, whichever way you take it off, be careful not to go so
close as to wound the joint from whence it proceeds.

Having thus pruned or stopped the plants at the first joint, they
will by that means very quickly get strength, as will plainly appear
in a few days, and, in about a week or ten or twelve days after being
thus treated, will each begin to send forth two or three runners,
which runners will probably show fruit at their first, second, or
third joints; for, if the main or first runner was not to be stopped

128 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

as above, it would perhaps run half a yard or two feet in length,
without putting out more runners to fill the frame, or probably
without showing a single fruit — for it is upon these lateral shoots
or runners, produced after stopping the plants, that you may expect
fruit to appear in any tolerable time in the season. But let it be
also observed that when the said lateral shoots have three joints, and
that if any of them do not then show fruit at either of these, it will
be proper to pinch off the top of such shoots at the third joint, which
will promote their putting forth a supply of two or three new shoots,
some or all of which will most likely be fruitful ; and after this,
according as they advance in growth, train the runners along in regu-
lar order, cut out casual very weakly vines, and thin others where
very irregularly crowded. Thus, if the bed is well managed and the
plants are forward, those of the cucumbers will probably produce
proper sized fruit at the end of this month or beginning or middle of
the next, but the melons not so soon by six or eight weeks. (See
next month.)

OF SOWING CUCUMBER AND MELON SEED.

As there may be many persons who did not begin last month to
sow cucumbers for an early crop, it will here be proper to take notice
that the beginning, middle, or any time of this month is still a good
time to begin that work, making a hot-bed for sowing the seed as
directed in January, pages 21 and 22.

Those which are sown early in this month, will, with good manage-
ment, produce fruit in the end of March, or beginning of April; and
those sown in the middle or latter end of the month will have fruit
in the end of April, and will bear plentifully in May.

The beginning of this month is a very good time to sow melons for
a full crop in the frames.

The seed hot-bed which is to be made now, either for cucumbers
or melons, must be of the same dimensions; and the seeds sown, and
plants managed as directed last month.

But observe, that to be well supplied with cucumber or melon
plants, either to plant in new beds, or to have a reserve in case of
accidents happening to any already planted out, it will be very proper
to sow some seeds at three different times this month.

These may be sown in such cucumber hot-beds as are already made
and in cultivation, and when fit to prick out, plant them in small
pots as directed last month, which may be plunged in the back part
of the same bed, where they may be kept till wanted, either for new,
or to supply any deficiency in the present beds.

FORCING ASPARAGUS.

Hot-beds for forcing early asparagus may be made any time this
month, for which purpose you must be provided with proper plants ;
these are previously raised in the natural ground from seed, as here-
after directed, which being transplanted from the seed-bed into others
duly prepared for their reception, and having two or three years'

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 129

growth there, they then are of the proper size and strength for
forcing. But observe that in those parts of the Union where the
ground is subject at this season to be bound up by frost, previous
precaution will be necessary, in order to secure a supply of plants
when wanted for this purpose ; therefore, before the setting in of the
severe winter frost, cover a sufficient number in the beds wherein
they are growing, with as much dry litter or leaves of trees, &c., as
will effectually keep the ground from being frozen, so that you can
remove it, and take up the plants conveniently when wanted.

Or you may, on the approach of severe frosts, take up a sufficient
quantity with as little injury to the roots as possible, which may be
planted in sand or dry earth in a warm cellar, in the same manner
as directed for planting them in the frame, covering their crowns
about an inch, observing not to crowd the plants for fear of their
becoming mouldy ; and in mild weather ventilate the cellar as often
as possible, to prevent any bad effect to the roots from stagnant air ;
but when it can be done, it will be much better to take up the plants
out of their beds according as you want them.

The necessary quantity for a three-light frame is from three to four
hundred plants, and so in proportion for any number of frames j the
plants in such beds ought to be set very close, in order that by
having as many as possible in each frame, they may produce a pro-
portionable supply to recompense sufficiently for the trouble and ex-
pense of forcing them.

A bed for this purpose is to be made in like manner as those
directed for cucumbers in pages 21 and 22, but very substantial ;
then put on the frame, and earth it all over six or seven inches deep,
for the immediate reception of the plants.

The bed being made and earthed as above, and a sufficient quantity
of plants in readiness, proceed to planting by raising at one end a
small ridge of earth about three or four inches high, against which
place a row of plants close to one another, drawing some earth to the
bottom of the roots, then place others against these in the same
manner, and so continue until the frame is full, all having their
tops or crowns upright and of an equal level. When the whole bed
is thus planted, cover the crowns of the roots all over with light,
rich earth, about two inches deep, which concludes the work for the
present.

You may now put on the lights, which are to be kept open, raised
high behind, or slided down every day, except in very severe weather,
but at night let them be closed; give all the air possible so that you
do not suffer the earth in the bed to be frozen or chilled, by rain or
snow, till the buds begin to appear, when you are to give them
another covering of three or four inches of the same kind of mould
as before, so that the crowns may be covered in the whole about six
inches deep.

But it must be remarked that for the first week or fortnight after
the bed is made and the asparagus planted, that the state of its
warmth should be every day carefully examined ; for that purpose
thrust two or three sharp pointed sticks down betwixt the roots into
the dung in different parts of the bed ; when upon drawing up the
9

130 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

sticks once or twice a day, and feeling the lower ends, you can
readily judge of the degree of heat, which, if found very violent,
threatening to burn the earth and scorch the roots of the plants, it
must be moderated by boring with a long, thick stake several wide
holes in the dung on each side of the bed, also in the earth just
under the roots, to admit the air, and to let the rank steam and burn-
ing quality of the dung pass off more freely ; but when the heat is
become moderate, the holes must be closed again.

Likewise observe when the heat is on the decline, it will be very
proper to lay a quantity of dry long litter round the sides of the bed,
which will preserve a fine kindly growing heat, and will defend the
bed from being chilled by heavy rains, snow, &c.

In the next place, when you find the heat of the bed beginning to
decline considerably, you should prepare to renew it as soon as pos-
sible, which is to be done by applying a lining of hot dung to the
sides, as for cucumber and melon beds.

Fresh air must be admitted in fine weather daily, especially if the
heat of the bed is strong when the buds begin to appear through this
last covering of earth ; for fresh air is necessary both to give them
color and prevent their drawing up too fast and weak j therefore in
fine sunny days, either tilt the upper ends of the lights an inch or-
two, or shove them a little down, as may be convenient ; but keep
them close in cold or very bad weather, and always at night.

Continue to cover the glasses every night, especially after the
plants appear, with mats or straw.

The bed, if made and managed as above directed, will begin to
produce asparagus abundantly in four or five weeks, and provided the
heat be kept up, will continue producing buds in great plenty for
about three weeks.

The method of gathering the asparagus in hot-beds is to thrust your
finger down gently into the earth, and break the buds off close to the
roots } but the cutting them with a knife, as practised in the natural
ground would, by reason of the buds coming up so very thick, de-
stroy as many or more than you gather.

When it is intended to have a constant supply of asparagus in the
winter and spring seasons, till that in the natural ground comes iny
you should make a new hot-bed every three weeks or a month.

A quantity of fresh plants must also be procured for every new
bed ; for those which have been forced in a hot-bed, are not fit for any
use afterwards, either in the natural ground or elsewhere.

When designed to raise asparagus plants for forcing, you should
sow some seed every year in a bed of rich earth, as directed in
March; observing when the plants are one year old, to transplant
them into an open compartment, in rows, nine inches asunder, and
about the same distance between the rows. When they have two or
three summers' growth, they are then fit to take up for forcing ; but
if they stand three years before you take them up they will produce
much larger buds.

It is necessary to have three different pieces of ground always em-
ployed at the same time with asparagus plants for the above purpose ;
that is, one for the seed-bed with seedling plants, which should never

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. * 131

stand longer than one year before transplanted ; the other two pieces
to be occupied with transplanted plants ; one to be a year's growth
from the time of planting before the other, by which method of sow-
ing a quantity of plants every spring, you will, after the first three
years, obtain a fresh supply of proper plants every year of eligible
age and growth, as above, for forcing.

In those States where there is not severe frost to be encountered at
this season, asparagus may be forced as directed above, without the
assistance of a frame and lights; but in lieu thereof you must arch
the bed over with hoops, and protect it from heavy rains and cold
with bass mats or other convenient covering, laid over these hoops ;
and the earth on the beds must be confined, either with a shallow
frame or with straw bands or ropes, three or four inches in diameter,
fixed down neatly along the edge of the bed, with sharp pointed
wooden pegs.

MUSHROOMS.

Take care that the mushroom beds are still well defended from
heavy rains and frost, both of which would destroy the spawn.

The covering of straw should not be less than fourteen or sixteen
inches thick on every part of the bed ; and at this season it would be
proper to continue some large garden mats spread over the straw cover-
ing, to secure the bed more effectually from wet and cold ; and ob-
serving, that if the wet at any time has penetrated quite through any
part of the covering, the wet straw should be removed, and replaced
with some that is clean and dry.

If these beds are made under open sheds constructed for that pur-
pose, it will be a great advantage, particularly in protecting them
from too much wet, which is very injurious to them, especially during
the winter season.

New mushroom beds may now be made where wanted ; for the par-
ticular method, see October.

KIDNEY BEANS.

Where early kidney beans are wanted, you may, in the beginning,
or any time this month, make a hot-bed for raising them ; let this be
made, as directed for cucumbers, to 'the height of three feet, and long
enough for one or more frames, which, with their glasses, put on im-
mediately ; when the heat is come up, level the bed and cover the
dung seven or eight inches deep with rich light earth, then draw
drills from the back to the front a foot asunder, and an inch deep ;
drop the beans therein two or three inches apart, and smooth over the
surface of the bed.

Or you may sow the beans thick in a small hot-bed, or in pots
therein to raise the plants about an inch in growth, then transplant
them into a large hot-bed as above, to yield their produce.

The best sorts for this purpose are the early cream-colored dwarfs,
early speckled, white and yellow dwarfs ; because these kinds are of
an early nature, and do not run so strong or rampant as the other
sorts.

132 . THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

When the plants begin to appear, raise the lights a little behind
every mild day, to admit fresh air to strengthen their growth : give
also occasional gentle waterings, continue the same care in, their ad-
vancing state, and support a proper heat in the bed ; they will thus
afford an early produce in April, &c.

But where there is a hot-house you may raise early kidney or French
beans, generally with much less trouble and more certain success than
in hot-beds, as above.

SMALL SALADING.

Continue to raise in hot-beds a regular supply of small salading,
such as cresses, mustard, rape, radishes, lettuce, &c., as directed in
January, pages 28 and 29, which must be sown every eight or ten
days, in order to afford a proper succession ; for at this season such
are more acceptable, and to many persons more palatable, than at any
other period of the year.

Towards the latter end of the month, in the middle States, and in
all parts to the southward, you may begin to sow lettuce, and the
other different kinds of small salading on warm well sheltered south
borders, especially if the great winter frosts have passed away.

For this purpose dig the ground neatly, giving it an advantageous
slope towards the sun, rake the surface fine, and draw shallow drills
from north to south about three or four inches distant ; sow the seeds
therein, each sort separate, very thick, and earth them over not more
than a quarter of an inch deep. If the season proves favorable, you
may expect tolerable success ; but the more certain way would be to
cover these beds with frames and glasses, which would not only
forward them to perfection at an earlier period, but also protect them
from the various accidents incident to such early crops in unfavor-
able seasons.

When these plants, both under cover and in the open ground,
begin to come up, they sometimes, by rising very thick, raise the
earth in a kind of cake upon their tops, which consequently retards
their growth ; they may be assisted by whisking the surface lightly
with your hands, &c., to separate the earth, after which, the plants
will rise regularly.

When those coming up in the open ground happen to be attacked
with morning hoar frosts, and like to be a sunny mild day, if before
the sun rises full upon them you water them with fresh pump or well
water poured out of a watering-pot, with the head on, to wash off
the frosty rime, it will prevent their turning black and going off.

CAULIFLOWER PLANTS.

The beginning of this month plant your autumn sown cauliflowers
in hot-beds, to flower in April and May ; garden pits or frames con-
structed of stone is what is generally used and preferred now for
forcing instead of the wooden frames directed in page 18 : however,
where stone cannot conveniently be had wood will answer by being
regularly lined with fresh dung, as directed in page 25. Stone pits

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 133

are generally made larger than wood, say twenty-four feet long (which,
will 'require six sashes, each four feet wide by five feet ten inches
long), six feet deep at the back, and four feet six inches in front ; to
be about two feet ten inches below the surface ; the wall to be from
one foot to eighteen inches thick. In these frames you can raise any
kind of vegetables that are wanted early ; or small flowers, such as
roses, carnations, stock-gilly, wall flowers, mignonette, heliotrope,
nerembergias, pseonies, or any low growing plants that you wish to
bloom at an early season. By placing the pots at the back side, they
will not interfere with cauliflowers, melons, or any other plants raised
in a hot-bed, while they are small. In making the hot-bed, observe
the directions in January, page 21, except that by having the bed
below the surface you can use a foot or eighteen inches of old leaves
or tan in the bottom ; and then finish off as directed for cucumbers
and melons. Plant the cauliflowers about two feet distant every way ;
and between the cauliflowers you may plant lettuce and sow radish
or turnip seed ; white turnip is the best for this purpose : these will
be used before the cauliflowers bloom. It will be necessary to look
over the cauliflowers to see if any show flowers before they attain
their proper size, in which case, pull them up and plant others in
their place. Those early autumnal sown plants which you have in
frames, and that you are endeavoring to protect with a covering of
boards and mats, &c., without the assistance of glass, should never
have powerful sunshine admitted to them while in a frozen state j
for its sudden action upon these tender plants, whilst in that condi-
tion, would prove their total destruction ; therefore admit it only at
intervals, when weak, until the plants and ground around them are
completely thawed.

The cauliflower plants which were raised from seed sown last
month, should, as soon in this as they may arrive at a sufficient size,
which is about four or five inches, be transplanted in to 'a new mode-
rate hot-bed, which will greatly strengthen and forward their growth.

Make the bed two feet and a half high and put a frame on, lay on
six inches deep of rich earth, when this is warm prick the plants
therein two or three inches apart, and give them a little water j as
soon as they have taken root give them plenty of air ; and in mild
warm days take the glasses totally off, but let them be carefully
covered every night and the glasses only raised a little behind in cold
weather.

Plants thus treated will become strong and well rooted, bear trans-
planting much better than if left in the seed-bed, and produce larger
and better heads ; for, by transplanting, the tap-roots are checked,
and the plants push a number of lateral roots, which afford them
nourishment and strength ; they become short-stemmed and stout,
and consequently more fit for a final and successful transplantation
than if suffered to remain in the seed-bed.

Were these to be transplanted again, early in March, into another
bed, it would be an additional advantage ; it is by the neglect of this
necessary treatment that we have so few good flowers, for the plants,
when continued in the seed-bed till finally transplanted, become long
and spindling, tender and unfurnished with roots or fibres; when

134 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

planted out, for want of a sufficiency of roots, they are not able im-
mediately to extract the necessary supply of nourishment from the
earth, consequently become stunted, and either button, or grow so
miserably as never to produce a good head.

When transplanted and furnished as above, and the proper season
arrives for planting them out in the open ground, they are to be
taken up separately with a hollow trowel or transplanter, preserving
as mucH earth as possible about the roots of each plant, and deposited
where they are to flower; thus treated they will scarcely be sensible
of the removal, will continue in a constant and regular state of vege-
tation, and if protected for a few days with garden pots or other suit-
able coverings from too powerful a sun, and regularly at night, for
ten or twelve days after planting, you may reasonably expect the
desired success.

As it is from these early sowings that the greatest success may be
expected in the United States, every care should be taken to pro-
mote their early growth and strength, in order that they may arrive
at due perfection before the commencement of the severe summer
heat, which is found so injurious to all late cauliflowers.

Continue to give a due quantity of air to your cauliflower. plants
at all favorable opportunities ; for, as observed in January, it is an
extremely essential article.

SOWING CAULIFLOWER SEED.

Sow some cauliflower seed in a hot-bed the beginning, middle, or
at any time this month, but the earlier the better, to succeed those
sown in January, or in case none were sown at that time ; for the
method of doing which, see page 29.

If you have not the convenience of glass lights, these plants may
be raised with good success in paper frames, or, with particular
attention, you may succeed with coverings of mats, or boards and
mats.

PAPER FRAMES.

These frames are made either like the cover of a wagon or the roof
of a house, and covered with oiled paper instead of glass. They have
a frame of wood at the base, to which in the former broad hoops are
fastened, bent over circularly. The width of the frame should be
near five feet, the length nine or ten ; the distance between the hoops
not more than a foot, and there should be several rows of strong pack
thread or rope yarn running from hoop to hoop all over, distant from
each other about eight inches, and other lines crossing and intersect-
ing these between the hoops or ribs of the frame, which arrangements
of lines are of essential service for the more effectual support of the
paper when pasted on the frame, and to strengthen it against the
power of winds and heavy rains.

The other sort of frame may be made with slips of pine or neat
laths, fastened to a roof-tree at the top, and to the base-frame at
bottom. The panels or lights ought to have hinges alternately at

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 135

each side, to open outward for giving air occasionally on the side
from the wind, or on both sides if the weather is mild, and also for
performing other necessary culture.

The paper for this purpose should be of the larger, strong printing
or demi kind ; which, previously to pasting on the frame, should be
moderately damped with water, that it may not sink in hollows after
being fixed ; as soon as thus prepared, proceed to paste it on, sheet
by sheet, using for this purpose the very best kind of paste ; and
contrive to have whole ones along the ridge-rail above, extending
lengthways and across, to join regularly with the sheets below;
pasting the whole in the most regular and secure manner to the
frames, ribs, and pack-thread; and if, at the intersections of the
latter, a small square or round bit of the same paper is pasted on
the inside and to the large sheets over those parts, it will give ad-
ditional strength against rain and winds.

After the paper is thus pasted on, and perfectly dry, then it must
be oiled over with linseed oil, either raw or boiled; the latter, I
think, is rather apt to harden the paper and cause it to crack, there-
fore would prefer the former. Having, however, the oil and a paint-
er's soft brush, lay it on lightly, and brush the outside of the paper
all over, equally in every part, which done, place the frame in some
dry, covered shed, there to remain till the whole is thoroughly dry,
then it may be used when wanted, and will answer extremely well
for various purposes.

If the base-frames are well painted with the following composition
they will last a long time. To every six pounds of melted pitch,
add half a pint of linseed oil, and a pound of brick dust well pulver-
ized, mix them all together and use them warm. This is the best
pigment for all timber exposed to the weather, for no moisture can
penetrate through it.

You may also form lights of the above kind for your common hot-
bed frames when glass cannot be conveniently had, which will answer
a very good purpose.

These covers of oiled paper are used not only for early cauliflower
and cabbage plants, but also for early salading, cucumbers, &c., and
are excellent for covering cuttings of exotic and other plants, and for
various other purposes.

CABBAGE PLANTS.

Continue to protect your autumn-sown cabbage plants from the
severity of the weather, agreeably to the general precautionary direc-
tions given in the month of October, which see. But be very par-
ticular that such as are in frames, and consequently under occasional
protection, which renders them still more tender than those protected
under the shade of bows, &c., and that have got frozen either in con-
sequence of neglect in covering, or of the extreme severity of the
weather, are not to be exposed to the influence of the sun whilst
shining strongly, until they are gradually thawed, and also the earth
in which they stand ; but at intervals, when the rays are not too pow-
erful, you may admit them to the plants, in order to accomplish th«|

136 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

end the sooner ; but it must be done with great precaution. This
observation is not only -applicable to cabbage and cauliflower plants,
but to all other plants under similar circumstances.

The cabbage plants which were sown last month, should as soon in
this as they have arrived to the height of three or four inches, or their
leaves to the size of a quarter dollar, be transplanted into a new hot-
bed, at the distance of three or four inches, plant from plant, every
way ; in order to promote their growth, give them strength, and the
better to prepare them for planting out in the open ground, as soon
as the season arrives for that purpose.

Previous to transplanting either these or cauliflower plants, see
that the earth of the new bed is arrived at a proper degree of warmth,
so that the plants when planted therein, may receive no check, but
strike out new roots and fibres immediately. Let them be constantly
kept in a moderate state of growth, admitting plenty of air to them
at every favorable opportunity ; for if neglected in this very essential
point, they will grow weakly and slender, and never turn out to good
advantage ; therefore, let the air be given as often as it can be done
with safety, but cover them carefully every night, and even in the
day-time, in extremely severe weather.

SOWING CABBAGE SEED.

This is a good time to sow a full crop of cabbage seeds, such as
the early Wakefield, early York, early dwarf Battersea, early sugar-
loaf, &c. ; these may be sown in a hot- bed, as directed for cauliflowers,
any time this month, but the earlier the better, especially if none
were sown in January : these will come to perfection at an early and
very acceptable time.

Towards the latter end of the month, you may sow these kinds on
a warm south border, to be covered with frames and glasses, or on
slight hot-beds made in warm situations, and covered with paper
frames, or with boards and mats occasionally.

Oiled paper covers will do extremely well for this purpose, and
may be used to much advantage where glass lights cannot be had.

Sow also some red pickling-cabbage, flat Dutch, large drumhead
Savoy, and other late cabbage seeds to succeed your early; summer
crops ; these will produce larger heads and earlier, than if sown much
later. Many people never think of sowing these late kinds at this
time, which is an egregious omission, and ought not to be copied by
any person who wishes to have a regular succession, and in the great-
est perfection, of this invaluable vegetable.

The method of sowing these seeds in hot-beds being so similar to
that of cauliflowers, a repetition is unnecessary ; therefore see page
29. Always observe to give the plants plenty of air, in order to
harden and strengthen them, and to prevent their spindling up in
a weakly manner, more especially if you do not intend to transplant
them into another hot-bed before their being finally planted in the
open ground.

But notwithstanding all this precaution, you must not omit to keep
them constantly in a growing state, and duly protected from the in-

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 13f

clemencies of the weather ; and when the beds wherein they are grow-
ing become cold and destitute of that warmth so necessary for the
above purpose, you must give them a slight lining of fresh horse-dung,
to renew the slow temperate heat so congenial and necessary to these
plants at this season.

SOTTING CELERY.

Towards the end of this month, if the weather permits, prepare a
small bed of light rich earth in a warm border, to sow some celery
seed therein for an early crop; the best kinds to sow are the solid
white, and red celery, both of which are excellent.

Break the earth very fine, and either sow the seed on the surface,
and rake it in lightly, or rake the surface smooth, sow the seed there-
on, and cover it with light earth, sifted over near a quarter of an inch
deep; or the ground being formed into a three or four feet wide bed
and the surface raked, then with the back of the rake trim the earth
evenly off the surface about a quarter of an inch deep into the alley,
sow the seed on the bed, and with a spade cast the earth over it
evenly and rake the surface smooth.

Though this seed may not come up for a length of time, there will
be no danger of its perishing in the ground, and it will be in a state
to receive the first advantage of the growing season : if a frame and
lights or hand-glasses can be spared to put over it, they will greatly
forward its growth ; when raised in this way, though it will not be
so early, it will not be so subject either to start to seed or to pipe,
as if sown and forced in a hot-bed.

But those who wish to have celery as early as possible, should sow
the seed on a slight hot-bed, and cover it with a frame and lights, or
with hand-glasses, or in default of these, cover at night and in bad
weather with mats placed on hoops stuck archwise over the beds to
support them, being careful in either method, when the plants are
come up, to admit the free air every mild day.

There should not be many of these early sown plants planted out
for a continuing supply, only a few to come in before the general
crop, for they will soon pipe and run to seed.

SOWING RADISH SEED.

Towards the end of this month, if the weather is mild and the
ground open, you may dig a warm border to sow therein some early-
frame, short-top, white and red turnip-rooted radish seeds, to draw
for salads in April and early in May. Dig another piece at the same
time for salmon-radish, which will succeed the former.

Let them generally be sown broad-cast on the surface, either in a
continued space, or in four or five feet wide beds, and rake them in
with an even hand; or in sowing large crops in one continued space,
if quite dry light ground, it is eligible, before raking in, to tread
down the seed lightly, then rake it in regularly.

You may sow among these crops of radishes, a sprinkling of spin-

138 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEB.

age and lettuce seed ; the spinage will come in after the radish, and
the lettuce after the spinage.

The radishes sown last month must be carefully protected by
covering the glasses at night and in very severe weather with mats,
&c., and they must have plenty of air occasionally, otherwise they
will not root well.

In order to have radishes tolerably early or to succeed those sown
in January, let some of the early kinds above mentioned be now
sowed on a slight hot-bed, as directed in page 30, and treated as
there advised, or you may sow them on such beds under cover of
oiled paper frames or of mats ; but radishes are not apt to root well
under covering of mats, especially when necessity requires them to
be kept on for any considerable length of time, unless you are ex-
tremely careful to give them as much air and light at every opportu-
nity as possible consistent with their safety.

SPINAGE.

Sow some prickly-seeded spinage, it being the hardiest kind, about
the latter end of the month. Let some dry warm ground be pre-
pared for this purpose, and sow the seed thereon thin and regular,
either broadcast and raked in or in drills a foot asunder, or on four
feet wide beds — being careful that in either case the seed be not
covered more than from an inch to half an inch deep, according to
the lightness or stiffness of the ground.

The smooth-seeded round-leaved kind is the best to sow during the
remainder of the spring and early summer months, but for this early
sowing, the prickly-seeded being more hardy, is preferable.

Jlii"' I am well aware that in far the greater part of the eastern
States the ground is generally, during the whole of this month and
a considerable part of March, so bound up with frost as not to be dug
or cultivated; but this not being the case in the middle States,
except in very severe seasons, and not in all the southern States, I
am induced to give these directions for the sowing of early crops,
and where the state of the weather permits they may be practised
to advantage, and where not the business must be deferred a little
longer.

SOWING LETTUCE SEED.

If the weather be mild and the ground in good condition, you may,
about the latter end of this month, sow some lettuce seed on a south
border, which ought to be well defended by a wall, hedge, or board
fence, &c. The kinds most suitable to be sown at this time are the
early curled and common cabbage lettuces, if intended to be cut up
for small salading, in which case they are to be sown very thick on
the surface, after the ground has been raked tolerably well, and then
raked in ; or they may be sown in beds or drills, according to fancy,
observing that these seeds require but a very slight covering.

You may also sow any other kinds of lettuce, such as the white
or green cos, Egyptian and spotted cos, which are excellent kinds ;

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 139

or, if for cabbaging or heading, you may sow the white Silicia,
grand admiral, large Mogul, brown Dutch, or Malta cabbage lettuces,
all of which form good hard heads. For this purpose they must be
sown very thin, and when arrived at a due size be transplanted in
rows into the different borders, &c., as directed in March, leaving
a sufficient quantity to occupy the seed-bed, which will head earlier
than those that shall have been transplanted.

If these be covered at night and in very unfavorable weather,
either with mats or boards, &c., it will greatly forward their growth.

But in order to have a few in a more advanced state for trans-
planting, and also for early small salading, you may sow any of the
above kinds in a hot-bed, those for the latter purpose very thick, and
for the former pretty thin. The cos lettuces, not growing flat or in
a spreading manner, are peculiarly adapted for sowing in hot-beds at
this season ; but either of the kinds may be sown, and with due care
and proper thinning be brought to good and early perfection.

Lettuces which have stood the winter closely planted in frames
should, about the end of this month, be thinned to about nine inches,
or, if expected to grow very large, a foot asunder. The plants which
are drawn out may be planted into other frames, or into warm bor-
ders where they can be well protected with mats or some suitable
covering, till they are inured by degrees to bear the open air ; but if
the weather is unfavorable and you have not a sufficiency of frames
to receive the plants, it will be better to defer this work till next
month, being particular to pick off all decayed leaves, and to stir
the earth a little about the roots.

SOWING CAEROT SEED.

When carrots are desired at an early season, some seed may be
sown in a slight hot-bed in the beginning or middle of this month.
Make this bed two and a half feet high, put on the frame, and cover
the bed with light dry earth six or eight inches deep ; sow the seed
thinly on the surface, and cover it about a quarter of an inch with
the same kind of earth. When the plants are up give them plenty
of air, and thin them as they advance in growth. Keep the glasses
well covered at night, and in extremely severe weather and in April
you may expect handsome roots. The early horn is best for this
purpose.

This seed, if sown as above, towards the latter end of the month,
will succeed very well without the assistance of glass, if the bed is
carefully covered at night, and occasionally, as the weather may
happen to be severe, in the daytime, with garden mats, &c. You
may also about the end of the month sow a small quantity of carrot
seed, on a warm border of light, dry, rich earth, and, if the season
proves favorable they will succeed tolerably well, and be fit for use
at a very acceptable period, for the method of doing which see
March.

140 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [FEE,

PARSNEPS AND BEETS.

Parsneps being very hardy plants and the seeds remaining in the
ground a long time before they vegetate, may be sown as early in
this month as the ground can be got in a proper condition to receive
the seed, which ought always to be a principal consideration, for
nothing can be worse than to work ground whilst too wet. I would
not, however, advise to sow more at this time than what may answer
for a first early crop.

Sow a small quantity of beet-seed on a warm border in drills for
a first crop ; but this ought not to be done till about the end of the
month.

Observe that seeds which are sown in the open ground at this
time, cannot have much advantage, as to earliness, over those which
may be sown two weeks later ; therefore would advise never to sow
seeds till the ground is in a good dry state, and proper condition to
receive them.

SOWING PEAS.

Towards the latter end of this month, prepare a dry and well situ-
ated piece of ground for an early crop of peas, the gangster's early,
early frame, and early emperor, are the kinds most suitable for this
crop, but more particularly the first, though the others are excellent,
and will immediately succeed the early frame.

Sow each sort separate, and pretty thick, in rows or drills three
feet asunder, covering them not more than about an inch and a half;
or if the ground be very loose and light, two inches deep ; but if it
is of a stiff nature, one inch will be sufficient.

But in order to give the first early crops a greater advantage, pre-
pare a south border of dry light earth for their reception, and raise
the earth into narrow sloping ridges, about a foot broad at the base,
and nine inches high, and at the distance of three feet from each
other ; ranging these in a southwest direction from the north side of
the border ; then on the easterly sides of these ridges, about half
their height, sow your drills of peas, giving them the same depth of
covering as above directed. In this situation they will have all the
advantage of the morning and mid-day sun, lie dry, and will conse-
quently advance in vegetation much more rapidly than if sown in the
ordinary way.

RAISING PEAS IN HOT-BEDS, ETC.

Where a few peas are particularly required in the most early season,
they may be obtained by sowing some of the early dwarf kinds in a
hot-bed, to remain, or rather to be transplanted from that into another;
either of which methods should be performed early in this month if
neglected in last. These may be sown in a large hot-bed in rows
from the back to the front of the bed, to remain : or it would be
rather more eligible to sow them thick on a small hot-bed, to be trans-
planted into a larger when about an inch or two high : and if you

FEB.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 141

have any in an advanced state you may now transplant them as above,
to remain for bearing. But if you have the convenience of a hot-
house or forcing-house of any kind, you may easily and expeditiously
raise them therein, by either sowing the seeds or planting the plants,
if in a state of forwardness, in large pots, and depositing these in
convenient places in those houses.

N. B. A large quantity of the fallen leaves of trees laid around all
your hot-beds, as high as the upper parts of the frames, especially
those which contain tender plants, will afford them a very necessary
protection, by preventing the frost from penetrating through the sides
and ends of the frames, and at the same time they will produce a
lasting and comforting heat in the beds.

PLANTING BEANS.

By beans I mean the Vicia Faba of Linnaeus, and not the Pha-
seolus vulgaris, or kidney beans.

A full crop of these should be planted as early in this or the next
month as it is possible to get them into the ground ; for it is from
the early sown crops of these, that any tolerable produce may be ex-
pected in the United States, especially in the middle and southern
parts.

For this purpose, as soon as the weather will permit, dig an open
quarter of good ground, observing that a strong heavy soil is the
most suitable, but see that is not too wet when you work it; in which
plant a full crop of the early Mazagan, early Lisbon, long-podded,
white-blossom, large Windsor, toker, Sandwich, and other kinds : by
planting these different varieties at one time, they will come into
bearing in regular succession, according to their different degrees of
earliness. You need not be under any apprehension of their being
injured by the weather, as they are of a hardy nature, and will not
suffer by any frost which may overtake them, except in very extra-
ordinary cases.

Plant the small early kinds in drills three feet asunder, and the
beans two or three inches distant in the rows, or they may be planted
two rows in each drill, four inches distant each way, and covered two
inches deep. \ <*''

The large kinds, such as the Windsor, toker, Sandwich and broad
Spanish, should be planted at the distance of four feet, row from
row, and somewhat thinner than the small kinds. These may also
be planted occasionally by dibble, but drilling is the more expedi-
tious and better way.

You may continue planting these kinds once a week till the end
of March, but those planted after that season will not be so pro-
ductive.

These kinds may be forced in like manner as peas if desired ; for
their further treatment, see following months.

142 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [FEB.

SOWING PARSLEY SEED.

Sow some of the common and curled parsley seeds in drills, on
some warm border, to produce an early supply ; the seed will remain
a long time in the ground before it comes up, but there is no danger
of its perishing.

MUSHROOMS.

The same care that was directed last month in page 31, must be
continued with due attention to your mushroom beds ; being partic-
ular to preserve them effectually from frost and wet, either of which
would destroy the spawn, and render your beds unproductive.

ARTICHOKES.

If the weather is extremely severe, and you have not attended to
it before, lay some dry long litter over the rows of your choice globe
artichokes, which will tend greatly to their preservation.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In Georgia, South Carolina, and other parts of the more southern
States, this will be a very principal month with the inhabitants for
making their kitchen gardens ; for the method of doing which I can
only refer them to the kitchen garden for March and April, the work
recommended to be done in these months being quite applicable with
them at this season.

In the more northerly of the southern States, much work can be
done in the kitchen garden this month ; but the next will be their
important period, to which I refer them.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

PRUNING WALL AND ESPALIER TREES.

Peaches, nectarines, and apricots, should, in the middle States, be
pruned about the latter end of this month ; the beginning of next
will be a good time in the eastern States. This must be duly at-
tended to before the buds are much swelled, for then many of them
would be unavoidably rubbed off in performing the work.

Examine these trees well, and cut away all such parts as are use-
less, both in old and young wood, and leave a proper supply of the
last year's shoots for next summer's bearing ; all old wood that has
advanced a considerable length, and produced no young shoots proper
for bearing this year, nor support branches that do, are useless, and
should now be cut out to make room for better ; observing that a

FEB.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 143

general successional supply of young bearing wood, of the best well-
placed shoots of last summer, must now be retained in all parts of
the tree at moderate distances, to bear the fruit to be expected the
ensuing season, at the same time cut away all the ill-placed and super-
fluous shoots and very luxuriant growths, together with part of the
former year's bearers, &c., to make room for the successional bearing
shoots, as observed in January.

As you proceed, let the supply of reserved shoots be shortened
each according to its strength. Shoots of a vigorous growth should
be shortened but a little ; that is you may cut off about one -fourth of
the original length ; those of a moderate growth should be shortened
more in proportion by cutting off about one-third ; for instance, a
shoot of eighteen inches should be shortened to twelve or thereabouts,
and observe the same proportion according to the different lengths of
the shoots,

But for the more particular method of pruning these trees, see the
work of the fruit garden in January, pages 40, 41.

PRUNING OF APPLES AND PEARS, ETC.

Prune apples, pears, plums and cherries, against walls or espaliers;
and, if possible, let the whole of them be finished this month.
' In pruning these trees, observe, as directed last month, that as the
same branches or bearers remain many years in a proper fruitful
state, continue them trained close and straight to the wall or espalier,
not shortening their ends, but still continue training each at full
length as far as the limited space admits, and laying them in about
four, five, or six inches asunder.

In the next pkce observe, that if the branches be anywhere much
crowded, that is, if the bearing or principal branches are closer than
four, five, or six inches from one another, some should be pruned out :
observing, in this case, to take off such as are badly situated, and par-
ticularly such as appear to be the most unlikely to bear, by being
either worn out, or, at least, not well furnished with fruit-spurs, as
mentioned last month. Likewise observe, that when necessary to
make room in any particular part of the tree, to train more regularly
any eligible branches which are evidently well adapted for bearing ;
room must be made for them by cutting out such barren branches as
above described; and in any trees where the general branches are
trained considerably too close, and crowding in a confused irregular-
it}T, let some of the most unserviceable and irregular growths be cut
out in a thinning order, in different parts of such trees, to make room
for training the other more useful and eligible branches, in a proper
expansion, at regular distances.

When any old or large branches are to be taken out, let them be
cut off close to the places from whence they arise, or to any eligible
lateral branches which they support, and that you shall think con-
venient to leave ; in cutting off either old or young branches never
leave any stumps.

After cutting out any large branches, let such as remain near that
part be unnailed or unbound, in order to be brought higher or lower,

144 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [FEB.

as you shall see necessary, to train them all at equal distances ; or
when there are several large branches to be taken out in different
parts, the whole tree should be unn ailed or unbound, then you can
more readily train the general branches and bearers in exact order.

Next, let it be observed, that where a supply of wood is wanted,
leave some of the best situated of last summer's shoots, such as
directed to be retained in the summer pruning, to fill up the vacan-
cies ; and generally leave a leading one at the end of each branch
where you have room to train them. But all others of the last year's
shoots, not wanted for the above purpose, should every one be cut off
close to the places from whence they proceed, leaving no spurs but
what are naturally produced. The proper fruit-spurs are such as
were described last month, being produced on the sides and ends of
the branches, short, robust, and from about half an inch to an inch
or two in length.

Let these fruit- spurs be well attended to in pruning, carefully
preserving all those of a fresh, plump, robust growth ; but those of
a worn-out or rugged unsightly appearance, or that project consider-
ably long and irregular from the front of the branches in a foreright
direction, should generally be displaced, in order to preserve the
regularity of the trees, taking care to cut them off close, by which
new ones will be encouraged in places contiguous.

Having, in the course of pruning these trees, left most of the gene-
ral shoots and branches at their natural length, as before advised, in
all places whefe there is full scope to extend them, let them be all
trained regularly in that order, and nailed straight and close to the
wall, or nailed or tied to the espalier about four, five, or six inches
distant. For the management of young trees of these sorts, see the
work of the Fruit Garden in March, and for the methods of pruning
and treating your standard fruit-trees in this department, see the
article Orchard in January, pages 56, 57, and 58, and also the same
head both in this month and March.

FANCY TRAINING OF FRUIT-TREES.

It is a favorite theory of some writers that fruitfulness and bar-
renness in plants and trees are influenced by the mode of training.
Constraining fruit-trees within limited bounds, we know, answers a
good purpose. Hay ward, an English writer on the subject, has ex-
plained various modes, which we here repeat for the amusement of
amateurs. The following, in brief, is his method : —

If it be desired to train fruit-trees so as to fill a circular space, they
are best trained with their branches reversed ; they thus bear a great
deal of fruit in a small space, and are protected from high winds
without stakes. Obtain plants with one upright stem, of from three
to four feet in height, and at this height let them throw out from
four to six branches three or four feet long, like Fig. 13. Bring
down the branches at the winter pruning and fix them to a hoop
with willow or twine, thus, Fig. 14. The sap will not now flow in
sufficient quantity down the branches to form wood branches at their
ends, but the buds will readily form for blossom buds and fruit.

FEB.]

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

145

The wood shoots will be thrown out on the upper sides of the re-
versed branches, and in winter may be cut out or brought down as
before for a second tier, as in Fig. 15 ; and, on the same principles,

Fig. 13.

Fig. 14.

Fig. 15.

may be carried to a greater height. Remove all collaterals as soon
as discovered, and as the reversed branches are worn out they must
be cut away, and fresh ones brought down. Two tiers will be as
much as will be manageable or useful.

The " spiral cylinder" is well adapted to small gardens. Prune
and manage the tree so that it shall form four or six branches of
nearly equal size near the ground, Fig. 16. When these are three
to five feet long, fix six rods or stakes into the earth for supports, in

a circle about the root, as in Fig. IT, the centre dot marking the
root and the others the rods. Each branch is then to be brought
down, and, being fixed to the rod near its base, the branch is to be

Fig. 16.

Fig. 17.

Fig. 18.

carried round in a spiral manner, on such an elevation as will form
an inclination of fifteen degrees, each being fixed in the same man-
ner ; thus all will move in the same direction, like so many cork-
screws, as we see in the Cereus tribe in windows, wound round up-
right sticks, Fig. 18.

As trees trained in this manner need never exceed the bounds
10

146 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [FEB.

allotted them on a border or bed, a greater number may be planted,
and a greater quantity of fruit produced in a given space, than can
be, the case when they are trained in any other manner. Pear and
apple-trees thus treated should always be on dwarf-growing stocks.

FIG-TREES.

Except in the southern States, it will not be advisable to attempt
pruning your fig-trees till towards the end of next month, or begin-
ning of April, to which I shall refer you for particular remarks and
directions.

PRUNE AND PLANT GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT-TREES.

Gooseberries and currants should be pruned now, if omitted in the
former months, both in the standard bushes and those against walls,
fences, &c.

In pruning the common standards, observe to cut away all cross-
growing branches, and regulate such as advance in a straggling man-
ner from the rest ; or where the branches in general stand so close
as to interfere let them be thinned properly, so that every branch
may stand clear of the other, at a regular moderate distance, and
prune out the superabundant lateral and other unnecessary shoots of
last summer. (See the Fruit Garden of last month, page 43, and
also October.)

Let these shrubs be always trained with a single stem, clear of
branches, six or eight inches to a foot from the ground, as directed in
the former month.

Likewise to currants, &c., against walls, give a necessary pruning
and regulation, as directed in January, &c.

Gooseberry and currant-trees may be planted towards the end of
this month, if the weather permits, both in standards for the general
plantation, at six to seven or eight feet distance, and some against
walls, board-fences, &c., for earlier fruit, but principally currants, and
let these for the most part be of the best red and white sorts.

You may occasionally plant a few of the best kinds of gooseberries
to north walls, which is the most suitable situation for them in our
climates j next to that east or west walls ; but plant only very few
to those fronting the south, as in such a situation the sun would in
summer be much too powerful for these shrubs.

For the method of propagating and raising them, see the work of
the Nursery in March and October.

RASPBERRIES.

Raspberries may be pruned towards the latter end of this month,
especially if the weather be tolerably mild, in doing of which ob-
serve to clear away all the old decayed stems which bore fruit last
season, and to leave four or five of the strongest of last year's shoots
standing on each root to bear next summer. All above that number
on every root must be cut off close to the surface of the ground, and

FEB.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 14t

all straggling shoots between the main plants must also be taken
away.

Each of the shoots which are left should be shortened, observing
to cut off about one-fourth of their original length.

The shoots of each root when pruned, if considerably long and
straggling, may be tied two or three together ; for by that method
they support one another so as not to be borne down in summer by
the weight of heavy rains or violent winds.

When you have finished pruning, or as soon after as possible, dig
the ground between the plants, observing as you dig to clear away
all straggling growths in the intervals, leaving none but such as be-
long to the shoots which are left to bear.

New plantations of raspberries may be made about the latter end
of this month, where the severe winter frosts are over and the ground
in proper condition ; but where this is not the case, that work must
be deferred till next month or until the soil is in a fit state for culti-
vation. For the method of making these plantations, see the Fruit
Garden in March and October.

The Antwerp raspberries, which had on the approach of winter
been laid down and covered with litter, &c., on account of their being
somewhat more tender than the common kinds, ought not to be dis-
turbed till the opening of good weather in March, unless their buds
begin to swell too freely.

STRAWBERRIES.

Continue to force early strawberries as directed last month in
pages 46 and 112, which see.

Having two or three years old bearing plants in pots, as then
directed, plunge them into the hot-beds, and manage them as there
advised.

Be careful to admit plenty of air to the plants at every favorable
opportunity, by setting up the glasses behind every mild day, and
at intervals give gentle waterings to the earth in the pots around
the plants, not pouring it over them, especially while they are in
flower.

When you find the heat of the beds to be on the decline, renew it
by adding a lining of fresh horse-dung to the sides or ends, or to
both, as necessity may require ; and be very particular in covering
the glasses every night with mats or other covering.

This is also a very successful time to place pots of strawberry
plants in the hot-house, or in any forcing-house; they will in these
places bear well, and in early perfection.

FORCING EARLY FRUIT IN FORCING-HOUSES.

The beginning of this month, if not done before, you may proceed
to forcing fruit-trees in hot-walls, peach-houses, cherry-houses, &c.,
by aid of fire or other artificial heat; the proper sorts are peaches,
nectarines, apricots, cherries, figs, vines, plums, &c.; having young
trees for this purpose that are arrived to a bearing state, and planted

148 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [FEB.

a year or two before the borders, &o., of the forcing departments; or
you may have some also in large pots or tubs, to remove therein at
forcing time occasionally. The trees may be both as wall-trees and
espaliers, training the branches to a trellis erected for that purpose,
and some may be in dwarf standards; you may also have some
cherries, both in small-headed standards, half standards and dwarfs ;
and vines trained up under the sloping glasses. (See Hot-house, De-
cember.}

Let moderate fires be made every afternoon and evening ; and if
there is a pit within the forcing-house, in wh,ich to have a bark or
dung hot-bed, you may make the bed a week or ten days before you
begin the fires ; and if a bark-bed is intended, fill the pit with new
tanner's bark ; or if a dung hot-bed, make it with fresh, hot horse-
dung; and when it has settled down six or eight inches, lay that
depth of tanner's bark at top. These beds will support a constant
moderate warmth in which you may plant pots of dwarf-cherries and
of scarlet and Alpine strawberries, which will have fruit very early,
and in great perfection. Continue making fires every evening, and
support them till ten or eleven o'clock to warm the air of the house
till morning, when the fire may be renewed moderately, but not con-
stantly the whole day, except in very severe weather, especially if
there is the assistance of a bark hot-bed; unless it is required to for-
ward the trees as much as possible. However, where there is no in-
ternal hot-bed you must continue a constant, regular, moderate fire heat.
With this management the trees will soon begin to advance in
blossom-buds, &c., when you must be careful to continue a regular
moderate heat in the house.

Admit fresh air to the trees every mild day when sunny, especially
after they begin to bud and shoot, either by sliding down some of
the upper sloping glasses two or three inches, or drawing some of the
uprights in front a little way open, shutting all close towards the after-
noon, or as soon as the weather changes cold ; giving air more fully as
the warm season increases, and as the trees advance in blossom and
shooting.

Give also occasional waterings both to the borders and over the
branches of the trees before they blossom ; but when in flower and
until the fruit is all fairly well set, desist from watering over the
branches, lest it destroy the fecundating pollen of the anthers des-
tined for the impregnation of the fruit.

The fires may be continued till towards May, being careful never
to make them stronger than to raise the internal heat to about 60°
of Fahrenheit's thermometer, in peach and cherry-houses, and 70°
in vine-houses; for in vineries, having only principally vines in
forcing, the heat is generally continued stronger, as they bear it in a
higher degree, whereby to forward the fruit to the earliest perfection.
According as the fruit advances to full growth, continue assisting
them by waterings, and give them free air every warm sunny day ;
and when advancing towards ripening, encourage a strong heat in
the middle of the day, by admitting less or more air, in proportion
to the power of the sun, to forward their maturity, and promote a
rich flavor.

FEB.] THE ORCHARD. 149

Thus the fruits will ripen earlier by two months or more in some,
than their natural time of perfection in the open ground and full air.

In the above forcing departments you may also place pots of cur-
rants, raspberries, and strawberries, &c.

THE ORCHARD.

The feelings of a lover of improvement can scarcely be expressed
on observing the almost universal inattention paid to the greater
number of our Orchards, and that people who go to a considerable
expense in planting and establishing them, afterwards leave them to
the rude hand of nature, as if the art and ingenuity of man availed
nothing, or that they merited no further care ; however, it is to be
hoped that the good example and the consequent success of the care-
ful and industrious, will stimulate others to pay the necessary atten-
tion to these departments, and thereby to serve themselves as well as
the community at large.

At this season you can conveniently perform the very necessary
and important works of pruning, of scraping and rubbing off moss
and other parasitic plants, and of manuring the ground where
wanted ; and as much depends on these dressings, they should by
no means be neglected, more especially as this is a very eligible time
for performing them, and one with which other business does not fre-
quently interfere.

For the method of pruning these trees and other necessary observa-
tions, I refer you to the article Orchard, last month, page 56, &c.

Where trees are much overrun with moss, it may be removed as
directed in page 57, or a strong man with a good birch broom in a
wet day would do great execution. The best method of destroying
moss on young trees, is to rub all the branches affected, in spring or
autumn, or in both if necessary, with a hard scrubbing-brush and
soap-suds. This will not only remove the moss, but tend consider-
ably to prevent its sudden return.

Canker in a great measure arises from animalcules, or small or very
minute insects or worms, &c., of various kinds ; where this is the case,
cut out the whole of the cankered part, clean to the sound wood, wash
the part well with the following solution, and also all other parts that
seem to be in the least affected, then give it a light coat of the medi-
cated tar prescribed in page 58.

Dissolve a drachm of corrosive sublimate in a gill of gin or other
spirit, and when thus dissolved incorporate it with four quarts of soft
water. This solution will be found to be the most effectual remedy
ever applied to trees, both for the destruction of worms of every
species, and of the eggs of insects deposited in the bark. No danger
to the trees is to be apprehended from its poisonous quality, which
in respect to them is perfectly innocent.

Peach-trees which are annoyed by worms, should, towards the end
of this month, particularly near and a little under the surface of the

150 THE ORCHARD. [FEB.

ground, be carefully examined, and where any are found they must
be picked out with the point of a knife, and with as little injury to
the bark as possible, for by lacerating the rind or bark in a careless
manner, which is too frequently the case on these occasions, this
vehicle, which nature has provided for carrying up the nourishment
extracted by the roots, being destroyed, the trees must of course
perish, or be weakened in proportion as it is injured.

This being done, wash all the trunks or stems of the trees, as well
as any other parts in which you suspect these vermin or their embryo
eggs to be lodged, with the above solution, and also the wounded
parts, after which apply with a brush a slight dressing of the medi-
cated tar to each and every of the wounds inflicted by picking out
the worms. This will preserve your trees in health and fruitful-
ness much longer than if left to the mercy of these destructive in-
truders.

As to manure, it is well known that where hogs and poultry are
constantly running over the ground, the trees seldom fail of a crop,
which is the best proof that manure is necessary. Any manure will
suit an orchard, but the sweepings of cow-houses, hog-pens, slaughter-
houses, poultry and pigeon-houses, emptying of drains, &c., are more
disposed to facilitate the growth and promote the health of fruit-trees,
than stable manure. However, any kind of manure is better than
none at all.

ON ROOT-PRUNING.

When a tree has stood so long that the leading roots have entered
into the under strata, they are apt to draw a crude fluid, which the
organs of the most delicate fruit-trees cannot convert into such
balsamic juices as to produce fine fruit. To prevent this evil, as
soon as a valuable tree begins to show a sickly pinkiness upon the
leaves, or the fruit inclining to ripeness before it has acquired its full
growth, at the same time the bark becoming dry, hard, and disposed
to crack, let the ground, as soon in the spring as the frost is out of
it, be opened for three or four feet round the tree, and with a chisel
cut close to the horizontal roots every one that you find in the least
tending downward. Should there be any mouldy appearance or rot-
tenness among the roots, cut such out effectually, and wash the others
clean with a weak lye or soap suds. If the ground be wet, place a
few flat stones under the places where you cut off the descending
roots, to prevent the young roots which may be produced again from
about the cuts taking a perpendicular direction, and to give them a
lateral inclination.

As the roots invariably collect the sap from the extreme points,
this cutting compels the horizontal ones to work and exert themselves,
and if there be any energy left, they will soon throw out fresh fibres,
and thus collect a more congenial sap for the support of the tree and
fruit. At the same time, in the filling in of the earth, add a quantity
of good rotten manure, and cover the ground thinly over with the
same, as far as the roots may be supposed to extend; wash the stem
and branches with soap-suds, or if any worms are perceivable, with

FEB.] THE ORCHARD. 151

the mercurial or corrosive solution, and water the ground round the
tree at intervals in very dry weather, till you perceive it pushing
vigorously.

There is not a more powerful agent for producing the canker and
other disorders than these descending roots. Canker indeed may
arise from an improper soil, a vitiated sap, animalculae, and the want
of free circulation of the fluids : the last is often caused by inju-
diciously shortening too many of the leading branches. The medi-
cation before recommended will stop the progress of the evil on the
parts to which it is applied ; but the canker may again break out on
the other parts of the same tree, and that arises very frequently from
the roots striking into a cold and unfriendly soil.

The fluids being once vitiated by any subterraneous cause, canker
is not the only evil ; insects are' invited thereby to deposit their eggs
in the bark, which in due time become crawling maggots ; these feed
on the sap of the trees, devouring the inner bark and rind as they
proceed, until the period of their chrysalis; which having undergone,
they take wing and fly off, and in their progress seldom fail to lay
the foundation of similar mischief.

From this may be inferred the necessity of making a judicious
choice of proper ground for your fruit-trees, and paying due atten-
tion to their cultivation and health ; for it is quite as presumable, if
not more so, that the vitiated juices of the trees invite the worms,
than that they are the original cause which produces it.

When any of your fruit-trees are growing extremely luxuriant,
and continue to produce no fruit, though having arrived at a proper
age for that purpose, they may be forced into a bearing state by open-
ing the ground around them and cutting through a few of their
largest roots, but especially the descending ones; the deprivation
which will arise from this, of their extraordinary resources, which
was the cause of their running into such a luxuriancy of wood, will
soon bring them into a bearing state ; but be careful that you smooth
with a chisel or other sharp instrument, the roots at the amputations,
and not have them in a mangled state, which might bring on diseases
that probably would destroy the trees.

The following extracts, taken from a communication made by that
ingenious citizen, DOCTOR JAMES TILTON, of Wilmington, Delaware,
and published in the first American edition of the Domestic Encydo-
pdedia, by Messrs. Birch and Small, Philadelphia, are worthy of at-
tention ; and the laudable efforts of that gentleman, both in agricul-
tural and horticultural pursuits, are highly meritorious and deserving
of emulation.

" Curculio, a genus of insects belonging to the Coleoptera or Beetle
order. The species are said to be very numerous. The immense
damage done by an insect of this tribe to the fruits of this country,
of which there is no similar account in Europe, has given rise to a
conjecture with some naturalists, that we have a peculiar and very de-
structive species in America.

" The manner in which this insect injures and destroys our fruits,
is by its mode of propagation. Early in the spring, about the time
when the fruit-trees are in blossom, the Curculiones ascend in swarms

152 THE ORCHARD. [FEB.

from the earth, crawl up the trees, and as the several fruits advance,
they puncture the rind or skin with their pointed^rostra, and deposit
their embryos in the wounds thus inflicted. The maggot thus bedded
in the fruit, preys upon its pulp and juices, until in most instances
the fruit perishes, falls to the ground, and the insect escaping from
so unsafe a residence, makes a sure retreat, into the earth ; where,
like other beetles, it remains in the form of a grub or worm during
the winter, ready to be metamorphosed into a bug or beetle as the
spring advances. Thus every tree furnishes its own enemy; for
although these bugs have manifestly the capacity of flying, they ap-
pear very reluctant in the use of their wings j and perhaps never em-
ploy them but when necessity compels them to migrate. It is a fact,
that two trees of the same kind may stand in the nearest possible
neighborhood, not to touch each other, that one shall have its fruit
destroyed by the curculio, and the other be uninjured, merely from
contingent circumstances which prevent the insects from crawling up
the one, while they are uninterrupted from climbing the other.

" The curculio delights most in the smooth skinned stone fruits,
such as nectarines, plums, apricots, &c., wh^n they abound on a farm :
they nevertheless attack the rough-skinned peach, the apple, pear,
and quince. The instinctive sagacity of these creatures directs them
especially to the fruits most adapted to their purpose. The stone
fruits more certainly perish by the wounds made by these insects, so
as to fall in due time to the ground and afford an opportunity to the
young maggot to hide itself in the earth. Although multitudes of
these fruits fall, yet many recover from the wounds, which heal up
with deeply indented scars. This probably disconcerts the curculio
in its intended course to the earth. Be this as it may, certain it is,
that pears are less liable to fall, and are less injured by this insect
than apples. Nectarines, plums, &c., in most districts of our country
where the curculio has gained an establishment, are utterly destroyed,
unless special means are employed for their preservation. Cherries
escape better on account of their rapid progress -to maturity and their
abundant crops : the curculio can only puncture a small part of them
during the short time they hang upon the tree. These destructive in-
sects continue their depredations from the first of May until autumn.
Our fruits collectively estimated must thereby be depreciated more
than half their value.

"It is supposed the curculio is not only injurious above ground,
but also in its retreat below the surface of the earth, by preying on
the roots of our fruit-trees. We know that beetles have, in some
instances, abounded in such a manner as to endanger whole forests.
Our fruit-trees often die from manifest injuries done to the roots by
insects, and by no insects more probably than the curculio. In dis-
tricts where this insect abounds, cherry-trees and apple-trees, which
disconcert it most above, appear to be the special objects of its ven-
geance below the surface of the earth.

" These are serious evils to combat, which every scientific inquirer
is loudly called upon to exert his talents ; every industrious farmer
to double his diligence, and all benevolent characters to contribute
their mite.

FEB.] THE ORCHARD. 153

" Naturalists have been accustomed to destroy viscious insects by
employing their natural enemies to devour them.

" We are unacquainted with any tribe of insects able to destroy
the curculio. All the domestic animals, however, if well directed,
contribute to this purpose. Hogs, in a special manner, are qualified
for the work of extermination. This voracious animal, if suffered to
go at large in orchards, and among fruit-trees, devours all the fruit
that falls, and among others, the curculiones, in the maggot state,
which may be contained in them. Being thus generally destroyed
in the embryo state, there will be few or no bugs to ascend from the
earth in the spring, to injure the fruit. Many experienced farmers
have noted the advantage of hogs running in their orchards. Mr;
Bordley, in his excellent Essays on Husbandry, takes particular
notice of the great advantage of hogs to orchards ; and although he
attributes the benefits derived from the animals to the excellence of
their manure, and their occasional rooting about the trees, his mis-
take in this trivial circumstance does by no means invalidate the
general remarks of this acute observer. The fact is, hogs render
fruits of all kinds fair and unblemished, by destroying the curculio.

"The ordinary fowls of a farm-yard are great devourers of beetles.
Poultry in general are regarded as carnivorous in summer, and there-
fore cooped sometimes before they are eaten. Every body knows
with what avidity ducks seize on the tumble-bug (Scarabasus carni-
fex), and it is probable the curculio is regarded by all the fowls as an
equally delicious morsel. Therefore it is, that the smooth stone
fruits, particularly, succeed much better in lanes and yards, where
the poultry run without restraint, than in gardens and other inclos-
ures, where the fowls are excluded.

"All the terebinthinate substances, with camphor and some others,
are said to be very offensive to insects generally. Upon this prin-
ciple, General T. ROBINSON, of Naaman's Creek, suspends annually
little bits of board, about the size of a case-knife, dipped in tar, on
each of his plum-trees — from three to five of these strips are deemed
enough, according to the size of the tree^ The General commences
his operations about the time or soon after the trees are in full bloom,
and renews the application of the tar frequently while the fruit hangs
on the tree. To this expedient, he attributes his never failing suc-
cess. Other gentlemen allege, that common turpentine would be
still better ; being equally pungent and more permanent in its effects.
Some have sown offensive articles, such as buckwheat, celery, &c.,
at the root of the tree, and have thought that great advantages fol-
lowed.

" Ablaqueation, or digging round the trees, and making bare their
roots in winter, is an old expedient of gardeners for killing insects,
and may answer well enough for a solitary tree a year or two ; but
the curculio will soon recover from a disturbance of this sort, and
stock the tree again.

" In large orchards, care should be taken that the stock of hogs
is sufficient to eat up all the early fruit which fall from May until
August. This precaution will be more especially necessary in large
peach orchards ; for, otherwise, when the hogs become cloyed with

154 THE VINEYARD. [FEB.

the pulp of the peach, they will let it fall out of their mouths, and
content themselves with the kernel, which they like better ; and thus
the curculio escaping from their jaws, may hide under ground until
next spring.

"A young orchard should not be planted in the place of, or adja-
cent to an old one, that it may not be immediately infested with the
curculio.

"It is also apparent from what has been said, that great advantages
might result from an association or combination of whole neighbor-
hoods against this common enemy. Although an intelligent farmer
may accomplish much, by due attention, within his own territory,
$he total extermination of the curculio can hardly be expected but
by the concurrent efforts of whole districts."

For further particulars respecting fruit-trees, see the article Orchard
in March.

THE VINEYARD.

To the preparatory and other necessary work, recommended in
January, to be done in the vineyard, page 60, I again call your par-
ticular attention ; if it is put off till March, you will then find the
consequent embarrassment of such neglect ; therefore let every pre-
paration be made in this, as well as the last month, that the season
will admit of.

The beginning of this month will be a good time to cart manure
into the vineyard; laying it down in the most elevated places possible
for the ease of wheeling it on barrows down among the rows of vines;
this ought to be perfectly rotted, and of a quality suited to the nature
of the soil ; well rotted cow-dung is the best manure for ground of a
very hot nature, but, if very cold or stiff, which ought to be as much
avoided as possible in the planting of a vineyard, it may be improved
by well rotted horse-dung or street dirt ; when these cannot be had,
any kind of well incorporated rich compost or other manure may be
used.

If the vineyard be on the declivity of a hill, and your vines are
not more than one, two, or three years old, scatter a good shovelful
or two of this manure principally on the upper side of each plant,
observing that none of it reaches within six inches of the stem ; for
if placed close thereto, slugs, worms, and the embryos of various in-
sects, so frequently found in dung and other manure, would take
shelter about the stock, penetrate down along its roots, and might
materially injure it at a future period. But when these are exposed,
without the advantage of this protection, to the severe frosts of the
season, the greater number of them will be destroyed thereby.

The manure so placed, its nutritive parts will be washed down by
rains, and the whole, by the necessary culture, will ultimately be
brought to the roots of the plants. When the vineyard happens to

FEB.] THE VINEYARD. 155

be on level ground scatter the manure as above, equally around the
plants.

If your vines are four years old or more, let it be cast all over the
ground, as by this time the roots will be extended to a considerable
distance in every direction and prepared to receive nourishment at
all points.

PRUNING OP VINES IN THE VINEYARD.

In the middle States, the last week of this month will be an excel-
lent time to prune vines, unless it should happen to be extremely
severe ; in which case it will be better to defer the pruning for a few
days longer, but on no account later than the first week in March,
which latter period will be a good time to commence that business in
the eastern States, allowing there the same latitude in similar cases;
but the more to the southward the earlier ought this to be done ; for
if deferred till the sap begins to ascend, serious evils will ensue to
the plants, in consequence of bleeding too copiously from the wounds.
Let it be observed that the sap begins to rise six weeks or more
before the buds expand into leaves.

Such plants as are but one year old from the cuttings must be cut
down to one or two good buds each, according to their strength,
always cutting about an inch above the bud in a sloping manner, and
on the opposite side thereto, observing that the lowermost bud, next
the old wood, is never reckoned among the good ones.

Such of these young plants as have made more than one shoot last
season must be deprived of all, by cutting them off as close as possible
to the old wood, except the strongest and best placed j which prune
as above directed, and cut off such part of the old wood, close to
this shoot, as appears above it, in order that the bark may grow over
it and the stem become whole and sound.

Your two year old plants must be similarly treated, with this
difference, that you may leave two good buds to each in order to form
as many strong shoots for the next season.

The three year old plants must be headed down to two good buds,
leaving not more than two shoots to each plant, which will produce
four for the ensuing season; and these, if the plants be in good
health, will yield fruit very handsomely that year.

The fourth year of a plant leave it three of the best shoots, head-
ing them down to good buds each ; and observe to cut off the extra
branches dose to where they were produced, and in like manner any
decayed wood, as well as the spurs or stumps occasioned by last year's
pruning ; by which treatment all the parts will get covered with bark,
and the stock to be continued in health and vigor.

According as your vines increase in age and strength, you may
leave from four to eight shoots " on a plant, in proportion to its
strength, each headed down from two to four or five good buds,
always leaving the greatest number of buds on the most vigorous
shoots.

When a vine is extremely vigorous and well furnished, you may
head one or two of its best shoots at the height of three or four feet

156 THE VINEYARD. [FEB.

which will bear an abundance of fruit ; but the others must be headed
down to two or three buds each, in order that they may produce good
wood for the ensuing year's bearing and not too much fruit ; for those
which you headed so high must be effectually cut out close to where
they were produced in the next pruning.

Having finished your pruning, see that each plant has a good firm
stake to support the young shoots when produced and advancing in
growth, and if it be vigorous and of many shoots, a second, or even a
third, would be more eligible.

Some inconsiderate persons may think that eight are too few for
a full grown vine ; but if they consider that the eight shoots so
pruned may produce, on an average, twenty-four, and each of these
bear three bunches of grapes, making in all seventy-two, they will
probably view the matter in a different point, especially when they
consider that the ground, occupied by this plant, is no more than
about six feet square. However fond people may be to see their
vines bear great quantities of fruit, the over-bearing of them, espe-
cially while young, and indeed at any period, is allowed on all hands
to injure them materially.

You are particularly to observe that the young shoots of last sum-
mer's growth are the only bearing wood ; that is, they produce new
shoots which bear fruit the same season ; therefore if you expect a
regular supply of grapes, you must manage your plants so as to have
an annual succession of new wood, which you cannot expect if the
vines are suffered to overbear.

The above being the method of managing vines in vineyards, the
heads being formed near the ground, which is the present practice
in most of the vine countries, I shall now proceed to give some di-
rections for the pruning of such as are trained against walls, trellises
or espaliers.

PRUNING OF VINES AGAINST WALLS, TRELLISES, AND ESPALIERS.

In order to have well formed espaliers and wall- vines, &c., you
must train the two first good shoots, produced by the plant, horizon-
tally, one to each side, within a foot or a little better of the ground,
and continue them in that direction, from year to year, to whatever
extent you may think desirable.

The first year these must be deprived only of the decayed wood
on the extremities, and of any secondary shoots proceeding from the
axillas of the leaves, unless they have run to the desired extent : the
second year they will produce shoots from the joints, which are to
be trained either upright, serpentine form, or fan-fashion, according
to fancy, at the distance of about twelve inches from each other ; the
third year head each of these down to one good bud, and train
them up as before directed ; the fourth, and every succeeding year,
make choice of the strongest shoots, say every third one, and head
them down to from ten to twenty buds each, more or less, according
to the strength of the mother plant, goodness of the ground, and
roundness of the wood, but never leave wood that is not round, for
such seldom bears fruit. The other shoots are to be headed down

FEB.] THE NURSERY. 157

to one or two good buds each, which are to produce young wood for
the next year's bearing, as those left to bear this season must be cut
down next, in order to produce a succession of young wood ; and so
continue in their management from year to year.

When you meet with old vines which have been neglected, and
having a great quantity of naked wood, as is generally the case, cut
them down near to the ground, and they will not fail to produce you
plenty of young wood, which you can train to your liking, but you
will have no fruit for that year. Or you may cut out every other
branch, leaving the old ones to produce fruit that season ; but these
must be cut down the next year in order to produce young wood,
and a well furnished tree.

When arbors are to be formed of grape-vines, the shade being as
much an object as the fruit, you are to train them so as to cover the
place handsomely, and at the same time to produce as much and as
good fruit as possible, by not permitting the leading branches or
shoots to crowd together, but to spread evenly and thin over the
whole place: this must be done by judicious pruning and careful
training, always bearing in mind the preceding general directions.

For the methods of propagating and planting grape-vines, and the
various kinds thereof, see the Vineyard in March.

SOUTHERN STATES. r ^

This will be a principal time for propagating vines by cuttings,
layers, &c., and planting vineyards in most of the southern States :
for the methods of doing which, see the Vineyard in March.

THE NURSERY.

The various instructions given in the course of this month,
for the nursery, as far as they relate to work which is to be done in
the open ground, are on the presumption that the severe winter frosts,
have, towards the end of the month, disappeared, and that the ground
at that time is in a fit state for cultivation ; at least, sufficiently so
for the reception of plants of a very hardy nature, and such as, if
planted, could receive no injury whatever from any subsequent frost
or severity of weather, and that will succeed better by taking the
earliest possible advantage of the season : moreover, it is the better
way to have as much of your business done at as early a period as
possible, the better to enable you to meet the great pressure, which,
with respect to planting, sowing, grafting, &c. &c., must be attended
to in March.

But when the weather in the latter end of this month is severe, or
the ground bound up by frost, there is no alternative but to defer the
business till the arrival of a more favorable period.

158 THE NURSERY. [FEB.

PROPAGATING BY CUTTINGS, ETC.

Plant cuttings of gooseberries and currants according to the rules
laid down in next month and in October ; these will form tolerable
branchy heads by the end of summer, and will produce fruit in a year
or two after.

Be careful to train these trees always with a single stem, six or
eight to ten or twelve inches high before you form the head.

Plant also cuttings of honeysuckles, and other Tiardy flowering
shrubs and trees; as many different sorts may be propagated by that
method.

The cuttings must be shoots of the former year's growth : choose
such as have strength, cutting them from the respective trees and
shrubs in proper lengths ; or long shoots may be divided into two or
more cuttings, which should not be shorter than eight inches, nor
much longer than twelve. Plant them in rows two feet asunder, at
six or eight inches distance in the row, putting each cutting two-thirds
of its length into the earth.

Most kinds which are thus planted now, will be well rooted by
next October.

PROPAGATING BY SUCKERS.

Many kinds of trees and shrubby plants furnish abundance of
suckers from the roots for propagation, particularly robinias, roses,
lilacs, syringas, and many other hardy kinds : the suckers may now
be separated from the parent plants, each with some roots, and planted
either in nursery-rows for a year or two, or the largest, at once, where
they are to remain.

PROPAGATING BY LAYERS.

The latter end of this month, you may make layers of all such
shrubs and trees as are increased by that method, though the best
time to do this is between the first of October and end of November,
but where it was omitted at that period it may now be done, and most
kinds will still succeed.

In making layers of any kinds of trees or shrubs, observe to dig
round the plant that is to be layed, and as you go on, bring down the
shoots or branches regularly, and lay them along in the earth, with
their tops above ground, fastening them securely there with hooked
pegs, and then let all the young shoots on each branch be neatly
layed, and cover them five or six inches deep with earth, leaving the
top of each three or four to five or six inches out of the ground.

It may be of advantage in laying some of the more hard-wooded
kinds, to gash or sKt the layers an inch or better by an upward cut
on the under side, as intimated in the Nursery, page 70.

Most kinds of layers which are now layed, will be tolerably well
rooted and fit to be transplanted by next autumn, some not till the
second year ; but for general instructions, see the Nursery in October.

FEB.] THE NURSERY. 159

TRANSPLANTING LAYERS.

Take off the layers of such hardy shrubs and trees as were layed
down last year, and which still remain on the stools.

Let these layers, as soon as they are taken off, be trimmed and
planted in rows in an open situation, two feet or more asunder, ac-
cording to the size of the plants, and the plants about twelve or fif-
teen inches distant in rows.

PRUNING, ETC.

Should the weather permit, you ought towards the latter end of
the month to dig the ground between the rows of your nursery trees
and shrubs, first giving them such necessary pruning as may be
wanted ; but if the ground is then bound up with frost, you may per-
form the latter and defer the former work, till the frost is away, which
then must be done without delay, especially where the ground is tole-
rably dry.

Trim up the stems of such young, hardy fruit and forest-trees as
require it, especially the deciduous kinds, and also prune off all dis-
orderly rambling shoots, so as to bring them into a neat and hand-
some form.

Prune also the hardy flowering shrubs in nursery rows, whereby
to regulate any disorderly growths, and to give them a becoming ap-
pearance.

In doing this work, it would generally be proper to prune or train
the young plants mostly to short, single stems below; and where the
heads of any shrubs are very irregular, or run out in rambling shoots,
let them be reduced to some order and form, by cutting out or short-
ening such as may require any regulation, whereby to form a some-
what orderly shape in the general head. Likewise suckers arising from
the roots should generally be cleared off, and, if carefully detached
with some roots to each, the best of them, if wanted, may be planted
in nursery rows at proper distances ; they will make good plants in
two or three years' time, and the mother plants being cleared there-
from, will be preserved in a more regular proper growth.

After the above occasional pruning, let the ground be dug between
the rows of the continuing shrubs, if not done before; digging it one
spade deep in a neat, regular manner, to remain in good cultivated
order all the spring and ensuing summer.

SOWING STONES TO RAISE STOCK FOR GRAFTING, ETC.

As early as possible this month sow the stones of plums, peaches,
nectarines, apricots and cherries, &c., which were preserved in sand
or earth from the time of the fruit being ripe till this period ; for
unless they were preserved in this way, few of them will grow; these
may either be sown in drills, .or broadcast in a bed, and covered
from an inch to two inches deep, according to the lightness of the
soil and the proportionate size of the stones. I am by no means an

160 THE NURSERY. [FEB.

advocate for covering seeds of any kind too deep, never having had
good success from such. If the above sorts are covered but lightly,
they will easily grow through it, and when up you can refresh them
by sifting fresh earth over them, if in beds, and if in drills, by draw-
ing it to their stems.

SOWING HAWS FOR THE RAISING OF THORN-QUICK.

Having collected a sufficiency of fruit of the various kinds of haw-
thorn which you desire to propagate, the autumn twelve months
previous to the time of sowing, which is, as early in spring as it is
possible to get the ground in a good state of culture to receive them,
proceed to sowing as hereafter directed.

When you collect these seeds in autumn, mix them with equal
quantities of light sandy earth, and lay them in that state on the
surface of a dry spot of ground in your best inclosed garden, where
they cannot be disturbed by hogs, &c. ; form this mixture into a nar-
row, sloping ridge, tapering to, the top, and covering it with light,
loose earth two inches thick all over; the April following, turn this
ridge, mixing the whole together, and form it again in the same way,
covering in like manner as before with two inches deep of light, loose
earth ; repeat this again in the months of July and August, by which
the seeds in every part will be equally prepared for vegetation. A
trench must be cut round this ridge to prevent any water from
lodging about the seeds, for this would rot many, and injure others,
especially in the second winter, when the stones would be losing
their cementing quality, and begin to open ; for until this is effected,
the kernels cannot vegetate. Hence the necessity and great advan-
tage of not burying the stones in the earth, as injudiciously practised
by many; for if so treated, they would not have the advantage des-
tined by nature for their due preparation, and would labor under
many other disadvantages, as hereafter noticed.

It is well known, that many kinds of seeds when buried in the
earth below the power of vegetation, remain in an inactive state for
several years, even those whose nature it is to vegetate the first season
when properly exposed ; how much more so must it be with seeds of
such tardy vegetation as haws, and many other sorts ; but by being
thus exposed to the influence of the sun and air, and frequently
turned as before directed, all become equally and sufficiently pre-
pared, and will not fail when sowed in due season and suitable soil
to reward the judicious cultivator with an abundant crop.

When those seeds are buried deep, and not mixed with a due
quantity of earth as before observed, they are subject to ferment too
powerfully, and also to be injured by too much wet, and will never
be found, more especially when large quantities of them are together,
to vegetate equally — those near the surface and sides of the pit doing
tolerably well — some of the others not growing until a full year after
being sowed, and the greater number not at all.

There is not the least danger to be apprehended from frost in-
juring the seeds whilst so much exposed to it in those ridges ; how-
ever, it will not be amiss to strew a light covering of long litter over

FEB.] THE NURSERY. 161

them on the approach of winter, which will keep them dry, and con-
sequently in a better state for sowing when the season arrives.

The above mode of preparation is the result of the Author's expe-
rience for upwards of twenty years, being* in the habit of raising
several millions of thorn-quicks annually.

Your haws being prepared as above, make ready a piece of good,
rich ground, neither upon an elevated situation, nor too low; in the
former, the summer drought would be unfriendly, and in the latter,
they would be subject to mildew; this must be done as early in
spring as you can get the ground to work freely and pulverize well ;
for the haws begin to throw out roots at a very early period, and if
not sown at this time or before, a great number of those roots will be
broken off in the act of sowing, and thereby totally lost ; the others
which escape this accident, having their radicles extended on the
surface, penetrate the earth at the extreme points of those roots,
forming right angles with the parts already produced, by which
means they can never drive up the seed-leaves with as much vigor
as if the radicles descended immediately in a perpendicular direction
from the stones of the fruit ; hence the necessity of early sowing.

The ground, however, must not be wrought while wet, or at least
the seeds should not be covered with wet or heavy earth, nor too
deep, for if the surface should cake or become stiff in consequence
of dry weather ensuing, few of these young plants having broad
seed-leaves could bear up through it; therefore you must be very cau-
tious in that point; and if the earth of your bed is not light and dry
enough for this purpose, you must carry as much as will cover the
seeds from some dry compost heap, or some quarter of the garden
where it can be found in a suitable condition.

On examining your haws, if you find the earth in which they are
mixed any way clogged with too much moisture, so that the parts
and seeds would not separate freely in the act of sowing, mix there-
with a sufficient quantity of slack-lime or wood-ashes, to accomplish
that end.

Having everything in readiness, and your ground well dug, and
raked effectually as you proceed in the digging, still presuming that
it is in the best possible state of preparation, lay it out into four feet
wide beds, leaving twelve or fourteen inches of an alley between each,
and with the back of the rake push off into these alleys about three-
quarters of an inch of the fine raked surface of the beds, one-half of
each bed to the one side, and the other to the opposite ; this done,
sow your haws thereon, earth and all, as they had lain, so thick that
you may expect a thousand plants at least after every reasonable
allowance for faulty or imperfect seeds (there being many of these),
on every three or four yards of your beds ; (I have often had that
number upon as many feet) ; then, with a spade or shovel cast the
earth out of the alleys evenly over the beds, covering the seeds not
more than three-quarters of an inch deep, and not more than half an
inch if the earth be any way stiff; after which, rake the tops of the
beds very lightly, taking care not to disturb the seeds, in order to
take off the lumps and to give a neat appearance to the work.
11

162 THE NURSERY. [FEB.

The business being thus finished for the present, should you at a
future period perceive, especially when the plants are beginning to
appear above ground, any stiffness on the surface occasioned by dry
weather, give the beds frequent but gentle waterings, till all those in-
nocent prisoners are released from their bondage, after which you
will have pleasure and profit in their progress.

But this is not all ; the whole of your former trouble will be totally
lost, unless you are particularly careful in keeping these beds effect-
ually free from weeds from the moment the plants appear above
ground, till they are fit to be planted in hedge-rows, and even then,
until they have arrived at a sufficient size not to be injured by such.

It was an old practice to sow these seeds as soon as ripe, covering
them about an inch deep; but the loss of the ground during the long
period in which they lie dormant, the trouble and expense of weeding
them all that time, the numbers pulled up and exposed to animals of
various sorts, and I may say the exposure of the whole to mice,
squirrels, &c., have very justly induced to the abandonment of that
mode of culture.

Indeed, they may be sown with considerable safety the November
twelve months after they are ripe, being previously prepared as before
directed, there is no impediment in their way at that season, but their
long exposure to the depredations of mice, &c., which are extremely
fond of their kernels ; as to frost they value it not. However, upon
the whole, I prefer the early spring sowing, and have generally prac-
tised it with the best success.

Many of these plants, and indeed the greater number, if the
ground be good, will be fit for planting into the face of ditches the
autumn or spring following, and the entire of them that time twelve
months ; but if they are intended for forming upright hedges, the
strongest of the year old plants must, in the month of March, or
very early in April, be drawn out of the seed-beds, their long tap-
roots cut off, so as to shorten them to the length of five or six inches,
and then planted into nursery rows about two feet asunder, and the
plants to be about six inches distant in these rows ; having there two
or three years' growth, they will be in prime condition for that pur-
pose ; the remaining plants may be taken up the spring following,
and treated in the same way.

It often happens that an after-growth of young plants arises in the
seed-bed the second year, particularly when the haws have not been
well prepared ; these seldom come to anything : but if you pursue
the method already prescribed, you may depend on a good and gene-
ral crop the first year.

The various kinds of hawthorns that, on account of their spininess
might suit for live hedges, are the following ; all being indigenous in
the United States, except the first, which is the kind principally used
in Europe for that purpose.

1. Cratsegus oxyacantha, or common European hawthorn, or
whitethorn. Leaves obtuse sultrifate serrate.

With a robust trunk, branching from the bottom upwards to ten
or fifteen feet high, the branches armed with spines ; leaves obtuse,
trifid and sawed, with numerous clusters of flowers from the sides

FEB.] - THE NURSERY. 163

and ends of the branches, succeeded by bunches of dark red fruit,
commonly called haws ; flowers two-styled, sometimes three or four.

2. Cratsegus coccinea, or great American hawthorn. Leaves cor-
date-ovate, gash-angledj smooth ; petioles and calyxes glandular; flow-
ers Jive-styled.

This rises, when detached, to the height of near twenty feet, with
a large upright trunk, dividing into many, strong, irregular, smooth
branches, so as to form a large head. Leaves large and bending
backwards ; they are about four inches long, and three and a half
broad, having five or six pairs of strong nerves, and become of a
brownish red in autumn. The flowers come out from the sides of
the branches in umbels or large clusters ; they are large, make a noble
show early in May, and are succeeded by large fruit of a bright
scarlet color, which ripens in August or September. The branches
are marked with irregularly scattered dots; thorns axillary, stout,
spreading very much from the rudiments of the branches. Pedun-
cles pubescent, corymbed.

3. Crat&gus crus galli, or cockspur hawthorn. Leaves subsessile,
glittering, coriaceous; calycine leaflets, lanceolate subserrate ; flow-
ers, two-styled.

Stem strong, ten to fifteen feet high, bark of the stem rough, of
the branches smooth and reddish. Leaves lanceolate, three inches
long, and about one inch broad in the middle, serrate, of a lucid
green, alternate ; at many of the joints are smaller leaves in clusters;
thorns axillary, very strong, two inches in length, and bending like
a cock's spur. Flowers axillary, in roundish clusters, generally two
together, petals white, with a blush of red ; styles three ; fruit globu-
lar, of a red color. It flowers the latter end of May.

4. Cratsegus tomentosa, or woolly-leaved hawthorn. Leaves wedge-
form-ovate, serrate, somewhat angular, viUose underneath.

This has a slender shrubby stem about six or seven feet high, send-
ing out many irregular branches, armed with long slender thorns.
The flowers are small, proceeding from the sides of the branches,
sometimes single, and at other times two or three upon the same
peduncle, having large leafy calyxes, and being succeeded by small
roundish fruit. The flowers appear the latter end of May, and the
fruit ripens in September.

5. Cratsegus cordata, or maple-leaved hawthorn. Leaves cordate-
ovate, gash-angled, smooth, petioles and calyxes without glands; flow-
ers flve-styled.

This rises with a strong woody stem about five or six feet high,
sending out many spreading branches which incline to a horizontal
position. Leaves different in form, some indented at the petiole, others
not : they are generally about an inch and a half long, and nearly
of the same breadth in the middle, ending in acute points, and their
borders cut into several acute parts, which are sharply serrate ; they
are of a bright green, and stand on very slender petioles, about an
inch in length. The branches are armed with a few pretty long
slender spines. The flowers come out in small bunches from the
sides of the branches; stamens eight; styles four; fruit round, con-
gaining two seeds.

164 THE NURSERY. [FEB.

Branches spotted with white ; leaves cut into three, five, or seven
segments, accuminate, the size of birch-leaves. Petiole very slender,
shorter than the leaves : corymb compound : bractes at the base of
the peduncles, solitary, subulate, very small, deciduous : flowers some-
what smaller than the European hawthorn : teeth of the calyx very
short, obtuse, falling off when the fruit is ripe : styles five : fruit an
oblate spheroid, scarlet, the size of a red currant : the navel loose,
naked : stones five, tops filling up the navel, and naked. It flowers
the last of the genus.

6. Cratsegus pyrifolia, or pear-leaved hawthorn. Leaves ovate-
elliptic, gash-serrate, somewhat plaited and hirt, calyxes a little villose,
leaflets linear-lanceolate serrate, flowers three-staled. This species is
sometimes unarmed.

7. Cratsegus elliptica, or oval-leaved hawthorn. Leaves elliptic,
unequally serrate smooth, petioles and calyxes glandular, fruit globu-
lar, five-seeded.

8. Craleegus glandulosa, or hollow-leaved hawthorn. Leaves obo-
vate-wedge-form, angular, smooth, glittering ; petioles, stipules, and
calyxes glandular ; fruit oval, Jive-seeded.

This has very stout thorns. It flowers in May, and is a very
beautiful shrub.

9. Crat&egus flava, or yellow pear-berried hawthorn. Leaves ovate,
wedge-form, angular, smooth, glittering; petioles, stipules, and calyxes
glandular ; fruit turbinate, four-seeded.

There are often small leaves on the thorns, which in this and the
following species, are slender, and a little bent at the ends ; it flowers
in May.

10. Cratsegus parviflora, or gooseberry-leaved hawthorn. Leaves
wedge-form-ovate gashed serrate ; calycine leaflets gashed the length
of the fruit ; flowers five-styled.

This is of humble growth, seldom rising more than five or six feet,
sending out a great number of branches, which are interwoven and
armed with very long slender spines. The leaves are scarcely an
inch long, and some are not more than half an inch broad, but others
are almost as broad as they are long ; they are serrate, and have very
short footstalks. The flowers are produced at the ends of the
branches, generally one coming out from between the leaves, but
sometimes there are two or three, one below the other at the axils ;
they have large leafy calyxes, much longer than the petals ; they are
small, have twelve or more stamens, and four styles. The fruit is
small, and of an herbaceous yellow color when ripe.

There are many other varieties of the hawthorn in the United
States ; but these being generally unfurnished with spines, are not
so suitable for hedges as those described. Of the above, the first,
second, and third sorts, where they can conveniently be had, are the
best kinds to cultivate ; but either of them will answer that purpose
very well. The cultivation of all the species is similar.

For further particulars, and for the best methods of planting
hedges, as well as the several kinds of trees and shrubs most suitable
for them, see the Nursery in March.

FEB.] THE NURSERY. 165

SOWING VARIOUS KINDS OF HARDY TREE AND SHRUB SEEDS, WHICH
REQUIRE A PREVIOUS PREPARATION.

Ash, hornbean, red cedar, mezereon, juniper, holly, yew, spindle-
tree, bladder-nut, and lauruses of various kinds, with many others,
will require the same preparation as directed for haws ; they must be
sown at the same time, and covered only in proportion to the size of
their seeds ; that is, the smaller seeds will require not more than a
quarter of inch of covering, and the larger, from half to three-quarters
of an inch, in proportion to the lightness of the soil. Always avoid, at
this season particularly, sowing seeds of any kind too deep, especially
if the ground is of a heavy binding nature, or too wet at the time of
working it.

SOWING KERNELS OP APPLES, PEARS, AND QUINCES.

So soon as you find the ground in a good dry state, sow the ker-
nels of apples, pears, and quinces, to raise stocks for budding and
grafting on. The sooner that this can be done the better. It will
be necessary to have these kernels preserved, either in sand or earth,
from the time they were taken out of the fruit till the time of sow-
ing, or to take them at that time immediately fresh out of the fruit;
for when long exposed to the dry air they lose their vegetative
quality.

CARE OF TENDER AND YOUNG SEEDLING TREES AND SHRUBS.

In order to avoid repetitions and make room for other important
matter, I refer you for instructions on the above subjects to page 71,
observing that the same care and management recommended there
will be necessary during the whole of the winter months.

By one night's neglect at this season you might lose what cost you
the labor of months; therefore diligent care and attention is particu-
larly requisite during severe weather.

HOT-BEDS FOR SOWING TREE AND SHRUB SEEDS IN.

Make hot-beds for sowing therein some of the more curious kinds
of tree and shrub seeds. These are to be made as directed for cu-
cumbers in page 20, and fully as substantial; sow the seeds either
in pots or long narrow boxes, covering each kind with light dry earth
in proportion to its size; then plunge these pots and boxes to their
rims in the earth of the beds, but not till after the violent heat has
passed away ; sprinkle the earth in these pots frequently but very
lightly with water till the plants are up, after which you may give it
in proportion to their apparent necessity.

Keep the beds carefully covered at nights and in desperately ^e-
vere weather, and when the heat declines renew it by adding a lining
of fresh horse-dung to the sides and ends occasionally.

166 THE PLEASURE, OB [FEB.

SOUTHERN STATES.

The various works recommended to be done in page 71, this
month and March, in the Nursery, may be now practised with good
success in Georgia and South Carolina and various other parts of the
more southern States. This being their proper period for grafting,
I refer them for general observations and instructions on that head
to the work of the Nursery in March.

THE PLEASURE OR FLOWER GARDEN.

HARDY ANNUAL FLOWER-SEEDS.

About the latter end of this month, if the weather is mild and
dry, you may sow many sorts of hardy annual flower-seeds in bor-
ders and other parts of the pleasure-garden.

The sorts proper to .sow at this time are larkspur and flos Adonis,
scarlet pea, sweet-scented and Tangier peas, candy-tuft, dwarf lych-
nis, Venus's looking-glass, LobeFs catch-fly, Venus' s navelwort, dwarf
poppy, Nigella, annual sunflower, oriential mallow, lavatera, and
hawk- weed, with many other sorts.

Some of these, if sown now, particularly the Larkspur, flos Adonis,
sweet and Tangier peas, will flower much better than if sown at a
later period.

All the above seeds must be sown in the places where you intend
the plants to flower, in beds, borders, pots, &c. They must not be
transplanted, for these sorts will not succeed so well by that practice.
The following is the method : —

The flower-borders having been previously dug, dig with a trowel
small patches therein, about six inches in width, at moderate dis-
tances, breaking the earth well and making the surface even ; draw
a little earth off the top to one side, then sow the seed therein, each
sort in separate patches, and cover it with the earth that was drawn
off, observing to cover the small seeds near a quarter of an inch deep,
the larger in proportion to their size ; but the pea kinds must be
covered an inch deep at least.

When the plants have been up some time, the larger growing kinds
should, where they stand too thick, be regularly thinned, observing
to allow every kind, according to its growth, proper room to grow.

For instance, the sunflower to be left one in a place, the oriental
mallow and lavatera, not more than three; the rest may be left
thicker. (See May, &c.)

PLANT HARDY HERBACEOUS FIBROUS-ROOTED FLOWERING PEREN-
NIALS.

Towards the end of the month, if the weather be mild and open
and the ground dry, you may plant, where wanted, most sorts of

FEB.] FLOWER GARDEN. 16f

hardy fibrous-rooted flowering plants, both of perennials and bien-
nials, such as lobelias, Phloxes, Dracocephalums, polyanthuses, prim-
roses, London-pride, violets, double camomile, thrift, gentianella,
hepaticas, and saxifrage.

Plant also rose-campion, rockets, catch-fly, scarlet lychnis, double
feverfew, carnations, pinks, sweet-williams, columbines, Canterbury-
bells, monk's-hood, Greek valerian, tree primrose, foxglove, golden
rods, perennial asters, perennial sunflowers, hollyhocks, French honey-
suckles, and many others.

In planting the above, or any other sorts, particularly at this early
period, observe to preserve balls of earth about their roots, to dispose
them regularly, and intermix the different kinds in such order as
there may be a variety of colors, as well as a regular succession of
flowers in every part during the flowering season.

AURICULAS.

The choice kinds of auriculas in pots must now be treated with
more than ordinary care, for their flower-buds will soon begin to
advance ; therefore the plants should be carefully defended from frost
and cold heavy rains.

This must be done by a good covering of glass and mats, but every
mild and dry day the plants must be entirely uncovered.

Any old decayed leaves should be picked off as they appear, the
earth loosened at the top of the pots, some of it taken out and re-
placed with good fresh compost mould. This will encourage the
pushing of young roots from immediately under their leaves, which
will greatly strengthen the plants.

Be very cautious, however, not to force those plants at this season,
for that would prevent their flowering in any tolerable perfection ; all
they require is to be protected from severe frost, snow, cutting winds,
and cold rains ; they are to have no bottom heat whatever, nor are
the glasses to be kept close in any kind of sunshine that might pro-
duce a strong heat in the frame ; on the contrary, they must get as
much air as possible, by taking the glasses off every sunny or mild
day, and replacing them at night and in cold weather ; and when you
cannot take them totally off, raise them a little behind, or slide them
either up or down, at every favorable opportunity. A little frost
will not do them much injury, especially until their flower-buds begin
to appear; but after that, they must be carefully protected therefrom :
cold heavy rains is their utter enemy at all times, against which you
must carefully guard.

SOW AURICULA AND POLYANTHUS SEEDS.

Auricula and polyanthus seed may be sown any time in this month ;
they will grow freely, and the plants from this sowing will rise well.
The seeds may be sown in boxes, or large pots filled with light rich
earth, and covered about the eighth of an inch deep ; then place the
pots or boxes in a hot-bed frame at work, give them fequent but light
sprinklings of water, both before and after the plants appear, and a

168 TjHE PLEASURE, OR [FEB.

reasonable proportion of air at favorable opportunities : by this means
you will have a fine crop of seedlings, handsomely advanced towards
the beginning of May ; when, after all danger from frost is over,
(for these being tenderly raised, would be subject to injury there-
from), take the pots or boxes out of the frame, and place them where
they can have only the morning sun till ten o'clock, and that of the
afternoon after five, during the remainder of the summer. The mid-
day sun you must carefully guard against, for it would totally destroy
your plants.

Snails and slugs being utter enemies to these plants, whilst in a
seedling state, it will be necessary, so soon as you sow the seeds, and
before placing the pots and boxes in a hot-bed, or under the protection
of glasses without bottom heat, for either method will do, to make
lines of short, coarse, strong hair, about half an inch or better in
diameter, to tie round each pot or box, immediately under the rim ;
the line being tied, trim the long loose hairs around it with a pair of
scissors, to a quarter of an inch in length, which short prickly hairs
will, as often as snails or the like approach it, in the act of ascending
the sides of the pots or boxes, prick them, cause them to change
their course, and thereby finally protect the young plants from ene-
mies which would in a few hours, totally eat up the finest crops, par-
ticularly the auriculas.

TULIPS, HYACINTHS, ANEMONES AND RANUNCULUSES.

Defend the beds of the more curious or valuable tulips, hyacinths,
anemones, and ranunculuses, from frost, snow, and cold or excessive
rains ; the plants will now begin to appear above ground, and the
beds wherein the finest of the flower-roots are planted, should now,
where intended, and if not done before, be arched over with hoops ;
and in frosty or extremely bad weather, let mats or canvas be drawn
over them, in some measure to defend the advancing flower-buds.

This, where it can be conveniently done, should not now be omitted
to the choicer kinds, when required to have them blow in their ut-
most perfection j for althougli they are hardy enough, yet, being pro-
tected in their early flower-buds from inclement weather, both in this
and the next month, the blow will be much finer than if fully ex-
posed; however, this care is not necessary for the common kinds,
either in beds or borders.

The early anemones and ranunculuses which were planted in Sep-
tember or early in October, and are consequently in a considerable
state of forwardness, will still require greater protection than such
as were late planted ; for the rudiments of their flowers being in a
somewhat advanced state, would be greatly injured if too much ex-
posed, especially to the great extremes of our mid-day sun, and the
severe night frosts prevalent at this season ; therefore, by protecting
them carefully from the rigor of the one, you do not expose them so
much to the power of the other ; but when both are suffered to act
alternately with their full respective force upon these, as well as upon
many other of the more tender kinds of flowers and esculents, a dis-
organization of th,eir parts is the immediate consequence, and an un-

FEB.] FLOWER GARDEN. 169

timely death their ultimate end. This is a " golden rule/' which
ought to be assiduously observed with respect to every plant that is
not sufficiently hardy to bear' the frosts of our rigorous winters.

For the convenience of affording all the above choice kinds a suit-
able protection, they ought to be planted in beds of rich compost
mould, surrounded with a hot-bed or other temporary frame, with
tanner's bark or other protection drawn up on the outsides thereof,
all around as high as the upper parts, which will prevent the frost
from penetrating and injuring the plants next the frame. Over this
frame you can lay a covering of boards and mats when necessary, or
if you have not mats, straw or other suitable covering may be used.
Frost will enter the beds notwithstanding this kind of care, but not
in sufficient force to do much injury, for these plants are tolerably
hardy, and require only to be protected from its too powerful influ-
ence, as well as that of the sun.

The plants must be exposed to the full air constantly, except while
freezing sufficiently strong to bind up the earth, and at night or
during the prevalence of cold, heavy rains or snow. Such of the
preceding and other hardy bulbs, &c., as yet remain out of ground,
ought to be planted as soon as possible; observing the directions
given in page 95, &c. Anemones and ranunculuses if carefully pre-
served, will yet succeed very well.

CARNATIONS AND PINKS.*

Your choice carnations and pinks which were planted in pots and
plunged in beds under the protection of frames and coverings, ought,
for the present, to be managed in every respect as above directed for
the protection of anemones, ranunculuses, &c. By this treatment
you may expect to be rewarded with a bloom of these charming
flowers in the highest degree of perfection.

Towards the end of this month, if the weather is mild, but not
otherwise, you may transplant such as were raised last year from
layers into large pots, or into the open borders, &c., where you in-
tend them to blow; but this would have been better if done in
autumn. Also such seedling plants as were raised last season, may,
under similar circumstances, be transplanted into any beds or borders
which are ready for their reception, always observing to remove them
with balls of earth around their roots. For further particulars, see
next month.

TENDER ANNUALS.

The latter end of this month will be a suitable period for preparing
to sow some of the more valuable and curious sorts of tender annuals;
such as the fine kinds of double balsams, tricolors, mesembryanthe-

* The Remontant class of these flowers is now becoming more generally,
and deservedly so, cultivated. As they are perpetual bloomers they ought
to be in every collection. All the kinds are readily propagated from slips
in a gentle hot-bed, or warm green-house.

170 THE PLEASURE, OR [FEB.

mums or ice plants, Browallia's sensitive plant Ipomcea Quamoclit,
and many others.

Therefore, provide some new horse-dung, and let it be thrown up
in a heap, and in eight or ten days it will be in good condition to
make the bed. Let this be made about three feet high of dung,
levelling the top, and then set on the frame and glasses. When the
burning heat is over lay on the earth, observing that, for this use, it
must be rich, light, and perfectly dry, and broken pretty small by
rubbing it between the hands ; the depth of earth on the bed must be
about five or six inches, making the surface level and smooth.

The seed may either be sown on the surface, observing to sow each
sort separate, covering them about a quarter of an inch, or rather less,
with light earth ; or you may draw some shallow drills with your
finger from the back to the front of the bed, sow the seeds therein,
and cover as above ; or you may sow them in pots and plunge these
into the earth of the hot-bed. But if you intend sowing in pots, and
you have the convenience of tanner's bark, lay on eight or nine
inches, or a foot deep of it all over the bed in place of the earth, to
plunge your pots therein, in which case two and a half feet deep of
dung will be sufficient.

As soon as the plants appear, admit fresh air to them every day
when the weather is any way mild, and let them have now and then
gentle sprinklings of water. Mind to cover the glasses every night,
and in bad weather with mats ; or if boards are first laid on, and then
covered with mats, they will afford an additional protection.

But in raising the above annuals, if it is required to be saving of
hot dung and trouble, and there are cucumber or melon hot-beds at
work, you may sow them in pots and place them in these beds to
raise the plants ; which may afterwards be transplanted or pricked
into other pots in the same, or into a nursery hot-bed, to forward
them to a proper size. For the further management of these plants,
see March and April.

SOWING TEN-WEEK STOCK AND MIGNONETTE.

The ten-week stock is a beautiful annual; none makes a more
agreeable appearance in pots, and in the borders, &c., and it con-
tinues a long time in bloom. The mignonette imparts a sweet and
agreeable odor, for which purpose it is extremely worthy of cultiva-
tion.

When these plants are wanted in early perfection, the seeds of
either may be sown, towards the end of this month, in a slight hot-
bed, or in a very warm border, to be covered with a frame and
glasses ; but by sowing the seed in the former it will bring the plants
on much sooner, though, in the latter, they will be tolerable early,
and being raised in a more hardy manner may be planted out into
the borders with better success ; yet, when they are wanted for an
early blow in pots, the hot-bed is preferable.

Sow the seeds either in pots or on the surface of the bed, covering
them with light, dry earth about the eighth of an inch deep, or a
little more, and give them gentle occasional waterings, and the neces-

FEB.] FLOWER GARDEN. 171

sary protection from the inclemencies of the weather, and plenty of
air at proper opportunities. Towards the latter end of April these
may be planted into the open borders, or wherever they are destined
to remain, with good success. The mignonette, being very impatient
of transplanting, ought to be taken up with as much earth as possible
around the roots, and so transplanted with particular care.

But if your plants stand thick in the seed-bed, some of them, when
they have been up about three or four weeks, or when about an inch
high, may be pricked out either into a slight hot-bed, which will for-
ward them considerably, and some into small pots to be placed
therein, three plants in each; others may be planted on a warm
border, three inches asunder, and covered with hand-glasses ; after
they have stood a month all those not potted should be planted
where they are to remain.

STOCKGILLY-FLOWERS AND WALL-FLOWERS.

The choice double and other stockgilly-flowers and wall-flowers
which you have in pots, and under the protection of any kind of
covering, should never be exposed to a strong sun whilst in a frozen
state ; they will stand the winter with very little protection from
frost, but must be carefully guarded against the sun's influence at
such times.

FORCING EARLY FLOWERS.

Where early flowers are required, either for ornament or for sale,
you must prepare for this business in October^ and then plant in suit-
able-sized pots the various kinds that you intend to force, such as
carnations, pinks, sweet-williams, double daisies, and other fibrous-
rooted plants. The earliest kinds of hyacinths, van-thol, and other
early tulips, anemones, ranunculuses, jonquils, narcissusses of various
sorts, dwarf Persian irises, crocuses in different varieties, and many
other kinds of early flowering bulbs, having been protected in a
suitable manner as heretofore directed ; you may about the begin-
ning of this month plant these pots, or such of them as you wish to
force for the earliest bloom, in any forcing department now at work,
such as hot-houses, forcing-houses of any kind, hot-beds, &c. By
plunging the pots into the bark-pits or hot-beds you will have them
to flower the sooner. As the hyacinths, carnations, and pinks ad-
vance, tie their flower-stems to neat sticks, or to pieces of painted
wire stuck into the pots for that purpose.

You may likewise force pots of roses, honeysuckles, jasmines,
double-flowering almonds, thorns, cherries, and peaches, and also any
other early flowering and desirable plants by the same means.

Either of the preceding kinds may be forced in board forcing-
frames, with the assistance of hot dung applied to the back and
ends thereof, these being constructed of strong inch and a half or
two inch plank, made eighteen inches high in front and five or six
feet high in the back, the ends in proportion and length at pleasure,
the width to be five or six feet, and the whole covered with sloping

172 THE PLEASURE, OR [FEB.

Having such a frame in readiness, fill the inside thereof to a level
with the front with fresh tanner's bark, into which plunge your pots ;
or, if you have not the convenience of bark, sink a pit into the earth
about eighteen inches deep, which fill to the surface with fresh horse-
dung; place the frame thereon, and add more dung till it reaches
within six inches of the upper part of the frame in front, then fill
the remainder to that level with good dry earth.

In either case plunge the pots to their rims in the bark or earth,
and add a lining of good horse-dung to the back and ends of the
frame to its entire height, which will produce a strong growing heat
in the inside, sufficient for any purpose of forcing small plants. The
glasses being placed on this kind of frame with a considerable degree
of elevation, will receive the rays of the sun in a more direct man-
ner than if not elevated so much, by which means more heat will
be accumulated.

Shelves may be erected in this kind of frame towards the back
part, if the plants intended to be forced are not large, and the lining
can be renewed as often as necessary.

DRESS AND DIG THE BORDERS, BEDS, ETC.

When the weather permits, let the flower-beds and borders in ge-
neral be thoroughly cleared from weeds and from every kind of litter,
for neatness in those parts of the garden is agreeable at all times,
but more particularly at this season.

Therefore, let the surface of the beds and borders be lightly and
carefully loosened with a hoe in a dry day, and let them be neatly
raked, which will give an air of liveliness to the surface, and the
whole will appear neat and very pleasing to the eye, and well worth
i he labor.

Likewise, if any borders, beds, &c., were not dug last autumn or
winter, it should now be done, ready for the reception of flower-
plants, seeds, &c., that the whole may appear fresh and neat.

PRUNE FLOWERING SHRUBS.

Finish pruning the hardy deciduous flowering-shrubs where wanted.
In doing this work, observe to cut out all dead wood, and where any
of the branches are too long or grow straggling, let them be short-
ened or cut off close, as you shall see necessary; and likewise, where
the branches of different shrubs interfere or run into each other,
shorten them so that each may stand singly and clear of another,
then all the different shrubs will show themselves distinctly and to
the best advantage.

When the shrubs are pruned, let the cuttings be cleared away and
the ground be neatly dug between and about all the plants, observing
to take off all suckers arising from the roots. Nothing looks better
in a shrubbery than to see the ground neat and fresh between the
flowering-shrubs and evergreens, &c., especially in such clumps and
other compartments where the shrubs stand distant.

But as sometimes particular parts of a shrubbery are on some

FEB.] FLOWER GARDEN. 173

occasions required to form a close thicket, in that case very little
pruning or digging, &c., is wanted.

CARE OF GRASS WALKS AND LAWNS.

Grass walks and lawns should be kept extremely clean. In dry
weather, as soon as the greater winter frost is over, roll them with a
heavy roller to settle the earth which the frost had thrown up.

GRAVEL WALKS.

Keep the gravel wjdks perfectly clean and free from moss, weeds,
or litter of any kind ; let them be well rolled, to settle them after the
winter frost, which will give them a fresh and neat appearance, and
render them comfortable for walking on.

SOUTHERN STATES.

This is a very proper period in the southern States to sow annual,
biennial, and perennial flower seeds, and to transplant the various
kinds of fibrous-rooted herbaceous flowering plants ; to plant out into
the borders of the pleasure grounds all kinds of deciduous trees,
flowering and ornamental shrubs ; and, in short, to perform all the
other works directed to be done either in this or next month, in the
pleasure or flower garden compartments, which are suitable to that
climate. .':

A COLD VINERY.

A simple lean-to cold vinery, as represented'in the following sketch,
may be prepared this month for planting in April.

Fig. 19.

A lean-to cold vinery ; scale ten feet to an inch.

It may be built against the south side of a barn or other building,
and may be thirty feet long, twelve feet high on the back wall, and
one foot in front, and fourteen feet wide. The ends should be double,
and filled in with tan-bark for warmth. No fire is used, as the name
indicates. The sashes are in two lengths, the upper ones to slide
easily over the bottom ones, so that the house may be readily aired.

A hogshead sunk in one corner of the house will catch the water
from the barn. The border may extend over the whole inside, run-

174 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [FEB.

ning twelve feet outside in front. The dirt is to be first removed to
the depth of two feet and eight inches, then filled up eight inches
with broken bricks, stones, and lime rubbish, so as to form a thorough
drain ; the soil is then filled in two feet eight inches, to allow for
settling.

In the border, place, say, fifty bushels of old bones, fifty bushels of
pulverized charcoal, twenty- five bushels of oyster shells, a quantity of
leather scrapings, twenty-five bushels of coal and leached ashes,
twelve bushels of blacksmith cinders and iron filings, twelve loads of
well decomposed manure, and the rest make up of street scrapings,
garden soil, and sod from a pasture. The whole is to be first well
mixed together and filled in on the last of March, and the vines should
then be planted in the inside of the house, eight inches from the wall,
one under each rafter ; this makes the vines about three feet apart,
and ten in front; the back wall may have eight vines.

The following are the best grapes for a cold vinery : Black Ham-
burg, white and red Frontignan ; black St. Peters, Royal Muscadine
or Fontainebleau, Palestine, Gray Tokay, Black Prince, Purple Chas-
selas, Decan's Superb, and Grizzly Frontignan. For its size and curi-
osity, De la Palestine.

If but one grape is to be cultivated in a cold grapery, it will un-
doubtedly be black Hamburg ; if three, black Hamburg, white Fron-
tignan, and Fontainebleau or Royal Muscadine.

A little study and attention will enable every one to have profit-
able crops in such a house. The best separate work on grape culture
is that by William Chorlton.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

Particular attention ought to be paid to the green-house plants at
this season, in order to give them occasional waterings and fresh
air, and if severe frost should prevail, to give the necessary protec-
tion.

In mild weather they will require refreshments of water now and
then, and admission of external air whenever it can be given with
safety, though all should enjoy an equal benefit of the latter; it is
not so with respect to the former.

Oranges, lemons, and myrtles, and most other of the woody plants
will require water frequently, but never give them much at a time,
and none but when absolutely necessary.

The herbaceous kinds will also require occasional supplies of water,
but less frequent, and in less quantities than the woody tribe.

Let the succulent kinds, such as aloes, sedems, mesembryanthe-
mums, cactuses, &c., have water but very sparingly, and only when
the earth in the pots is very dry.

Examine the tubs and pots separately to see which want water ;
let none be given but when necessary, and always very moderately ;
a little will be serviceable, but too much would be of bad consequence
at this season.

FEB.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. H5

Air should be admitted to the plants at all times when the weather
is favorable, for that is a necessary article ; they cannot thrive with-
out it, nor continue a healthful lively appearance. Every day, when
the weather is mild, let some of the windows be opened a little way
for the admission of air, and take care that they are shut again in due
time.

But be very particular not to admit sharp or cutting winds, or
frosty air, into the green-house at this season ; to avoid which, you
must never be absent while the windows are more or less open : for
the changes of weather are so sudden, that a few hours' inattention
might do irreparable injury to your plants, especially to the more
tender kinds. The safest method now of admitting air, is by sliding
down the upper tier of your front windows, less or more, according
to the weather, which will not only admit the fresh, but discharge
any foul air which has been generated in the house.

In frosty weather, keep your lights all close, and if very severe,
defend the windows at night. If you have roof-lights, protect them
as directed in January, page 100.

Fires may also occasionally be used, and indeed are indispensable
at times ', but these ought never to be resorted to except when abso-
lutely necessary, either to keep out the frost or to dispel damps ; and
even then you are to be very cautious not to create thereby too strong
a heat in the house, never above 40 or 45° of Fahrenheit's thermo-
meter ; for this would cause your plants to push and get into a fresh
state of vegetation, which would be extremely injurious to them dur-
ing any of the winter months.

Another thing to be regarded, is to keep the plants of all kinds
free from casual decayed shoots and leaves, for these are not only
hurtful to the plants while in the house, but appear very unsightly ;
therefore, whenever such appear, let them be constantly taken off;
keep also the pots, &c., and green-house, always neatly clean.

The latter end of this, or any time next month, you ought to
loosen the earth in the top of the pots or tubs of your oranges, le-
mons, and other plants in general, and take out about an inch deep or
more, adding some fresh in its stead ; this will prove very beneficial
to the plants, and whoever will bestow this little dressing upon them,
will see the advantage of it in a short time.

Your pots of Cape bulbs, such as Ixias, Gladioluses, Lachenalias,
Moreas, Watsonias, Lapeyrousias, Walchendorfias, Tritonias, Antho-
lizas, Cyanelias, and Oxalis versicolor — Babianas, Massonias, Geisso-
rhizas, Melanthiums and Melasphaerulas, &c., which are now in a
state of vegetation, should be kept all towards the front of the house,
and as near the glasses as possible, lest they should draw up weakly,
and thereby produce but indifferent flowers.

HOT-BEDS FOR RAISING GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS.

Make hot-beds to sow tender exotic seeds in, observing to work the
dung well, turning it over two or three times while it remains in the
heap, at intervals of four or five days ; make the beds as directed for
cucumbers, page 20, to the height of three feet six inches ; put on

176 THE HOT-HOUSE. [FEB.

your frames, and lay eight or ten inches of good fresh tan even over
the bed ; if that cannot be conveniently had, lay on six inches of dry
eacth ; when the bed comes to its heat, sow your seeds separately in
pots, and plunge them into the tan or earth ; some of these will not
vegetate for a long time, and others frequently lie in the ground a
whole year. When the heat of the bed is on the decline, add a fresh
lining of hot dung, as directed for cucumber and melon beds. Or
these seed may be sowed in pots, and plunged into the bark-bed in
the stove.

Plant cuttings of Geraniums, Fuchsias, Myrtles, Hydrangeas, and
other green-house plants in small pots, one or more in each, and
plunge them into a hot-bed; they will now freely strike root and be
fine early plants ; these when they begin to grow must have plenty
of air occasionally, and be carefully protected at night and in severe
weather. ' .

THE HOT-HOUSE.

As most hot-houses are frequently infested with various kinds of
insects, which do very considerable injury to the plants, it may be
of some importance to give a description of these, and also the most
effectual methods of destroying them.

OF THE SPECIES OF INSECTS THAT INFEST THE PINE-APPLE PLANTS.

1. THE BROWN TURTLE INSECT. Coccus hesperidum of Linn.
This species is not only found upon the pines and most other plants
which grow in hot-houses, but also upon many plants which are in
green-houses. These insects, after they are arrived at a certain age,
fix themselves immovably to the leaves of the plant ; but, before that
time, though they generally appear motionless, yet on a close inspec-
tion, in a very warm day, many of them, and especially the smaller
ones, may be perceived to move to different parts of the plant, being
in appearance much like a turtle in miniature.

A sweet glutinous matter issues from these insects, this soon turns
mouldy, and in time become quite black, which causes the plants to
appear very unsightly. But as these insects do not, in any other
respect, injure the pine-plants, I shall pass over them, and proceed
to those of a more pernicious nature.

2. THE WHITE SCALY INSECT. This insect, as far as I can learn,
has hitherto remained undescribed; neither Linnaeus, Geoffrey, or
Scheeffer, seem to have known it.

This species is very nearly allied to the former, both of them being
Cocci, and of the oviparous kind ; it seems to be exactly similar to it
in its manner of breeding, the process of which, curious naturalists
have observed to be nearly as follows: The eggs which are dis-
charged from the female, are pushed forward between the skin of
the belly and the leaf of the plant, to which the insect adheres; in

FEB.] THE HOT-HOUSE, 17 Y

consequence of this, the skin of the Ibelly becomes less distended,
which enables the insect to afford a large covering to the eggs already
excluded. When the eggs are all discharged, the skin of the belly
retreats close to the back of the parent insect, which then appears
like a mere scale. If the insect in this state be raised with the point
of a needle from the leaf, a number of eggs may be perceived under
it, of a pale red color, and very transparent, not unlike the roe (or
eggs) of fishes ; but with this difference, that they are not connected
by a membrane, but loosely packed together. The mother, with a
parent care, not only thus broods over her eggs till they are hatched,
but continues to protect her young for a considerable time after, and
either dies during the time she is performing this last office for them,
or very soon after.

The males of both the above species are much less than the females,
and appear very different from them ; the latter, except just in their
infant state, never assuming any other form than that of a scale, as
already described ; whereas the males of both kinds, in their last
state, become flies; but neither of them can probably do any injury
to the pine plants whilst they are in that form ; for the flies of none
of the coccus kind have been found, on the strictest examination by
the most able naturalists, to have any organ by which they can take
in nourishment. In that state, therefore, they can probably continue
but a short time, the whole business of their lives being then des-
tined to the impregnation of the females.

I have hitherto only taken particular notice of the round scale, or
female insect, which is the most conspicuous, being far larger than
the male. But a careful observer will readily perceive, where these
scales are numerous, another set of smaller ones intermixed with
them, which, if he be unacquainted with the natural history of these
insects, he will hardly suspect to belong to the same animal, as they
put on so different an appearance. They are semitubular, and their
length scarcely exceeds the diameter of one of the small round scales,
and their breadth is not more than a third or fourth part of their
length. These, however, contain the males in one of their last
stages, under which they assume the form of nymphs, and become
flies. In order to be satisfied of this, a person need only break open,
with the point of a needle, a few of these scales, when they are ar-
rived at maturity, and he will perceive contained within each of them
a very beautiful, but small fly, with all the characters of the flies of
the coccus kind.

The length of this fly, from the head to the tail, exclusive of the
wings, and those long hairs which are so characteristic of the flies
of this kind, is about the thirtieth part of an inch : and the length,
including the wings when folded one over the other, exclusive of the
hairs before mentioned, is not more than the eighteenth part of an
inch.

^The insects of this last mentioned species are of a very pernicious
nature. When the pines are infested with them, there will be much
trouble and great expense in cleansing them, even to keep the insects
under ; and notwithstanding the greatest care, the plants will suffer
much, and in time grow very unsightly; their leaves will appear
12

ITS THE HOT-HOUSE. [FEB.

yellow and sickly, and generally a great number of yellow trapspa-
rent spots may be seen all over them.

On the least neglect in destroying them, they will increase innu-
merably, and so beset the lower parts of the leaves next the stem of the
plant (where they are most numerous) with scales, as nearly to touch
each other. And as they pierce that part of the leaf immediately
under the scale with their proboscis, they thereby not only draw out
the nutricious juices themselves, but also destroy the tubes through
which they flow. The upper parts of the leaves being thus deprived
of their nourishment, consequently die. But these insects do not
attack the roots, as has been frequently asserted.

3. THE WHITE MEALY CRIMSON- TINGED INSECT. This insect, as
well as the former, I have not found to be noticed by naturalists.

This species also has all the characters of a coccus, but in all pro-
bability belongs to another genus. For whereas the two former spe-
cies are undoubtedly oviparous, this seems to be viviparous. It is
most probable that the young ones remain some time in the mealy
down of the mother till they have acquired strength, and are arrived
at such a degree of perfection, as to enable them to support them-
selves when they forsake the parent insect and disperse to different
parts of the plant.

When this species is first perceived on the leaves of the pine, it
appears to be nothing more than small particles of meal or powder
collected together ; but in a few days it assumes the form of a louse
or bug, thickly covered with a fine meal or down of an oval form on
its upper, and very fiat on its under side, from whence proceed its
legs, which are six in number. These, as well as many other par-
ticulars in the above, and preceding descriptions, are not to be dis-
tinguished without the help of glasses.

The last described species is of a more pernicious nature than the
former ; it attacks every part of the plant, from the top of its fruit
even to the most extreme parts of its roots. These animals wedge
themselves in between the protuberances of the fruit in a most sur-
prising manner, so as not to be got out without difficulty, which not
only makes the fruit appear very unsightly when it becomes ripe, but
by robbing it of its nutricious juices is the cause also of its wanting
flavor and being ill-tasted.

But the bad effects of this species on the roots of the plants are
yet of a far worse consequence ; for there, even at the bottom of the
pots, they increase with an uncommon degree of rapidity, so as to
become very numerous, and in the end to destroy the principal roots
of the plants.

There have been various methods used for the extirpation of these
insects, such as shifting the plants and washing their roots : decoc-
tions from tobacco, wormwood, walnut leaves, henbane, and other
herbs of a bitter or poisonous quality. Some have added to the
above snuff, sulphur and pepper. These and many other remedies
have been tried to very little purpose ; at length, Mr. William
Speedily, then gardener to the Duke of Portland, England, disco-
vered and recommended in his excellent Treatise on the Culture
of the Pine-apple, the following receipt, which, he asserts, " for the

FEB.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 179

destruction of these insects, had never failed him ; its efficacy being
confirmed by nine years' experience/'

THE RECEIPT.

Take one pound of quicksilver ; put it into a glazed vessel, and
pour upon it one gallon of boiling water, which let stand till it be-
comes cold ', then pour off the water for use. Repeat this on the
same quicksilver (for it will retain its powers) till a sufficient num-
ber of gallons are provided to Jill a vessel intended for the purpose.
One in the form of a trough that will hold eight or ten gallons, is the
most convenient, especially for the large-sized plants.

Then to, every gallon of this mercurial water add six ounces of
soft green soap, dissolved in a portion of the prepared water. Let
the mixture stand till it becomes milk-warm, which is the degree of
warmth it must be kept to during the time of dipping.

Before I proceed to the method of applying the above mixture to
the plants, I cannot avoid calling in question, any virtue that may
be attributed to a mercurial efficacy therein ; first, as it is the opinion
of the most experienced chemists, that crude mercury is not soluble,
in any degree in pure water, whether poured on in a cold or boiling
state; secondly, that if it contained any acid when put on, which
might decompose a part of the mercury, the adding thereto of soap,
would by virtue of its alkali, neutralize the acid, and thereby dis-
engage and precipitate the mercury : therefore, it is at least very
questionable, whether its efficacy is not exclusively attributable to
the alkali of the soap.

If in place of the quicksilver or crude mercury above recommended,
you were to substitute corrosive sublimate, in the following or even
in a greater proportion, there is no doubt of its effectually answer-
ing the end, without doing the shadow of injury to the plants.

Dissolve half an ounce of corrosive sublimate in a pint of gin or
other spirits ; when dissolved incorporate therewith four gallons of
soft water, and it will be ready for use.

The soft soap may be added thereto, in the proportion above men-
tioned, but its alkali acting on the acid of the sublimate, will convert
it into a mild muriate of mercury, and consequently render it much
less active than before. »

Previously let it be observed, that this dressing cannot be effectu-
ally applied with propriety to fruiting pines, either after they have
started their fruit, or for two months before it, as disturbing their
roots at that time would prevent their fruit growing to the full size ;
however, succession plants may be dressed at any period, but in the
month of October that work can be done with the greatest success ;
and fruiting plants, if infested, may at any time be washed with the
solution, which will destroy such insects as affect them above ground.

Before the plants are taken out of their pots, I would advise the
brushing off a few of the scaly insects (as in a common dressing)
especially towards the bottom of the leaves, where they will some-
times be so numerous as in appearance to lie one upon another, in
which case the mixture might be prevented from penetrating to the

180 THE HOT-HOUSE. [FEB.

bottom insects. I do not know that this business of brushing is ab-
solutely necessary ; but as the whole operation in a large hot-house
may be performed in one day, the labor of a person or two extra-
ordinary, for this purpose, can amount to but a very inconsiderable
expense.

The leaves of the large-sized plants should then be tied together;
they will be more manageable in this form than with their leaves
loose, and less liable to be damaged. The plants should then be
taken out of the pots, and divested of their long loose roots, as also
a few of the decayed leaves at the bottom, and the rest washed clean.

The last species of insects (by gardeners most generally called
pine bug) will sometimes conceal themselves in holes at the bottom
of the stems of the plants, especially in large ones ; and as the mix-
ture might be prevented from penetrating into those holes, by the air
contained in them, care should be taken to examine that part with
great circumspection.

It may not be amiss in this place to observe, that the earth which
comes out of the pine pots, together with the leaves and roots taken
from off the plants, should be removed to a considerable distance
from the hot-house. Also, that the pots out of which the pine
plants were taken, should not be used again for that purpose, without
first being put into boiling water.

The pine plants being now ready, let them be put either in^o the
mixture, or the corrosive solution, in which they should remain, with
every part covered, for the space of six minutes ; then take them out,
first letting the tops decline for the mixture to drain out of their cen-
tres. The vessel should be immediately filled with fresh plants, and
those taken out set to dry with their root downwards ; for by placing
them in that position the solution, &c., will descend and penetrate to
the very bottom of the leaves in the centre of the plant, whereby the
insects which are concealed there will be totally destroyed. The
mixture will change the plants to a sad green color, which will give
them the appearance of being spoiled ; but, as they become dry, they
will in a great measure resume their proper hue.

During the operation it will be necessary to add a supply of hot
mixture, in order to keep the whole to a proper degree of warmth,
as also to make up the deficiency which must naturally happen.

It will be proper to do this work in a firte day, and as soon in the
forenoon as convenient, that the plants may have time to dry, which
they will do in a few hours, and then they must undergo the same
operation a second time.

The process of the second operation being exactly the same as the
first, a repetition thereof is unnecessary.

After the second dipping, a sponge should be used to remove any
unsightly matter on the leaves of the plants. They should then be
set to dry with their tops downwards, that the mixture may drain
from every part, for it is necessary that every part of the plant should
be quite dry before it is planted.

During the performance of the above operations, a sufficient num-
ber of laborers should be employed in getting the hot-house ready
for the reception of the plants (as changing the tan, and cleaning

FEB.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 181

every part of the hot-house); and if the inside of the roof were
painted at the same time it would be better. Also, it might be ser-
viceable, if a small fire was made in the pine pit with charcoal and
sulphur, and the house shut up an hour or two to keep in the steam.
But in case there are vines, or other plants, growing in the hot-house,
this last operation must be omitted.

If the above work cannot be done in one and the same day, the
pine plants may with great safety be set in a dry airy place for a day
or two, provided they are not put into heaps, which would greatly
damage them in a short time.

The mould intended for the pine plants at the first potting, should
be light and fine ; and I would recommend that the pots be small in
proportion to the size of the plant, that each plant may be what gar-
deners term UNDERPOTTED ; they will strike root both sooner and
better than if put into larger pots, and at their next shifting they
will go into proper sized pots with their balls and roots entire.

After the pine plants are replaced in the hot-house, it will be pro-
per to shade the glasses in the middle of the day whenever the wea-
ther is warm and clear. The house should be constantly kept to a
great degree of heat, which will be the means of making the plants
strike sooner and stronger, it being evident that they cannot draw
themselves weak while in an inactive state : however, as soon as the
plants are perceived to grow, it will be necessary to give them by de-
grees a greater quantity of air.

Great care should be taken to prevent the roots of the plants from
being injured by an over-heat of the tan, which may be done by
raising the pots in case the tan should heat violently.

OTHER INSECTS FOUND IN HOT-HOUSES, WITH THE METHODS OF DE-
STROYING THEM.

Besides the different species of insects which are found so pernicious
to the pine-apple plants, there are other kinds that infest most stoves^
which frequently prove very troublesome ; and although they are not
injurious to the pine-apple, are yet very prejudicial to most other
plants kept there, either for use or ornament.

1. THE APHIS. This insect is of the order HEMIPTERA. Cha-
racters : Rostrum bent inwards. Antennae, setaceous and longer than
the thorax. Wings, four on the males; females none. Feet six.
They have generally two little horns or hairs placed on the hinder
part of their abdomen.

Roses and various other plants are very subject to be overrun with
these insects, and if no means are used to extirpate them, they will
in a short time take such entire possession of the plants, that every
part of the young wood will appear to be covered with them. They
are commonly called lice. Many kinds of flowers and exotic plants
which are kept in stoves are very subject to be annoyed with them.

These are easily destroyed three ways. 1. By fumigating the
house with tobacco. 2. By dusting the infected plants with fine
snuff or tobacco dust. 3. By a decoction or infusion of tobacco.

2. The ACARUS, commonly called the Red Spider. This is of

182 THE HOT-HOTTSE. [FEB.

the order APTERA. Characters: Eyes placed on the sides of the
head, remote from one another. Mouth or proboscis formed by a
small pointed rostrum inclosed in a sheath. Antennae shorter than
the proboscis. Feet eight ; they are oviparous.

This is a pest to almost every kind of plants, for this insect is not
only pernicious to most plants kept under glass but also to many
growing in the open air.

In hot dry weather the increase of these insects is exceedingly
rapid, and when they become numerous they, by various means,
commit great havoc on plants; for this insect with its proboscis
perpetually wounds the fine or capillary vessels of plants and extracts
their nutritious juices. It also works a web about the leaves and
over the tender buds and tops of the plants in such a manner as
nearly to suffocate them and prevent their vegetation.

This insect does not seem to be affected by fumigation made with
any ingredients hitherto discovered, and it is probable that the ap-
terous insects, or those without wings, are not so much affected by
fumigation as the winged tribe.

However, the mixtures recommended for destroying the insects on
the pine-apple will have the same effect on this. Plants greatly in-
fested, and growing in pots, when their tops are not very large, may
with great facility be dipped in a convenient vessel filled with those
mixtures. The top of the plant need only remain a short time
therein, and it should then be placed in a shady place to prevent its
drying too rapidly.

These insects very frequently reside on the under side of the
leaves, and, when very numerous, they work so thick a web thereon
that it sometimes prevents the mixture from entering into certain
hollow parts of the leaves, by which means a few escape unhurt, in
which case it will be proper for the plants to undergo the same ope-
ration the succeeding afternoon, which will most assuredly destroy
all that escaped before.

Large or climbing plants, when their leaves are large, as, for in-
stance, the vine, must be dressed with the mixture by means of a
sponge. This has the appearance of a tedious operation ; but in a
dark day, when the house is not very warm, a person will make con-
siderable progress therein in the course of a few hours.

The keeping of the house in a moist state by watering the walks
and flues late in the evening, and the frequent sprinkling of the
plants with water, contributes to retard the progress of these insects,
which are very impatient of much moisture. This reduces them 'to
a temporary state of inaction, but will not destroy them.*

3. TheTHRiPS. Order HEMIPTERA. Characters: Rostrum small
and obscure ; antennae as long as the thorax ; body slender, of an
equal thickness in its whole length ; abdomen reflexible, being gene-
rally bent upwards; wings four, incumbent on the back of the insect,

* If a small portion of sulphur be applied on the cooler ends of the
flues, or any part of the hot water pipes, it will effectually destroy Red
Spider. Care should be used that it does not ignite, or the plants will
also be severely injured.

FEB.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 183

D arrow in proportion to their length, and cross one another at some
distance from their base; feet six, the tarsus of each foot having
only two articulations.

This is also a very pernicious species of insect, and is very com-
mon in hot-houses, as well as upon plants in the open air ; it is very
minute, so much so as to be scarcely perceptible, generally concealing
itself along the veins of the leaves, from whence it skips with great
agility on being touched. It is a great enemy to the vine while the
leaves are young and tender, whether they grow in the open air or
under glass. The Cape jasmine, as well as many other plants, often
falls a prey to these minute insects.

These may be destroyed by the same methods as the Aphis.

4. The ONISCUS, or Wood-louse. This belongs to the order AP-
TERA. Characters: Antennae setaceous, and bent-mouth, furnished
with two palpi; head intimately joined with the thorax; body oval
form, composed of several crustaceous plates ; feet fourteen. They
change their skin like many other apterous insects.

These are very common in the bark-pits, as well as in woods,
houses, gardens, &c., but are seldom destructive except to young
seedling plants on their first appearance above ground. This, how-
ever, may be prevented by dusting the plants, whilst in that state,
with fine snuff or tobacco dust.

5. The FORMICA, or Ant. This insect is so universally known as
to render a description unnecessary.

These are often exceedingly numerous in hot-houses, and especially
where the Aphides and Coccus hesperidum abound, for there is a
sweet glutinous matter which issues from these insects (being either
their excrements or produced by them from some other cause) that
seems to be the principal incitement that draws the ant thither.

The ant may be destroyed with great facility by setting pots con-
taining honey and water in the same manner as is practised for
catching wasps, &c.

6. The Coccus HESPERIDUM, or Brown Turtle Insect, already de-
scribed, is not only an enemy to the pine-apple plant but also to
many others both in the hot-house and green-house, therefore I am
induced to take notice of it again.

This insect may be destroyed whilst young by fumigation, there-
fore, where that operation is frequent, they are rarely to be met with.

OP FUMIGATING THE HOUSE.

The house may be fumigated either by means of bellows invented
for that purpose or by that of a smoking-pot. The most eligible
seasons for this business are the spring and autumn, when, if neces-
sity requires, it should be repeated every eight or ten days, till the
proper effect is produced ; but it may be done at any period, except
when there are ripe fruit in the house, as then it would give them a
smoky flavor.

Fumigation is best performed late in an afternoon or evening, and
proves most efficacious whan the weather is moist and calm ; for the
smoke is retained much longer in the house when the air is still and

184 THE HOT-HOUSE. [FEB.

the cavities of the roof, particularly those between the squares of
glass, filled with moisture.

The Aphides may be destroyed with a gentle fumigation ; but the
Thrips and Coccus hesperidum require a smoke so strong, that a
person cannot distinguish an object farther than at the distance of
five feet.

When a hot-house is greatly infested either with the Aphides or
Thrips, the fumigations should be repeated every third or fourth
night, for three or four times successively. The reason and neces-
sity of these repetitions proceed from a probability that th"e smoke
cannot affect the insect in the egg, and perhaps it may not have suf-
ficient power over them in other of their states ; therefore a fresh
brood may naturally be expected in a few days.

CARE OF THE PINES.

Many of the pine plants will now appear set for fruiting, which
may be distinguished by the short leaves in their centres; from that
time they should be moderately watered and the house kept pretty
warm ; for when plants are kept cold at the time of forming their
fruit, it generally causes many of them to be crooked, imperfect and
misshapen. Therefore, under such circumstances, never let the heat
fall lower than 55° of Fahrenheit, nor rise higher, by fire-heat, than
62°; a little air should, however, be admitted whenever the weather
permits, and especially on sunny, warm days, when the heat rises to
above seventy degrees. But in no case, nor under any circumstances,
let the heat of the house fall below 52°, if possible.

As some persons may be furnished with Reaumur's and not with
Fahrenheit's thermometer, it may be of use to give a comparative
table of their scales, as well as the rules by which one can be con-
verted into the other; observing that 32° of the latter, being the
freezing point, is equal to 0 (or zero) of the former.

Reaumur's. Fahrenheit's. Reaumur's. Fahrenheit's.

Degrees 16 68 Degrees 33 106.2

15 65.8 32 104

14 63.5 31 101.7

13 61.2 30 99.5

12 59 29 97,2

11 56.8 28 95

10 54.8 27 92.7

9 52.5 26 90.5

8 50 25 88.2

7 47.7 24 86

6 45.5 23 83.8

5 43.3 22 81.5

4 41 21 79.2

3 38.6 20 77

2 36.5 19 74.7

1 34.2 18 72.5

0 32 17 70.3

FEB.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 185

To convert the degrees of Reaumur into those of Fahrenheit :
multiply the degrees of Reaumur by 9, and divide the product by
4 ; to the quotient add 82, and the amount will be those of Fahren-
heit.

To convert the degrees of Fahrenheit into those of Reaumur : sub-
tract 32 from the degrees of Fahrenheit; multiply the remainder
by 4 ; divide the product by 9, and the quotient will be those of
Reaumur.

Your fires must be continued every evening and night, being care-
ful in very severe weather to keep them burning, and sufficiently
supplied with fuel till so late a period that there can be no danger
of the house becoming cold before morning. Indeed, unless your
house is well constructed, there may be some severe weather in which
it would be necessary to keep up the fires all night. There have
been instances of careless persons intrusted with this work, who, in
order to get to bed at an early hour, or to some idle frolic, have put
down large and violent fires, which never fail to do injury to the
plants, and sometimes to burst the flues ; this practice is to be care-
fully avoided, as a moderate and steady heat is what always will
insure the best success.

The fires are to be renewed very early in the morning, and con-
tinued until the heat of the sun is sufficient to promote a comforting
warmth in the house ; and in very cold and dark weather, it will be
necessary to keep them burning all day.

It is very advisable, and indeed indispensable, for the health of
the plants, to sprinkle the flues and floor occasionally with water, in
order to restore the parched air of the house to its atmospheric
quality ; this will not only render great service to the plants, but
tend to weaken the power of destructive insects ; for these do not
like a moist air, manifested by their greater increase in dry stoves,
than in others.

A proper degree of heat must now be preserved in the bark-bed,
for nothing can contribute so much to the free growth of the young
fruit as a brisk bottom-heat; if the roots have not this advantage, it
is impossible to make the fruits swell to any tolerable size.

Therefore, wnere the bark-bed was not stirred up the former
month, to renew the fermentation, and revive the declined heat, it
should now be done, for the heat will consequently now begin to be
very faint, and by stirring up the bark almost to the bottom, it will
bring on a fresh fermentation therein; by which means the bed will
again recover a lively growing heat, the good effect of which will
soon appear both in the plants and fruit, provided it be done in due
time ; but if the heat is greatly decreased, and the bark decayed, you
may augment it at the same time with about one-third or fourth part
of new tan, otherwise defer it till next month, which see.

However, where the work of forking up the bark-bed appears
necessary at this time, agreeable to the observations above men-
tioned, it should, if possible, be done in the first week in the month ;
for if it is delayed much longer, the plants and fruit will certainly,
for want of a due proportion of heat, be much checked in their growth.
Observe, in the first place, to take all the pots out of the bed ; then

186 THE HOT-HOUSE. [FEB.

begin at one end, and open a kind of trench, by taking out some of
the bark and carrying it to the other; this done, begin at said trench,
and with a fork, dig and work up the bark quite to the bottom, taking
care to break the cakes or lumps ; mix all the parts well together,
and fill up at last with that taken out of the first opening. Having
finished, let the top be made level, and immediately plunge the pots
again to their rims as before. This work is so very necessary that
it should not on any consideration be omitted at the time above men-
tioned ', that is to say, if the bark has much declined in its heat.

The bed being thus treated, it will soon renew its heat, and retain
the same well for six weeks or thereabouts.

At the expiration of that period, or some time in March or begin-
ning of April, the bark will require to be stirred up again, and re-
freshed with about one-third, or at least one-fourth part of new tan ;
after this it will retain a proper degree of heat till the fruit is ripe.
(See March and April.)

The bark-bed wherein the succession pine-plants are plunged, should
also be examined now with good attention ; and if the heat is found
to be much decreased, the bed should be treated in the manner above
directed.

WATERING THE PINES.

The fruiting pine-apple plants should now have moderate refresh-
ments of water, provided there be a good heat in the bark-bed : and
when there is a proper degree of that and moderate moisture to-
gether, it will make the young fruit swell very fast.

But in watering these plants, be careful to give it moderately at
each time. The rule is this : let the earth in the pots which contain
the plants, be kept just a little moist in a middling degree; and if
this is observed, the plants and fruit will thrive.

The succession pine-plants, that is, those which are to fruit next
year, must also be refreshed now and then with water ; in watering
these, let the same rule be observed as just mentioned above.

Remember also to give water at times to the younger succession
pines, consisting of the last year's crowns and suckers.

In watering the pine-plants in general, you should still be cautious
to let none of it, or but as little as possible, fall into the centre of
the plants, where, being apt to lodge, it would prove detrimental, in
some degree, to these exotics at this season.

OP THE VARIOUS KINDS OF PLANTS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

In some hot-houses there are kept many other sorts of curious ex-
otics, besides the pines, both of the succulent and woody kinds, &c.,
and as they are all tender, being from the hottest parts of the world,
the same degrees of heat as recommended for the pine, will, gene-
rally speaking, be suitable for them ; however, there are some of those
which, to do them the greatest possible justice, require a somewhat
greater degree of heat than the pine-apple, and others not quite so
much; therefore, when there is the convenience of different apart-

FEB.} THE HOT-HOUSE. 187

w

ments in a long range of hot-houses, all may be suited according to
their respective necessities.

Let it be observed, that all tender plants which are kept in pots,
the succulent tribe excepted, thrive much better when plunged in
the bark-bed; but the tallest growing kinds must be planted in a
border of suitable earth, near the back wall, to give them the greater
scope for extending their heads.

All these kinds of plants should be kept remarkably clean from
dust, or any sort of filth that may gather upon their stems, shoots,
or leaves ; and such ought always to be washed off as soon as it ap-
pears. There is nothing more necessary than cleanliness to preserve
the health of plants ; and where foulness is permitted upon any of
them, it will not only close up those small pores which are so neces-
sary to the growth of all vegetables, but will also render the whole
plant unhealthy, which seldom fails to invite insects, and to increase
them prodigiously in the house.

These plants must also be kept very free from decayed leaves ; that
is, when any such appear, let them be immediately taken off.

Water should also be given to all these plants at times ; some will
require but very little and seldom, and others will need it pretty
often. Therefore, let good care be taken that every plant, accord-
ing to its nature, be properly supplied with that article ; but be sure
never to give any sort too much at a time ; and in giving it always
make a distinction between the succulent, the herbaceous, and the
woody kinds.

The latter will need water oftener, and more at a time, than either
of the former ; for some of those require very little moisture about
their roots, and too much would rot the plants.

Let the woody kinds in general be moderately watered not less
than once or twice a week ; and it will be serviceable to sprinkle wa-
ter sometimes all over the head or branches of these plants, espe-
cially the coffee tree, the pimento, or allspice, and all the tender
Mimosas.

But the succulent kinds, such as the cactuses, mesembryanthe-
mums, aloes, Euphorbias and the like, must not be watered oftener
than once a week.

In watering these kinds let care be taken to give but little at each
time, just sufficient to reach the bottom roots.

It will be an advantage to all these tender plants, both of the
woody, succulent, and other kinds, when the surface earth in the
pots casually crusts or binds, to stir and loosen it lightly a small
depth.

ADMIT AIR.

Fresh air should now be admitted to the pines and other plants in
the hot-house, at all times when the weather will permit.

But this, however, must only be done at this season, when the sun
shines warm, and the air is quite calm and clear ; then it will be pro-
per to slide some of the glasses open a little way, in the warmest
time of the day, particularly the roof-lights, shutting all close if the

188 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

*•

weather changes cold and cloudy, and always in proper time in the
afternoon.

The best time of the day for the admission of fresh air, is from
about twelve to one, two, or three o'clock ; but for the time of open-
ing or shutting the glasses, let the weather be the guide.

OF KIDNEY-BEANS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Now plant some more kidney-beans of the early white, cream-
colored, yellow, or speckled dwarfs, &c., in pots or boxes, and place
them in the hot-house to succeed those planted last month; or if none
was then planted, this is a very successful time, superior to the former
month, for planting a good hot-house crop, and managed as directed
in January, page 111.

Do not forget to refresh with water those kidney-beans which were
planted last month ; they will require it two or three times a week :
give also necessary waterings to the young beans advancing for suc-
cessive crops.

OF BLOWING ROSES AND OTHER PLANTS EARLY.

You may now, in the beginning of this month, set pots of roses
and honeysuckles, &c., in the hot-house } or pots of bulbous roots,
carnations, pinks, and double sweet-williams, or of any other desirable
flowering plants, either of the shrub or herbaceous kinds, which you
desire, by way of curiosity, to bring to an early bloom, supplying
them, when in growth, with plenty of water.

Likewise, about the middle and end of the month, you may intro-
duce more of the same sort of flowering-plants to produce flowers in
regular succession.

You may also introduce pots sown with seeds of any desirable
annuals, of moderate growth, to flower early, such as mignonette,
balsams, ten weeks stock, &c. &c.

OF CUCUMBERS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Where it is desired to raise early cucumbers in the hot-house,
some seed may be now sown as directed last month, or young plants
planted therein from any common hot-bed. (See Hot-house for
January.)

EARLY STRAWBERRIES.

You may now introduce into the hot-house, pots of the scarlet and
alpine strawberries, either to succeed those of last month, or as a
first introduction. Let them be two years' old bearing plants ; place
them near the glasses, or plunge them in the bark-bed to forward
them earlier, giving proper supplies of water.

If some fresh plants are taken into the hot-house every three
weeks, you may obtain a constant supply of early fruit till those in
the open ground ripen.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 189

Or pots of strawberry plants kept in moderate dung hot-beds to
forward them, may be removed in successive order into the hot-house;
they will produce a supply of early fruit in regular succession.

M A E C H .

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

THE weather in this month, both in the middle and eastern States,
is very unsettled; sometimes it proves dry and frosty, sometimes
tolerably warm and comfortable, at other times cold ana wet, with
storms of strong winds, hail, snow and rain; which make a diligent
attendance on the hot-beds absolutely necessary; otherwise, they often
miscarry, and all the preceding trouble and expense are lost.

Let me here observe, that snow ought never to be suffered to re-
main but as short a time as possible, either on the hot-bed lights,
covers, or about the beds ; for the cold produced thereby, often pene-
trates through a slight covering, especially if there is not a strong
bottom heat, and produces a kind of hoar-frost in the inside of the
frame, which seldom fails to do considerable injury ; and likewise,
when suffered to lodge round the beds, it causes a sudden decline of
the heat.

CARE Or EARLY CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

Examine the state of the cucumber and melon hot-beds, and see if
they are of a proper degree of heat, so as to preserve the plants in a
state of free growth.

You must let the heat be lively, but moderate, by which means
the ridged-out plants of good growth will show fruit plentifully, and
these will swell freely and grow to a handsome size.

If you find the heat declined, apply a lining of fresh horse-dung,
as directed in January, page 25, to which I refer you for general in-
structions on this subject.

Let the plants have fresh air every day, by raising the upper end
of the glasses from about half an inch to one or two inches in height,
in proportion to the heat of the bed and warmness of the weather ;
always more freely in sunny, calm, mild days, than when cloudy or
a sharp external air; and when the weather changes colder, diminish
the admission of air or shut down the glasses ; and always shut close
in proper time towards evening, about three or- four o'clock, &c., ac-
cording to the temperature of the weather.

Refresh them now and then with water ; let this be given very
moderately, and in a mild sunny day ; the best time for doing this is
from ten to two o'clock.

Cover the glasses with mats every afternoon as soon as the sun is

190 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

off them ; or, if a dark day, and the weather is severe, at such period
as you may think necessary, according to the degree of heat or cold
that may be prevalent at the time ; and uncover in the morning, if a
sunny day, so soon as it shines on the beds, or, if otherwise, as early
as may be consistent with the safety of the plants ; for their being
too much debarred from the light, causes them to become discolored
and weakly.

As the early plants raised last month will have now advanced con-
siderably into fruitful runners, and show fruit abundantly, especially
cucumbers, let the runners or vines be trained out regularly along
the surface of the bed at equal distances, and peg them down neatly
with small hooked sticks. At this early season it will be of much
utility to impregnate the young fruit of cucumbers with the farina of
male blossoms. The flowers of cucumbers and melons are male and
female, separate on the same plant, and the females produce the
fruit; the* males are often erroneously called false blossoms, and
many persons in consequence of that notion pull them off; but they
are so far from being false blossoms, that they are by nature designed
to impregnate the female flowers to render them fruitful; for the
antheraj in the centre of the male blossom being furnished with a
fine powder, which being dispersed on the stigma in the centre of the
female, the fecundation is effected, and the fruit in a day or two after
will begin to swell, and which in cucumbers will generally, in about
a fortnight, or within a few days under or over, according to the
state or growth of the plants, be arrived to a proper size for cutting
or gathering for the table, in young green fruit six to twelve inches
long or more; so that without the assistance of the male blossom, the
females having the embryo fruit at their base wither and decay, and
the infant fruit turns yellow and drops off.

Therefore it is of importance to preserve a sufficiency of the male
flowers, for the purpose of impregnating the females ; and in the early
culture of cucumbers, &c., it is eligible to carry some of the males to
the female flowers ; observing for this purpose to detach some new
expanded male blossoms with the stalk to each, and holding the stalk
between the finger and thumb, and pulling off the petal or flower
leaf surrounding the male organ, then with the remaining antherae
or central part, touch the stigma in the centre of the female, twirling
it about so as some of the farina or male powder of the anthene may
adhere thereto, a little of which being sufficient to effect the im-
pregnation.

This operation is essentially necessary to be performed by hand,
to early plants that are shut up in frames, before the lights or glasses
can be admitted sufficiently open to give free access to a large cur-
rent of air, or flying insects, such as bees, &c., all of which assist
in conveying the farina of the male blossoms to the females, as is
evident in plants exposed to the open air.

The above operation of fecundating, or, as the gardeners term it,
setting the fruit, should be performed the same day the flowers open
and are fully expanded, which is the most essential period of their
generative effect.

The female or fruit-bearing flowers are readily distinguished at

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 191

sight from the males; the former having always the embryo fruit
placed immediately under the base of the flower; or in other words,
the embryo fruit issues forth with the flower-bud on its top, visible
from its first eruption from the stem of the plant; but the male
blossom is placed immediately on the top of its footstalk without
any appearance of fruit under its base.

The same operation of impregnating or setting the fruit, as above,
may also be practised on melons, which will have the same effect as
in cucumbers ; but as melons are only eatable when ripe, it will be
five or six weeks longer before they attain full size and mature ripe-
ness.

SOW CUCUMBER AND MELON SEED.

Sow in the above, or any new made hot-beds, the seeds of cucum-
bers and melons, at the beginning, and also about the middle, and
towards the latter end of this month, to have a supply of young
plants in readiness, either to plant into new beds, or to supply the
place of such plants as may fail.

The sorts of cucumbers are the early Kenyon's free-bearer, Syon
House, and Walker's improved.

But the Early Short Prickly and Long Green Prickly, are com-
monly cultivated for the early and general crop, the short prickly
being the earliest, and are, therefore, often sown for the first crop in
the frames ; but the Long Green Prickly is1 the best to sow for a main
crop, either for the hand-glasses, or in the natural ground ; it being
both a plentiful bearer in long continuance, and the fruit attains the
most handsome regular growth, six or eight to ten or twelve inches
in length.

MAKING NEW HOT-BEDS TO TRANSPLANT CUCUMBERS, ETC.

Make hot-beds the beginning of this month to plant the cucumber
or melon plants upon, which were sown the latter end of January, or
any time in February; make the beds very substantial, fully three
feet and a half or four feet high, having the dung previously pre-
pared as directed in January, page 21, which will prevent a violent
heat taking place after its being made; let the cucumber or melon
plants be planted therein, and managed as directed in that month
and in February.

There are many gardeners and others who cannot conveniently
procure dung to begin to make hot-beds for cucumbers or melons at
an early season. Where that is the case, it is not too late to begin
now; and a hot-bed may be made the beginning or any time of the
month, and the seeds of cucumbers and melons sown therein; the
cucumbers from this sowing will be fit to cut towards the end of
April, be in full bearing the beginning of May, and will continue
fruiting a long time. The melons will come to perfection in June
and July.

192 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

CUCUMBERS AND MELONS FOR BELL OR HAND-GLASSES.

About the eighteenth or twentieth, or any time towards the end of
this month, is the time to begin to sow the cucumbers and melons
which are to be planted under hand or bell-glasses.

They may be sown in any of the cucumber hot-beds now at work ;
or if not convenient, or there are no such beds made, make a hot-bed
for that purpose, for a one, two, or three light frame, according to
the quantity of plants required; sow the seed, and manage the beds
as directed in the two former months. The plants will be ready for
ridging out by the middle' or towards the end of next month ; the
cucumbers will be in bearing the latter end of May, and the melons
in July.

CAULIFLOWERS.

Where cauliflower plants were raised from seeds sown last month,
they should as soon in this as they have arrived to the height of
three or four inches, be pricked into a new slight hot-bed, made for
that purpose, at the distance of three inches every way, and managed
as directed in February, page 132.

By pricking out the plants on a little bottom heat, it will forward
them considerably, and by thus transplanting, they will become
strong and well furnished with roots, and consequently will succeed
much better when planted out than if suffered to remain in the seed
bed.

The autumn sown plants, and those which you had transplanted
last month, from the January sowing, must now have plenty of air,
and this in proportion as the season advances, and the weather grows
warm, in order to harden them for bearing the open air, when planted
out where intended for flowering, which cannot be done with safety
in the middle States before the last week in this month, or r-ather
the first in April ; nor in the eastern States before the second week
or middle of that month, unless you have hand-glasses to cover them,
in which case they may be planted out any time that the ground is
in good condition, after the middle of March.

The latter method I would recommend, provided the plants are
large, the spring early, and that you have the convenience of hand-
glasses, but not otherwise.

Theugh at this early period the ground best adapted for producing
good cauliflowers is not always in a proper state for cultivation, which
ought to be a principal consideration, either in the planting or sowing
of any crops whatever, and never departed from, should the season
prove ever so late.

Cauliflower seed may be sown the beginning of this month, as
directed in January, page 29, which, if well attended to, and judi-
diciously managed, and the great summer heats should not set in at
an early period, will head tolerably well ; but if these circumstances
do not follow, a great number of them will not flower before late in
autumn, and some not even then ; such of these as do not flower
before the setting in of the winter frosts, are to be treated as directed

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 193

in the Kitchen Garden for November, by which treatment they will
produce tolerable good heads, and at a very acceptable period.

You must be very particular during this month, especially when
the weather gets warm, to give your cauliflower plants plenty of air,
otherwise they will draw up weakly, and be good for nothing ; but
at the same time, do not let them be chilled, nor their vegetation
checked, by exposing them too much in cold weather, or neglecting
to cover them carefully at night ; expose them fully to the air every
mild and warm day, but not when the wind is sharp or cutting, and
raise the glasses behind in more unfavorable weather.

On the judicious treatment given to these plants during this month
depends, in a great measure, their future success ; therefore, due and
constant attention should be paid to them, agreeably to the rules
already laid down.

As the beginning or early part of next month will be the princi-
pal period for planting out cauliflowers in the middle and eastern
States, I am induced to defer the instructions for performing that
part of the business till April; observing, however, that in every
part of the Union it should be done as early in spring as the ground
gets warm and into a good state of vegetation, not before; for, when
that is not the case, the plants very frequently get chilled and stunted
by the coldness of the earth and air, and seldom afterwards produce
good heads.

You may sow some cauliflower seed on a warm border towards
the latter end of the month, to produce their flowers or heads in
October, &c.

CABBAGE PLANTS.

During the early part of this month the cabbage plants, which are
in a considerable state of forwardness, must be well inured to the
open air, the better to prepare them for planting out as soon after
the middle of the month as the weather will permit. Those pro-
duced from later sowings in hot-beds will, to do them justice, require
the same management as directed for cauliflower plants.

PLANTING AND SOWING CABBAGES.

As early in this month as you find the weather -sufficiently favor-
able, which, in the middle States, is generally so about the fifteenth
or twentieth, transplant cabbage plants of all kinds, particularly the
early sorts, where they are to remain for heading; this, in warm
situations and dry ground, may be done at an earlier period, accord-
ing to circumstances.

Let them be planted in good ground enriched with dung, at two
feet distance for the early York, sugar-loaf, and other early kinds;
but the large late cabbage plants should be set a yard asunder.

The above distances are to be understood of such plants as are to
remain to grow to their full size; but such of the forward kinds as
are to be cut while young, may be planted closer; eighteen inches
will be sufficient.
13

19.4 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

Plant out also a general crop of red cabbage plants, to head in
August, &c., and allow them three feet every way, plant from plant.

Sow seeds of every kind of cabbage which you wish to cultivate.
These may be sown in the open ground about the middle or as early
in the month as the weather permits. The early as well as the late
kinds should be sown now, in order to have a regular succession, or
as substitutes in default of early plants, or for a general summer
crop. The early Wakefield, early York, Battersea, and sugar-loaf,
are best adapted for this purpose. The last kind, though not quite
so early as the others, has a particular advantage over them, in not
being liable to burst so soon after having arrived at perfection, and
consequently may be kept a long time, either for use or market.

Sow also a full crop of the large flat Dutch, drum-head, large
English, Savoy, and red pickling cabbages. The plants from this
sowing will produce larger and better heads than if sown later.

Should the season prove favorable, by which you can get these
seeds sown early in the month, it will be very proper to sow some
more of each kind, about the end, for succession plants.

Some people never think of planting Savoys till late in spring.
This is a great mistake, for the early sown plants will always pro-
duce larger and better cabbage-heads than the late.

In sowing the different sorts of cabbage-seeds, never let them be
sown under the shade of trees, hedges, very high fences or buildings,
for in such situations the plants are drawn up weak and long-shanked,
and are more liable to be destroyed by vermin than in open ex-
posures.

SOWING PEAS.

As early in this month as possible sow a full crop of peas. The
kinds most proper for this sowing are the early-frame, emperor, and
Charleton hot-spurs. Sow also at the same time some of the Cham-
pion of England, marrowfat, dwarf, or blue imperial kinds. These,
or any of the late sorts, being now sown, will regularly succeed the
early crops.

Sow peas from this forward once a fortnight or three weeks, to
keep up a regular supply for the table young and in good condition ;
or it will be a good rule when the plants of a former sowing are up
to sow another crop of the same sort for succession.

All the sorts of peas, except those which are intended for the first
or early crops, which may be sown on south or warm borders, should
be sowed in open situations, and by no means near low or spreading
trees.

At this season, and from henceforward, let the early kinds be
planted in drills three feet and a half asunder ; the larger growing
sorts five feet, and the largest, such as the champion, &c., six feet,
giving them rods or sticks in proportion to their respective growths,
by which means you will be certain of abundant crops.

It will not be advisable to sow any of the above kinds while the
ground is tough and wet, always observing to have your ground in
good working condition before you sow these or any other crops;

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 195

for, if otherwise, they cannot receive much benefit, but may con-
siderable injury — observing at the same time that peas do not thrive
in a heavy or clay soil.

The depth of covering which they require is from one to two
inches, according as the ground may be either of a light or heavy
nature, or in a dry or wet state at the time of sowing.

EARTHING AND STICKING PEAS.

Towards the latter end of the month the early sown peas will be
advancing in growth, and must have earth drawn to their stems as
they progress, which will greatly strengthen them and encourage
their growth.

As to sticking peas, always be careful to have this done when they
are about four inches high ; for, if they fall to one side or the other,
they with difficulty can recover their erect posture ; and if they are
double-sticked the better — that is, place a range of sticks on the 'one
side, all in a regular declining manner, and another on the other
side of the row declining in an opposite direction to the former, by
which none can fall on either side. I cannot too much impress the
necessity of rodding well, for on this in great measure depends the
abundance of your crops.

PLANTING THE LARGE WINDSOR BEANS, AND OTHER VARIETIES OF
THE SAME SPECIES.

As early in this month as possible plant a full crop of Windsor
beans, and also of any of the other varieties which you esteem. The
Mazagan and Lisbon are the earliest; the white-blossom bean is
very delicious, and boils much greener than any other kind ; but the
green Genoa bears the heat of our climates better than either of the
others, and therefore is the most suitable for late crops. The long-
podded bean is very good, and bears well ; but the Windsor, Sand-
wich, Toker, and broad Spanish kinds, on account of their great size
and sweetness, are more esteemed for blanching than any other. The
dwarf-cluster bean is a great bearer, never grows above a foot or
fourteen inches high, and may be planted in rows either in beds or
borders, the rows to be about two feet asunder; and as this kind
branches out considerably from the root, the beans must be planted
in single rows, and six inches distant from one another.

I have again to remark that it is from the early planted of these
kinds that much produce may be expected, for when overtaken by the
summer heat, whilst in blossom, these drop off prematurely; conse-
quently the crops are poor and scanty.

Continue planting these kinds once every ten days till the end of
the month or beginning of next ; and as the early crops advance,
draw some earth up to their stems as directed for peas.

When beans are desired at as early a period as possible, you may
force some of the early Mazagan kind, in any of your forcing depart-
ments, observing, when the plants are in full blossom, to nip off their

196

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

[MARCH

tops, which will cause their fruit to set and ripen sooner than'if left
to take their natural course.

Or you may, about the beginning of the month, plant a quantity
of them close together in a hot-bed, to be defended with a frame and
glasses, or with mats, &c., and when thus forwarded for two or three
weeks, plant them into the open ground ; observing to give them
plenty of air whilst in the hot-bed, and when they have one or two
inches growth therein, to plant them into some warm border, in rows
two feet and a half or a yard asunder.

For further particulars, and the method of planting all the kinds,
see February.

Fig. 20.

COVERING HALF-HARDY PLANTS.

For covering half-hardy plants, or screening from dry winds, various
means are employed. In France a basket is constructed, of two
semi-cylinders, constructed in the mode of straw
hives. To these are fixed solid feet of wood to drive
into the ground. If it is necessary to shelter one
plant from east or northeast winds, one cylinder is
sufficient ; but if it is a plant which you are forced
to protect, is delicate,* and requires a more complete
protection, you inclose it between the two semi-cylin-
ders, fixed one to the other by means of hooks re-
presented in the drawing. A lid of the same con-
struction, furnished at its edge with a circle of wood-
work, is fitted, when necessary, on the cylinder, and
thus, perhaps, offers a more effectual shelter against
the severity of cold winds and excessive heat than
any other. These sorts of shades are light to move,
very solid, and very warm ; for, letting but little of
the exterior air penetrate, they preserve at night the
heat which accumulates in the interior. They would
also guard plants well from the sun, and thus offer a
means of checking the natural perspiration of green
parts. Probably nothing could be invented more
suitable for the protection of young plants, like the magnolia grandi-
flora, in this latitude, where the frozen sap is attacked by the sun,
and the leaves in young specimens annually killed. For protecting
the stems of grafted roses from the summer sun, they might be made
of basket willows.

SOWING AND TRANSPLANTING LETTUCES.

As early in this month as possible, prepare a warm south border,
and sow thereon, very thick, some of the early Silesia and white
Dutch lettuces ; in order to have it fit for cutting, with other small
salading, at an early period, and to succeed such as you have forward-
ed in frames ; let the ground be dry and light, and the seed either
raked in or covered very slightly.

Towards the middle of the month, if the weather be mild and set-

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 197

tied, you may sow in borders, beds, or any open compartments of
ground, different sorts of lettuce seed, such as the white, green,
spotted, and Egyptian cos, grand admiral, white Silesia, Indian ten-
nis-ball, New Zealand, Mogul, white and brown Dutch, &c., these are
all most excellent sorts for this sowing, where variety of superior
kinds are wanted.*

Every two weeks it will be necessary to sow other successional
crops, so as to have a regular and constant supply either for market
or family use.

The different sorts should generally be sown separate, and in dig-
ging the ground, let the earth be well pulverized. Sow the seed on
the surface, and rake them in lightly, taking care not to draw the
earth in heaps.

Or some of the cos kinds particularly, may be sown thinly among
the crops of carrots, parsneps, leeks, &c. ; some for transplanting,
and others to remain for full growth.

In sowing lettuce it is of much importance to have good sorts, and
such as will not run to seed before they attain full growth ; these are
not commonly to be met with, and are worth procuring.

As soon in this month as the weather gets mild and tolerably
warm, transplant some of the lettuce plants from the beds or borders,
where they have stood all winter, provided they stand too close. In
doing this, .observe to draw the plants out regularly, and let the
strongest remain for heading at about ten inches distance ; then
loosen the surface of the earth between them, and clear away all de-
cayed leaves and litter ; after which, add a little fresh earth, which
will give the plants new vigor, and considerably enlarge their growth.

Previously to planting out into the open borders any plants raised
in hot-beds from the early spring sowings, you must be very partic-
ular to inure them to the open air, so that when transplanted, they
may not receive a great check by too sudden a transition.

It will be of considerable service to these plants, when transplant-
ed into the borders at this season, to cover them at night with mats
or other light coverings, which are to be taken off early in the morn-
ing.

Should it happen that you have no lettuce plants in a state of for-
wardness for early Salading, some may be now sown in a hot-bed, to
forward for that purpose.

RADISHES.

Sow more seed to raise a supply of radishes to succeed those sown
last month.

There should be some both of the salmon, olive shaped, and short
top kinds, sown at three different times this month ; that is, at the
beginning, middle, and latter end, by which means there will be a
due succession of young radishes for the table. Let this seed be

* White curled Silesia is one of the very best for all purposes, excepting
the winter. It stands the sun without being scorched, and is tender, brit-
tle, and sweet flavored.

198 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

sown now in an open compartment, observing the same method as in
February, page 137.

Thin the early crops of radishes where the plants stand too close ;
pull up the worst and leave the others about two inches apart ; clear
them from weeds of all kinds, and as they advance in growth thin
them by degrees by drawing them for the table.

In dry open weather, let the early crops in frames, *&c., be mode-
rately watered at intervals, to forward them in a free swelling state,
as well as to render them mild and crisp for eating.

A thin sprinkling of radish seed may be sown among other gene-
ral crops at this season, which will grow freely, and being detached,
will form fine large crisp roots.

TURNIP-ROOTED RADISHES.

Now sow some turnip-rooted radish ; there are two sorts, the white
and the red, but the former is preferable to sow for the general sup-
ply ; it grows like a young Dutch turnip, is very mild, agreeable to
eat, and of early perfection.

Let the seed of both sorts be sown separately in an open space of
light ground, and rake them in evenly.

When the plants have the first central rough leaves half an inch
broad, thin them to about two inches apart.

SOWING SPINAGE.

Sow spinage every fortnight or three weeks to have a regular sup-
ply ,• for the plants of one sowing, in spring and summer, will not
continue fit for use longer than that time before they run to seed.
Let the seed be of the round-leaved or smooth-seeded kind ; that
being the most proper sort to sow at this season, its leaves being
considerably thicker and larger than the prickly-seeded spinage.

This seed should be sown thinly either in beds or borders, and
generally broadcast, in which method you may sow therewith a little
radish-seed ; when the seed is sown in light dry ground, tread it over
lightly, and then rake it in regularly, or you may sow; it in drills a
foot asunder, and about half an inch deep.

Let it be observed, that spinage should not, at this season, be sown
where the ground is much shaded with trees or bushes ; for in such
situations, the plants would be dr.awn up to seed before they arrive
to half their growth.

Hoe or hand-weed the early crops of spinage, thinning the plants
at the same time, but particularly those sown broadcast, to three,
four, or five inches distance.

The crop of winter spinage, which was sown last autumn, will,
towards the end of the month, be advancing in good perfection for
use, and should be kept clear from weeds, and the earth between the
plants stirred with a hoe ; and in gathering the plants for use, if
they stand close, should thin them out clean by the roots ; but if
they already stand at wide distances, only crop the large outer leaves

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 199

as wanted, till they begin to run, then cut them clean up to the
bottom.

CARROTS AND PARSNEPS.

Any time after the middle of this month that the ground is in
good condition, you may sow carrots and parsneps for a full crop,
particularly the latter; and also, a sufficient early crop of the former.

A spot of light deep loam, inclining a little to sand, and in an
open situation, should be chosen for these crops ; for their roots will
thrive best and grow largest in such.

The ground should be trenched one good spade deep at least, ob-
serving in the digging to take but thin spits, and to break all the
lumps fine, that the roots may have full liberty to run down long and
straight ; for if the earth is not well divided and separated, the roots
are apt to grow both short and forked.

Then draw drills one inch deep and fifteen inches apart, sow the
seed evenly, cover carefully with the feet, after which, rake the sur-
face lightly, and the work is finished.

Previous to sowing carrot-seed, you should rub it well between your
hands, mixed with some dry sand, to cause it to separate freely.

When the plants are afyout three inches high, thin the parsneps
to six, and the carrots to four inches, plant from plant, in the rows.

Some people sow the seeds broadcast in beds, tread them in, and
. then rake the ground ; but this method should never be practised
where the soil is stiff, inclinable to wet, or apt to bind. You may
sow with these crops a few radish and lettuce seeds ; of the latter any
of the cos kinds are most suitable for this purpose, they not being
subject to spread like the heading sorts.

' SMALL SALADING.

Small salading, such as cresses, mustard, radish, rape,. and turnip,
&c., should, when a constant supply is wanted, be sown once a week
or fortnight, in a warm border, observing to draw some flat shallow
drills three inches asunder ; sow the seeds therein, each sort separate,
and cover them lightly with fine earth.

For the particular method of sowing and treating these seeds, see
the work of last month, page 132.

If these young herbs, or any other of your early advancing crops,
such as1 peas, beans, &c., are attacked with a hoar frost appearing on
them in the morning, and a sunny day is likely to follow, let them
be watered before the sun shines on them with spring or pump water,
to wash and melt it off, which will prevent their turning black and
spoiling.

CELERY.

.If celery was not sown last month, let some seed be sown the be-
ginning of this, to plant out in May, &c., for an early crop; sow
some more of the same seed about the middle, or towards the latter
end, for a succession crop. The seed should be sown in a bed or

200 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

border of mellow rich earth, sowing it on the surface moderately
thick, and cover it in lightly with fine mould not more than a quarter
of an inch ; or you may rake it in with a light and even hand. Water
the bed frequently in dry weather.

Let it be observed that there are two sorts of celery ; one known
by the name of Italian or upright celery ; the other called celeriac,
or turnip-rooted celery. The first is that which is commonly culti-
vated for the general crops, and of which there are several varieties,
viz., common upright celery with hollow stalks, solid-stalked celery,
red-stalked solid celery, &c.,* either of which being raised from seed
sown as above, is afterwards planted in trenches for blanching their
stalks, which are the principal useful parts ; but the celeriac is gene-
rally cultivated for its swelling bottom part ; and being planted either
on level ground, or in shallow drills, the roots of it swell like a
turnip. (See April, May, June, &c.)

BROCCOLI.

Sow broccoli for early crops, &c., to come in for use in October,
November, and December, &c.

Choose seed of the early purple, and some of the cauliflower broc-
coli ; sow a little of each kind about the middle or latter end of the
month in an open bed of rich earth, and rake them in. When the
plants come up, manage them as directed in May, June, and July.

SOWING BORECOLE, OR CURLED KALE.

Towards the end of this month you may sow a first crop of bore-
cole for autumn service.

There are two principal sorts, the green and the brown, both very
hardy plants, with tall stems, and full heads of thick fimbriate curled
leaves, not cabbaging, and are desirable open greens for winter, &c.

Let this seed be sown in an open exposure, distant from trees and
close fences, as in such situations they are apt to draw up too fast,
with long weak stalks. Sow it broadcast, and rake it in evenly.
For other particulars, see the succeeding months.

Borecole is extremely valuable for winter and spring greens, where
the winter frost is not too powerful for it, particularly in all the
southern States. It is the most hardy of the cabbage tribe, and in
mild winters will stand tolerably well in the middle States. » In the
eastern States, it will require to be taken up before the winter frosts
set in with much severity, planted in trenches up to the leaves, and
covered occasionally with straw or other light covering. The heads
•may be cut off as wanted, and in spring the stems, if taken up and
planted out, will produce an abundance of most delicious sprouts.

* Hollow stalked celery is not worth cultivating. Seymour's White Solid
is one of the very best.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 201

OF FORKING AND DRESSING THE ASPARAGUS BEDS.

This work should be begun afyout the latter end of the month.
For the purpose of digging or forking these beds, you should be pro-
vided with a proper fork, having three short tines, six to eight or
nine inches long, perfectly flat, about an inch broad, and the ends
of them rounded and blunt. However, in want of such, it may be
performed with a small short-pronged common dung-fork.

In forking the beds, be careful to loosen every part to a moderate
depth, but taking great care not to go too deep to wound the crowns
of the roots.

The above work of forking these beds is most necessary to be done
every spring to improve and loosen the ground and to give free
liberty for the buds to shoot up, also to give easy access to the sun,
air, and showers of rain.

The beds being forked, they must afterwards be raked even, ob-
serving, if you do not rake them immediately after they are forked,
to defer it no longer than the first week in April, for by that time
the buds will begin to advance.

Before raking the above beds you may scatter thereon a few radish
and lettuce seeds to pull up while young.

As to the method of gathering or cutting asparagus when advanced
to a proper growth for the table, it is generally most eligible to be
furnished with an asparagus knife, having a straight, narrow, taper-
ing blade, about six or eight inches long, and about an inch broad
at the haft, narrowing to about half an inch at the point, which
should be rounded off from the back, observing, when the shoots are
from about two to three or four inches high, they should be then cut,
slipping the knife down perpendicularly, close to each shoot, and cut
it off slantingly about three or four inches within the ground, taking
care not to wound any young buds coming up from the same root, for
there are always several shoots advancing therefrom in different
stages of growth.*

PLANTING ASPARAGUS.

New plantations of asparagus may now be made, this being the
proper season to remove these plants. It may be done any time in
this month, when the weather is mild.

In making plantations of these plants, one great article to be con-
sidered is to make choice of a proper soil; choose the best the garden
affords. It must not be wet nor too strong or stubborn, but such as
is moderately light and pliable, so as it will readily fall to pieces in
digging or raking, &c., and in a situation that enjoys the full sun.

The ground where you intend to make new asparagus beds should
have a large supply of rotten or other good dung laid thereon seve-
ral inches thick, and then regularly trenched two spades deep, and

* If the young shoots be allowed to grow six inches high and are cut
off level with the ground, the whole is tender ; all below the soil is tough
and stringy.

202 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

the dung buried equally in each trench, twelve or fifteen inches be-
low the surface.

When this trenching is done, lay on two or three inches of very
short well-rotted manure all over the surface, and dig the ground
over again eight or ten inches deep, mixing this top-dressing and in-
corporating it well with the earth.

The ground being thus prepared and laid level, divide it into beds
four feet and a half wide, with alleys two feet wide between each bed.

At each corner of every bed let a firm stake be driven into the
ground, to serve as a mark for the alleys.

Four rows of asparagus are to be planted in each bed, and ten or
twelve inches distance to be allowed between plant and plant in the
row, and let the outside rows of each bed be eight inches from the
edge.

Next, let it be observed that the plants for this plantation must
not be more than two years old ; but most good gardeners prefer those
that are only one, which are what I would recommend and choose to
plant, as from experience I have found they generally take root much
freer and succeed every way better than the former. The following
is the method of planting them : —

Strain your line along the bed eight inches from the edge, then
with a spade cut out a small trench or drill close to the line, about
six inches deep, making that side next the line nearly upright ; and
when one trench is opened plant that before you open another, placing
the plants upright ten or twelve inches distant in the row.

In planting these plants, observe that they must not be placed flat
in the bottom of the trench, but nearly upright against the back of
the trench or drill, and so that the crown of the plants may also
stand upright, and two or three inches below the surface of the
ground; let them be all placed an equal depth, spreading their roots
somewhat regular, against the back of the trench, and at the same
time drawing a little earth up against them with the hand as you
place them, just to fix the plants in their due position, till the row is
planted ; when one row is thus finished, immediately with a rake draw
the earth into a drill over the plants, and then proceed to open an--
other drill or trench, as before directed ; plant it in the same manner,
and cover in the plants as above, and so on till the whole is planted,
then let the surface of the beds be raked smooth, and cleared from
stones.

When the plants come up, keep them always free from weeds ; but
in the mean time, be cautious not to sow any early crops whatever
among your young plantations, as is very injudiciously practised by
many, for these would smother them in their growth, and greatly re-
tard their progress.

Let it be next observed that it will be three years from the time
of planting before the asparagus plants produce buds large enough to
cut for use in any general gathering ; though sometimes in rich, good
ground, and a remarkably prosperous growth in the plants in the pro-
duction of strong shoots, a few of the largest may be cut the second
spring after planting, but I would advise not to cut many before the
third year.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 203

A plantation of asparagus, if the beds are properly dressed every
year, as directed in the spring and autumn months, will continue to
produce good buds for ten or twelve years or more.

In making new plantations, I have sometimes, instead of putting
in young plants as above directed, sown the seed at once in beds
where the plants are to remain ; and, as by that practice the plants
are not disturbed by a removal, they consequently cannot fail of pro-
ducing a regular crop.

The beds being four feet and a half wide, and prepared as before
directed for the plants, mark out four lines lengthways the beds ;
then along these line, at the distance of every nine or ten inches,
dot in a few seeds, covering them about an inch deep. When the
plants have been come up some time, they must be thinned, leaving
only one of the strongest in each place, and carefully clear them from
weeds.

A plantation of asparagus thus raised, will produce buds fit to cut
the third spring after sowing, but will be very large and fine the
fourth year.

For forcing asparagus, see February, page 128.

SOWING ASPARAGUS SEED.

This seed may be sown about the middle, or towards the latter end
of the month, on four feet wide beds of rich earth. Sow it tolerably
thin on the surface, clap it in with the back of a spade, cover it a
little better than half an inch deep with earth out of the alleys, and
then rake the beds smooth.

Or it may be sown thinly in drills, six inches asunder, and covered
the same depth as above ; give the beds, both before and after the
plants are up, occasional waterings to strengthen them and forward
their growth; and they must be kept very free from weeds, by a
careful hand-weeding at different times during the summer.

When a quantify of asparagus for forcing is annually required,
you must act as directed in February, page 128.

SOWING BEET SEED.

You may now sow some of the different sorts of beet ; the red for
its large root, and the green and white sorts for their leaves in soups,
stewing, &c.

For this purpose make choice of a piece of rich deep ground ; lay
it out into four feet wide beds, push the loose earth into the alleys,
then sow the seed tolerably thin and cover it with the earth out of
these alleys to about three-quarters of an inch deep. Or let drills be
drawn with a hoe, near an inch deep, and a foot or a little more asun-
der; drop the seeds thinly therein and cover them over the same
depth as above. Or you may sow the seed on a piece of ground,
rough after being dug, and rake it well in.

Likewise you may now sow the Mangel Wurtzel, root of scarcity,
or great German beet, for its large leaves to boil as spinage, its thick
fleshy leaf-stalks to dress as asparagus, and its roots for boiling before

204 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

they become of a very large size. The leaves and roots are excellent
food for cattle ; producing, during summer, an uncommon abund-
ance of foliage ; the outside leaves, for this purpose, may be stripped
off every eight days during the season, but if large and well deve-
loped roots are wanted for winter fodder, the leaves are better to be
left on.

SOWING ONION SEED.

In order to have onions in good perfection the first year from
seed, which can certainly be effected in the middle, but more partic-
ularly in the eastern States, you must be careful to fix upon a suit-
able soil, which is a strong, light, rich loam ; always avoiding that
which is subject to become parched or bound up by heat and drought ;
or that, in consequence of too large a proportion of sand, is likely to
become violently hot in summer, for this is extremely injurious to
those plants by causing them to come to an untimely maturity, mani-
fested by the extraordinary perfection that onions arrive to in the
moderate climates of Europe, where they have not to encounter a
violent summer heat.

If this ground had been strongly manured in November, and then
thrown up into high sloping ridges, it would be much improved and
meliorated by the frost, &c., and could now be easily and expedi-
tiously levelled for sowing.

When this is not the case you may now give such ground a good
coat of well-rotted cow dung, or other good rotten manure, and dig
it a full spade deep, incorporating the dung therewith and pulverizing
the earth as you proceed in the digging ; this should not be attempted
till the ground it sufficiently dry to pulverize well and fall to pieces
under the rake ; but the earlier you can get it in this state, and the
seed sown, the larger and better onions will you have.

There are various methods of sowing the seed; but first I will give
you the one practised by the most judicious and careful gardeners.

As you proceed in digging the ground rake it well after you ; that
being done lay it out into three and a half, or four feet wide beds,
with alleys between of about a foot wide; then with the back of a
rake push off the light loose earth from the top of each bed into the
alleys, one half to the one side, the other to the opposite; this done,
and being provided with good seed, sow it thereon at the rate of one
pound for every sixteen rods, and with a shovel cast the earth out
of the alleys over the beds, covering the seeds evenly about half an
inch deep; then rake the beds lightly, drawing off all the lumps into
the alleys.

When the plants are up let them be kept very clean and free from
weeds of any kind by a good careful hand- weeding, which is to be
repeated, from time to time, as they require it; and where they grow
too close thin them to about two inches, plant from plant, all over
the beds; by these means you will have excellent onions for the
table the first year.

Others dig the ground, levelling the surface evenly after them as
they proceed in digging without raking it, and lay it out in beds as

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 205

before; then sow the seed thereon and rake it in ; and if the earth is
light and dry they frequently tread it in with the feet before raking.
Or the beds may be prepared, as in the first instance, and the seeds
sown very thinly in drills a foot apart, either of which methods will
do very well. The last is, however, the best, as the push hoe can be
used in extirpating the weeds, and loosening the surface.

But when they are raised upon an extensive scale the ground may
be cultivated by the plough, and when harrowed very fine the seed
may be sown in drills at the above distance, and the intervals between
them kept clean by hoeing; the remainder must be carefully hand-
weeded.

Sowing seed, to produce small seed onions, will answer better in
April, which see. If sown in this month they would generally grow
to too large a size for that purpose.

Of the several varieties of onion the Strasburg is the best for a
general crop; it is-a handsome bulb, generally assuming a roundish
oval shape, is of firm growth, and keeps well for winter service.

The white Spanish and silver skinned onions are of a milder taste,
but all the varieties generally turn out very profitable crops; the latter
kinds rarely keep so well after January as the Strasburg.

The Portugal and Madeira onions are extremely fine; but they
rarely attain with us as large a size as in these countries.

The red Spanish onion is highly esteemed for pickling on account
of its deep blood-red color, and much cultivated for that purpose :
it may also be used for any other purpose as well as the former
kinds.

' SOWING LEEKS.

Leek seed may be sown, and treated in every respect for the present
as directed for onion seed.

PLANTING SEED ONIONS.

By seed onions is meant the small bulbs produced from seed sown
last season, which should be planted out as early in spring as it is
possible to get the ground in a good state for tillage; the southern
States in particular have to depend on such for a general crop, as the
summer heat is too powerful in these, and indeed in the middle States,
except the ground is peculiarly suitable for the bulks arriving at a
sufficient size the first year from seed.

Having prepared an open piece of strong ground, well dug and
enriched with manure, you may proceed to plant these bulbs in rows,
either by line and dibble, or by hoe; planting them not more than
half an inch over the crowns : let the drills or rows be six inches
asunder, and the onions three inches one from the other in the rows.

But for expedition sake, especially when there are large quantities
to be planted, prepare an instrument, just in form of a common
hay-rake, having four round teeth or pegs, either of wood or iron,
placed in the head, at the distance of six inches from each other,
four inches long, and near an inch in diameter, close to the head,

206 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

tapering to a blunt point : this being in readiness, proceed to mark
out your ground into two feet wide beds, leaving a twelve inch alley
between each; then pull this rake along each bed from one end to
the other, pressing it down as you proceed, by which it will make
four regular drills in each, for the reception of the small onions,
which you are to plant by hand in these drills, at the distance above
mentioned, and just so deep as that you can cover the crowns, by
drawing a little earth over them with the hand as you proceed.

By the same method you may plant these onions in beds of any
dimensions you please, either lengthwise or across the beds.

The Allium canadense^ or tree onion, merits culture both as a
curiosity in producing the onions at the top of the stalk, as well as
for their value in domestic use, particularly for pickling, in which
they are excellent, and superior in flavor to the common kinds; they
may also be used for any other purposes that onions are.

It is perennial, and propagated by planting the bulbs in spring or
autumn, either the root-bulbs, or those produced on the top of the
stalks ; the latter if planted in spring as directed for the other kinds
will produce very fine, handsome sized onions of excellent flavor.

The root-bulbs increase greatly by offsets, and should be taken up
once in every two or three years, when the stems decay in autumn,
and replanted again to produce a supply of top-bulbs.

GARLIC, ROCAMBOLE, AND SHALLOTS.

Prepare some beds of good ground, four feet wide, in which to plant
garlic, rocambole, and shallots; of which procure some best bulbs
or roots ; divide the garlic and rocambole into cloves, and the shal-
lots into offsets, as they admit; plant them in rows, lengthwise the
beds, eight or nine inches asunder, by six inches distance in each
row, and two or three inches deep.

They may be planted either with a dibble or in drills drawn with
a hoe.

GIVES, OR CHIVES.

Gives, a small species of onion, growing in large tufts, are useful
in a family in the spring, &c., as a substitute for young onions, both
in salads and culinary purposes; they are propagated by slipping
the roots, and this is a proper time to plant them ; the method is to
part or take off some slips from the old roots several small offsets
together, and plant them in beds or borders about six to eight, or
nine inches distance.

In slipping or parting the above roots, observe to preserve eight,
ten, or more of the small bulbs together in a cluster, and in that
manner to plant them.

They are to be planted with a dibble or trowel, making holes for
them at the distance above mentioned, putting one cluster of roots,
as above, in each hole, and closing the earth well about them. They
will soon take root, and increase very fast into large bunches, of many
years' duration.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 207

TURNIPS.

Sow turnips for a first early crop, about the middle, or towards
the latter end of this month, in an open situation, and where the
ground is light.

The proper sort to sow now is principally the early Dutch and six
weeks turnip, they being the best sort to sow at this season in gar-
dens, but especially for the first and second crops ; excepting in very
cool and moist localities, turnips do not succeed during the summer
months.

SCORZONERA AND SALSAFY.

The latter end of this month you may sow scorzonera and salsafy ;
these plants are in some families much esteemed for their roots,
which are the only parts that are eaten, except the salsafy, as ex-
plained below.

The roots run pretty deep in the ground, in the manner of carrots
and parsneps, and are boiled or stewed, and eaten either alone or with
flesh- meat, like young carrots, &c.

But the salsafy is estimable both for its roots as above, and for the
young shoots rising in the spring from the year old plants, being
gathered while green and tender, are good to boil and eat in the man-
ner of asparagus.

Dig one or more beds for each of the above, in an open situation.
Sow the seed either in shallow drills, six inches distant, and earthed
over half an inch, or sow on the surface, covered from the alleys, and
the beds then raked; they are all to remain where sown, and the
plants thinned in May to from four to six inches distant.

LARGE ROOTED PARSLEY.

Sow the seeds of Hamburg, or large rooted parsley ; this is culti-
vated for its large parsnep-like root : let the seeds be sown in an open
situation, either in shallow drills, or on the surface, and raked in
evenly; when the plants are two or three inches in growth, they
must be thinned to six inches distant, that the roots may have room
to swell.

SKIRRETS.

Skirret seed may be sown tolerably thin, on beds of good earth
and raked in, or they may be propagated by parting their roots, and
planting them at six or eight inches distant. The fleshy tubers of
these roots are considered very delicious.

SOWING PARSLEY.

Parsley seed may be sown in a single drill along the edge of the
quarters or borders of the garden ; it will make a useful and also a
neat edging, if not suffered to grow rank, especially the curled parsley;

208 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

or if large supplies are wanted for market, it may be sown in con-
tinued rows nine inches asunder, or upon the general surface, trod
down and raked in.

SOWING CHERVIL AND CORIANDER.

Sow chervil and coriander for soups and salads, &c. ; draw shallow
drills for these seeds eight or nine inches asunder : sow each sort
separate, and cover them about half an inch deep with earth.

These herbs are all to remain where sown, and the chief culture
they require is to be kept clear from weeds; but as the plants soon
run up for seed, you should sow a small portion every month.

CRAMEE MARITIMA, OR SEA KALE.*

The Crambe maritimaj or Sea Kale, being yet very little known
in the United States, though a most excellent garden vegetable, and
highly deserving of cultivation, it may be of importance to the com-
munity to give some account of this plant, and the most approved
methods of cultivating it.

This plant is found growing spontaneously, though locally, on the
sea shore of the southern parts of England, as well as in similar
places in many other parts of Europe.

It is of the same natural class as the cabbage, but differs from it
and most of the Tetradynamus plants of LINNJEUS, in having a round
seed vessel, containing one seed only; its root is perennial, running to
a great depth, growing to great thickness, and branching out widely,
but not creeping: its full grown leaves are large, equalling in size,
when the plant grows luxuriantly, those of the largest cabbage, of a
glaucous or sea-green hue, and waved at the edges, thick and succu-
lent in their wild state, dying away and disappearing entirely at the
approach of winter. Seedling plants when raised in spring, produce
the first year radical leaves only; the second spring most of them
throw up a flowering stem, a foot or more in height, which, expanding
into numerous branches, forms a magnificent head of white or cream-
colored flowers, having a honey -like fragrance; these, if the season
proves favorable, are followed by abundance of seed.

As an article of food, the Crambe maritima appears to be better
known in England than in any other part of Europe; it is in that
country only that its value is rightly appreciated and its culture
carefully attended to.

On many parts of the sea coast of England, especially of Devon-
shire, Dorsetshire, and Sussex, the inhabitants from time immemorial
have been in the practice of procuring it for their tables, preferring
it to all other greens. They seek for the plant in the spring where
it grows spontaneously; and as soon as it appears above ground, they
remove the pebbles or sand with which it is usually covered to the

* This vegetable ought to be cooked in a pan, the inside of which is
lined with block tin or porcelain ; if exposed to an iron surface, it will get
black and be of bitter flavor.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 209

depth of several inches, and cut off the young and tender leaves and
stalks, as yet unexpanded and in a blanched state, close to the crown
of the root. It is then in its greatest perfection. When the leaves
are fully grown they become hard and bitter, and the plant is not
eatable.

The more curious, desirous of having it at hand and in their im-
mediate possession, have now, in many parts of the maritime counties
of England, introduced it into their gardens; and in Devonshire par-
ticularly there is scarcely a good garden to be found without a plan-
tation of it for the use of the table. It is also cultivated for sale in
various parts of England, particularly Bath, Chichester, &c.

It is to be observed that the sea kale is delicate eating only when
young, and that it is highly improved by being blanched. In the
cultivation of this plant it becomes necessary to blanch it before it
is fit for the table. To effect this it must be covered in some way or
other before the flowering stem, which constitutes the chief eatable
part, and its attendant leaves show the least sign of emerging from
the crown of the root.

Cultivators have differed widely respecting the mode of treating
this plant; many, conceiving that stones or gravel and sea sand are
essential to its growth, have gone to the expense of providing it
with such, not aware that it will grow much more luxuriantly on a
rich sandy loam, where the roots can penetrate to a great depth
without reaching the water, in which, if they are immersed, they are
apt to rot. The plant will succeed almost in any soil, provided it
be dry. Its luxuriance will depend chiefly on the manure with which
the soil is enriched, but, of all others, a deep, rich, sandy loam is its
favorite soil.

The most usual mode of raising the sea kale is from seed. It
may also be raised from cuttings of the root, and that with the
greatest certainty ; but seedlings make the finest plants. Some find
a difficulty in making the seeds vegetate ; this may be attributed to
their being old, buried too deep in the earth, or sown too late in the
spring. The most proper time for sowing the seed is in October, or
as early in the spring as the ground can be got in a fit condition to
receive them, and an inch is the proper depth to cover them. They
rarely vegetate in less than six weeks after being sown, even in the
most favorable season; and some will remain in the ground for
twelve months before they vegetate. Should the season prove dry,
it will be necessary to water the ground where the seeds are sown,
and the plants after they appear, frequently.

It is the best practice to raise young plants immediately from seed
on the bed where they are intended to remain; by this means the
plants receive no check in their growth. When you have formed
your bed, which should be raised somewhat above the level of the
ground, being previously trenched very deep and enriched with the
best rotten manure, make each bed wide enough to hold two rows of
plants, the space between each plant in the row fourteen inches, and
between each row a foot and a half. Sow about six or eight seeds,
as before directed, on each spot where your plant is intended to re-
main. This number is directed in order to guard against accidents,
14

210 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

as every seed may not vegetate, or at least not the first season, which
would be a losing year ; besides, some of those that do may be de-
stroyed by worms or insects. Should all of them succeed they are
easily reduced to three plants. This reduction, however, need not be
made too hastily. During summer your bed of course must be kept
perfectly clean from weeds. If, for the sake of a more certain crop,
you are disposed to make your plantation of the cuttings of the roots,
you may take such as are about half an inch or a little more in
diameter, and cut them into pieces of about two inches in length,
burying each in an upright position about three inches under ground,
in the same kind of bed and at the same distances as you would have
sown the seeds. The middle or latter end of this month will be a
proper season in the middle States for doing this; earlier in the
southern States, and somewhat later in the eastern.

Or if, for the sake of forwarding your plantation and gaining time,
you make use of plants instead of seeds or cuttings, presuming that
it is possible for you to procure them, they should be those of a year
old, and taken up with due care out of the seed-bed. Trim off the
extreme part of the root, and let each plant be planted in a perpen-
dicular manner so deep as that its crown will be one inch under the
surface. The period before mentioned for planting cuttings will be
the proper time for transplanting these. If their flowering-stalks be
cut for food the same season, it will weaken the plants considerably,
and hence, even in point of time, there is little gained by using such ;
for most of the seedling plants in your bed, if they have been pro-
perly managed, as well as your plants from cuttings, will flower, and
of course be fit to cut the second year.

In November cover your beds with a thick coat of rotten dung or
leaves ; this, at the same time that it protects your plants from frost,
will bring them more forward, and add to their luxuriance ; about
the middle of March, in the middle States, it will be necessary to
cover your plants for blanching ; the most ready mode of doing which,
is to draw the earth up with a hoe over the crown of the root, so that
each plant shall be covered to the depth of ten or twelve inches ;
some blanch it by heaping on it sea sand, some common sand and
pebbles, and others with large garden pots inverted, and placed im-
mediately over the plants, stopping up the holes at the bottoms; this
last is the neatest and cleanest mode.

The finest or at least the largest sea kale, is that which is pro-
duced from seedling plants the first year of their flowering, as the
great produce of the plant then centres in one flowering stem ; after-
wards the crown of the root ramifying into many heads, a greater
number of stalks are produced, which are more slender but not less
delicate.

When your plants have been covered in either method, three, four,
or five weeks, according to the early or late period of covering, ex-
amine them, and if you find that the stalks have shot up three or
four inches, you may begin cutting ; should you wait till all the shoots
are of a considerable length, your crop will come in too much at once,
for in this plant there is not that succession of growth which there
is in asparagus; you may continue cutting till you see the head of

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 211

flowers begin to form, and if at this time you uncover it entirely,
and let it proceed to that state in which the broccoli is usually cut,
and use it as such, you will find it an excellent substitute j and this
greatly enhances the value of the plant, as broccoli does not stand
our winter frost, and can only be had when carefully protected as
directed in November, but this plant is sufficiently hardy to bear our
severest frost without much injury. You are not to weaken the roots
too much by over-cutting, for in that case you would injure their
next year's bearing ; they are to be indulged as you do asparagus with
several uncut shoots to grow up during summer, to carry on a proper
vegetation, to strengthen and enlarge the roots.

Such as are partial to this plant may force it in any of the winter
or early spring months, nothing more being necessary than to place
over each plant a large garden pot, as in one of the modes of blanch-
ing already recommended, and cover the pots with a sufficient quan-
tity of hot horse-dung ; the heat of the dung brings forward the
plant, while the pot keeps it from coming in contact therewith ; and
as the growth of the plant is by this means greatly accelerated, it is
of course rendered more tender as well as sweeter.

These plants may also be forced in frames as directed in January
and February for asparagus, observing to take up such plants for this
purpose as are sure to flower \ trimming their side roots and shorten-
ing their long tap-roots to the length of nine or ten inches, or twelve
in very large plants, and placing them in a frame on a hot-bed, and
in a suitable depth of earth, at the distance of four to six inches
asunder ; as the plants used thus, will be rendered of little or no
value ; where this practice is used, it will be necessary to have a reg-
ular succession of plants for the purpose.

In cutting the plants for the table, care must be taken not to in-
jure the crowns of the roots by cutting the shoots too close to them.

The sooner this delicious esculent is dressed, after it is cut, the
better. Twenty minutes boiling, in general, is sufficient to make it
tender : this process is the more to be attended to, as the goodness of
the article greatly depends on it; that which is young, recently cut
or forced, will be done in less time ; when properly boiled it is to be
served up in the manner of asparagus ; it dresses well by stewing,
and makes an excellent pickle.

As an esculent vegetable it is found to be very wholesome, and
most people who have tried it prefer it to asparagus, to which it is
related, in point of flavor.

When the crop is sufficiently cut, level the earth all over the beds,
keep them free from large weeds during the remainder of the season,
and cover them in November, as before directed.

This plant will grow extremely well in such soil as suits asparagus,
having it prepared in the same manner as for that, and would be very
profitable to cultivate for sale near cities and large towns.

SPRING DRESSING OF ARTICHOKES.

As soon in this month as the very severe frosts are over, any long
• light litter with which your artichokes are covered must be raked off

212 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

into the trenches ; and when you perceive the young shoots beginning
to appear above ground, or rather one or two inches up, not before,
proceed to levelling down the beds into the alleys or trenches, round-
ing them in a neat manner, then dig and loosen all the ground around
the plants ; at the same time examine the number of shoots arising
on each stool or root, selecting three of the strongest and healthiest
looking on every stool to remain ; all above that number are to be
slipped off close to the root with your hand, except you want such to
make new plantations with; in which case, any extra number for that
purpose are to remain on the mother plants until they are about eight
or ten inches high from their roots or junction with the old plants,
when they are to be slipped off and planted as hereafter directed,
leaving only three of the best shoots on each crown as before, closing
the earth in again about the crowns of the roots, and drawing it a
little up to the remaining suckers. Observe that in every part of the
Union this dressing is to be given when the plants are in the above
described state, whether that happens in February, March, or April,
occasioned by the difference of climate, or the earliness or lateness
of the spring.

PLANTING ARTICHOKES.

In making new plantations of artichokes, select for that purpose a
piece of deep, rich, sandy loam, that is not subject to retain too much
wet in winter, nor to be parched up with drought in summer, having
a gentle slope sufficient to carry off any moisture that might lodge
in the trenches between the rows; for that is much more destructive
to their roots in winter than the most severe frost ; when both these
enemies attack the plants with their combined powers, they seldom
fail to accomplish the work of destruction ; but from the frosts there
is not much to be apprehended if the plants lie dry.

Having fixed upon a proper soil and situation, lay on it a good
quantity of rotten dung, and trench the ground one good spade or
eighteen inches deep, incorporating the manure well therewith, and
pulverizing the ground effectually in the digging; then proceed to
take of the slips mentioned before in the dressing of artichokes,
slipping them off the mother stools with all the roots or fibres which
they may have thrown out, rejecting such as appear unhealthy, and
closing the earth up after you to the remaining shoots. These being
provided, pull off any loose hanging leaves, and trim the fibres ; then
plant them with a dibble, about four or five inches deep, in rows five
feet asunder, and two feet plant from plant in the row, leaving part
of their green tops above ground, and the hearts of the plants free
from any earth over them, and give each plant a little water to settle
the earth about its roots.

Or, if you have seedling year old plants in a seed bed, you may
take them up, tind after shortening their tap-roots a little and dress-
ing their leaves, plant them as above.

Such young plantations, if kept clear from weeds, and now and
then watered in dry weather, will yield good artichokes the following
autumn, but will produce larger fruit, and more abundantly next

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 213

year. You may sow a small crop of lettuce, radish, or spinage, &c.,
the first year between these rows, especially if you wish to make the
most of your ground.

A plantation of artichokes will continue to produce good heads for
five or six years, but it must be observed, that if you wish to have a
succession of this fruit, you must make a small plantation every
spring, for the young plants will not produce their heads in perfection
till after the crops of the old standing ones are over.

SOWING ARTICHOKE SEED.

There are two principal varieties of the garden artichoke; indeed
Mr. Miller makes two species of them; the cynara scolymus, or
French artichoke, and the cynara hortensis, or globe artichoke.

The first being the sort which in former times was most commonly
cultivated in France, is generally known by the title of French
artichoke. The leaves are terminated by short spines, the head is
oval, and the scales do not turn inward at the top like those of the
globe artichoke ; the heads are of a green color, the bottoms are not
near so thick of flesh, and have a perfumed taste, which to many
persons is very disagreeable, so that it is seldom cultivated where the
globe kinds can be procured.

Of the second, there are two varieties, the green and the red
fruited, both extremely fine. The head is globular, a little com-
pressed at the top, the scales lie close over each other, and their ends
turn inwards so as closely to cover the middle.

The leaves of the globe artichoke are of a bluer cast, with more
and deeper jags on the cliffs than those of the French ; they have
small inert prickles like the latter but not so perceptible ; the leaves
of the French sort are larger, much wider, and of a paler color. The
great openness of the scales in the head of the French artichoke is a
leading character ; it also rather draws up to a point in the middle,
whereas, the globe kind is quite flat at top. The color of the fruit,
in the red variety of the globe artichoke, is a reddish-brown, or rather
a dusky purple with a tinge of green.

After the above descriptions it will be unnecessary to recommend
which kind to sow; but being provided with good fresh seed of either
sort that you desire to cultivate, prepare a piece of ground as
directed for the young plantations, and at the distances there men-
tioned sow a few grains of seed in each spot where a plant might be
set, covering them about three-quarters of an inch deep with light
fine earth ; when they appear keep them very clean and free from
weeds during the whole summer and autumn, and in November you
will find the method of their winter treatment, as well as that of the
old plants. Any extra plants that may arise are to be transplanted
into new beds the spring following.

In the course of the season you may have crops of cauliflowers,
cabbages, dwarf-kidney beans, spinage, lettuces, &c. &c., between the
rows; keeping them at a sufficient distance from the young arti-
chokes, so as not to smother or cause them to draw up weakly.

Or sow these seeds in a bed so thin as you may expect the plants

214 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

to rise at the distance of six inches, allowing for imperfect seeds and
accidents, cover them as above, and in the spring following trans-
plant them as before directed.

CARDOONS.

The cynara cardunculus, or cardoon artichoke, has been a long
time used for culinary purposes, such as for salads, soups, stewing,
&c.

The stalks of the leaves being thick, fleshy, and crisp, are the
eatable parts, being first blanched by landing them up like celery, to
two or three feet high, to render them white, tender, and of an
agreeable flavor, which otherwise would be rank and bitter; they
are in perfection in autumn and winter.

Sow the seeds towards the latter end of this month or beginning
of next, broadcast, in a bed of rich earth, and cover them about
three-quarters of an inch deep; when the plants are three inches
high thin them to four or five inches distant, that they may not be
drawn up weak; keep them free from weeds, and towards the latter
end of May or beginning of June they will be fit to plant where they
are intended to remain for perfection. For their further treatment
see May, &c.

Or, as these plants are rather impatient of transplanting, you may
sow the seeds at the distances directed in May for the plants, a few
seeds in each spot, and as they advance thin them, leaving only the
best plant in each of those squares.

ALEXANDERS, OR ALESANDERS.

The Smyrnium olusatrum, or common Alexanders, are used for
culinary purposes as the cardoons, and blanched in like manner. The
whole plant is of a strong, warm, and aromatic nature, and the leaves
and seed are sometimes used for medicine.

The seed of this plant should be sown in autumn soon after it is
ripe, for if kept out of the ground till spring, few of them will come
up till that time twelve months; however, when you sow the seed in
spring, let it be done as early as possible, and sown pretty thick in
drills eighteen inches asunder, covering the seeds near an inch deep ;
when the plants are up thin them to six or eight inches distant in the
rows, and as they advance in growth draw the earth up to their stems
as you do to celery, in order to blanch and whiten them, that they
should be crisp and tender for autumn and winter use; in the spring
following, such as remain will shoot out again vigorously, let the
earth then be hoed up close to each plant, and in three or four weeks
they will be blanched and in a fine condition for use.

When these plants are desired I would recommend them to be
sown where they are to remain, in any of the autumn months ; in
that case they will rise freely in spring, and become fine vigorous
plants.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 215

PROPAGATING VARIOUS POT AND MEDICINAL HERBS.

The latter end of this month will be a good time to plant cuttings
or slips of hyssop, thyme, winter savory, rue, rosemary, lavender,
wormwood, southern-wood, sage, and any other under-shrubby kinds;
in taking off the slips of any of these sorts give a preference to the
suckers if any, that is, such as have a few fibres attached to them ;
from such as are not furnished with these, take off slips or cuttings
of the young healthy outward shoots produced last year, from about
six to ten inches long, according as they occur, observing to slip or
cut them clean off close to the parts from whence they proceed. Let
these be planted in a bed or border six inches apart, and inserted
two-thirds of their lengths into the ground; they will take root
freely by observing to water them in dry weather, and in September
will be well rooted, and may either then, or in October, be trans-
planted wherever destined to remain ; or the slips may, in the first
instance, be planted in such places.

Propagate tarragon, tansy, chamomile, common fennel, marsh-
mallows, pot-marjoram, baum, burnet, horehound, spearmint, pepper-
mint, feverfew, officinal scurvy-grass, catmint, celadine, pennyroyal,
or mentha pulegium, angelica, lovage, gromwell, and any other peren-
nial herbaceous plants, and also thyme, hyssop, and winter-savory,
by parting their roots or by slips therefrom ; the best time for sepa-
rating the roots of each and every of the above kinds, is just when
they begin to advance a little in growth. All the above kinds may
be planted in four feet wide beds, in any tolerably good ground, having
twelve to eighteen inch alleys between, and placed in rows length-
wise in the beds, allowing proportionate distances according to their
respective growths; or the small growing kinds may be planted in
borders, or any other convenient places that are open and well
exposed.

The best time to gather any of the preceding kinds for distillation,
or to preserve in a dry state for medicinal purposes, &c., is when
they are in the first stage of their flowering.

You may, towards the latter end of this month or any time in the
next, sow seeds of either, or all of the above mentioned kinds, and
also of the following annual plants, for medicinal and culinary pur-
poses, viz: borage, sweet fennel, sweet marjoram, sweet basil, sum-
mer savory, fenugreek, pot marigold, anise, and likewise clary, cara-
way, smallage, and foxglove, &c. ; the four last are biennials and do
not flower till the second year, but their leaves may be used at any
time when arrived at a sufficient size. All these seeds should be sown
separately in beds of rich earth, and covered from the eighth of an
inch to half an inch deep in proportion to their size, either in the
broadcast way or in drills, or the low growing kinds may be sown in
single drills along the edges of borders, particularly thyme, hyssop,
and winter savory, &c., and when the plants are arrived at a sufficient
size, they may be thinned and transplanted into any beds or quarters
that can be spared for that purpose.

216 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

DILL.

This plant is extremely valuable as an ingredient in pickles, to
which it gives a most exquisite flavor : the seeds when ripe are fre-
quently used for that purpose, but it is the more general practice when
they are formed, and not yet perfect, to cut off the umbels or heads,
and then use them as above.

This seed should be sown in any of the autumn months after being
ripe, and will come up the spring following, for when kept out of
ground till the latter period, one-third of it and perhaps less, will not
vegetate till that time twelve months, but if sown very early in March,
and thick, you may expect a tolerable crop that season ; sow it broad-
cast on four feet wide beds, covering it, if sown in autumn, half an
inch, and if in spring, a quarter of an inch deep ; when the plants
come up, thin them to six inches distant, and the same season they
will perfect their seeds, which, if any are suffered to shed, will not
fail to come up plentifully the next year.

FINOCHIO, OR AZORIAN FENNEL.

The Finochio has very short stalks, which swell just above the
surface of the ground to three or four inches in breadth, and near
two thick, being fleshy and tender ; this is the part which is eaten
when blanched with oil, vinegar and pepper as a cold salad.

For the cultivation of this plant, make choice of a good spot of
light rich earth, not dry nor very wet, for in either extreme it will
not thrive. Sow the seeds pretty thin in shallow drills about eigh-
teen inches asunder, covering them half an inch deep ; when they
come up thin them, leaving the best plants six inches distant from
one another : about the beginning of July your first crop, if sown in
March, will be fit for blanching, at which time you are to earth it up
as you do celery, and in three weeks after it will be in a good condi-
tion for use. To have a regular succession of this plant, some seed
must be sown every three weeks during the season, and your late
crops may be preserved in winter as you do celery.

CAPSICUMS OR RED-PEPPERS, TOMATOES, AND EGG-PLANTS.

The different varieties of the capsicums, tomatoes, and egg-plants
being in much estimation for culinary purposes, you should sow some
of each kind now in pots, and forward them in your hot-beds, so as
to have strong plants ready for planting out into the open ground as
early in May as the night frosts shall have totally disappeared. Each
and every of these kinds bear transplanting extremely well, and from
this sowing you may expect early and abundant crops. For further
particulars, see April, May, &c.

PLANTING OUT CABBAGES, BEETS, TURNIPS, ETC., FOR SEEDS.

As early in this month as the weather gets open and tolerably
mild, plant out such cabbages, beets, carrots, turnips, pursneps, &c.,

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 2H

as you have preserved during the winter to raise seed from ; the cab-
bages are to be planted in rows four feet asunder, one foot distant
from each other in the rows, and up to their heads in the earth ; the
others may be planted in four feet wide beds, at the distance of ten
or twelve inches root from root, or in rows at pleasure ; observing to
tie up the shoots to stakes placed for that purpose, as they advance
for seeding, to prevent their being broken down by winds, heavy
rains, &o.

PLANTING POTATOES.

Potatoes may now be planted for an early crop as soon as the wea-
ther opens, and the frost is entirely out of the ground; let the soil
in which you plant them be moderately light, a little enriched with
dung, and advantageously situated.

Be careful to procure the earliest kinds, from which select a quan-
tity of the best formed and soundest roots, and of a tolerable size ;
these are to be cut into sets, a week before planting, in order that the
wounds should have time to form a dry crust ; for if planted at this
season immediately after being cut, they would imbibe too much
moisture, many of them rot, and all would be greatly weakened
thereby ; cut each root into two, three or more pieces, according to
their size ; minding particularly that each cut be furnished with one
or two good eyes or buds, which is sufficient. They are then to be
planted in rows two feet and a half asunder, the sets to be nine inches
distant in the row, and three or four inches deep. Should severe
frost ensue protect them by laying some long litter or wispy dung
over the drills.

HORSERADISH.

This plant is cultivated by cuttings of the root, either cut from the
top an inch or two long, or some old roots cut into pieces of that
length, or by small offsets that arise from the sides of the main root,
retaining the crowns or top shoots on as many as possible.

Being furnished with these sets, choose in an open situation a light
and rich soil, which trench regularly two spades deep, at the same
time giving it a good dressing of manure ; then beginning at one
end of the ground, range a line, and with a large dibble make holes
about ten inches deep, all of an equal depth and about six inches
asunder, dropping as you go on, one set or cutting into each hole, with
the crown upright, taking care to fill or close the holes up properly
with the earth, and let the rows be two feet asunder. Or you may
plant them as you advance in the digging or trenching of the ground,
at the same depth and distances, covering each row when set in with
the earth of the next course, and so proceed till all are planted.
After this, level the surface of the ground even, observing to keep
it free from weeds until' the plants are so far advanced as to be strong
enough to overbear and keep them down.

With this management the roots will be long, straight, and free
from many small lateral offsets, and the second' year after planting

218 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

will be fit for use. It is true they may be taken up the first year,
but then the roots will be slender; therefore it is the better way to
let them remain till the second, when they will be in a fine condition ;
and if in taking up the roots you take care to leave some offsets still
remaining, you will have a successional supply for many years.

LIQUORICE.

The glycyrrhiza glabra, or cultivated liquorice, is a plant that
brings enormous profit to the industrious cultivator : it is of consider-
able importance in medicine, and consequently in great demand by
the druggists and apothecaries ; and also by porter brewers, being a
very material ingredient in that article. Of 4000 quintals, or nearly
two hundred tons, annually exported from Spain, the far greater part
is considered to be purchased by the porter brewers of London.
About Pontefract, in Yorkshire, England, where it is cultivated in
great perfection, an acre of well-grown liquorice is considered to be
worth one hundred pounds sterling ; therefore, due attention should
be paid to its culture in the United States, where it will grow to the
greatest possible perfection ; thereby to prevent the necessity of im-
porting large quantities of it annually from Europe, at a considerable
expense, and in a much inferior condition to what it could be had if
cultivated at home. In hopes that this may be attempted by some
spirited persons, who may have the welfare of their country, as well
as their own at heart, I shall proceed to give the method of bringing
this valuable plant to the utmost perfection.

The liquorice delights in a light sandy rich soil, which should be
three feet deep at least, for the goodness as well as the profits arising
from the culture of this plant is proportionate to the size and length
of its roots. The ground in which you intend to plant it should be
highly manured and well dug the autumn before, that the dung may
be perfectly rotted and mixed with the earth. Immediately previous
to planting, trench the ground three spades deep, if the natural soil
be good that depth, and lay it very light. When your ground is
thus prepared you should furnish yourself with fresh plants, taken
from the sides or heads of the old roots, observing that each has one
or two good buds or eyes, otherwise they are subject to miscarry.
These plants should be from six to ten inches long, and perfectly
sound.

The best season for planting them in the middle States is the latter
end of March, or just when their buds begin to show symptoms of
fresh vegetation, which must be done in the following manner, viz :
first strain a line across the ground, then with a long dibble put in
the roots so that the whole plant may be set straight in the ground,
with the top about an inch under the surface, in a straight line, and
about a foot or a little more asunder, and two feet distance from row
to row. You may then sow a thin crop of radishes, onions, lettuces,
or any other small-growing crops, in drills, between the rows, keep-
ing the whole clean, particularly the rising plants of liquorice, during
the summer and autumn. In the November following, you should
carefully hoe and clean the ground. The shoots and leaves being

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 219

then decayed, cut them off and spread a little rotten dung on the
surface, the virtue of which will be washed into the ground by the
rains, and the plants greatly improved thereby.

In the March following you should slightly dig the ground be-
tween the rows, burying the remaining part of the dung; but in
doing this you should be careful not to injure the roots. Let nothing
now be either sowed or planted between the rows, but keep them
always clean ; and in autumn, when the stalks of the liquorice are
decayed, cut them down close to the surface of the earth as before.

The same work is to be repeated annually till the plants are three
years old, when they will be fit for taking up — that is, slightly stir
the ground every spring and autumn, keeping down the weeds in
summer by hoeing — but after the first or second year the stalks will
shoot so vigorously as soon to cover the ground and greatly retard
the growth of weeds.

The proper season for taking up the roots is November, for they
should not be taken up until the stalks are fully decayed, nor defer-
red till the sap begins to circulate afresh in spring, for in either case
the roots would be apt to shrivel and diminish in weight, which
would be a loss to the cultivator, as it is by weight they are always
sold.

The method of taking up the roots is by trenching the ground,
beginning at one side and opening a trench close to the first row,
three spades deep, or to the depth of the roots, at which work three
or four spadesmen are generally employed at a trench. One goes on
with the top spit, a second with the next, and another with the third,
and the fourth commonly gets to the bottom of the roots, having a
mattock to assist him occasionally to clear them. As he takes them
up he throws them on the top of the ground, and in this manner
they proceed from row to row till the whole plantation is taken up.

The small side roots are then trimmed off, the best divided into
lengths for fresh sets, which are to be carefully preserved in earth
till the time of planting, if not planted immediately, and the main
roots are washed clean, dried, and tied in bundles for sale.

When liquorice is intended to be cultivated on a large scale, the
rows may be planted three feet distant, and the labor of hoeing per-
formed with a small plough.

If not sold immediately after having been taken up, the cultivator
must be careful not to suffer them to be put together in large quan-
tities, lest they should become mouldy, as this vegetable, unless pre-
served in a dry place, is very liable to such corruption.

RHUBARB.

There are several species of this plant, but the rheum palmatum,
or true officinal rhubarb, is that which merits particular attention.
It is a native of China and Russian Tartary, has braved the climate
of St. Petersburg, grows to good perfection in Scotland, as far north
as Perthshire (lat. 56°); also in England, Turkey, and. various other
parts of Europe; is an article of considerable consumption, conse-
quently of national importance, and highly deserving of attention in

220 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

the United States. It grows to the greatest possible perfection
among the Tartarian mountains, from Selin to Thibet, without any
other culture than what is afforded by the scraping of the Marmots ;
and shall we despair of bringing it to perfection where soil and cli-
mate are perfectly congenial, and nothing wanted but the enterprise
of a few spirited individuals to make a commencement ? There is
no doubt «that if the culture cf this and liquorice were duly attended
to that the crops would more than amply repay the cultivators ;
and although a partiality to articles of customary culture is in the
way, it is to be hoped that new and necessary plants will, from time
to time, be introduced and cultivated with advantage to the indi-
viduals and the nation at large.

The following is the mode of its culture : Having procured a suf-
ficient quantity of seed of the true kind, select a piece of light rich
sandy loam, such as answers for asparagus, and after giving it a good
coat of manure, trench it two or three spades deep, if the good soil
admits ; after which, level the top neatly and lay it out by line into
squares of four feet, at the angles or intersections of which you are
to form little circles with your finger about six or eight inches in
diameter, and on each scatter a few seeds, then cover them with light
fine mould three-quarters of an inch deep. The seeds should be
sown as early in spring as possible, or, if this had been done in No-
vember, they would vegetate in spring with more certainty. When
the young plants appear, keep them free from weeds, and in dry
weather give them frequently a little water, but not much at a time;
and above all things protect them from the mid- day sun till they get
considerably strong, for, if exposed fully to this, during their infant
state, few of them would escape destruction thereby. Were you to
place a piece of board on end, about fifteen inches broad and two feet
and a half high, at the south side of each hill, leaning a little over
the plants, this would answer the end effectually without depriving
them of the benefit of the circulating air. The first season is their
critical period, having survived that they have nothing to fear after-
wards. Onions, lettuces, or any other low-growing crops may be
either sown or planted in the intervals for the first year, so that they
are kept at a proper distance from the young plants. The supernu-
merary plants, one being sufficient to be left in each of these places
for ultimate perfection, may be transplanted the spring following
into new plantations, similarly prepared and at the same distance.

The November following, all the leaves being then decayed, cover
the crowns of the plants two inches deep with earth from the inter-
vals ; and if there is danger of any wet lodging, throw up trenches,
rounding the beds as is commonly done to asparagus, and for the
first winter, lay some dry litter over the plants. In the March fol-
lowing, strip the covering till you just perceive the tops of the plants,
give all the ground a slight digging and dress it neatly after you,
observing to keep the beds well hoed, and always free from weeds.

Thus proceed every autumn and spring, till the roots have four
years' growth, when some of them may be taken up for use; but it
is generally admitted that their medicinal virtues increase until they
are eight or ten years old.

MARCH] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 221

You must be very circumspect in the choice of ground; particu-
larly, that it is Dot subject to lodge wet, for this plant by no means
agrees with too much moisture, preferring a rich dry sandy loam to
any other Idnd of soil.

Rhubarb may also be propagated by offsets from the old roots, or
by sowing the seed in seed-beds, and transplanting them when a year
old into such beds and at the same distances as before directed for
sowing the seed; but they always produce larger and better roots
when sown where they are to remain.

The proper time to take up the roots for use in autumn, after the
leaves and stalks are totally decayed ; when taken .up, wash them
clean, trim off the small fibres, and lay them in an airy place to dry,
for four days, then rasp off the outward skin, which greatly obstructs
the quickness of drying, from the pores not being laid open for the
herbaceous moisture to exhale ; the mere stripping off the bark will
not be sufficient, the rasping it off, and the lacerating of the outward
part of the root adjoining it will be necessary; for the lateral pores
must be opened to permit the confined watery fluid to exude freely.
Then cut them in slices, which string on pack-thread so as not to
touch, and hang them up in a stove-room, to be kept constantly
warm till they are effectually dry. Should the season even prove
hot enough for drying them in the sun, the former method would be
preferable, for, by exposing them so much to the sun and light, they
would be greatly impaired in the color, and perhaps some of their
finer parts dissipated thereby ; but culinary heat is free from that
objection, and at the same time possesses all the advantages of quick
drying. The drying of the roots, without suffering them to get
mouldy, must be carefully attended to, as a neglect in this point
would render all your former industry fruitless, and it is considered
among the cultivators as a difficult task.

The marks of the goodness of rhubarb are, the liveliness of its
color when cut ; its being firm and solid, but not flinty or hard ; its
being easily pulverable, and appearing, when powdered, of a bright
yellow color ; on being chewed, its imparting to the spittle a deep
saffron tinge, and not proving slimy or mucilaginous in the mouth.

The true officinal or palmated rhubarb has numerous root-leaves,
large, rough, of a roundish figure, deeply cut into lobes and irregu-
larly pointed segments on long, smooth, round footstalks. Stem-
leaves, one at each joint, issuing from a membranous sheath suc-
cessively smaller upwards. Flowers surrounding the branches in
numerous clusters, and forming a kind of spike. Corolla or flowers
of a greenish-white.

The species cannot be mistaken if you attend to its superior height,
the ferruginous or reddish-brown color of the stem branches and
petioles or leafstalks, the particular palmate form of the leaves, and
the elegant looseness of the little panicles of flowers which display
themselves on erect, round, hollow, jointed, slightly scored stems
branching towards the top, and from six to eight feet high.

222 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MARCH

THE RHEUM RHAPONTICUM, OR COMMON RHUBARB.

This has a large thick root, which divides into many strong fleshy
fangs, running deep into the ground ; the outside of a reddish-brown
color, and the inside yellow, from which arise several leaves, in num-
ber according to the size of the root; those come up folded in the
spring, and afterwards expand themselves ; they are smooth, of a
roundish heart shape, having very thick footstalks of a reddish
color, which are a little channelled on their lower part, but flat at
the top. When the plant grows on very rich land, the footstalks of
the leaves are over two feet long, and as thick as a man's wrist; the
leaves also are often three feet long, and as much in breadth, having
several strong longitudinal veins running from the footstalk to the
borders of a deep green, and waved on their edges, having an acid
taste, but particularly the footstalks, which are very frequently used,
and much esteemed for tarts and pies. The flower-stalks grow from
four to five feet high, and are terminated by thick, close spikes of
white flowers. Its roots afford a gentle purge, but is of much infe-
rior quality to the former, and may be cultivated the same way as
directed for that. The best varieties are Hyatt's Victoria and Lin-
naeus, and Cohoon's Seedling.

TART RHUBARB (RHEUM RHAPONTICUM).

The seeds should be sown this month in a rich sandy soil ; and if
the plants come up too thick, thin them; a good method for doing so
is to let them stand in stools four feet distant every way, two or three
plants in each, as it is more convenient for blanching, which is very
easily done in the following manner : clear the ground around them
from the old leaves or stems, place a large size flower-pot or small keg
over each stool, and then cover it about two feet thick all around with
good warm manure, and it will be finely blanched by the beginning
of May. Or the old plants may be bedded in soil in a warm cellar,
before winter, in which case it may be had much earlier for use.
The plants for this purpose should be three years old. Many persons
do not take this trouble, but it will more than repay, being much
greater in quantity and better in quality than if suffered to grow
naturally, and the stalks used without blanching. It is much more
esteemed now for pies and tarts than formerly, and is considered very
wholesome for children : in many parts of England it is stewed and
used as apple butter is here.

THE JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE.

The helianthus tulerosus, or tuberous-rooted sunflower, commonly
called the Jerusalem artichoke. "This root/' says Parkinson, an
ancient English writer, "our ancestors boiled tender, and then being
peeled, ate them sliced and stewed with butter, wine and spices —
thus they were a dainty for a queen, being as pleasant as the bottom
of an artichoke;'' hence probably that name originated, as they bear
not the least resemblance in growth to an artichoke.

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 223

The roots being the eatable part, are large fleshy tubers, much re-
sembling a potato, are in perfection in autumn and all the winter,
and are wholesome palatable food when properly dressed.

They are raised by sets or cuttings of the root, preparing the sets
and planting them as directed for potatoes, in rows three feet asunder,
four or five inches deep, and eighteen inches distant from one another
in the rows : they increase abundantly, will thrive in any tolerable
soil, and cannot easily be got out of the ground again, for the least
bit will grow. It is a native of Brazil, and a striking instance of
how tropical productions may gradually and successfully be intro-
duced and naturalized in colder climates.

SOUTHERN STATES.

This is a very principal month in the southern States for garden-
ing; all manner of work hitherto directed, may now be performed
there successfully. In South Carolina and Georgia they may now
sow the seeds of melons, cucumbers, squashes, tomatoes, egg-plants,
okras, red peppers, &c., as directed in the kitchen garden for April
and May.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

PRUNING PEARS, PLUMS, CHERRIES, APPLES, ETC.

As early in this month as possible finish pruning your cherries and
plums, also your apple and pear-trees before the end thereof, whether
as espaliers, standards, or wall trees. Peaches, nectarines, apricots,
almonds, quinces, &c., should also be pruned early in the month, if
not done before. For the particular method of pruning espalier and
wall trees, see the Fruit Garden for January and February, pages
32 and 142; and for that of the standards, the Orchard, pages 57,
150, &c. This should be particularly attended to, and the pruning
of all kinds of fruit trees finished before their buds begin to push.

PRUNING AND TRAINING YOUNG APRICOT, NECTARINE, AND PEACH-
TREES, ETC., FOR ESPALIERS AND WALLS.

Now is the only proper time to head down young wall or espalier
trees, &c., preparatory to their first training; such as apricot, peach,
and nectarine-trees planted against espaliers or walls any time since
last October with their first shoots, from budding at full length,
which, when a year old, should always be headed down low, to force
out lower branches to furnish the wall or espalier properly, quite
from the bottom.

This should be done just as the trees begin to swell their buds ;
therefore watch the opportunity, and let them be headed accordingly
at the proper time.

224 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MARCH

The heads should be cut down to about five, six, or seven eyes
or buds from the bottom ; and if there are two shoots from the same
stock let them both be cut down as above.

By this practice the trees will produce some strong shoots near the
ground, whereby they will be furnished equally with branches from
the bottom -to the top of the wall or espalier. But if the trees were
not to be headed down as above, they would run up with a stem like
a standard tree, and not furnish any branches below, within two or
three feet of the bottom; whereby the use of such part of the espalier
or wall would be lost.

Such young apricot, peach, and nectarine-trees as were headed
down a year ago, and having each produced three, four, or more
shoots the last summer, should now have these shortened to such
length as may encourage each shoot to produce two or three new ones
the same season.

The method is this : let each shoot be shortened generally in some
degree of proportion to its strength ; in some pruning off about one-
half or third of their original length ; and in others a little more or
less, according to circumstances of growth and situation of the trees;
as for instance, shoots of about two feet may be cut to ten, twelve,
or fifteen inches, or a little longer in strong growths ; for the strongest
shoots should always be left the longest; and those about twelve to
fifteen or eighteen inches pruned to six, eight, ten, or twelve inches
in length; and so in proportion to the different lengths and degrees
of strength, and particular situation of the respective shoots. (See
January, &c.)

By this practice each of these shoots will probably produce two,
three, or four new shoots the succeeding summer, so that by October
each young tree, so treated, will be furnished with from twelve or
fifteen to eighteen or twenty shoots, or more.

The trees may then be pruned according to the method directed
for the older trees of that sort, observing still to shorten the young
shoots, but in such a manner as they may both produce fruit and a
supply of young wood, as in the full-bearing trees aforesaid ; that is,
generally to prune the weaker shoots about one-half, the stronger
ones prune about a third or fourth of their length, according to
strength and where situated, and the situation of the blossom and
wood-buds on the respective shoots; then nail them straight and
close to the walls, or tie them to the espalier with willow twigs, &c.,
three or four to five or six inches asunder. (See Fruit Garden in
January, &c.)

PRUNING AND TRAINING YOUNG APPLE, PEAR, PLUM, AND CHERRY-
TREES FOR ESPALIERS AND WALLS.

Any young dwarf apple, pear, plum, and cherry-trees, lately
planted against walls or espaliers, &c., or still remaining in the nursery
with their first shoots, of only a year or two old entire, should now
be pruned down to a few eyes that they may put out some good
shoots near the ground, to furnish the bottom of the wall or espalier
therewith.

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 225

If the heads of these trees are but one year's growth from the bud
or graft, let them be shortened to four or five eyes ; observing to do
it just as they begin to form buds for shooting.

Suppose they are two years from the bud or graft, and the first
shoots were cut down, as above, last spring; let the shoots which were
produced from them the last summer be also shortened now to six,
eight, or ten inches.

The same rule holds good with these at first training as mentioned
for the apricots and peaches; for it is on shortening properly the first
and second year's shoots, from the budding and grafting, that the
whole success depends for forming a useful and handsome tree ; as
when a young wall or espalier tree is well furnished with branches
near the ground, these will readily supply you with more, in their
turn, to furnish the wall or espalier upwards.

But in the common course of pruning apples, pears, plums, and
cherries, their shoots and branches are not to be shortened; for after
the young trees are furnished with a proper supply of branches below,
their shoots must then be trained to the wall at full length, only
shortening particular shoots when more wood may be required to
furnish that part, or where they grow too crowded; as directed in
page 34; &c.

PRUNING FIG-TREES.

Some prune fig-trees the latter end of autumn, which is a very
wrong practice, where severe winter frosts are prevalent; as the
young shoots, which are the only bearing wood, are liable to be killed
in hard winters. If they were pruned in that season, and no more
left than what might then appear necessary, and severe frosts after-
wards destroy many of them, you would have no resource left.

Therefore the better way is to let the trees remain unpruned till
this time, and if some have been killed by the severity of the win-
ter, there will be a chance, from among the whole, to find a suffi-
ciency for your purpose, that have escaped. Observing, however,
that the sooner this work is done, after the severe frosts are over,
the better; for if delayed too long the trees would bleed, and be in-
jured thereby; but in the southern States the late autumn pruning
is preferable.

Fig-trees agree with, and in fact require, great heat; consequently
in the eastern and middle States they will thrive and bear better
when planted against walls, board fences, or- espaliers, in warm ex-
posures; therefore I shall give the method of pruning and training
them to such.

In those southern States where they grow in the open standard
way, they need no other pruning than keeping each on a neat single
stem free from suckers, cutting out any dead or ill placed wood, thin-
ning the young shoots where too crowded, but never topping any.

In pruning fig-trees, you must leave a sufficient supply of the

last summer's shoots from the bottom to the extremity every way, in

all parts where possible; and prune out the ill-placed and superfluous

shoots thereof, with parts of the old bearers and long extended naked

15

226 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MARCH

old wood, to have due room to train the proper shoots, so that the
tree may be equally furnished with a succession of young bearers at
moderate distances; for these young shoots bear the figs the ensuing
season; fig-trees always producing their fruit on the one year old
wcrod only.

Leave the branches and shoots in general about five to six or seven
inches asunder, all at full length ; being careful to prefer the best
middling strong shoots to retain for general bearers, cutting out the
improper, superabundant, and useless old wood, quite close; pruning
out any very rampant young wood, excessive long-jointed shoots, or
very slender infirm growths, leaving the most promising and firm to
supply the general expansion.

Take care always to train in every year some young shoots, at or
near the bottom, that there may by a succession coming up regularly
one after another, to supply the places of casual, long, old, naked
branches, which will occur every season in some part or other of the
tree; for such long-extended naked old branches or others, not fur-
nished properly with young wood, should now be cut out, that there
may be sufficient room to train the bearing shoots regularly and at
proper distances.

In cutting out useless large branches, either too long extended or
unfurnished with bearing wood, &c., let them be cut off close to the
places from whence they proceed, to some convenient lower young
shoots or branches, leaving no stumps.

The young branches of Jig -trees must not be shortened or topped, but
leave each at full length; for if they were, it would not only cut
away the part where fruit would have appeared, but also occasion
them to run much to wood, and thereby never produce half a crop ;
so only cut off casual dead ends.

The tree being pruned, let the general branches and bearers be
directly trained in and nailed to the wall or fence, or made fast to the
espalier in regular order, extending them horizontally, at equal dis-
tances, six or seven inches from each other.

PLANTING AND PROPAGATING FIG-TREES.

Plant fig-trees where wanted, this being rather the best month in
the year for removing them ; they will now take root in a very short
time.

In planting figs, you may either procure trained young trees that
are arrived to a bearing state, and plant them at fifteen or twenty
feet distance, or as they are propagated in general, either by the
suckers which arise from the roots of the old trees, or by layers, or
cuttings, young plants of these may be planted at once where they
are to remain, that they may establish their roots more effectually
without being disturbed by removal : therefore in default of trained
trees, some good plants or suckers of moderate growth, and such as
are firm and well ripened, may be procured and planted at once where
they are to remain ; and others may be planted in the nursery, for
training a few years.

To raise them by layers, select young branches of one or two years'

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 227

growth, lading them in the earth four or five inches deep, with the
tops as erect as possible ; they will be well rooted by next spring,
when they should be separated from the old tree and planted either
in the nursery or where they are to remain.

To propagate them by cuttings, make choice of the ripest and
most perfect of the last year's snoots, from twelve to fifteen inches
in length, cutting them off with an inch or two of the two years old
wood at their base, leaving the tops entire and uncut. Plant these
cuttings six or eight inches deep, in good soil, and in rows two feet
and a half asunder, and a foot distant from one another in the rows ;
here they may remain for two years when they will be in a fine con-
dition for planting where wanted.

They may also be propagated by sowing the seed in long narrow
boxes the beginning of this month, placing them in a hot-bed to for-
ward their growth j and about the middle of May, remove these boxes
into the shade where they can have the morning sun till ten o'clock,
and the afternoon sun from four ; giving them water when necessary,
and protecting them the winter following from frost, either by placing
the boxes of plants in the green-house, or in garden frames. When
a year old they may be planted out as directed for cuttings, and
treated afterwards in the same way. This will be the best method
to obtain new kinds ; the seeds of the imported figs will grow freely
if properly treated ; they are to be covered when sown only about the
eighth of an inch deep.

Layers or cuttings are preferable to suckers* as they are not so
subject to produce suckers from their roots, after being finally planted,
as the others.

Fig-trees may be trained in half or whole standards, and planted
detached in sheltered sunny situations, keeping them free from suck-
ers, permitting their heads to branch regularly around, and they will
produce ripe fruit in good perfection : they produce more and better
in a strong dry loamy soil than in a sandy parched one (though in
soil they are easily pleased, provided it does not lodge water) ; for
when planted in the latter, they are subject to cast their fruit in May
and June, which, under such circumstances, in some measure, may
be prevented by frequent waterings at that season : where they thrive
well, they usually produce two crops in the season ; the first on the
former year's wood, and the second on the young shoots of the pre-
sent, which is generally the most abundant.

The following are the varieties of this fruit that are generally con-
sidered as best worth cultivating, and are placed in the order of their
ripening.

1. The brown or chestnut colored Ischia fig. The fruit is very
large, globular, with a pretty large eye, pinched in near the foot-
stalk, of a brown or chestnut color on the outside, and purple within j
the grains are large, and the pulp sweet and high flavored.

2. The black Genoa fig. This is a long fruit, which swells pretty
large at the top, the lower part slender ; the skin of a dark purple
color, almost black, has a purple farina over it like that on some
plums ; the inside is of a bright red, and the flesh is very highly fla-
vored.

228 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MARCH

3. The small white early fig. This has a roundish fruit a little
flatted at the crown, with a short footstalk ; skin, when ripe, of a
pale yellowish color, and thin ; the inside white, flesh sweet, but not
highly flavored.

4. The large white Genoa fig. This is a large globular fruit, a
little lengthened towards the stalk ; skin thin, of a yellowish color
when ripe, and flesh red.

5. The black Ischia fig. Fruit short, middle sized, a little flatted
at the crown, skin almost black when ripe ; flesh of a deep red, and
highly flavored.

6 The Malta fig. Fruit small, compressed at the top ; greatly
pinched towards the footstalk ; skin a pale brown color ; flesh the
same, and very sweet.

7. The Murrey, or brown Naples fig. Fruit large and globular,
of a light brown color, with some faint marks of a dirty white ; flesh
nearly of the same color, and well flavored ; grains large.

8. The green Ischia fig. Fruit oblong, almost glob.ular at the
crown ; skin thin, of a green color, but when fully ripe it is stained
through by the pulp to a brownish cast ; flesh purple, well flavored,
and will stain linen or paper.

9. The Madonna fig. Fruit long, pyramidal, and of a large size;
skin brown ; flesh a lighter brown, coarse, and of little flavor.

10. The common blue, or purple fig. Fruit purple, oblong, and
small ; the tree a great bearer and very hardy.

11. The long brown Naples fig. Fruit long, somewhat compressed
at the crown; footstalks pretty long; skin of a dark brown when
fully ripe; grains large; flesh inclined to red, and well flavored. The
leaves of this tree are deeply divided.

12. The yellow Ischia fig. Fruit large, of a pyramidal form; skin
yellow when ripe; flesh purple, and well flavored; leaves very large,
and not much divided.

13. The small brown Ischia fig. Fruit small, of a pyramidal form,
with a very short footstalk; skin of a light brown; flesh inclining
to purple, of a very high flavor; leaves less divided than any of the
other sorts.

14. The Gentile fig. Fruit middle sized, globular; skin, when
ripe, of a yellow color; grains large, and flesh well flavored.

The preceding are all the varieties of the ficus carica, or common
fig-tree. There are upwards of fifty other species of fig described by
botanists, but these are generally cultivated either on account of their
timber or as curiosities.

I have been the more diffuse on this article, as the cultivation of
the fig and its different varieties is not as well known in the United
States as other kinds of fruit-trees, and as it may be cultivated in
the greatest perfection, particularly in the southern States, while in
the northern, an abundance of fruit may be obtained if the branches
be laid down in the winter and covered over six inches with soil.

HEADING DOWN FRUIT-TREES.

For the method of pruning and heading down the various kinds

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 229

of fruit-trees which have shown symptoms of decay, in order to
attempt their restoration to health and bearing, see the Orchard this
month.

PRESERVING THE BLOSSOMS AND YOUNG FRUIT OF WALL AND
ESPALIER TREES.

It often happens, that at too early a period in spring, we have a
forward and untimely vegetation, which throws our early blooming
fruit-trees, especially those in warm situations, into a full blow of
blossoms, which, if afterwards attacked by frost, proves their destruc-
tion. In such cases some of the choicer kinds of wall and espalier
trees should be defended therefrom with mats, &c.

The mats for this purpose should be of the largest size; one end
of them should be fastened with nails or hooks to the top of the wall,
and let them hang down over the trees. The lower end of the mat
should also be fastened down to prevent their being blown to and fro
by the wind, which would beat the blossoms off.

When the weather is mild the mats should be taken off, for it is
only at night, in sharp frosts and cutting frosty winds, that the blos-
soms require to be thus sheltered.

Or, to preserve the blossoms and young fruit, you may occasion-
ally stick the trees with the cuttings of hardy evergreen trees and
shrubs, sticking them between the branches in a somewhat spreading
manner, so as the leaves may afford some protection to the blossom,
and which I have found to be often very serviceable.

This should also be done just when the trees are coming into blos-
som, having cuttings of the shoots and small branches of laurel, yew,
pine, and some other hardy evergreens, preserving the leaves to them,
and being placed between the branches in the manner before ob-
served, so as to shelter those which are in blossom ; they must be
permitted to remain constantly till the fruit is fairly set as big as
large peas.

PLANTING FRUIT-TREES.

•

Fruit-trees of all kinds may be planted any time this month when
the weather is open, with success, but the sooner in the month the
better, before they begin to shoot ; they will now take root in a short
time, and with the assistance of a little water in dry weather, will
grow freely.

Let every kind be planted at proper distances, both for espaliers
and walls, and also in standards, that they may have room to grow
without interfering with each other in the course of a few years ;
which is often the case in many gardens, more particularly with wall
trees and espaliers.

Peaches, nectarines, and apricots should never be planted nearer
than fifteen feet asunder, against walls or espaliers; nor need they be
planted more than eighteen or twenty feet distant.

Apples and pears, for walls and espaliers, should be planted fifteen
to eighteen or twenty feet asunder ; but, in some cases, twenty-five

230 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MARCH

feet is a more eligible distance, especially for some sorts of free-shoot-
ing pears; though it appears considerable at first, yet if grafted, &c.,
upon free stocks, they will readily fill that space, and bear consider-
ably better than if confined so as to require to be often shortened to
continue them within bounds; however, generally allow those on
dwarf stocks not less than fifteen feet, the others eighteen or twenty
feet distant.

Plums and cherries designed for walls and espaliers should be
planted from fifteen to eighteen or twenty feet distance.

The above distances advised in planting the different sorts of wall
and espalier trees, appear great when the trees are first planted ; but
in a few years the advantage of allowing them proper room will be
manifest; and it should be observed to allow trees planted against
low walls a greater distance than for higher, in order that in default
of height, there may be proper scope to extend them horizontally.

For the particular soil and situation proper for the different kinds,
see the Fruit Garden in October and November; and also the Orchard
in this month.

Having the ground previously well prepared, open a wide hole for
every tree about a spade deep, or according to the size of the root,
and loosen the bottom well. Then prune the roots of the tree, that
is, cut off bruised or broken parts, and trim the ends a little of all
the very long straggling roots in general, prune out irregular shoots
of the head, then place the tree in the hole, break the earth well and
throw it in equally about the roots, and when all is in tread the sur-
face gently round the tree.

New planted fruit-trees should be well secured from the violence
of the wind ; if they are all standards in exposed situations, let them
be supported with stakes, and if wall trees, &c., with large heads,
planted against walls and espaliers, fasten their main branches
thereto.

Jftji*' As the seasons for planting out fruit and other trees differ so
much in the climates of the United States, and even in the same
place in different seasons, the only sure guide is to plant all kinds of
trees as soon as their buds begin to swell, or rather a little before.

•

GOOSEBERRIES AND CURRANTS.

Prune gooseberry and currant bushes, where they are not yet done ;
but let this work be finished the beginning of the month.

Keep the branches thin and the middle of the trees open and clear
of wood, so as to admit the sun and air freely, by which means the
fruit will be large and well tasted. Observe the rules exhibited in
January, page 43, February, page 146, and also in October.

From the beginning to the middle of this month, is a good time
to plant gooseberry or currant-trees ; the former particularly require
rich ground, plenty of manure, frequent culture about the plants,
and to be kept on one stem. The best form for a well trained stand-
ard gooseberry, or currant, is that of a wineglass ; if you expect good
fruit, you must be particular to keep them free from suckers.

Manure and dig the ground between the gooseberry and currant

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 231

trees, which, as they are just advancing in bud, will now be of great
service, in promoting a plentiful production of large good fruit.

For the best methods of propagating gooseberries and currants, see
the work of the Nursery for this month.

PRUNING AND PLANTING RASPBERRIES.

Prune raspberries, when not done before, agreeably to the direc-
tions given last month, page 146 ; let this be done as early in the
month as possible.

You may now make new plantations of raspberries, where wanted.
Observe that the young shoots or suckers, which arise every summer
from the old roots, are to be chosen for this purpose. These should
be planted in good ground, and in an open situation ; if you dig in
some rotten manure, it will be of considerable service to the plants,
and promote a production of large fruit.

In choosing the plants for this plantation, observe to select the
outward young suckers of strong and robust growth, all of last sum-
mer's production, not less than two feet, but the more eligible if
from three to five feet long, with strength in proportion — digging
them up with full roots, preferring those with roots the most fibrous,
for this is material in those plants j and, as sometimes one, two, or
more buds appear, formed on the root near the bottom of the stem,
for next summer's shoots, such plants are particularly to be chosen,
if to be had.

Fig. 21.

Fastolf.

232

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

[MARCH

Fig. 22.

Previous to planting shorten the shoots, cutting off about one-
fourth of their length, trim the roots and cut away any old stumps
or hard woody parts annexed thereto, then plant them in rows four
feet and a half asunder, and from two to three feet distant in the

rows; they will produce some
fruit next summer, and more
abundantly the second year, &c.
Dig the ground between your
old plantations of raspberries
after pruning, taking out the
suckers, &c., as directed last
month.

The Fastolf and Red Ant-
werp raspberries are among the
most esteemed market varieties,
and we therefore give their por-
traits.

Brinkle's Orange raspberry is
considered one of the most de-
Red Antwerp. sirable for private gardens, and
has become much introduced.

DIGGING THE FRUIT- TREE BORDERS.

Dig the fruit-tree borders as early in this month as you find the
ground to work freely, previously giving them a good dressing of
well rotted manure. This will be serviceable to the trees, the bor-
ders will appear neat, and be ready to receive any small crops, which
may be proper to sow or plant therein.

STRAWBERRIES.

The strawberry plants will now begin to push, therefore the sooner
they receive their spring dressing, after the weather becomes tolera-
bly favorable, the better.

Clear the beds from weeds, and the plants from decayed leaves
and old runners ; it is most advisable to keep the plants in single
bunches, clear of each other, so that there may be room to hoe be-
tween, and occasionally to dig round them with a narrow spade or
trowel, by which means they will fruit in much better perfection than
if crowded together.

The beds -being cleared from litter, loosen the earth between the
plants; and if you add a little fresh earth from the alleys, &c., to
the beds, drawing it close to the plants, it will greatly strengthen
them, and cause them to flower strong and bear plentifully.

Strawberries may be planted about the middle or latter end of the
month, but if planted in September, or early in October, they would
bear fruit the summer following; not but those planted now will take
root freely and bear some fruit, but they will be few in comparison
to those of the autumn planting ; however, next year they will bear
abundantly.

MARCH] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 233

The proper sets for planting are the young offsets and runner
plants of the last summer, which procure, of the strongest stocky
growth, from beds of good plants that are in full perfection for bear-
ing, and not from worn-out stools, taking them up with good roots.

Prepare for these plants a piece of good ground, either in the
main quarters or in the borders ; if loamy the better ; and let some
rotten dung be dug in. If in the main quarters, divide the ground
into beds four feet wide, with alleys eighteen inches wide between
them, or they may be planted in continued rows in the borders.
Plant the strawberries of the scarlet kind fifteen inches asunder, and
allow the same distance between plant and plant in the rows. But
the large kinds, such as the hautboy and Chili, should be planted
eighteen inches distant every way.

The Alpine or prolific strawberry, should likewise be planted
fifteen or eighteen inches distant every way, that there may be room
for their runners to spread and take root ; this kind of strawberry
being different in its manner of bearing from the others, for the run-
ners often yield the largest and fairest fruit ; this kind continues
bearing ripe fruit from the latter end of May to October.

A farther supply of bearing strawberry plants in pots may still be
placed in hot-beds and hot-houses, &c., to produce a succession of
early fruit, and to afford a sufficient supply till those in the open
ground ripen.

STRAWBERRY TILES.

A refinement in strawberry culture may be practised with advan-
tage where expense is no object, a, a bed of young strawberry plants
with the tiles placed around them, b shows the end of a bed, with

Fig. 23.

the tiles placed down without the plants, c shows the end of a bed
with the fruit and foliage upon the tiles. It would be injurious to
the plants to place these tiles around the plants early in the season,
as they would deprive them of rain during the growing season ; but,
just as the blossom is appearing, it is an advantage, as the fruit
would lie dry and clean on the upper surface. These tiles are so
constructed, on flange-like edges, as to give a good circulation of air
below. .» •

234 THE .ORCHARD. [MARCH

FORCING FRUIT-TREES.

Continue the care of fruit-trees now forwarding in hot-walls and
forcing-houses ; such as peaches, nectarines, cherries, vines, &c. ; let
the fires be made every cold afternoon and morning, but regularly at
night; and as the season advances in heat, and the sun's power
increases, diminish the fires and admit more air ; occasional water-
ings will be very necessary to encourage the fruit to swell and grow
freely ; but be particular towards the latter end of the month, when
the sun gets powerful, to admit in proportion, and to manage the
plants in every respect as directed in February, page 147.

THE ORCHARD.

PRUNING.

Finish pruning of all kinds of fruit-trees as early in this month as
possible, according to the rules laid down under the head Orchard
in January and February, to which I refer you for that, as well as
other useful information.

In those parts of the Union where the winter is very severe and
the weather changeable, autumnal pruning of fruit-trees is not ad-
visable, particularly of stone fruit; for by pruning at that season,
especially if many limbs are cut off, you are apt to bring on the
canker. The exposure of the wounds, the almost dormant state of
the sap, together with the additional check to its slow, but certain
ascent to. the extremities occasioned by the amputation of limbs, &c.,
predispose to mortification ; whereas, in early spring, when the sap
may be expected soon to follow the knife, the lips will quickly grow
and heal over.

It is universally admitted, that the sap continues to flow, though
slowly, in the milder parts of the winter days, and that it must rise
continually during the winter months in evergreen trees, otherwise
their foliage would wither ; and also in deciduous trees (that is, such
as shed their leaves in winter) ; because the branch of an evergreen
tree will grow on a deciduous tree, and not lose its leaves in winter,
as the Prunus Lauro-Cerasus, or European laurel, on a cherry; and
the evergreen oak, on a common oak.

When pruning is judiciously done, and at a proper time, if the
branches are small, a fresh bark and fresh wood will, in one season,
completely cover the wounds ; but if large, a time proportionate to
the size will be necessary for their covering and healing; this pro-
cess, however, is much accelerated by the application of a proper
composition, which excludes the air and wet, protects the wounds
from the effects of the various changes of the weather, the surround-
ing bark from any injury by insects of worms, and yields to its
growth ; all these ends will be effectually answered by an applica-

MARCH] THE ORCHARD. 235

tion of the medicated tar prescribed on page 58 ; and applied as
there directed.

The following compositions have been much spoken of; I shall,
therefore, publish them without any comments on their virtues,
leaving the result to the experience of those who have, or shall have
tried them ; however, I must observe, that the methods of pruning
old or decayed trees, recommended by MR. FORSYTH, and accom-
panying his instructions for making the composition, are very judi-
cious, and should be duly attended to, whatever composition may be
determined on for use afterwards.

ROYAL GARDENS, Kensington, May 11, 1791.

Directions for making a composition for curing diseases, defects, and
injuries in all kinds of fruit and forest-trees, and the method of
preparing the trees and laying on the composition, by WILLIAM
FORSYTE.

" Take one bushel of fresh cow-dung, half a bushel of lime rub-
bish of old buildings (that from the ceilings of rooms is preferable),
half a bushel of wood ashes, and a sixteenth part of a bushel of pit
or river sand ; the three last articles are to be sifted fine before they
are mixed j then work them well together with a spade, and after-
wards with a wooden beater, until the stuff is very smooth, like fine
plaster used for the ceilings of rooms.

" The composition being thus made, care must be taken to pre-
pare the tree properly for its application, by cutting away all the
dead, decayed, and injured part till you come to the fresh, sound
wood, leaving the surface of the wood very smooth, and rounding
off the edges of the bark with a drawknife, or other instrument, per-
fectly smooth, which must be particularly attended to ; then lay on
the plaster about an eighth of an inch thick, all over the part where
the wood or bark has been so cut away, finishing off the edges as
thin as possible ; then take a quantity of dry powder of wood-ashes
mixed with a sixth part of the same quantity of the ashes of burnt
bones, put it into a tin box, with holes in the top, and shake the
powder on the surface of the plaster, till the whole is covered over
with it, letting it remain for half an hour, to absorb the moisture;
then apply more powder, rubbing it on gently with the hand, and
repeating the application of the powder till the whole plaster becomes
a dry smooth surface.

" All trees cut down near the ground should have the surface
made quite smooth, rounding it off in a small degree, as before men-
tioned ; and the dry powder directed to be used afterwards should
have an equal quantity of powder of alabaster mixed with it, in or-
der the better to resist the dripping of trees and heavy rains.

" If any of the composition be left for a future occasion, it should
be kept in a tub or other vessel, and urine of any kind poured on it,
so as to cover the surface ; otherwise the atmosphere will greatly hurt
the efficacy of the application.

" Where lime rubbish of old buildings cannot be easily got, take
pounded chalk, or common lime, after having been slacked a month
at least.

236 THE ORCHARD. [MARCH

"As the growth of the tree will gradually affect the plaster, by
raising up its edges next the bark, care should be taken, when that
happens, to rub it over with the finger when occasion may require
(which is best done when moistened by rain), that the plaster may
be kept whole, to prevent the air and wet from penetrating into the
wound."

ADDITIONAL DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING AND USING THE COMPOSI-
TION.

To the foregoing directions for making and applying the composi-
tion, it is necessary to add the following : —

" As the best way of using the composition is found by experience
to be in a liquid state, it must, therefore, be reduced to the consist-
ence of pretty thick paint, by mixing it up with a sufficient quantity
of urine and soap-suds, and laid on with a painter's brush. The
powder of wood ashes and burnt bones is to be applied as before
directed, patting it down with the hand.

" When trees are become hollow, you must scoop out all the rot-
ten, loose, and dead parts of the trunk, till you come to the solid
wood, leaving the surface smooth ; then cover the hollow, and every
part where the canker has been cut out, or branches lopped off, with
the composition , and, as the edges grow, take care not to let the new
wood come in contact with the dead, part of which it may be some-
times necessary to leave ; but cut out the old dead wood as the new
advances, keeping a hollow between them, to allow the new wood room
to extend itself, and thereby fill up the cavity, which it will do in
time, so as to make, as it were, a new tree. If the cavity be large,
you may cut away as much at one operation as will be sufficient for
three years. But in this you are to be guided by the size of the
wound, and other circumstances. When the new wood, advancing
from both sides of the wound, has almost met, cut off the bark from
both the edges, that the solid wood may join, which, if properly
managed, it will do, leaving only a slight seam in the bark. If the
tree be very much decayed, do not cut away all the dead wood at
once, which would weaken the tree too much, if a standard, and en-
danger its being blown down by the wind. It will therefore be ne-
cessary to leave part of the dead wood at first, to strengthen the tree,
and to cut it out by degrees as the new wood is formed. If there be
any canker, or gum-oozing, the infected parts must be pared off, or
cut out with a proper instrument.

" Some months before the publication of the ' Observations on the
Diseases, &c.,in Fruit and Forest Trees,' I had tried the composition
in a liquid state, but did not think myself warranted to make it pub-
lic until I had experienced its effects through the winter. The suc-
cess answered my most sanguine expectations ; and I have used it in
that way ever since. By using the composition in a liquid state,
more than three-fourths of the time and labor are saved ; and I find it
is not so liable to be thrown off as the lips grow, as when laid on in
the consistence of plaster ; it adheres firmly to the naked part of the
wound, and yet easily gives way as the new wood and bark advance.

MARCH! THE ORCHARD. 237

" The first time that I tried the composition in a liquid form, was
upon an elm which had been planted about twenty years. It had
been very much bruised by the roller, had several cavities in it, and
was very much bark-bound besides. Having prepared the wounds,
and applied the composition with a painter's brush, I took my knife
and scarified the tree in four places ; I also shaved off, with a draw-
knife, all the cankery outer bark, and covered the whole tree with
the composition, shaking the powder of wood-ashes and burnt bones
all over it. A very heavy rain began in the evening and continued
all night ; yet, to my great surprise, in the morning, I found that
only some of the powder, which had not had time to dry and incor-
porate with the composition, was washed off. I now repeated the
powder, and without anything more being done to the tree, the
wounds healed up and the bark was restored so completely, that,
three years ago, it could hardly be discerned where the wounds had
been. The scarifications had also disappeared. Some of the wounds
were thirteen inches long, eight broad, and three deep. Since the
time when it was scarified, the tree has increased ten inches more in
circumference than a healthy tree planted at the same time with it,
about sixteen feet distant, which was not scarified."

" Melt together in a large earthen pipkin, two pounds and a half
of common pitch, and half a pound of common turpentine, then put
in three-quarters of an ounce of powder of aloes, stir them all to-
gether, and set the matter on fire j when it has flamed a moment, cover
it up close and it will go out, then melt it well and fire it again in
the same way j this must be repeated three times (in the open air) ;
after it has burned the last time melt it again, and put in three
ounces of yellow wax, shred very thin ; and six drachms of mastic,
in powder ; let it all melt together till perfectly well mixed, then
strain it through a coarse cloth, and set it by to cool.

"When you use this composition, melt a small piece of it, and let
it cool till it is just sufficiently soft to spread on the part where
wanted, but it must not be laid on very hot."

When any of your old fruit-trees, which you particularly esteem,
appear on the decline, and are grown thin of young wood, you may
probably restore them by heading down such limbs as are in a bad
state, to those parts where young shoot appear, and dose to the most
vigorous; but be careful not to do this generally the same season,
for that would give too sudden a check to the sap, and in all proba-
bility destroy the tree totally. But if every other branch all over
the tree were headed at proper lengths, each close to some young
shoot, new healthy wood would be produced, which would soon come
into bearing. The next spring after the first branches were headed,
the remaining old branches may be cut out, as directed above; after
which the head of the tree will be soon filled with bearing wood, which
may afterwards be pruned as directed for other trees. This may
be practised on either standard, wall, or espalier trees.

Peaches and nectarines will require to be treated with more cau-

238 THE ORCHARD. [MARCH

tion than any other kinds ; never head them lower down than you
find young shoots or healthy branches, otherwise you will endanger
their lives ; and always cut close to the most vigorous of these, in
order that the sap may be drawn that way, by which the wounds will
heal and cover over. Indeed this caution will be generally useful,
but more particularly with these.

When any of the trunks of your trees become hollow, cut out all
the loose rotten wood, and also examine the roots, cutting off the
injured, rotten, or decayed parts.

As you proceed in pruning, apply to the wounds either of the pre-
ceding compositions which you prefer, in the manner directed ; but
if your trees are annoyed with worms, the medicated tar is decidedly
preferable.

Examine now your fruit-trees, particularly the peaches ; and if
annoyed by worms, either in their trunks, branches, about the surface
of th% ground, and a little under, pick out as many as you can with a
sharp pointed knife, and with as little injury to the bark as possible;
scrape off clean all the gum that appears on the stem or branches,
and wash all these parts, and any other that you suspect to be in-
fected with these insects or their embryos, with the corrosive solu-
tion described on page 149, which you may make twice or three times
as strong as there directed, without the least fear of its injuring the
tree ; then dress the wounded parts with the medicated tar, as there
directed.*

I have at the present time (January, 1805), and have had for
several weeks, the roots of polyanthus-narcissuses, hyacinths, and
other bulbs, growing in bulb-glasses, filled with a much stronger solu-
tion of the corrosive sublimate than that prescribed in page 149, and
apparently in more health and vigor than those which are growing in
pure water; I have also washed the leaves, stems, branches, and vari-
ous kinds of tender plants with it, and poured it on the earth about
their roots in large quantities, without any other effect than the de-
struction of the earth worms, and those which annoyed the plants.

Be very cautious not to leave any of the corrosive sublimate, or
solution, in a careless manner in or about the house, for, with respect
to animal life, it is a very active poison; so powerful that when ad-
ministered medicinally, the quarter of a grain, being the two hun-
dred and fortieth part of a drachm, is considered a sufficient dose for
an adult person.

EXTENT, ASPECT, SITUATION, AND SOIL.

The extent of an orchard should be in proportion to the quantity
of fruit required either for family use, distillation, cider, &c., or for
public supply; and may be from half an acre to a hundred acres, or
more.

As to aspect, that is not of as much importance as some people

* If a small mound be formed around the base of peach-trees when first
planted, composed of slaked lime and wood ashes, it will prevent these
"borers" entering.

MARCH] THE ORCHARD. 239

imagine, especially for apple, pear, and other hardy fruit-trees ; for
you will find these growing and bearing fruit in the greatest perfec-
tion in every aspect where the soil is suitable, and proper care taken
of the trees ; but the more tender and early flowering fruits, such as
peaches and nectarines, &c., will require to be planted where they
may have protection from the cold north and northwesterly winds ;
which, when accompanied by frost, often do considerable injury to
their early bloom ; and likewise, it will be necessary to give a warm
exposure, especially in the eastern and middle States, to late ripen-
ing kinds, such as the heath-peach, &c., in order to bring their fruit
to maturity in due season.

In the southern States a north aspect will be the most eligible for
apple-trees, and perhaps for several other kinds.

With respect to situation, very thriving orchards are frequently
found on high and low grounds, on declivities and plains, in various
aspects and exposures ; but this is in consequence of the natural soil
being good; you should, however, avoid very low damp situations,
particularly such as lodge water; for in very wet soils, no fruit-trees
will prosper, nor will the fruit produced in such places be good ; but
a moderately low situation, free from wet, may be more eligible than
an elevated ground, as being less exposed to tempestuous winds ;
but if having a gentle declivity the more desirable.

A proper soil being the grand and essential requisite, should be
carefully selected, for on this depends much of your success; a good
deep sandy loam, neither too dry nor wet, is the most suitable for all
kinds of fruit-trees, and whether this be on high or low situations it
should be preferred to every other. In the heaviest part of this
ground you may plant apples and pears ; in the lighter, plums and
cherries ; and in the lightest, peach, nectarine, and apricots. G-ene-
speaking ground that will produce good crops of natural grass, or
kitchen garden vegetables, is suitable for an orchard; if of a loamy
nature it will be a particular advantage; any soil, however, of a
good quality, not too light and dry, nor too heavy, stubborn, or wet,
and not less than one spade deep of good staple will be proper for
this purpose.

Where the soil is naturally defective, such may be assisted by the
application of proper manures and composts ; applying them to the
whole ground if but of moderate extent, or, if extensive, to the place
where each tree is to stand, for the space of eight or ten feet in dia-
meter, working it up with the natural soil.

This trouble, however, in extensive orchards would be very ex-
pensive ; therefore those who have choice of ground should be very
careful to fix upon a proper soil, such as would require but little
assistance.

PREPARATION OP THE GROUND.

The preparation of the ground, for the reception of fruit-trees, is
either by digging a spacious place for each tree, a general trenching
of the ground, or by ploughing it. If the latter kind of preparation
is intended, and that the ground has been under pasture for some

210 THE ORCHARD. [MARCH

years, you should plough the greensward the spring before you plant
the trees, and also two or three times in the course of the summer
following, to rot the sward, pulverize the earth, and to prevent the
growth of weeds.

Early in October you should plough it again very deep, running
the plough twice in each furrow, in order to make it deep and loose
for the roots of the trees ; which should be planted therein in the
course of the same or next month; but if the soil be moist, March
will be a much better season.

Or you may plough as above, eight or ten feet wide for each row
of trees, leaving the remainder of the ground untouched.

In planting orchards on a grass ground, in very good soil, you may
dig a hole for each tree capacious enough for the easy reception of all
the roots, loosening the bottom well without disturbing any other
part of the ground; but when it is trenched either wholly, or some
considerable width along the place of each row of trees, it will con-
sequently prove of disproportionate advantage.

Your orchard should get a good dressing of manure, once in two
or three years, whether under crops of grain, or grass ; this will prove
very serviceable to the trees, and also more than repay your expenses
in the abundance of the succeeding crops. If the ground is suffered
to be exhausted by successive crops of fruit and. grass, or grain with-
out refreshing it occasionally by manure it will soon, if not extremely
fertile, become unfit to produce either.*

Tillage is favorable to the growth of young trees ; whereas in grass-
ground their progress is comparatively slow for want of the earth
being stirred about their roots, and being frequently injured by graz-
ing stock. Where circumstances will allow it is best to plant fruit-
trees on newly broken-up ground, and to cultivate the soil (refresh-
ing it with manure as often as necessary), until the trees are well
grown; then to lay it down to grass; for after that period the shade
of the trees would do less injury to it than to any other crop; and
besides, the pending boughs would render tillage inconvenient.

CHOICE OF TREES, ETC.

If not provided with trees in your own nursery, you must apply
to some public nursery-man of integrity, who will not deceive you in
the varieties of the kinds wanted : observe in the first place that the
trees are healthy and fresh looking, without any blemishes or appear-
ance of canker or worms in the bark; that they have been raised at
proper distances, and not drawn up spindling ; that their heads are
well formed and well furnished; that their stems are stout, propor-
tionate to their heads, straight, clean, free from suckers, and that
they are not more than from two to four years old from the bud or
graft, and that all have been worked, that is, budded or grafted, for
otherwise, there would be no certainty of having good fruit, and
besides, there would be much longer coming into bearing.

* There is little doubt but this want of nourishment is a primary cause
of the supposed wearing out of many, otherwise, valuable orchards.

MARCH] THE ORCHARD. 241

These are important objects, and such as you cannot be deceived
in. Never make choice of larger trees nor higher in the stems than
six feet, especially for general plantations, for they never thrive as
well as young trees, and are subject to be dashed about by the wind
after planting.

The next object is to see them taken up with care, so as to pre-
serve all their roots as entire as possible; when taken up, prune off
any broken or bruised parts of the roots, shorten long stragglers,
and top the ends of the principal roots in general with the knife ;
always observing to prune these roots on the under side, and sloping
outwards.

Let several varieties of each particular kind be chosen, such as
ripen their fruit at different periods from the earliest to the latest,
especially when they are wanted for the table; but by much a greater
number of autumnal and late ripening kinds, than of the early sorts,
particularly of the apples; for the early ripening fruits are of short
duration, and only proper for temporary service. When you want
apples or peaches for distillation, or cider-making, choose proper
juicy kinds for that purpose, and quantities proportionate to your in-
tentions.

METHOD OF PLANTING.

If the trees have been already trained so as to have full branch-
ing heads, they must be planted with those entire, only retrenching
or shortening any irregular or ill-placed branches or shoots that take
an awkward direction, or that grow across others or such as run con-
siderably longer than the generality of the others, either cutting them
clean off, close to the places from whence they proceed, or to some
young shoot or small leading branch, as may appear most eligible for
giving the tree an open spreading form, leaving no stumps or spurs.

Should you not be able to procure trees having furnished and well
formed heads, and you are obliged to take such as are thin of wood,
and running up tall, plant them, having their roots dressed as before,
but without touching their heads for the present. So soon after
planting as their buds begin to push, head them down to within six,
eight, or ten inches of the place where you wish them to branch out
for forming their heads ; they will then throw out young vigorous
shoots, which yt>u may afterwards train and thicken, or make thin
at pleasure, by judicious pruning in the following years ; or should
any of these young shoots in the course of the succeeding months
take too great a lead of the others, you may top them in July, which
will stop their rampant growth, and cause them to throw out side
shoots that will still enlarge a foundation for numerous branches,
and not carry off too much of the sap from the others.

Should it happen that any of your trees have large heads and but
few or scanty roots, reduce their tops by a select and judicious
pruning to a due proportion with their roots ; for an ox fed only
through a wren's quill, could not long exist. This will seldom
happen, unless by accident or carelessness in the taking of them
up, provided they are raised at proper distances in the nursery.
16

242 THE ORCHARD. £MARCII

The arrangement of the trees in the orchard should be in rows,
each different kind of fruit separate, and at distances proportionate to
the nature of their growths. Apple and pear-trees may be planted
at fifty feet distance every way; cherry and plum, at from thirty to
forty; peach, nectarine, apricot, almonds, and quinces, at from twenty-
five to thirty feet; and at still greater distances, if you are not limited
in extent of suitable ground, and you intend to raise various crops
between the trees. Pear-trees on quince stocks may be planted ten
feet apart, and the other kinds on dwarf stocks, at half the distance,
as mentioned above for each kind.

You should have great regard to the distance of planting the trees,
which is what few people have rightly considered; for if you plant
them too close, they will be liable to blights ; the air being thereby
pent in among them, will also cause the fruit to be ill-tasted; for a
great quantity of damp vapors from the perspiration of the trees, and
the exhalation from the earth mixed with it, will be imbibed by the
fruit, and render their juices crude and unwholesome ; besides, it is
the opinion of some well informed naturalists and orchardists, that
these vapors and perspiration of the trees, collect the heat of the sun,
and reflect it in streams, so as to cause what is called a fire-blast,
which is extremely hurtful to fruit, and most frequent where the
orchards are open to the south sun.

Having your trees in readiness, proceed to stake or mark out the
ground, according to the above or greater distances, placing a small
stake or mark where each hole is to be made for the reception of the
trees, which, if made to range every way, will have a very agreeable
effect, admit the currency of air and sun's influence more effectually,
and make the orchard still more convenient for tillage.

A wide circular hole must be dug for every tree, capacious enough
to receive all the roots freely without touching the sides, but by no
means of a greater depth than the natural good soil ; if you make a
deep hole, basin like, into the clay bottom, or unfriendly sub-soil,
which is too frequently done, and plant the roots therein, even filling
it round with good earth will not do, for as soon as it pushes its roots
beyond this, they must enter into the bad and unfriendly soil, which
will not fail to bring on the decay of the most healthy tree, and can
never afford it suitable juices for perfecting delicious fruit ; besides
the lodgement of water about the roots in this confined basin in wet
seasons, will cause the tree to become sickly, and to get overrun with
moss, and full of canker.

When the holes are all ready, proceed to planting, placing a tree
in each, having its roots trimmed as before, one person holding the
stem erect, whilst another casts in the earth, previously breaking it
small ; let it be settled in equally between all the roots, by gently
and frequently shaking the tree a little up and down, which will cause
the mould to settle in close about all the small roots and fibres ; and
also to raise the tree gradually up, that the crown of the roots may
not be more than about three or four inches below the general sur-
face, even in the deepest soil. When the hole is filled up, tread it
gently, first round the outside, then near the stem of the tree; form-
ing the surface a little hollow, to admit of giving water, if found

MARCH] THE ORCHARD. 243

necessary, with more convenience ; and if on the top of all is laid
some inverted turf, and stones over this, to the width of the holes,
forming it into a sort of circular bank, it will support the tree, and
guard the roots from powerful heat, drought and parching winds;
observing that each tree stands perfectly upright, and that they
range exactly in their proper rows.

Should the earth be rather shallow, so that you cannot cover the
roots a sufficient depth with good soil, you must have some hauled
for that purpose to where each tree is to be planted, or collected to
such places, from the general surface, and bank the roots around
therewith; for there is no alternative between planting them in the
good soil, where their roots can take a wide extended horizontal
direction, and lie within the reach of the genial influence of heat,
rain, dew and air, and that of an untimely end if planted too deep.

When you desire to remove large trees of any kind, the best
method will be to open trenches about their roots, immediately pre-
vious to the setting in of the frosts, leaving as much earth around
them as you think can be conveniently moved or carried with the
trees, cutting at a proper distance the large wide-spreading roots,
and leaving only as many uncut as are sufficient to prevent their
being blown down ; when you find the earth sufficiently bound by
the frost, work in under, and take them up with the balls, place
them on a sled, and so carry them to their place of destination ; pre-
vious to planting, smooth all the wounded parts, and prune or thin
their tops in proportion to their loss of roots.

When a defect in an old orchard is to be supplied, it will be ne-
cessary to take away the earth where the old tree stood to a proper
depth, and to the extent of a circle of ten feet in diameter, which fill
up with fresh earth previous to planting ; for it seldom happens,
without this management, that young trees thrive, when planted
where old disordered ones stood.

If the orchard is much exposed to winds, it will be proper to stake
the new planted trees, to support them in their proper positions, and
secure them from being rocked to and fro thereby, which would
greatly retard their rooting — placing one or two strong tall stakes to
each tree ; but in large trees, the most effectual method is to have
three stakes to each, placed in a triangle, meeting at top near the
head of the tree, wrapping a hay-band around that part of the stem,
to prevent its being barked by the stakes or ties ; then tie the stakes
at top close to the tree, with some proper bandage, bringing it close
about the stem and stakes together, over the hay-wrapping, to secure
the tree firmly in an erect posture.

If your young orchard is laid down with grass, no cattle should
be turned into it to graze at large ; unless each tree is previously well
secured with posts and railing, otherwise they will bark the trees, to
their very great injury, and eat off the tops of such of their young
shoots as they can reach ; nor should large cattle be turned into any
orchards where the branches of the trees are yet low and within their
reach.

Where great quantities of fruit are wanted, large avenues of apple,
pear, peach, and cherry trees, &c., may be extended across neighbor-

244 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

ing fields, which will render them pleasant, and produce abundance
of fruit ; or there may be single rows planted to surround fields, &c.,
which will be found extremely profitable, if in an honest neighbor-
hood.

You may now plant the boundaries of large orchards with English
walnuts and Spanish chestnuts; these will not only afford you an
abundance of fruit, but protect the trees in general from the power
of tempestuous winds. A small quarter of the orchard may be
allotted to filberts, mulberries, medlars, berberries, &c., and this is a
proper time for planting them.

For the method of raising and propagating all kinds of fruit-trees,
&c., see the Nursery for this and the preceding month ; and also
July.

THE VINEYARD.

The Vitis vinifera, or common wine-yielding Vine, is a native of
the warmer regions of Asia : it is found to be most successful in the
temperate climates, or between the 30th and 50th degrees of north
and south latitudes.

It is cultivated in the greatest perfection in the Island of Madeira,
lat. 32° north ; and in every part of Europe as far north as the fif-
tieth degree of latitude ; also at the Cape of G-ood Hope, about lat.
33° 50' south, as well as in every corresponding parallel in Asia and
the civilized parts of Africa : yet there are people among us who
seem to despair of its being possible to cultivate it successfully in the
United States, and who by this kind of despondency publicly ex-
pressed, discountenance its cultivation. We Jiave similar climates,
and as suitable soil and situations, as are to be found in any of the
countries where this plant is cultivated, and what to attribute this
infidelity to I am at a loss to know.* What do they perceive insalu-
brious in the air, or unfriendly to vegetable life in the soil of Ame-
rica, any more than in trans-atlantic countries ; or are they led estray
by prejudiced European writers, whose envy, or want of knowledge,
or perhaps both, had prompted them to assert, that neither animals
nor vegetables arrive at as good or as great perfection in America as
in Europe ? However, a little time and some industry will show
that this prejudice is erroneous, and that the vine can be cultivated
in the far greater part of the Union, to immense national, as well as
individual advantage.

The vine was originally introduced into Europe from Asia Minor ;
and even in the days of Lucullusj the Romans were seldom able to

* The extreme variation of temperature in the northern States checks the
circulation of the sap, and produces mildew in the European kinds. They
can be and are, however, grown under glass to as great perfection as in
any part of Europe. Our native sorts are now being improved by fresh
seedlings, and there is now no doubt but our own country will soon e^ual
the finest quality.

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. -245

regale themselves with its juice, very little wine being made at that
time within the compass of Italy ; and the foreign wines which they
imported from Asia were so dear, that they were rarely introduced
at an entertainment, and when they were, each guest was indulged
only with a single draught. But in the seventh century of Rome,
as their conquests augmented the degree of their wealth, this luxury
was sought after with avidity, and wines became the object of par-
ticular attention. In the progress of their conquests, the westerly
parts of the European continent was at once subjected to the arms
and enriched with the vines of Italy ; its cultivation went on but
slowly for some time in these countries, where it has since become a
staple article of great national importance, perhaps occasioned by the
same kind of doubts, fears, prejudices, and apprehensions that now
operate against it in the United States ; but these at length were sur-
mounted by the industry of a few cultivators who had penetration
enough to perceive its practicability, and who, no doubt, were amply
remunerated, in consequence of being first in market with large
quantities : others perceiving their fortunate success, copied their ex-
amples, in expectation of obtaining like profits. Similar to this will
be its progress in America, and those who first commenced the busi-
ness by planting on an extensive scale, will assuredly reap the richest
harvests.

The culture of the vine for some time will be an experimental
business with us; however, the first object is to obtain the kinds that
will immediately, or soonest, accommodate themselves to the different
regions of the Union; perhaps those from Madeira, or the Cape of
Good Hope, would best suit in the southern States ; those from the
south of Europe, in the middle; and those from Burgundy, Cham-
pagne, Switzerland, Bordeaux, or the banks of the Rhine, in the
eastern States. Trials of this kind should be made, and the result
carefully attended to ; and, indeed, each and every of the States
should give a fair trial to the vines of every country, from whence
they can be procured ; by which means, and by which only, they can
discover those best adapted to their respective soils and climates.

There is not the least doubt but the vines of a temperate climate
can be naturalized in any State in the Union in a very short time :
for there is an astonishing facility in plants to accommodate them-
selves to soil and climate, and in very few more than in the vine.
The helianthus annuus, or common annual sunflower, is a native of
Mexico and Peru; and yet we all know that it now grows in every
part of the Union where introduced, as well as if it were indigenous.
The helianthus tuberosus, or what is commonly called the Jerusalem
artichoke, is a tropical plant, being a native of Brazil, and is become
naturalized to our climates, as well as to those of Europe, as far north
as St. Petersburg, and perhaps farther. The cherry-tree, when first
introduced into Italy by Lucullus, a Roman general, from the city of
Cerasus, in Pontus, whence its name Prunus Cerasus, was there
treated as a tender exotic ; by degrees it had crept into Britain,
where it was treated for some time in like manner ; and experience
now proves that it thrives in America as well as in Italy, Britain,
or Pontus itself. Thousands of other instances could be adduced of

246 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

the wisdom and goodness of the Creator in furnishing plants with
those accommodating powers; but the vine has manifested itself in
so many, and so universally, that it is unnecessary to recapitulate
them ; yet we frequently meet with people who say "it will never
succeed here ! !"*

It may, however, be proper to remark, that where the peach-tree
perfects its fruit in open field culture, so will the vine; the latter is
even capable of bearing greater degrees of heat, and of producing
fruit in perfection in higher latitudes than the former, manifested by
the quantity of wine made in many places in the south of England,
from its productions in open vineyard culture; whilst there they could
not have a single peach from a thousand trees cultivated in the same
way, principally owing to the want of a sufficiency of summer heat
to ripen the young wood; and mild as their winters are, in compari-
son to ours, they, under such circumstances, generally destroy the
pithy and unripened shoots of the peach, without doing near so much
injury to those of the vine. On the other hand, it is well known that
the grape-vine will bear fruit abundantly, year after year, when forced
in pine stoves, with pine-apples, where, if a peach was introduced, it
would scarcely survive one season ; at least it would not produce a
single fruit worth eating the second.

Before entering on the general culture, I shall give a short descrip-
tion of the varieties of the grape hitherto cultivated in Europe, either
for making wine, or for the table; many of which are now under
trial at the Spring-Mill Vineyard, within fourteen miles of Phila-
delphia, the property of a company incorporated by the legislature
of Pennsylvania, "for the promotion of the culture of the vine," and
under the superintendence of Mr. Peter Legaux, an experienced vine-
dresser, and a gentleman of worth and science.

These I shall divide into three classes, in the order of their ripen-
ing. 1. Those which ripen earliest. 2. Those which succeed them;
and 3. The latest coming to maturity. Perhaps the first class might
be best adapted for the more immediate culture in the eastern States;
the second in the middle ; and the third in the southern States. But,
experiments on all the kinds that it is possible to procure, should be
tried in each State of the Union ; giving, at the same time, suitable
soil and situation to each class, according to their periods of ripen-
ing; that is, to give the latest kinds the warmest exposure, &c.

FIRST CLASS.

1. The "White Frontinac, or Muscat Blanc, is a high flavored grape,
and has a peculiar rich juice when perfectly ripe; the bunches are
large, and the berries, which are round, are very closely joined to
each other, whereby some of them in wet seasons are apt to rot before
they are ripe, which, in some measure, is owing to the thinness of

* Notwithstanding the sanguine expectations of our author, it has now
been proved by experience that the exotic grape will not thrive and grow
to perfection in our changeable climate, excepting in the most favored
localities.

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. 24 Y

their skins: those who wish to have them in the best perfection, will
thin them out when about the size of peas, whereby the air will have
free admittance, and those which are left, will be larger and higher
flavored.

2. The Blue, or Violet Frontinac, Muscat Violet. This has a small
black berry, powdered with a fine blue or violet bloom, and is of an
exalted vinous flavor. The berries grow close upon the bunches,
which are very small.

3. The White Sweet Water. This is a very large round white
grape. The berries grow close on the bunch, which is of a moderate
size, and are replete with an agreeable juice. The skin and flesh of
this grape are more delicate than of any other sort. The berries on
the sides of the bunches next the sun, are clouded with spots of a
russet color.

4. The Black Sweet Water. The berries of this variety are much
smaller than the former ; are black, roundish, grow in small, short,
close bunches, and are replete with a very sweet juice.

5. The Brick Grape. The berries of this kind are small, inclin-
ing to an oval figure, and of a pale red or brick color. This is a very
sweet grape, though not much admired.

6. The White Muscadine, or Ghasselas Blanc. This is a round
white berry, moderately large, with a thin skin and delicate juicy
flesh. The bunch is well formed and of a pretty good size. This is
an early grape and a great bearer.

7. The Munier, or Miller's Burgundy Grape. The berries are
small, black, rather inclining to an oval figure, and grow close on the
bunch, which is commonly short and small. The skin and flesh are
delicate, possessing a sweet and pleasant juice. The leaves are dis-
tinguishable from most others by a hoary down, especially when
young, being then almost white. This is an excellent bearer, and a
principal grape to be cultivated for wine.

8. The Small Black Cluster. The berries and bunches of this
grape are little different from the former, but the leaves have less
down, and are smaller. This is a delicate sweet fruit, and is some-
times called the Burgundy grape.

9. The Early Black July Grape, Morillon Noir, or Hatif Noir.
This has a small black round berry, replete with a sugary juice j the
bunches also are small, and thin set, but it is also a prolific bearer,
and comes to the table at an early period.

10. The Early White Grape, from Teneri/e. The berries of this
variety are round, white, and of a moderate size, with thin skins and
delicate juicy flesh, of an extraordinary sweetness. The berries and
bunches much resemble the common Muscadine, to which it appears
to have a near affinity.

11. The Auvernat Noir of Orleans, Pineau of Burgundy, or
True Burgundy Grape, sometimes called the black morillou, is an
indifferent fruit for the table, but is esteemed one of the best for
making wine. It is of a middle size, somewhat of an oval, and of
a fine black color j the bunches are longer than Miller's Burgundy.

248 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

SECOND CLASS.

12. The Aleppo Grape. This is a middle-sized, roundish grape,
with a thin skin and delicate juicy flesh, of an exquisite vinous fla-
vor. The color is commonly very various, some of the berries being
white, others black, but the major part are curiously striped with
black and white; but what appears most remarkable is, that the
colors do not intermix, but are divided by straight lines as if painted.
The leaves of this sort are in the autumn very curiously striped with
red, green, and yellow, somewhat similar to the Aleppo lettuce.

13. The Grizzly Frontinac. The berries of this grape are round,
tolerably large, and their color brown and red, intermixed with yel-
low. Both this and No. 1 possess a high, musky, perfumed flavor.

14. The Black or Purple Frontinac, or Muscat Noir. The berries
of this variety are black when ripe, and covered with a kind of pow-
der, which gives them a purple hue ; are moderately large, round,
and of a most exquisite flavor. They compose very long bunches.
This has formerly been called the red Frontinac, and is one of the
very best grapes. It is called at the Cape of Good Hope the black
Constantia.

15. The Red Frontinac, or Muscat Rouge. This is a very fine
grape and greatly esteemed. The berries are of a brick color, thin
skin, moderate size, and juicy delicate flesh.

16. The Black Hamburg. The berries of this variety are large,
inclining to an oval figure, and of a black color. They hang loosely
on the bunch, and compose well-formed handsome bunches. The
skin is thick, and the pulp hard ; but, notwithstanding, it is a very
valuable grape, being a good flavored fruit and a plentiful bearer.

17. The Red Hamburg. The berries of this sort are of a dark
red, with thin skins and juicy delicate flesh. The size and figure of
both the berry and bunch are nearly like the former. It is some-
times called the Gibraltar grape.

18. The Malvoise. The berries of this are small, rather inclining
to an oval figure, and of a brown color. The skin is thin, and the
flesh delicate, replete with a vinous juice. As the berries are pow-
dered with a blue bloom, it is sometimes called the blue Tokay.

19.. The Genuine Tokay. This is a white grape. The berries
incline to an oval figure, and grow rather close on the bunch, which
is of a moderate size. The skin is thin and flesh delicate, abounding
with a very agreeable juice. This variety is very distinguishable by
the foliage, the under side of the leaf being covered with a fine soft
down, having the appearance of satin.

20. The Lombardy Grape. This has a large berry inclining to
an oval figure, of a beautiful flame color. The bunches are regularly
formed with shoulders, and frequently arrive to the weight of six or
seven pounds. The leaves are much more divided than most other
sorts, and the upper surface is of a deep green color. This is by
some called the Rhenish grape, and by others the flame-colored
Tokay.

21. The Smyrna Grape. This has a large red- colored berry of

MAlfbll] THE VINEYARD. 249

an oval figure, with thin skin and delicate juicy flesh. It forms long
branches, with shoulders loosely connected. The leaves in autumn
die with purple edges.

22. The Alicant, or Black Spanish Grape. The berries of this
variety incline to an oval shape, are moderately large and black, and
form exceedingly long unshouldered bunches. The flesh is soft, juicy,
and of an agreeable flavor. The leaves in autumn are beautifully
variegated with red, green, and yellow. This is a pretty good fruit,
and is sometimes, though incorrectly, called the Lornbardy grape.

23. The Black Muscadine. The berries and bunches of this va-
riety are somewhat smaller than those of No. 7. This is a very
prolific grape, and makes a fine appearance on account of the black
berries being powdered with a bluish bloom ; but the flesh is not so
delicate and juicy as the former.

24. The Royal Muscadine, D' Arboyce, or Chasselas Blanc. This
has a round white or amber-colored berry, of a moderate size, a thin
skin, and a juicy soft flesh. The bunches are generally exceeding
large, sometimes arriving to six or seven pounds. This variety is
very distinguishable by the wood and foliage, generally growing
remarkably gross and strong, and is considered an excellent table
grape.

25. The Malmsey Muscadine. This seems nearly allied to the
preceding, but the bunches and berries are somewhat smaller, and
the juice of a higher flavor, being remarkably sweet. This is a good
bearer, a very fine grape, and said to be one of those of which the
Madeira wine is made.

26. The Claret Grape. The berries of this are small, black, and
inclining to an oval figure; they grow close and form small bunches.
The juice is of a blood-red color, of a harsh taste, excepting the
grapes are perfectly matured, and then it may be considered as an
agreeable and delicate fruit. The leaves change from green to a
russet-red early in summer, and die a deep red in autumn.

27. The Large Black Cluster, or Lisbon Grape. The berries are
large and grow more oval than the two former varieties, which are
black, and not so delicate, the juice being of a harsh and rough
taste. The leaves in autumn, when on the decline, change to a beau-
tiful bright scarlet. This is the grape of which the red port wine is
made.

28. The White Morillon. This has an oval white berry, of a
moderate size, with thin skin and delicate juicy flesh. It grows
close on the bunches, which are small. The leaves are soft, being
greatly covered with down on the under side, somewhat similar to
the genuine Tokay grape, to which it appears nearly allied.

29. Cat's Grape. This has a small oval berry, of a -greenish-
white color, with a thin skin and soft juicy flesh. The berries grow
close, forming small bunches. The taste of this fruit before it is
quite matured is disagreeable ; but when perfectly ripe is very sweet
and pleasing to some palates.

30. The St. Peter's Grape. This has a pretty large berry, in-
clining to an oval form, and of a deep black color when ripe; the
skin is thin, and the flesh very delicate and juicy. This vine pro-

250 THE VINEYARD.

duces large shouldered bunches, and the leaves are much more divided
than those of most other sorts.

31. The Black Grape from Palestine. This appears nearly simi-
lar to the preceding, but may probably be a distinct variety.

32. The White Parsley -Leaved Grape, or Giotat. This is a va-
riety of the parsley-leaved grape. The berries are round, white, of
a moderate size, with thin skins and delicate juicy flesh, which is
very sweet but not of a vinous flavor. The branches are of a pretty
good size, almost similar to the white Muscadine. The leaves are
finely divided, differing from any other sort. There is a variety of
the parsley-leaved grape which produces red berries.

83. The Black Lisbon Grape. This has a large globular berry,
black, thin skinned, and juicy. It has also large shouldered bunches,
which not a little resemble the black Hamburg. This is a good
grape.

34. The Greek Grape. The berries of this variety are of a
moderate size, rather inclining to an oval figure, of a bluish-white
color, and grow close, forming moderate sized handsome bunches.
The leaves grow on very short footstalks, and bear a resemblance
to those of the Sweet Water. It is a delicate and justly esteemed
fruit.

35. The White Corinth Grape. This has a white, round berry,
rather small, with a thin skin and very delicate juicy flesh, of an
agreeable flavor. The bunches too are rather small. The berries,
when perfectly ripe, are transparent, so that the seeds appear very
distinctly.

36. The White Muscat of LUNEL. The berries of this are large
and oval, and when perfectly ripe are of a fine amber color, some-
what clouded with brown or russet, especially on the side next the
sun. The skin^is thin and the flesh delicate, replete with a vinous
juice. As this grape is a very plentiful bearer, and forms pretty
large bunches, it may justly be deemed a valuable sort.

37. The Red Chasselas, or Chasselas Rouge is very like the Chas-
selas Blanc, No. 6, in size and shape, but is of a dark red color. It
is a very good grape, but ripens later than the white.

THIRD CLASS.

38. The White Muscat of Alexandria, or Alexandrian Frontinac.
The berries of this are large and oval, the bunches long, and, when
perfectly ripe, are of a fine amber color ; the skin thick, pulp firm,
the juice rich and vinous, and of a high musky flavor; the berries
hang loosely, ripen well, and are in great estimation.

39. The Red Muscat of Alexandria. This resembles the former,
only the berries are red ; it is a most excellent grape, and highly
worthy of cultivation.

40. The Black Damascus. The berries of this are large, round,
and of a fine black color; the skin thin, the flesh juicy, and of an
exquisite flavor. The same bunch commonly consists of different
sizes ; the small berries are without stones, and the large ones con-
tain only one in each berry ; this is an excellent sort.

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. 251

41. The Black Tripoli Grape. This grape seems nearly allied
to the black Damascus, but the bunches are always composed of large
berries of an equal size, and with one stone in each. This circum-
stance of the berries being equal in size, renders the bunches of a
more agreeable appearance ; the foliage in both are exceedingly beau-
tiful in the fall, assuming a reddish hue, and very similar : this is a
very good grape.

42. The Red Grape from Syracuse. This is a very large grape,
of a red color and oval figure, somewhat irregularly formed ; the ber-
ries hang together loosely on the bunches, which are pretty large :
this is a most excellent grape.

43. Le Cceur Grape, or Morocco Grape. This produces large
berries, in figure somewhat heart-shaped, and of a tawny grizzly
color. The bunches are often composed of unequal sized berries,
some of them exceedingly large ; these never contain more than one
stone each, and the lesser-sized berries are always without stones.
The footstalks of the berries are short, and singularly large, differ-
ing from most other sorts. This is a much esteemed grape.

44. The Golden Gallician. The berries of this variety are large,
and of an oval figure ; the flesh hard, but of a tolerable flavor : these,
together with the footstalks, are of a light yellow color.

45. The Black Mmcadel. The berries of this are large, oval, and
of a black color ; the skin thin, with a delicate juicy flesh. The
same bunch contains berries of different sizes, some of them very
large and long, but somewhat compressed at the ends : the leaves
change in autumn to a beautiful scarlet.

46. The Red Muscadel. The berries of this sort are large, oval,
and of a beautiful red color ; the skin thick, and the flesh hard,
something like the raisin grape. The bunches frequently arrive to
five or six pounds, and are most elegantly formed of berries of an.
equal size. This is one of the largest grapes. The leaves change
in autumn to a beautiful red and green.

47. The White Grape from Alcobaca. This has a large oval, white
berry with a thin skin and juicy flesh ; the bunches are large and
long, without shoulders.

48. The White Hamburg. This has an oval berry, with a thick
skin and hard flesh. As this variety is a plentiful bearer, and forms
large bunches, it is much admired by some, but is not so valuable as
either of the two preceding kinds. It is sometimes called the Portu-
gal Grape.

49. The Syrian Grape. The berries are white, large, and of an
oval figure; the skin thick, and the flesh firm and hard; the bunches
well formed, and enormously large. Though this is generally con-
sidered as a coarse fruit, it has properties that ought to introduce it
into every large collection. It is very prolific, and the bunches com-
monly grow very large, sometimes to upwards of twelve pounds,
making a most beautiful appearance, and, when well perfected, may
be called a very eatable fruit; they may without difficulty be kept
many weeks longer than any other kind. This grape requires a very
warm exposure.

50. The Black Raisin Grape. The berries of this variety are

252 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

oval and black, with a thick skin, and a hard, firm flesh. It forms
long, handsome bunches.

51. The White Raisin Grape. The properties of this grape are
nearly similar to the preceding, but the berries are white.

52. The Damson Grape. The berries of this variety are very
large, oval, and of a beautiful purple color. They grow loose on the
bunch, which is large. The leaves of this grape are large, and more
thick and succulent than those of any other sort, and have some-
thing of the appearance of green leather.

53. The CornicJion Grape. The berries of a remarkable shape,
about an inch and a half long; their breadth not half an inch. They
taper from the stock, but not in a regular manner, and end in a blunt
point, according to the French, something like a horn ; but its figure
is more like the long end of a small fish's bladder. The berries are
white, with a thick skin, and a firm, sweet flesh.

54. The New Muscat of Jerusalem. This variety has large, round
berries of a red color, nearly as large as middle-sized gooseberries.

55. The Black Prince. This has fine, large, black berries and the
bunches grow to a large size, frequently to a pound and a half.

AMERICAN SPECIES OF VINE.

The following species of the vine are indigenous in America.

1st. The Vitis sylvestris, or common bunch grape.

2d. The Vitis vulpina, of Bartram ; V. Labrusca, of Linn., or
fox -grape.

3d. The Vitis taurina, of Bartram, or Vitis Vulpina, of Linn.;
commonly called the bull or bullet grape.

4th. The Vitis serotina, or winter grape, by some called the Ber-
mudian grape.

There are several varieties produced by the intermixtures of the
above with one another, or with the varieties of the Vitis vinifera,
which are called hybrids or mules; the most noted are, 1. Alexander's
or Tasker's grape; 2. Bland' s grape ; 3. That called the Raccoon
grape. And now may be added the Catawba, Isabella, Diana, Con-
cord, Rebecca, Canadian Chief, &c., &c. From either of these hy-
brids, it is probable that good wine may be produced ; but I shall
leave that to the experience of those who have made, or wish to
make the experiment.* At the same time, I would suggest the
idea of grafting some of the best European kinds on our most vigor-
ous native vines, which, no doubt, would answer a very good pm>

SOIL AND SITUATION.

The first and most important thing to be considered in planting a
vineyard, is the choice of soil and situation ; for on these depends

* These experiments have since been carried out, and have proved emi-
nently successful. There is now more than three million bottles of wine
manufactured in the State of Ohio annually, principally from the Catawba.
The improvement of our native grapes is progressing wonderfully.

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. 253

much of the ultimate success. That best adapted for a vineyard,
is a light, rich, deep loam ; on a chalky, limestone, flinty, or gravelly
bottom ; it should be naturally from one to two feet deep, of good
mellow earth, or made so by art; a deeper soil is unnecessary for any
tree or shrub whatever, that is not cultivated on account of its roots;
and although vines may shoot more vigorously in such, and produce
a greater quantity of fruit, which, by the bye, is very questionable,
yet they ripen later, and their juice is more crude than that of those
which draw their nourishment from earth within the influence of the
sun, air, rains, dews, &c.

The situation should be on an elevation inclining to the south,
southeast, or southwest ;. and if having all these exposures, the
better, as the various kinds could have different situations according
to their natures and necessities. The ground shoutd have a gradual
descent, that the moisture may be drained off; but if too rapid, it
will be more difficult to labor, as the plough cannot then be used ;
and besides, it will be less retentive of manure, and consequently will
require a greater quantity, and more frequently administered. If at
a distance there are large hills, or elevated woods, to defend it from
the north and northwesterly winds, the better.

The immediate neighborhood should be open ; and, if hilly, towards
the north and northwest, the better ; it should be free from swamps,
or widely extended woods; for, under such circumstances, the air
would frequently be replete with too great a quantity of moisture,
occasioned by the perspiration of the trees, and the exhalations from
the adjoining swamps, whereby both vines and fruit would be greatly
subjected to what is called the mildew. It has been observed in the
middle States, particularly by Mr. Peter Legaux, of Spring-Mill,
near Philadelphia, that the more easterly the exposure, the more
are the vines and fruit liable to become mildewed ; and that, in a
southwest exposure, they are less subject to it than in any other.

Those who wish to cultivate grapes for the table only, and that
have not the advantage of the kind of soil above described, needjiot
despair of having good fruit for that purpose, as vin§s will grow and
bear well in any dry and tolerably rich ground ; that is, neither sandy
nor light to excess, nor too clayey or binding; for a tolerable stiff
loam will do well enough, with the assistance of good culture.

PREPARATION OF THE SOIL.

Having made choice of soil and situation, the next thing to be
done is to prepare it for planting ; in doing of which, the following
method is to be observed : In the spring, if the soil is not naturally
rich, give it a good coat of well-rotted manure, or compost ; and im-
mediately plough it in as deep as can be done, with four or six stout
horses or oxen, and a strong plough ; after it has lain a month, cross
harrow it, and cleanse it from stones and the roots of noxious weeds.
About the middle of June, cross plough it again as deep as possible ;
in three weeks after, harrow it, and clear off all the roots of weeds
and large stones. Towards the latter end of August, plough it again,

254 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

and harrow as before. In November, give it another very deep
ploughing, and let it lay so all winter, without harrowing. As early
in the month of March, following, as you find it sufficiently dry, and
in good state for tillage, but not before, plough it across the hill, and
as deep as you can, running the plough twice in each score : then
harrow it well, and you have it in a fine state for planting.

In some ground, and very frequently in that extremely well adapted
to the culture of the vine, the declivity is too great to cultivate it with
the plough ; in which case it must be done with the spade, and other
manual implements; and it would be well if such land could be
thrown or banked up into terraces, each capable of receiving one,
two, or three rows of vines, the better to retain the necessary manure
and moisture.

PREPARATIONS FOR PLANTING, ETC.

Being provided with a number of four feet stakes, in proportion to
the quantity you intend planting, and made as directed in January,
page 60, mark out your ground in rows ranging north and south, as
well as east and west, by placing those stakes at intervals of six feet
distance every way, so as it may be convenient to plough and harrow
between the rows in these directions. This is meant for a south
exposure; but in others, they are generally arranged up and down
hill as well as across ; though the former direction may be given to
the rows in any situation, and perhaps with more advantage as to
ease of culture, and benefit of the sun.

Six feet plant from plant, every way, will not be too great a dis-
tance, however it may appear at first view; especially in a country
where Providence has been very bountiful in blessing its inhabitants
with abundance of ground, as well as with everything else that tends
to make an industrious man happy; for if planted too close, there
will not be room for the sun and air to pass freely between the rows,
to ripen the fruit, and dry up the moisture and autumnal damps,
which would otherwise be imbibed by the fruit, and render it crude
and insipid ; and more particularly so when their stocks grow large,
and their branches proportionably extend themselves on each side.

The next thing to be considered is the choice of proper sorts. It
is worthy of particular notice, that the best grapes for eating are, for
the most part, the worst for making wine. This is agreeable to the
practice of cider-makers, who always prefer the rough, juicy, and
austere kinds of apples to those that are considered best for the
table, and also to that of the most skilful Vignerons of Europe, who
are very particular in selecting such kinds of grapes whose juice,
after being pressed and properly fermented, affords a vinous, rich
liquor.

The Auvernat Noir, or true Burgundy grape, is the kind most
preferred, and in the greatest repute in Burgundy, Champagne,
Orleans, and most of the vine countries in France. The Munier is
also in great repute ; but as far as I have yet observed, I have seen
no kind more likely to answer for making good wine in America than

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. 255

the Constantta, or Cape of Good Hope grape,* and with either of
these the claret grape, to heighten and enliven the color, when red
wine is intended to be made.

But as this business is yet in its infancy here, and as the differ-
ence of soil and climate is well known to make a material change in
the produce of the same kind of grape, experiments must be made
on the various sorts, in order to ascertain which may best answer the
purpose.f

I shall now proceed to the different methods of propagating the
vine, and then to its planting.

PROPAGATION IN GENERAL.

The vine admits of being propagated in various ways : first, by seeds ;
secondly, by layers; thirdly, by cuttings; and fourthly, by "eyes,"
or buds. This tree can also be propagated by grafting, inoculation,
and inarching.

Propagation by seed is undoubtedly the way to raise new kinds,
but is seldom practised, on account of the length of time and hazard
of obtaining better, or even as good kinds, as the original grapes
from whence the seeds were taken ; but this should never deter, for
superior kinds may be obtained, and a seedling vine, judiciously
managed, will produce fruit in about seven years, or perhaps sooner.

PROPAGATION BY SEED.

When you raise vines from seed, always be sure to do it from the
very best kinds. The grapes for seed should be permitted to remain
on the plant until they are perfectly ripe. As soon as the seed is
taken from the pulp, it should be laid in some airy, but shady place,
to dry, and then carefully preserved in sand till spring. If, however,
the seeds were immediately sown in pots, and preserved in a hot-
house, green-house, or under the protection of glasses, till spring,
they would then more freely vegetate. Or, sow the seed in February
or March, and plunge the pots into a temperate hot-bed ; when the
plants appear, they will require, from time to time, gentle sprinklings
of water, and protection from frost and cold. When so far advanced
as to have three or four joints each, they must be carefully staked
out, and planted each in a separate pot.

The greatest care will be required in the performance of the above
operation, as it will be beneficial to preserve as much of the earth to
the roots as possible; then plunge the pots into a gentle hot- bed;
give the plants a little water and occasional shade from a strong sun
till they have taken root ; after which give them plenty of air occa-
sionally, so as to inure them to the open weather, and have them fit

* This grape was imported from the Cape of Good Hope, some years ago,
"by Mr. LEGAUX, of Spring Mill, Pennsylvania, before mentioned, who for
several years past has made wine from it, of a most excellent quality, and
also from the Munier.

\ The Catawba is at present the best wine grape of America.

256 THE VINEYARD. [MARCH

to turn out of the pots in July, with the balls of earth, wherever
they are intended to remain ; and from thenceforward they may be
treated exactly in the same manner as recommended hereafter for
plants raised from cuttings, only that they will require some slight
protection from the frosts of the ensuing winter.

PROPAGATION BY LAYERS.

"When the vine is intended to be propagated by layers, the best
shoots of the preceding season that can be most conveniently brought
to the earth, are to be chosen for that purpose. After making the
ground light and fine with the spade, each shoot must be fastened
with a hooked stick about five or six inches below the surface, with
the tops somewhat erect, and cut so as to leave but two buds above
ground; this work may be done at any time when the weather per-
mits, from the middle or beginning of October till the end of March,
or rather until and at the time of spring pruning; for, if done much
later, the top of the layer where cut, and even the parts bent in the
operation, would bleed, which would injure it considerably. Some
give them a slit where inserted into the earth, but they will root
freely with or without such.

During summer, if the weather proves dry, a little water occasion-
ally would be of use to them, just as much as will keep the ground
'in a moist state. The autumn, or spring following, the layers may
be taken off from the mother plants, their tops pruned, the extreme
ends of the stems beyond the young roots cut off close to them, and
so planted where they are to remain; but I would prefer doing this
early in March.

This is a very useful and necessary operation when any of your
plants in the vineyard are bad kinds, or in an indifferent state of
health, for you can extend the end of a long shoot from a neighbor-
ing plant to where the bad plant was, or stands, entering it into the
earth as before where you wish it to grow, and the next season you
will have a fine vigorous plant ; observing then to detach it from the
mother vine by cutting off the connection close to its new established
roots ; or you may lay it all the way in the earth from the mother
plant to where you desire its top to grow, and in a year disconnect
them near to the old plant ; this will be the better way, provided
you lay it in deeper than the ordinary culture to secure it from being
disturbed thereby. This the French call Provigner la vigne.

PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS.

The method of propagating the vine by cuttings is in more gene-
ral practice than by that of layers, and very justly; for plants raised
in the latter way are found to be much inferior to those raised by
cuttings, both in point of vigor and durability.

The particulars necessary to form a good cutting are principally
these : 1st. The eye or bud should be large and prominent. 2d. The
shoots moderately strong, round, and short jointed. 3d. The texture

MARCH] THE VINEYARD. 251 >

of the wood should be close, solid, and compact; but the best crite-
rion of its maturity is its solidity, and having very little pith ; it is
absurd to expect good success or prosperous plants from wood im-
perfectly ripened.

Unskilful persons frequently choose remarkably strong shoots for
cuttings ; the extraordinary size is one of the least necessary requi-
sites; indeed, exceeding strong shoots generally abound too much
with pith, and are too long jointed to claim a preference.

In the proper pruning season, which, in the middle States, I con-
ceive to be the latter end of February, or first week in March, much
earlier in the southern States, and very little later in the eastern —
take your cuttings from the old vines, near to where they were pro-
duced; cut off the lower end of each in a sloping manner, half an
inch below a bud, and the upper end, in like manner, an inch above
one, having the slope on the opposite side of the bud, and leaving
the cutting from twelve to sixteen inches long ; but twelve is suffi-
cient, if short-jointed, and furnished with at least four or five good
buds.

There can be but one prime cutting obtained from each shoot,
though many persons cut these into several lengths, and plant them
all, which should not be done except in cases of necessity, for the
upper parts are never so well ripened as the lower, on account of
these being produced at an earlier period, and having the advantage
of the whole season to perfect their maturity. The upper parts
being soft and spongy, admit the moisture too freely, which often
prevents their growth, and even should they succeed they will not
produce fruit so soon, nor will they bear so abundantly for many
years as those whose wood is close, compact, and already organized
for fructification.

Some people recommend taking off the cuttings with an inch or
two of the two years' old wood annexed, but this is unnecessary,
and even injurious, unless the species of plant which you are pro-
pagating is extremely pithy and spongy, like the fig ; for the nearer
we approach to nature's method by having as little old wood as pos-
sible about the root of a young plant, the better.

When the cuttings are thus prepared they should be laid in trenches
close to each other, in some dry part of the vineyard, and covered
with earth to within two inches of their tops, where they are to re-
main till you are ready to plant them ; covering them in frosty or
parching weather with some loose dry litter, which is to be taken off
every mild day, that they may the more effectually be inured to the
open air. This is the best method of preserving them, even during
the entire winter. I do not approve of keeping cuttings for any
length of time in close, dark, un ventilated cellars ; for in such places
they become weak, blanched, tender and sickly, and seldom succeed
well when planted out; besides, they have nothing to imbibe whilst
there but foul air, which vitiates their juices, and brings on diseases
and bad health.

IT

258

THE VINEYARD.

[MARCH

GRAFTING GRAPE-VINES.
From the Horticulturist.

Having had some experience in grafting the vine, I am desirous
of informing your readers of my mode of

Fig. 24. Fig. 25. Fig 26. procedure. I have visited several vineries
in this State, and having had conversation
with the proprietors, I have learnjd from
them how very important it would be to
grape-growers to be able to change one
variety for another by an easy and sure
way of grafting.

My practice is as follows: I try to have
the eyes of my stock and scion swell at
the same time. This I do by putting my
scions in wet sand, and leaving them in
the vinery. As soon as the eyes move, I
take a sharp knife and cut my scions wedge-
shaped, leaving only one eye. I next take
my knife, holding the point down, making
an incision in the stock as at 2, 2, Fig.
24; the scion is cut as at 8. I then fit my
scion into the stock, as at Fig. 25, being
careful to have the bark of both in close
contact. I next tie with strong bass mats,
and cover all over with grafting wax, as at
Fig. 26, to prevent air and moisture get-
ting to the incision.

This mode of grafting has the advantage
of having the stock bearing fruit while the

scion is making bearing wood. I have worked two vines this season,
in the forcing-house of Mr. Joseph Breck & Son, and they are begin-
ning to grow. — Bonnard Denis, Brighton, Mass.

METHOD OF PLANTING.

Having your ground prepared and marked out with stakes, as
before directed, and your cuttings in readiness, so soon after the
middle of this month as you find the soil dry and in good order, pro-
ceed to planting, in the following manner : Take up a number of your
cuttings carefully, without injuring the buds, and place them in a
bucket of dung water about six inches deep, the bucket having a
handle for the convenience of carrying it from place to place ; then,
at each stake, make a hole with a spade, about a foot deep, and as
wide as you please, but it will be better to have all these holes made
the day before you commence planting ; into each put one strong cut-
ting, placing it a little sloping, and so deep that the second bud from
the top may be just on a level with the general surface; immedi-
ately fill the hole with earth, pressing it gently with your feet to the

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 259

cutting, and drawing the loose earth around so as to cover the second
bud, before noticed, half an inch deep, which bud, so protected, will
frequently make the most vigorous shoot, and often succeed when the
top bud, exposed to the weather, will not; then drive down the stake,
so as to make it. firm, within three inches of the plant.

If your cuttings are not extremely good and fresh, and such as
may be depended on, it will be the more certain way to plant two in
each hole, the tops within a few inches of each other, and the lower
ends sloping in opposite directions for the greater convenience, if
both should succeed, of removing one without disturbing the other ;
these extra plants may be made use of next season to fill up vacan-
cies, or to form a new plantation.

Cuttings are generally preferred for this purpose to rooted plants,
as they are thought to establish themselves more effectually when not
removed; however, when such are to be planted, keep their roots out
of ground but as short a time as possible; and if immersed when
taken up in a pap of earth and water, or dung and water, the better :
plant them in the same manner as directed for the cuttings, pruning
their heads, and observing to place their roots, after first shortening
any long stragglers, in a spreading manner in the earth, and then
cover them up as before.

It is necessary that each particular kind of grape should be planted
in separate quarters, that they may all be gathered when ripe without
injuring others; for, when planted in a mixed, confused way, the
going through the different quarters to pull the fruit of a vine here
and there is very inconvenient, and often the later ripening inter-
vening kinds are injured thereby.

If your ground is intended to be cultivated, after planting, with
the plough, you must leave sufficient head lands for the horses to
turn in.

In the course of this month, as soon after pruning as the ground
is dry and in good condition for tillage, plough and harrow between
the rows of your former plantations of vines, previously giving such
quarters as need it a dressing of well rotted manure; and dig, or give
a deep hoeing to such places as cannot be come at with the plough.

THE NURSERY.

GRAFTING.

It is too difficult a task to state the precise time of grafting the
various kinds of fruit and other trees, in the different climates and
States of the Union ; but as I cannot do this with precision, and
must confine myself, in this article, to the periods most suitable for
performing that operation in the Middle States, where I am best
acquainted with the seasons, I will give such hints as will lead to a
perfect knowledge of the true periods for grafting in every country
and every place.

260 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

The best time for grafting, in the Middle States, is generally from
the twentieth of March to the tenth of April, a few days earlier or
later, as vegetation may happen to be in an advanced or retarded
state, which sometimes makes a difference of ten or twelve days.

Grafting is always most successful when done at the period that
the buds of your stocks are swelled, so as to be nearly ready to burst
into leaf; this is the time in which the greatest success may be ex-
pected, and should be very particularly attended to; however, if done
a few days before, or even when the stocks display several expanded
leaves, there may be a tolerably good hit, provided the operation is
judiciously performed.

Your scions or grafts must be taken off about a month or three
weeks before this crisis, or so soon as you are able to perceive the
least disposition in their buds to swell ; for, if not cut off in proper
time, the grafts will not take kindly, nor will they shoot so vigor-
ously.

The proper sorts to begin with, in respect to fruit-trees, are cher-
ries and plums, and, if you please, peaches, nectarines, and apricots ;
but the latter kinds are generally propagated by budding or inocula-
tion. Pears, filberts, and apples may be grafted at the same time;
but the latter may be deferred for ten days longer than either of the
former, provided the scions were taken off in due time ; pears will
also agree with tolerably late grafting.

Before I proceed to the methods of grafting, it will first be neces-
sary to mention what stocks are proper to graft the different kinds of
fruit upon ; for instance, apples should be grafted upon stocks raised
from the kernels of the same kind of fruit ; that is, any kind of ap-
ples ; for the grafts or buds of these trees will not take well upon
any other stocks.

It should be observed that for dwarf apple-trees for walls oV espa-
liers, or for small standards, they should generally be grafted upon
codlin apple stocks, raised either from suckers from the root, or by
cuttings or layers ; for the stocks raised from these are never so lux-
uriant in growth as those of the larger growing apple-trees ; and
consequently trees grafted upon such stocks will be slower in growth,
and can more easily be kept within due compass, and will answer the
purpose for dwarfs or espaliers, &c., much better than those grafted
on larger growing kinds. Or, if required to have them of still more
dwarfish growth for small gardens, you may use stocks of the Dutch
paradise apple and Siberian crab, &c.

But for the general supply of apple stocks for common standards
and large espalier- trees, they are raised principally from the seed of
any sort of apples or wild crabs.

Pears are generally grafted or budded upon stocks raised also from
kernels of any of their own kinds of fruits, or occasionally upon
stocks raised from suckers ; they likewise are very commonly grafted
upon quince stocks, whereby to have trees of more moderate growths,
to form dwarfs ; and which are generally raised by seed, cuttings,
layers, or suckers ; and the pears grafted or budded upon these stocks
are very proper for walls or espaliers, and occasionally for small
standards. Sometimes also pears are grafted upon white thorn

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 261

stocks ; but this is improper for any general practice, not being so
successful, and never producing so good fruit, as if grafted on stocks
of their own family.

Cherries are propagated by grafting or budding them upon stocks
raised from the stones of the common black or red cherry, or upon
stocks raised from the stones of any other kind of the same fruit ;
but the first two are most esteemed for that purpose, because they
generally shoot much freer than any other.

Plums are grafted or budded on stocks raised by sowing the seeds
of any or either of the plum kinds ; but those raised from the vigor-
ous growing sorts are most preferable ; they are also grafted on stocks
raised from suckers, but such should not be used unless when seed-
ling stocks cannot be had. Plums will likewise take on the apricot,
but then the trees are not permanent.

The apricot proves the most durable on stocks of the plum kind.
It will also grow on its own, and on peach and almond stocks } but
on either of the last two it will not be durable.

For peaches and nectarines, several sorts of stocks are occasionally
used ; such as plum, peach, almond, and apricot stocks, all raised
from the stones of the fruit, and the first kind from layers and suck-
ers also. If a plum could be procured of such vigorous growth as
to keep pace with the peach, it would be an acquisition of infinite
importance; for on such, the peach would be as permanent as the
plum itself. In Europe, all their peach-trees are worked on the
plum ; but with us, the growth of the peach is so rapid as in a few
years to overgrow the stock, when wrought on any of the kinds of
plum which we have yet procured. The kind particularly selected
for this purpose in Europe is the muscle plum.

Almonds will take and grow on any stock which answers for the
peach.

Medlars will grow on either medlar, white-thorn, pear, or quince
stocks ; but those of its own genera are preferable.

Filberts will succeed by budding or grafting on the common hazel-
nut tree, raised either from the nuts or by suckers from the roots.

The first thing to be done towards this work is to select the grafts,
in the choice of which, the following directions should be observed.
1st. That they are shoots of the former year ; for, when they are
older, they never succeed well. 2d. Always to take them from
healthy fruitful trees ; for, if the trees from which they are taken be
sickly, the grafts very often partake so much of the distemper, as
rarely to get the better of it, at least for some years ; and when they
are taken from young luxuriant trees whose vessels are generally
large, they will continue to produce strong shoots, but will be a long
time coming into bearing, and are seldom so productive, as those
which are taken from fruitful trees whose shoots are more compact,
joints closer together, and whose system is already organized for
bearing. 3d. You should prefer those grafts which are taken from
the lateral or horizontal branches, to those from the strong perpen-
dicular shoots, for the reasons before given.

When your grafts are cut off, open shallow trenches in a dry shel-
tered situation, and place them thinly therein, with their cut ends

262 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

down, drawing up the earth so that they may be covered two-
thirds of their length ; then lay some light litter thinly over their
tops to prevent their drying. If a small joint of the last year's wood
be taken off with the scion, it will preserve it the better ; for the old
wood being more compact than the new, will prevent its imbibing
too much moisture from the earth whilst kept there, and that can be
cut away when you take them up for grafting. If grafts are to be
carried to any considerable distance, it will be proper to pack them
up in earth, and surround them with damp moss, if but a small quan-
tity, to prevent its drying too soon.

Always prefer stocks which were raised in the nursery from seed ;
next to these, those raised from layers and cuttings ; and, last of all,
such as were produced from suckers ; for the last will continue to
throw up suckers from their roots, much more abundantly than any
of the former, to the great annoyance of the borders, garden, or or-
chard, which are not only unsightly, but they also take off a great
part of the nourishment from the trees.

When you intend to change the fruit of an old espalier or wall-
tree, always graft on fresh healthy branches, and as near the trunk
as such are to be found ; ten or a dozen grafts may be necessary to
furnish the tree, the more immediately, with the kind or kinds de-
sired. For a standard, six or eight scions will be sufficient to answer
a similar purpose, always observing to cut out the far greater part, if
not the whole, of the old branches, previous to grafting, and the re-
mainder, as the young grafts advance in growth.

For this purpose, you must be provided, 1. With a strong knife
to cut off the heads of the stocks previous to the insertion of the
grafts. 2. With a neat, small hand- saw, for occasional use, in cut-
ting off the heads of some large stocks, for crown-grafting. 3. With
a grafting-chisel and small mallet, for clefting large stocks, for the
reception of the scions in cleft-grafting. 4. With a neat and very
sharp pruning-knife for cutting and shaping the grafts, and for
sloping and forming the stocks for their reception ; and 5. With a
quantity of new bass strings ; or, if bass cannot be had, with soft
woollen yarn, to tie the parts close, secure the grafts, and thereby to
promote their speedy union with the stocks.

The next thing to be provided, is a quantity of grafting clay,
which should be prepared at least ten days previous to its being
wanted for use ; to be applied closely around the grafts at the places
of insertion into the stocks, and a little above, in order to prevent
the air from exhausting the sap of the scions, before they could be
supplied with a sufficiency from the stocks, and also to keep out wet,
which would greatly obstruct the uniting of the parts ; it is to be
made in the following manner : —

Get a quantity of strong, fat loam, in proportion to the number of
trees to be grafted; then take about a fourth part of fresh horse-dung,
free from litter, or a third part of cow-dung, it matters not which
you make use of; or, if you please, you may use a proportionate
quantity of each, mixing them, or either of them, well with the loam;
add to it a small quantity of hay, cut very fine, and also some salt,
which will prevent it from cracking or drying too fast in hot or

MARCH] . THE NURSERY. 263

parching weather; work the whole well together, and add as much
water as necessary; after which, beat and incorporate the mass
effectually, after the manner of mortar, and continue so to work it
every other day, adding a little water as it becomes dry, till the time
you want it for use. Be very particular, during this period, not to
expose it to frost or drying winds ; and the more effectually you in-
corporate it, the better will it answer your purpose. Some people
use a composition of bees-wax, rosin, and turpentine, melted together,
to put round the grafts in the manner of clay, but laid on warm and
much thinner. This I conceive to be too expensive, and am certain,
from experience, that it does not answer the end a whit better, nor
even so well as the former, if properly made.

Observe, that the stocks to be grafted, if intended for dwarf trees,
for espaliers or walls, must be headed down to within five or six
inches of the ground ; but if for full standards, they may be headed
and grafted at five or six feet high, or in fact at any height you
please, even at the surface of the ground, but more particularly
apples and pears ; for you can afterwards train the graft on a single
clean stem, as high as you like, and then top it, to cause it to throw
out side branches for forming a head ; this is the best method to treat
stunted or ill formed stocks, but is not necessary for those that are
well thriven and straight, for by it you would lose a year of their
growth, as you can immediately form the head from the graft when
inserted at a proper height ; for dwarf and half standards, you may
head and graft at the height of two, three, or four feet.

There are various methods of grafting in practice ; such as whip-
grafting, cleft-grafting, crown-grafting, side-grafting, root-grafting,
and grafting by approach or inarching; but the two former are in
more general use among experienced gardeners, particularly the first,
as being every way preferable to any other, when the stocks are
under an inch in diameter.

FIRST, BY WHIP-GRAFTING.

This kind of grafting is that most commonly practised in nurseries,
as being both the most expeditious and successful, and may be per-
formed upon smaller stocks than any other; for it is effected with
the greatest success upon such as are from about half an inch or less,
to near an inch in diameter; the method of performing the work is
this:

Having the scions or grafts, knife, bandages, and clay ready, then
begin the work by cutting off the head of the stock at some clear
smooth part thereof, generally performing this by one clean slanting
cut upwards, so as to form a slope on one side about an inch and a
half or two inches in length ; and make a notch or small slit from
near the upper part downwards, a little better than half an inch long,
to receive the tongue of the scion ; then prepare the scion by cutting
it to five or six inches in length, preferring the lower or thick part,
and cutting the bottom end on one side also, in a sloping manner,
the length of, and to fit the slope of the stock, as if cut from the
same place, that the rinds of both may join as nearly as possible in

264 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

every part, as if you were splicing a fishing-rod ; but when the stock
is much larger than the scion, this cannot be done so exactly, unless
you insert it on the opposite side of the stock to the slope ; however,
that will not be necessary, provided you join the rinds or bark of
both, so as to fit neatly on either edge or side of the slope ; then
make a slit upwards in the slope of the scion, so as to form a sort of
tongue to fit that made in the slope of the stock, which insert therein,
so that the rinds of both may join together exactly, at least on one
side, and immediately tie the parts together with a ligature of bass,
&c., bringing it in a neat manner several times around the stock and
graft moderately tight, and fastened accordingly.

This done, clay the whole over near an inch thick on every side,
from an inch below the bottom of the graft to the same above the
top of the stock, finishing the coat of clay in a longish oval form,
closing it effectually in every part, and tapering it up to the scion to
prevent the wind, sun, or rain reaching the grafted parts till the
union is effected ; observing to examine it now and then ; and if any
part falls off, or cracks appear, such must be immediately repaired
with fresh clay.

Expert nursery-gardeners generally perform whip-grafting with
four cuts; two in heading and slitting the stock, and the same in
sloping and turning the graft, inserting it immediately, being followed
by one or two persons to tie and clay them.

This sort of grafting may also be performed, if necessary, upon
strong young shoots of any bearing tree, if intended to alter the
kind of fruit, or have more than one sort on the same tree.

By the middle or latter end of May, the grafts will be well united
with the stocks, as will be evident by their shooting ; the clay may
then be taken off, but suffer the bandages to remain on till the united
parts seem to swell, and be too much confined thereby.

SECOND, BY CLEFT-GRAFTING.

This is called cleft-grafting, because the stock being too large for
whip-grafting, is cleft or slit down the middle for the reception of
the scion, and is performed upon stocks from about one to two inches
diameter, and may be practised with success where the rind of the
stock is not too thick, whereby the inner bark of the scion will be
prevented from closely joining that of the stock, which junction is
absolutely necessary to form a complete union of the parts.

First, with a strong knife cut off the head of the stock ; or if the
stock is very large it may be headed with a small saw.

This done, fix upon a smooth part just below where headed, and
on the opposite side to that cut away part of the stock, about an inch
and a half, in a sloping manner upwards, so as the crown of the stock
may not be more than about half an inch broad, which slope and
crown are to be cut smooth and neat. Then prepare your grafts or
scions in the following manner : observe to cut them into proper
lengths of about six inches, with several eyes or buds to each : then
take your sharpest knife, and pare away the bark and some of the
wood at the lower end of the graft in a sloping manner, about an inch

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 265

and a half or near two inches in length on opposite sides, making it
have a wedge-like shape ; but let that edge which is to be placed out-
wards on the stock be left thicker than the other, and with the rind
continued thereon. The graft being prepared, take your strong knife
or chisel, and place it on the middle of the stock, not across, but
contrarywise to the sloped part, and with a small mallet strike the
knife or chisel into the stock, observing to cleave it no farther than
what is necessary to admit the graft readily ; then place the knife, or
some small instrument, a little way into the cleft, at the sloped part
of the stock, to keep it open for the reception of the graft, which
directly introduce into the cleft on the top of the stock, at the back
of the slope ; inserting it with great exactness, as far as it is cut,
with the thickest edge outwards, and so that the rind may meet ex-
actly every way with that of the stock. The graft being placed,
then remove the knife or wedge, taking care not to displace the scion ;
this done, let it be tied and well clayed in the manner directed above,
in the work of whip or tongue-grafting.

Or, if you choose to put in two grafts, it may be performed on
large stocks, which must be twice cleft, parallel to each other, and so
fix the scions as above, in opposite sides.

This method of grafting may be performed occasionally on the up-
right branches of bearing trees when intended either to renew the
wood or change the sort of fruit.

When the grafts have shot five or six inches, take off the clay and
bandages, and cover the wounded parts of the stocks with fresh graft-
ing clay, which will protect them from the influence of the weather,
and accelerate the growth of the bark over the wounds ; let this
claying remain on till it falls off of itself : this second claying is more
necessary to large than to small stocks, but will be very useful to
either.

THIRD, BY CROWN-GRAFTING.

The third kind of grafting is known by the name of crown-graft-
ing, as sometimes three, four, or more grafts are inserted round the
crown of the stock, in a circular order, introduced betwixt the bark
and the wood.

This way of grafting is commonly practised upon such stocks as
are too large and stubborn to cleave, and is often performed upon the
branches of apple and pear-trees, &c., that already bear fruit, when
it is intended to change the sorts or to renew the tree with fresh bear-
ing wood.

The manner of doing it is as follows : —

First, to cut off the head of the tree or stock level, or of any par-
ticular branch of a tree which you intend to graft, and pare the top
perfectly smooth; then prepare your scions, which is done by cutting
one side flat and sloping, about two inches in length, making a kind
of shoulder at the top of the cut to rest on the head of the stock,
and pare off a little of the bark towards each edge of the graft ; then
prepare to insert it, which, in this order of grafting, must be effected
by introducing the sloped part down betwixt the bark and wood of

THE NURSERY. [MARCH

the stock ; first slitting the bark or rind from the top downwards
clean through to the firm wood, two inches or two and a half in
length ; and having a small thin wedge of iron or wood, open there-
with the rind of the stock a little at the top of the slit, by intro-
ducing it gently down betwixt the wood and rind, far enough to make
way for admitting the graft; then drawing it out, insert the scion
with the cut sloped side towards and close to the wood of the stock,
slipping it neatly down the length of its cut part, resting the shoulder
thereof, prepared as above, upon the top of the stock, and in this
manner you may put four, five, or more grafts, as may seem conve-
nient, into each stock, and bind them round with strong bass.

When the grafts are all thus fixed, you must immediately apply a
good quantity of well-wrought clay, bringing it close about the stock
and grafts, observing to raise it at least an inch above the top of the
stock in a rounding manner, so as to throw the wet quickly off, and
prevent its lodging or getting into the work, which would ruin all.

This method of grafting is sometimes called shoulder-grafting, and
grafting in the rind, and was much more in practice formerly than
at present ; for, although the grafts take freely, they are liable to be
blown out by strong winds after they have made large shoots, which
has frequently happened after three or four years' growth, so that
when this method is practised, the evil must be remedied by tying
some firm sticks to the body of the stock or branch that is grafted,
to which the young shoots must be tied, or they must be made fast
to some convenient support that will answer the same end ; or even
tying them to one another, should the grafts take on opposite sides of
the stock, will answer a good purpose.

This kind of grafting may be performed a week or ten days later
than the other methods; for it will prove most successful if done
when the sap begins to be in active motion, as then the bark of the
stock will separate from the wood more freely to admit the graft.

When the scions are well taken, treat them as directed under the
head Cleft-grafting.

FOURTH, BY SIDE-GRAFTING.

This is done by inserting grafts into the sides of the branches
without heading them down, and may be practised upon trees to fill
up any vacancy, or for variety, to have several sorts of fruit on the
same tree.

It is performed thus : fix upon such parts of the branches where
wood is wanting to furnish the head or any part of the tree ; there
slope off the bark and a little of the wood, and cut the lower end
of the graft to fit the part as near as possible; then join it to the
branch, first tongueing both as in whip-grafting, tie them with bass,
and clay them over.

FIFTH, BY ROOT-GRAFTING.

This is done by whip-grafting scions upon pieces of root turned up
about half an inch thick, either as the roots remain or separated, and
immediately replanted.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 26 T

Here it will be well to observe that grafting is frequently done,
and very often with good success, without the assistance of grafting-
clay or any other prepared composition. The method is this: head
down your stocks near the surface of the ground, and graft them as
low as you possibly can ; bind them neatly, as in other cases, and
draw the earth over the crowns of the stocks, so as to let one or two
of the buds of each scion appear ; look to them frequently, and if
the earth sinks so as to expose the crowns of the stocks, cover them
up again.

When the scions are sufficiently taken, clear off the earth, unbind
the bandages, and then replace it as before. Trees grafted in this
way may afterwards be trained up, either for standards, half stand-
ards, espaliers or wall trees, at pleasure.

It sometimes happens that persons are under the necessity, in
spring, of removing some stocks, when in the way of other business ;
in which case they are frequently taken into the house, and grafted in
any method most convenient, then planted immediately : this is called
by gardeners fire-side grafting, and often proves tolerably successful;
but I would not recommend it, except in cases of necessity.

GRAFTING BY APPROACH, OR INARCHING.

This method of grafting is performed only when the stock and the
tree from which you mean to propagate, either grow, or can be placed
so near each other, that the intended graft may be brought to ap-
proach and join the stock, forming therewith, when grafted, a kind
of arch, and not to be separated from the mother plant till a perfect
union is formed: hence its name.

When intended to propagate any tree or shrub by this method,
if of a hardy nature, and growing in the open ground, the requisite
quantity of young plants for stocks should be planted around it, and
when grown of a proper size or height, the work performed : or, if
the branches of the tree designed to graft from, are too high for the
stocks, these must be planted in pots (if a year previous to the ope-
ration, the better), and placed upon a temporary stage erected around
the tree of sufficient height to answer the purpose.

In performing this work, make choice of a smooth part of the stock,
and with which the intended graft can be conveniently brought to
meet, marking on each the place of junction ; then cut away the bark
and a part of the wood, from two to three inches in length, both of
the stock and scion ; after which, make a slit upwards in the scion,
so as to form a tongue, and another downwards in the stock, as di-
rected for whip-grafting, and insert the one into the other, making
all parts fit in an exact manner, particularly the rinds or barks, and
tie them closely together with bass ; after which, cover the whole
with a due quantity of grafting clay, as directed in the other methods.
In this mode of grafting, the scion is not separated from the tree
until it is firmly united with the stock, nor is the head of the latter
generally cut off till this time, though it is sometimes performed with
the head of the stock cut off, under the idea that its whole efforts

268 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

would then be directed to the nourishment of the graft, which is not
of as much advantage as might be imagined.

If the plants which you inarch, are exposed to strong winds, it will
be proper to make them fast, either to stakes stuck into the ground
for that purpose, or to some other more convenient support to prevent
their being displaced thereby.

The stocks and grafts are to remain for three months, or upwards,
before you unbind them ; at the expiration of that time, take off the
clay and bandages, and if well taken, separate the graft from the
mother plant, being careful to do this with a perfectly sharp knife,
cutting it off with a slope downwards to the stock ; and, if not done
in grafting, the head of the stock must also be cut off close to the
graft, and afterwards the stem kept free from any under shoots. If
at this time the graft and stock, particularly if not extremely well
united, were tied again gently, as before, fresh clayed, and those suf-
fered to remain on for a mouth or five weeks, it would be of consider-
able advantage.

The walnut, fig, and mulberry, with many other trees, which do
not succeed by the common methods of grafting, will take freely by
this, and also various kinds of evergreens. It is in frequent use to
ingraft a fruit-bearing branch upon a common stock of the same
family, by which means you have a tree with much fruit in a few
months, that would take perhaps as many years, when left to nature,
before it would show a single one. This is frequently practised on
orange-trees, and other green-house plants.

This method of grafting is not to be performed so early in the
season as the others, it being most successful when the sap is flowing;
in the Middle States, I would recommend doing it towards the latter
end of April. But it is not to be practised where the other methods
will succeed ; for trees propagated in this way are always observed
to grow more weakly, and never to the size of those which are pro-
pagated by budding, or the other modes of grafting.

GRAFTING PEACHES, NECTARINES, AND APRICOTS.

Peaches, nectarines, and apricots will succeed by grafting, but
propagating them by inoculation is much preferable ; however, if you
graft them, let it be done early, always before they show flowers,
having their scions taken off three weeks previous to the time of per-
forming the operation, and deposited in the earth till that period, as
before directed for those of other fruit-trees, in the choice of which
you must be very particular, so as to get the best ripened young
wood, round, plump, and short-jointed, and with very little pith; all
these will take as freely on plump stocks as on their own kinds, and
if intended for walls and espaliers will be more permanent, as they
are not so subject to be destroyed by worms. Grafting may be also
performed, to any desirable extent, on most kinds of forest and orna-
mental trees, such as elm, ash, oak, holly, althea-frutex, &c. &c.,
whose scions are not soft-wooded, nor too full of pith.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 269

MANAGEMENT OF FRUIT-TREES GRAFTED AND BUDDED LAST YEAR.

Those fruit- trees which were grafted last year should now have
their shoots shortened, that they may send forth lateral branches to
form regular heads ; if they are intended for espaliers or wall-trees,
observe the method recommended in page 224 ; if for standards, the
stems must be trained up to a proper height and then topped, or
some of the shoots shortened, so as to produce handsome well fur-
nished heads.

The stocks which were budded the last summer, and in which the
buds still remain dormant, should now have their heads cut off a
little above the budded parts j by which means the whole nourish-
ment will go to the inoculations, which will soon begin to advance
their first shoots.

In proceeding to do this, cut the head of the stock off, sloping
behind the inoculated bud, either almost close thereto or about a
hand's breadth above it ; which part of the stock, remaining above,
will serve for tying thereto the first shoot from the bud in summer,
to secure it from the wind, but must be cut down close next spring.

The stumps left last season, for a similar purpose, should now be
cut off close to where the bud was inserted, cutting them effectually
in to the clean fresh wood, in order that the wounds may cover over
and heal, which will be effected in one season, if no spotted or un-
sound wood be left.

TRANSPLANTING STOCKS TO BUD AND GRAFT UPON.

Make new plantations of stocks to bud and graft the different kinds
of choice fruit upon.

Many of those raised from seeds, &c., last year, will now be ready
for this purpose.

Let these be planted out, as soon in the month as the weather will
permit, in rows three or four feet asunder, and at least twelve inches
distant from one another in the row. They should be planted by
line, either dibbling in the small plants, or the large ones trenched
or holed in with the spade ; or you may cut out small trenches by
line, placing the plants therein at the above distance, and turn the
earth in upon their roots, treading it gently along.

SOWING STONES TO RAISE STOCKS FOR GRAFTING.

Where plum, peach, apricot, and cherry-stones, &c. were neglected,
or could not, in consequence of the weather, be sown last month, let
it be done as early in this as possible, agreeably to the rules laid
down in page 159, which see.

SOWING KERNELS OF APPLES, PEARS, AND QUINCES FOR STOCKS.

If the sowing of these were neglected, or impracticable last month,
let it be done in this as early as possible, sowing them tolerably
hick, in beds, and covering them with light dry earth, a little better

270 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

than half an inch deep. These will be fit to plant out in nursery
rows next season ; but they would succeed much better if sown in
October or November, if not carefully preserved in sand or earth, or
unless they are, at the time of sowing, taken fresh out of the fruit.
See page 165.

SOWING HAWS FOR RAISING THORN- QUICKS.

It will be necr--sary to sow your haws as early in this month as
possible, if not done in the last, for the reasons assigned in the Nur-
sery for February, page 160, &c., where you will find ample directions
both for the preparation and sowing of the seed, &c.

You may, any time this month, particularly after the middle, or
towards the latter end, take up your one or two year old seedling
quicks, out of the beds where they were raised, and plant them into
nursery rows, as directed at p. 160. Should it be your intention to let
them remain in those rows to grow to a large size, the more immedi-
ately to make a fence, when planted out, set them at greater dis-
tances than there directed, but they always succeed best when planted
young.

During the continuance of the plants in those rows, they must be
kept free from weeds, and each spring and autumn it will be neces-
sary to dig between them to loosen the earth, which will greatly
strengthen and invigorate their growth.

LIVE HEDGES.

Live hedges are already become objects of serious importance, par-
ticularly in those parts of the Union in which timber has got scarce,
and must inevitably become more so in a very rapid progression ;
therefore, the sooner the citizens turn their attention to the cultiva-
tion and planting of them, the greater portion of their benefits will
they themselves enjoy, and the sooner will they lay the foundation
of a rich inheritance for their children, and of an ornamental and
useful establishment for their country.

Our farmers not being accustomed to the making of live hedges,
may for some time be very tardy in attempting it ; those of greater
penetration will not hesitate a moment, but commence immediately;
others will look on for years to see the result, which will be so much
time, profit, and pleasure lost to themselves ; and consequently a pro-
portionate injury done to their posterity. Some will try the experi-
ment ; but in such a half way, negligent, slovenly manner, as to in-
sure disappointment ; I would advise such to hold fast by the post and
rail, and not to lose time in doing more harm than good.

It has been asserted that any other than ground hedges, that is,
such as are established on the plain surface without a ditch, are un-
necessary in the United States ; but why in the United States any
more than in those countries that ages of experience and necessity
have taught to give a decided preference to the hedge and ditch ?
Such may succeed in very good ground, and with uncommon care ;
but it is an incontrovertible and well known fact, that a hedge and

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 271

ditch will make a more formidable fence, in three years, than a ground
hedge will in ten.

Having now given my decided and unequivocal opinion as to which
is preferable, for outward fences, I shall proceed to give the best in-
structions in my power for the formation of both; the more especially
as the ground-hedge is the neatest and most eligible for internal
hedges in gardens and pleasure-grounds.

The hawthorn, of all other kinds, is the most suitable for outward
fences ; and here I think it necessary to remark, that the common
European white thorn, or Cratsegus oxyacantha of Linnaeus, appears
to answer well in America, but is not of so rapid growth as our cock-
spur thorn, or Cratsegus crus galli; the former makes a closer and
thicker hedge, but not more formidable, nor so immediately as the
latter. We have many varieties of native hawthorns, as described
on page 164, &c., either of which will answer very well, and conve-
nience must be considered in respect to choice ; but when choice can
be made, a preference should be given to the cockspur thorn, or
rather to that kind which is observed to grow most luxuriantly in the
neighborhood in which it is intended to be planted.

THE HEDGE AND DITCH.

The months of October, November, and December will be the
most eligible periods in the southern States for making this kind of
fence, particularly as their frosts can do no injury to the ditch, and
the roots will have an early establishment, and consequently be the
better prepared to encounter the summer heats. In the middle and
eastern States, I would prefer doing this business in March, or early
in April ; as the ditch in that case would have one year's advantage
of the frost, which, in some kinds of soil, would have a considerable
effect, particularly in the first year, by swelling the earth in the face
of the ditch, causing it to moulder down, and thereby expose the
roots of the quicks ; but this can be obviated by leaving a scarce-
ment in the front, as hereafter directed.

Strong year old quicks will answer very well for laying in the face
of a ditch, but such as have had the advantage of two years' growth
in nursery rows, after being transplanted when one year old from the
seed-bed, will sooner form a good fence, or two year old plants from
the seed-bed will answer a very good purpose. Be particular, in the
taking of them up, not to injure their roots but as little as possible,
and to sort them into three different lots, the smallest, larger, and
largest, and also to plant each lot together ; for the mixing of the
small with the large is very injudicious, as the former in a little time
would be smothered and overgrown by the latter, and vacancies con-
sequently formed in the hedge.

Previous to planting, prune off the extremities of any long strag-
gling and wounded roots, and also cut off the heads of the plants
about seven inches above the earth-mark where they stood in the
ground, and likewise any side branches that remain; let no conside-
ration prevent your doing this, for on it depends much of your suc-
cess.

272 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

Having your plants in readiness and dressed in this manner, lay
them by the heels in the earth, to be taken up as wanted, lest their
roots should become dry and be injured thereby. Then proceed to
form your ditch, which should be four feet wide at least at top, nar-
rowing with a gentle slope on each side towards the bottom, to the
perpendicular depth of two feet and a half, where it should be one
foot wide. The more your ground is subject to slip by heavy rains,
the greater slope must be given to the bank side.

Begin by cutting the surface sod of the ditch into squares of con-
venient size, and about three inches deep, having previously lined
out and cut both sides with a spade, sloping inwards as above inti-
mated, and lay a row of them with the grassy surface under, six
inches inward from the edge on the bank side ; lay on top of this
row of sods, two inches of the loose and mellow earth, that is, the
best the ditch affords, and also a quantity of it behind them, for
about eighteen inches or two feet, breaking it very fine with the
spade ; on this lay your quicks nearly in a horizontal manner, their
tops being a little elevated, and at the distance of six inches one
from the other, and so far in that three or four inches of their tops
may remain uncovered when the ditch is finished. Spread the roots
to advantage, and cover them well with the mouldy earth that drop-
ped from the surface sod ; this is necessary, in order to give their
roots the advantage of the best soil, and should on no account be
neglected. Then proceed to finish your ditch and bank, laying the
remainder of the surface sods in front of the bank, as you had done
with the first row, giving it exactly a similar slope to that of the
ditch, and the whole bank such a form as if it was taken up at once
out of the ditch and turned upside down. The scarcement left in
front throws the bank so far back as not to bear heavily on the side
of the ditch to crush it down, and it also will receive and retain a
considerable portion of the rain that slides down along the face of
the bank, by which means the earth in front will be kept in a more
moist state than if no such thing was left.

Were you to lay in two rows of quicks in the front, the second
eight or nine inches above the first, and the plants in each row nine
or ten distant, placing those of the upper opposite the intervals of
the lower, it would be the most effectual method of making a better
and more immediate fence. A very slight paling, on top of the
bank, that will defend the quicks for three years, will be sufficient;
and if the land in front is not in cultivation, but under stock, a simi-
lar fence may be necessary to prevent their going into the ditch, and
reaching the plants ; but if you take particular care to keep them
constantly wed, for the first two years, which is absolutely necessary
or all is lost labor, they will have the less inducement to approach
them.

There are many other methods of making hedge and ditch fences ;
but having found, from ample experience, the above to be most suc-
cessful, I shall confine myself exclusively to it, lest too much specu-
lation might lead people astray, and retard the progress of this im-
portant business.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 273

GROUND-HEDGES.

The best method of planting a hedge on a level, or without a ditch,
is to plough a slip of ground on each side of the intended line of
fence the preceding spring, and having previously dunged it, to plant
it with potatoes, taking the ordinary care to keep it free from weeds
during the period of their growth. In autumn, the potatoes being
removed, the entire slip should be ploughed deep, gathering it up
towards the centre, and in October or March, having your quicks
previously raised in the nursery, as directed in that department in
February, to the height of two or three feet, take up the plants care-
fully without injuring their roots, prune off the extremities of the
roots and any long straggling shoots of their tops, then plant them
in a trench made along the centre of this slip of ground for their re-
ception, at the distance of from six to eight inches from plant to
plant, and settle the earth well into their roots ; observing, previously
to planting, to match the quicks; that is, to plant all the larger
sized together, for it is improper, as before observed, to intermix the
small and large, as the former would be smothered by the latter,
which would occasion injurious and unsightly breaches in the fence.

If you have plenty of quicks, it will be of advantage to plant a
double row at the distance of a foot from each other, in which case
the plants may be set ten inches apart in the rows, placing those of
one row directly opposite the intervals of the other. This method I
would prefer to the former.

The quicks must afterwards be protected from cattle by palings or
some kind of dead fences, till they arrive at a proper growth, not to
be injured thereby; and for the two first years kept perfectly free
from weeds ; for without these precautions it will be in vain to plant
them.

The quicks being tolerably close planted, will need no annual top
clipping to thicken them ; but it will be very proper to shorten occa-
sionally any extraordinary vigorous top shoots, so as to keep them,
all pretty equal, and also such as branch out too much at the sides.
However, it would be very advisable to give a slight dressing to the
sides every October or March, for a few years, with a pair of hedge-
shears, which may be done in a short time, narrowing the hedge a
little towards the top to afford the benefit of the air, rain, and dews
to the lower side shoots ; this will encourage their growth, and cause
the hedge to be well furnished from bottom to top.

When a hedge of this kind is to be made, it might be the most
convenient way to plant it within a few feet of some established post
and rail fence, and erect another as many feet from it on the oppo-
site side, each at such a distance as would be sufficient to keep off
cattle; here it would be effectually protected until arrived at a proper
height and strength, when both these ranges of palings might be
taken away to answer similar purposes ; but again and again would
I suggest the necessity of keeping the plants free from the annoy-
ance of weeds during the first two or three years of their growth,
after which they will be completely furnished and out of their power.
18

2t4 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

The autumn or spring following after planting, examine your
hedge, and if any of the plants have died, or seem to be in a very
bad state of health, replace them with others from the nursery,
placing some fresh earth to the roots of each.

CRAB AND APPLE HEDGES.

The common wild thorny crab will make an excellent ground or
ditch hedge, and will thrive in a poorer soil than the thorn ; and
hedges raised from the pippins of apples do tolerably well and form
strong fences ; the former is raised from the pippins, and the latter
can be propagated in abundance by sowing the pumice very thick,
immediately after being pressed for cider^ on a bed of good ground
properly prepared, and covering the whole with fine light earth near
an inch deep ; a few plants will appear soon after sowing, but a great
crop will come up in spring, which may afterwards be used for stocks
to graft on, and also for hedges, where more suitable kinds cannot
be had.

HORNBEAM AND BEECH HEDGES.

Oar indigenous kinds of hornbeam and beech will make admirable
hedges ; the seed of the former, which it produces here in great
abundance, will require the same preparation and management in
every respect as directed for haws on page 160, &c.

In Westphalia and other parts of Germany the hornbeam is in
great repute for hedges. The German husbandman throws up a
parapet of earth, with a ditch on each side, and plants his sets, raised
from layers, in such a manner that every two plants intersect each
other; then he cuts off the bark and a little of the wood from each,
and binds them close together with a hay-band. The plants unite
and form a living palisado, which, being pruned or dressed annually
with discretion, will, in a few years, make an impenetrable fence.
Most other kinds may be treated in the same manner.

The seeds or mast, as they are commonly called, of the beech, may
be sown as soon as ripe, but as the ground-mice, squirrels, &c., are
extremely fond of them, it will be the better way to preserve them
in dry sand till March, to be then sown either in drills or broadcast
in beds, covering them not more than half an inch deep ; for, as they
rise with very broad seed-leaves, they could never work up through
a thick covering. The beech vegetates the first spring after the per-
fection of its seed ; the hornbeam not till the second.

HONEY-LOCUST AND ELM HEDGES.

The Gleditsia triacanthos, or honey-locust, will make very good
hedges j the seeds are to be sown in March, and covered half an inch
deep ; they will come up freely, and when a year old may be trans-
planted into nursery rows till of sufficient size to plant. If to be
planted in the face of ditches, they will in the second year be in prime
condition for that purpose.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 275

The elm makes a good hedge, and is propagated by seed, suckers,
or layers ; when by seed it should be sown as soon as ripe, which, in
the middle States, is between the 15th and 20th of May; it may be
sought for and collected at that time, dried for four or five days, and
then sown broadcast on a bed of good earth, covering the seed not
more than a quarter of an inch deep; they will vegetate immediately,
and when up, must be kept very clean and free from weeds. All
kinds of elm may be propagated freely from layers, in the manner
directed under that article.

HOLLY HEDGES.

Of all other plants there is none that makes a more durable, close
and beautiful hedge than the holly, nor one that agrees better with
the shears ; it may be clipped and dressed to any form ; the seeds do
not vegetate till the second spring after their being ripe, and conse-
quently must be treated as directed for haws, page 160, &c. They
must remain two years in the seed-bed, and then should be planted
either in the face of ditches, or into nursery rows, if intended for
ground hedges ; for which there is no equal as to beauty, shelter and
closeness. The latter end of April is the best season to plant them :
they never thrive well when taken out of the woods, but are very
prosperous when cultivated by seed, though not of rapid growth for
a few years.

WHITE MULBERRY AND LOMBARDY-POPLAR HEDGES.

The white mulberry makes a tolerably good hedge, and may be
easily propagated by washing the seed out of the pulp when the fruit
is ripe, drying and preserving it till the latter end of March, or be-
ginning of April, when it may be sown on a bed of light rich earth,
and covered about a quarter of an inch deep ; the plants will appear
towards the latter end of April, when they must be kept carefully
weeded, and when a year old some of them will be fit to plant into
nursery rows; the small plants may remain in the seed-bed a second
year, and then transplanted either into the face of ditches or nursery
rows as above. They are also cultivated by layers and cuttings, but
not so successfully by the latter as by either of the former methods.

The Lombardy poplar is propagated by cuttings, which grow very
freely; the most eligible size for these, though much larger are fre-
quently used, are such as are from three-quarters of an inch to an
inch in diameter, about twelve or fourteen inches long, and are to be
planted two-thirds of their lengths into the earth. These and the
mulberry bear clipping very well, but not being spiny, they never
make formidable fences.

JUNIPER AND RED CEDAR HEDGES.

Juniper and red cedar make good garden hedges, particularly the
former, and are very proper for affording shelter to such quarters of
the garden or nursery as are set apart for the raising of tender plants

276 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

in : both may be propagated abundantly from seeds, which do not
vegetate till the second spring after ripening, consequently they must
be prepared as directed for haws, and when sown, should not be
covered more than a quarter of an inch deep ; they may remain in
the seed-bed for two years, if not too thick, and then planted into
nursery-rows ; or the largest may be taken up when a year old, and
planted therein, provided that they have grown freely. The juniper
may be raised by cuttings, planted in a shady border towards the
latter end of this month.

YEW AND PRIVET HEDGES.

Yew and privet make neat garden hedges ; they are botfy raised
from seeds and cuttings, the latter planted in March, and the seeds
of each are to be treated as directed for haws, not vegetating the first
spring after ripening.

PYRACANTHA OR EVERGREEN-THORN HEDGES.

The Mespilis Pyracantha, or evergreen thorn, will make a tole-
rably good hedge ; it is propagated by seed, which will not vegetate
till the second spring after ripening, and must be treated accordingly.

ROSE AND SWEETBRIER HEDGES.

Wild roses and sweetbrier are sometimes used for hedges, and may
either be propagated by suckers, layers, or seeds. The best way to
cultivate them for hedges is by seed, which must be gathered in au-
tumn when ripe, and preserved as directed for haws, till the spring
following twelve months, and then sown.

ELDER, WILLOW, AND ALDER HEDGES.

The elder-tree is sometimes used for hedges, especially when a
fence is wanted as soon as possible, being of a more speedy growth
than any other kind commonly used for that purpose, though not the
most effectual nor beautiful. However, an immediate fence may be
made of it, by planting large truncheons or cuttings of the straight-
est upright shoots and branches, from two or three to six feet long,
planted either upright, a foot asunder, and wattled along the top to
preserve them firm and even ; or by planting them slanting across
one another, checkerwise, forming a sort of lattice-work, which is the
most effectual method. In either way of planting, do not point and
drive them in, as is commonly done, but make holes for their recep-
tion, twelve or fifteen inches deep, with a crowbar, then insert their
ends, and make the earth fast about them : when driven down by
force, the bark is frequently stripped, which in a great measure pre-
vents their rooting freely, and pushing as vigorously as if carefully
planted.

Various kinds of willow are found extremely useful to plant along
the sides of watery ditches, brooks, rivulets or any marshy and moist
situations; and may be propagated by planting small cuttings, or

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 27 7<

large truncheons, as directed for the elder. Either of these you may
treat the following, or any succeeding spring, as the Westphalians do
the hornbeam, noticed on page 274.

The alder is sometimes made use of as a fence in moist, swampy
places; it is propagated abundantly by suckers, layers, or seed. The
seed, if sown in March, covered very lightly, and when up kept free
from weeds, will grow prosperously.

BLACK-THORN HEDGES.

The black-thorn, or sloe, is a tolerably good shrub for a fence, but
is subject to spread too much by suckers, by which it can be propa-
gated ; but the best plants are always produced from the stones of the
fruit, collected when ripe, and then sown or preserved in sand or
earth till early in March, when you are to sow and cover them near an
inch deep. They will vegetate the first season.

PLUM-LEAVED VIBURNUM HEDGES.

The Viburnum pruni/olium, or black haw, is an indigenous plant,
and well adapted for hedges. It may be propagated in abundance
by collecting the berries in autumn, and managing them in every re-
spect as directed for haws.

Note. — When you, have but small quantities of such seeds as re-
quire a year's preparation previous to sowing, you may mix them with
light sandy earth, which mixture put into garden pots, first placing
a hollow shell, or something similar, with the concave side under,
over the hole in the bottom of each, the better to suffer any extra
moisture to pass off; then place the pots in some dry border up to
their rims in the earth, but not deeper, observing to cast out the
whole contents, rubbing and mixing it well together three or four
times in the course of the following summer, and to sow the seed,
as before directed, early in the second spring, j or you may use shal-
low boxes not deeper than six or eight inches, having their bottoms
perforated with several holes, and covered with shells, &c., but by
no means sink them in the earth deeper 'than their edges, as you have
nothing to fear from the frost ; but if covered in summer with moss,
or anything that will keep the earth moderately moist, the better ;
or, during that season, you may plant the pots or boxes in some
shady border.

OSAGE APPLE (MACLURA AURANTIACA).

The first of these plants introduced into this country, was brought
by Messrs. Lewis and Clark, from the Rocky Mountains, and pre-
sented to the author. It was esteemed by the Indians for making
bows, and hence they called it bow-wood. It ought to be in the col-
lection of every person having trees or shrubbery, as its foliage is
extremely rich and beautiful, in which it bears a close resemblance
to the orange. The fruit (which is said to be eaten by the Indians^),
is a large globular ball of a beautiful green color, composed of a

i 2T8 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

pulpy substance something similar to the orange. It is easily propa-
gated by seed, layers or cuttings, and is now becoming very valuable
for hedging, as it is of much more rapid growth than the thorns, and
is quite as impenetrable; it is not affected by the drought in sum-
mer, and is every way preferable for hedges : they should be planted
eighteen inches asunder, or planted as a standard or ornamental tree ;
it will attain a large size in a short time, and the branches may be
trained to form a very pretty summer-house. Mr. Duke, of this city,
has at his garden (formerly M'Mahon's), a tree under which thirty
persons have dined. By recent discoveries in France it has been
ascertained that the leaves are equally as good, if not preferable, for
feeding the silk-worm ; and the silk is considered equal in quantity
and stronger than that raised on the mulberry.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON HEDGES.

It is not very eligible to mix two or more kinds of plants in any
hedge, for they seldom grow equally, and the more vigorous sort will
destroy the other; nor is it proper, for the same reason, to plant
trees intended for timber among either.

Should you have a variety of the preceding kinds in forwardness
for planting, it would be proper to observe, in the surrounding
country, what soil and situation each kind thrives best when growing
in a wild and uncultivated state, which will enable you to give to
every one its favorite. This will be found of importance, and worthy
of being attended to.

The European white thorn does not thrive well in a dry gravel or
sand, nor in a cold spuey clay; a good strong loam is its favorite.

When young hedge plants of any kind become stunted and hide-
bound in consequence of the poverty of the ground, &c., it will be
proper to head them down to within two inches of the ground, either
in the months of October or March, cutting them off clean and
smooth ; observing, however, that this is not to be done to one here
and there, but to the whole row out of the face, as far as they are in
that condition. The summer following they will produce vigorous
and prosperous shoots.

When you have crab hedges, which certainly forms very good and
durable ones, you may encourage one vigorous straight shooting plant,
at every fifty feet distance, by pruning and cleaning up their sfems
till out of the reach of cattle, retarding the ascending growth of the
others by annual topping, then they may be grafted with any good
kinds of cider apples, and in a few years will produce fruit in abund-
ance.

Hedges raised from the pippins of apples may be treated in the
same way; but you may suffer some to stand ungrafted, for many
will yield very good cider fruit, and perhaps some may produce new
and superior kinds. You will be able to judge by leaf, shoot, and
bud, which are most likely to produce the best fruit, and which not,
and manage them accordingly.

We have various other plants that might answer for live hedges,
which due observation, and a little experience will point out ; but5

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 279

upon the whole, I am of opinion, that the cockspur thorn will answer
a better purpose with us for outward, strong, and durable fences than
any other.

PLASHING OP HEDGES.

This is a very necessary operation, especially when hedges are
grown old, or have been so neglected as that gaps are formed in
several places; and indeed it is the practice in countries where the
greatest attention is paid to them, either to plash, or cut them all
clean down to within six inches of the ground every fourteen or
fifteen years. To perform this business, you must be provided with
a good sharp hedge-bill, handsaw, and a pair of strong leather gloves
that will reach up to your elbows, to protect your hands and arms
from the spines or thorns ; unless you are provided with these you
will have a bloody job of it; but being so fortified it will be but a
recreative amusement.

Then select some of the main upright stems at distances in pro-
portion to the general growth of the hedge, to serve for stakes, which
are to be cut off with the saw at the height of three or four feet from
the roots; other stakes are to be drove down in those vacancies where
growing ones do not occur, between which, as well as the former, to
plash and lay the general branches; observing that the shorter the
shoots which are to be plashed, the closer the stakes should be to one
another. The remainder of the hedge you are then to thin, leaving
only a sufficiency of the best and longest middle-sized shoots, to lay
down and work in between those stakes, cutting the others off in a
sloping manner, within five or six inches of the ground, always pre-
ferring the saw to the bill, for this purpose, when it can be used con-
veniently. Proceed then to lay down the intended shoots, first
lopping off the straggling side branches, and cutting or gashing occa-
sionally such of the larger growths as are not pliant .enough to yield
and keep their intended stations, observing to cut them no deeper
than what is absolutely necessary ; lay and weave them in between
the stakes almost to a horizontal position, all leaning one way, and
their top extremities terminating as much as possible on the ditch
side, if any; if not, equally on both. When the hedge is thus
plashed, finish the top all the way with some of the longest and most
pliant, but stout, of the shoots which were first cut out, previously
divesting them of all their side branches, and working two together,
lapping around and over one another between each stake, by which
the whole plashing will be kept down to its proper birth ; then with
the hedge-bill or shears dress and lop off any projecting or straggling
branches at the sides to within six inches of the hedge, and the work
is finished.

Never lay your plashes too upright, but near to a level ; by so
doing, the sap will the better break out in several places^ for the pro-
duction and nourishment of a number of young side shoots, and not
run so much to the ends, as it would if laid at a higher elevation.
Also avoid crowding your plashes too much, and never lay in more
than can conveniently be wove between the stakes, by which the

280

THE NURSERY.

[MARCH

young productions will have the benefit of the air, and grow much
stronger than otherwise.

Old overgrown fences, which have been planted in the hedge and
ditch way, may be all cut clean off with the saw, within six inches
of their roots, and the fallen earth in the bottom of the ditch dug
up and laid at the back of them; they will shoot vigorously, and
soon form a fine fresh hedge.

Large ground hedges will be improved by cutting them down at
intervals of ten or fifteen years, to the height of three, four, or five
feet, and where vacancies occur, to fill them with plashing, always
preferring, on these occasions, the saw to the bill, especially when
the shoots are large.

CLIPPING WITS SHEARS.

The old method of clipping the yew, and other trees, is represented
by the following cut ; it is an ancient yew at Elvaston Castle, Eng-
land, and is probably the best specimen now in existence. It forms
a beautiful clipped arbor, fifteen feet square and twenty feet high,
and very perfect, being surmounted by two peacocks, and over them
two rings, all made with the shears.

Fig. 27.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 281

THE PLANE, TULIP, AND NETTLE-TREES.

The platanus occidentah's, or plane-tree, commonly called the large
buttonwood, and in some places, though very improperly, sycamore,
is a valuable tree for shade, and many other useful purposes. It
may be propagated, either by cuttings, layers, or seed ; but the last
method is much preferable to either of the former, not only with
respect to this, but to every other tree bearing seed, which may be
cultivated for its timber; and although it may appear more tedious
at first, it will, in the end, be found the most expeditious and profit-
able. They may be sown either in November, when ripe, or in
March, first breaking the balls of seed, and separating them effect-
ually, mixing them with some dry earth or sand, and then sowing
them even on the surface of prepared four feet wide beds in the
nursery, and covering them about a quarter of an inch deep, or a
little more, if the earth is fine and light : too deep covering is inju-
rious to all kinds of seed, for nature never designed more than a
sufficiency to promote and give action to vegetation. They will come
up the first season, and the next or succeeding year may be planted
into nursery rows.

The Liriodendron tulipifera, or tulip-tree, commonly, but very
improperly called poplar, is best propagated by seed, which should be
sown in November, when ripe, or preserved in sand or earth till March,
and then sown, covering them half an inch deep. Those sown in
November will all grow the spring following; but, if kept out of the
ground in a dry state till spring, a great number of them will not
vegetate till the next year.

The Celtis occidentcdis, or nettle-tree, is propagated by seed which,
if sown in November, when ripe, or preserved in earth or sand till
March, and then sown, will generally vegetate the same season ; but
if the berries are kept dry till spring, the greater number of them
will not grow till the next year. They should be covered about an
inch deep.

MAPLES. -

The Acer argenteum, or silvery leaved, and Acer rubrum, or scarlet
maples, perfect their seeds in May, and should be sown immediately
after having been collected ; they will vegetate directly, and produce
fine plants the first season, if kept free from weeds. The seeds of
the former do not keep well till spring, but those of the latter will.

The sugar, Canada, ash-leaved, Pennsylvania, and mountain maples,
and also the Acer mayus, or sycamore, may be sown either in autumn
or March, and will succeed well in either season ; if sown in autumn,
cover them about three-quarters of an inch deep; if in spring, half
an inch will be sufficient. When about a foot high in the seed-beds,
plant them early in spring into nursery rows, at proper distances.

CATALPA, SWEET-GUM, PAPAW, AND PERSIMMON.

The Bignonia catalpa will grow freely from seed, which is to be

282 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

preserved in the siliques or pods till March, and then sown ; or it
may be propagated either by layers or suckers.

The Liquidambar styraciflua, or maple-leaved sweet-gum, grows
freely from seed sown early in spring.

The Annona triloba, or common papaw, is a hardy plant, and may
be propagated by sowing the seed about an inch deep, either in Octo-
ber, November, or March.

The Diospyros virginiana, persimmon, or American date plum, is
best cultivated from seed sown in autumn, soon after ripe, or in
March ; if kept up till spring, some of them will not vegetate till
the second year after sowing.

CHESTNUTS, WALNUTS, HICKORIES, AND OAKS.

About the middle of this month plant the nuts of the European
and American eatable chestnuts, also of the horsechestnut, and like-
wise of the different varieties of walnuts and hickories, which you
wish to propagate. All the above kinds should be sown in drills,
first throwing the nuts into a tub of water, and rejecting such of them
as swim, covering them with light rich mould about two inches deep.
The drills may be three feet asunder, and the nuts planted about six
or eight inches from one another in the rows.

The different varieties of oak succeed best when sown immediately
after being ripe j but in that case, they have to encounter the depre-
dations of mice, squirrels, &c., to avoid which, they may be kept in
earth or sand till this time : but as most of them will be sprouted,
you are to take them carefully up, without breaking the radicles,
and plant them in drills two feet asunder, covering the acorns not
more than three-quarters, or, at most, an inch deep, with light loose
mould.

The whole of the above kinds may remain in these seed-drills for
two years, keeping them at all times very free from weeds ; and as
they are generally, but more particularly the walnut kinds, subject
to push down long tap-roots, and not to form many lateral ones, it
will be proper, nay it will be necessary, in order to insure success
in transplanting, when they have had one or two years' growth, to
open, in the spring, a small trench close to each row, and then with
a very sharp spade to cut the descending roots about six or eight
inches under ground, casting back the earth when done. This will
cause them to throw out a number of laterals, and the spring follow-
ing you can transplant them with safety into nursery rows, at greater
distances, to remain till wanted to plant out where finally intended.

ROBINIA, OR LOCUST-TREE.

The Robinia pseudo-acacia, or common locust-tree, is said to be
superior to any other kind of wood for ship runnels, mill cogs, and
fence posts, as well as for various other purposes. Its culture is very
easy, as it may be propagated in great abundance by collecting the
seeds in autumn when ripe, preserving them dry till March, then
sowing them in a bed of good sandy loam, which is their favorite soil,

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 283

and covering them half an inch deep. They will come up in the
course of the following month numerously, for no seeds grow more
freely, notwithstanding what some unexperienced persons assert to
the contrary. They require no preparation whatever; sow them as
above directed, and a good crop is certain. When a year old trans-
plant them out of the seed-bed into nursery rows, four feet distant,
and, plant from plant, one foot in the row. Having two or three
years' growth in these rows they may be planted successfully in any
warm and tolerably rich sandy ground. They may also be propa-
gated by suckers, which they throw up abundantly; especially if
some of their wide extending roots be cut through with an axe, &c.

The Robinia glutinosa is a charming plant; it produces in May
numerous bunches of delightful flowers, grows to a good size, and is
a great ornament in pleasure-grounds. It may be propagated by seed
in like manner, or by grafting it on the former.

The Robinia hispida, or rose acacia, is a most beautiful flowering
shrub, of humble growth, and may be propagated by suckers, which
it produces in great numbers, or by grafting it on either of the above
species.

THE ASH, LIME, AND SOUR-GUM.

The various kinds of Fraxinus, or ash, are propagated by seeds,
which are to be prepared in the same manner as directed for haws,
on page 160, &c., for they do not vegetate till the second spring after
the seeds are ripe. All the kinds take freely by grafting on one
another.

The Tilia americana, or American lime or Linden tree, together
with every other species of the same genus, is easily propagated by
layers, or by sowing the seeds in October or November, or in March,
if preserved in dry sand till that time. Sow the seeds on an even
surface, clap them in with the back of a spade, and cover them a little
better than half an inch deep.

The Nj/ssa integrifolia, or upland tupelo-tree, or sour-gum, is
propagated by seed, suckers, layers, or cuttings ; if by seed sow them
immediately when ripe, covering them an inch deep ; some of them
will come up the spring following, but many not till the second year.
The better way would be to prepare them as directed for haws, and
in the ensuing March examine them; if you then find many show-
ing symptoms of vegetation, sow them; if not, let them remain till
that time twelve months.

DECIDUOUS CYPRESS, WHITE CEDAR, AND ARBOR- VITJS.

The Cupressus disticha, bald or deciduous cypress, grows to an
enormous large size, the foliage of which is uncommonly beautiful
during the summer months. It is propagated by sowing the seed in
March, in beds of good mellow earth, covering them half an inch
deep ; they must be kept very free from weeds, and when two years
old transplant them from the seed-beds into nursery rows.

The Cupressus thyoides, or white cedar, is propagated by sowing

284 THE NUESERY. [MARCH

the seeds, which are very thin and flat when taken out of the cones,
in boxes of light earth, taken from swampy ground, and covered
about the eighth of an inch, or a little more, with loose rich mould
sifted evenly over them ; they must have frequent sprinklings of
water, and when up, and the heat increases, the boxes must be re-
moved into the shade. You must keep them very free from weeds,
as many of the seeds will not grow till the second year. When they
are two years old transplant them into nursery rows, in moist light
swampy ground.

The Thuya occidentalis, or American arbor-vitae, is propagated by
layers and cuttings, or by sowing the seed as directed for the white
cedar, with this difference, that it will not be necessary to procure
swampy earth for it, as it thrives best in upland.

The Thuya orientals, or Chinese arbor-vitse, may be propagated
in like manner as the occidentalis.

All the above kinds, if raised by seeds, will require some protec-
tion during the first two years, from very rigorous frosts.

PINES AND FIRS.

The pines and firs, though ranked under the same genus (Pinus),
may be easily distinguished from one another, as the leaves of the
former come out by two, three, or more, from the same sheath, and
those of the latter singly. In the cedar of Lebanon and larch, they
arise in bunches from the same bud, spreading out every way.

It is also to be remarked that all the pines have a tendency to
drive down tap-roots, and therefore are more impatient of transplant-
ing than the firs, whose roots generally take a lateral direction. The
larch is the only deciduous plant of the whole family. As all these
kinds are not only very useful, but extremely ornamental, and as
none of them can be transplanted from the woods with good success,
I shall be the more minute in giving the true methods of raising
them, so as to insure thereby the growth and prosperity of the plants.

The Pinus cedrus, or cedar of Lebanon, is rather too tender for
those parts of the Union where the winter frosts are very rigorous;
but will succeed tolerably well in warm exposures in the middle
States, if protected from its violence a few years, and be gradually
inured thereto. The seeds when procured are always in the cones,
and are extremely difficult to be got out; the method is, bore the
cone through with a small gimlet direct in the centre, entering it at
the but-end and working out at top ; then drive in a round iron or hard
wooden pin, and split the cones, after which, raise the scales one after
another with a knife, and carefully pick out the seeds, which are very
tender.

Having your seeds ready, sow them in a box of good fresh earth,
covering them near half an inch deep ; in the middle States, the first
week in April will be the best time to do this, but early in March
will be preferable, if you have a green-house or hot-beds to place the
box therein ; give them a little sprinkling of water frequently, just
what will be sufficient to keep the earth -moist, for much would rot
or burst the seeds. When up, do not expose them too much to the

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 285

sun at any time during the season, nor keep them in too confined a
place ; and on the approach of winter remove them into the green-
house, or place them under the protection of glasses, and so treat
them for two years, without removing them out of the seed-box.
Then, early in April, transplant 'them carefully into separate pots,
treating them all this time, and for two or three years more, as you
do green-house plants ; after which turn some of them with the earth
out of the pots, and plant them in dry warm exposures.

The Pinus pinea, or Italian stone pine, grows to a considerable
height, and is cultivated chiefly for its nuts and the beauty of its
foliage. In Italy and the southern parts of Europe, the kernels are
frequently served up in desserts during the winter season, and are as
sweet as almonds, but have a slight flavor of turpentine. The cones
are generally four or five inches long, and when for some time ex-
posed to the sun, they open and drop out the nuts, which should be
sown towards the latter end of March, in drills, and covered about
half or three-quarters of an inch deep ; when they have had one or
two years' growth in these rows, cut their tap-roots as directed for
walnuts, on page 282, and the next year you may transplant them
about the first week in April, either into nursery-rows, at greater dis-
tances, or where they are to remain.

The Pinus cimbra, or Siberian stone pine. There is a variety of
this that grows in Switzerland, and higher up the Alps than any
other pine, and is found on elevations where the larch will not grow.
The stones are shorter than those of the Italian pine, and full as
thick. The wood is short, having scarcely any grain, and very fit
for the carver. The peasants of the Tyrol, where this tree abounds,
make various sorts of carved works with the wood, which they dis-
pose of in Switzerland among the common people, who are fond of
the resinous smell which it exhales. Both the varieties may be cul-
tivated in the same manner as directed for the Italian stone pine.

All the other species and varieties of pines and firs may be suc-
cessfully raised in the following manner : —

Being provided with good fresh seeds, for on this everything de-
pends, prepare for their reception, as early in the spring as your
ground will work free and light, and pulverize finely in the working,
beds three or four feet wide, of rich loamy ground, by no means sub-
ject to burn or become parched with the summer heats ; then sow the
seeds on the surface, so thick as that you may expect/after all reason-
able allowances for defective seeds, &c., at least a plant on every inch
square of the ground, or at the rate of a pound of good seed to a
bed three feet and a half wide and sixty long. The sowing of them
so thick is indispensable, for unless they completely cover the sur-
face, they will, if not carefully shaded, be destroyed in their infant
state by the summer heat ; early sowing is also necessary, for they
have nothing to apprehend from subsequent frosts, that their roots
may be established before the heat overtakes them. After the seeds
are sown, sift over the smaller sized kinds about a quarter of an inch
of fine, rich, light, mould, and over the larger, nearly half an inch,
then place over the beds nets made for that purpose, or any old small-

286 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

meshed fishing-nets, to keep off the birds, for all the kinds, when
lightly covered, which is indispensable to their growth, generally
carry up the seeds on their tops, and if attacked by birds, which are
extremely fond of them, the far greater number will be destroyed.

The beds must be kept completely free from weeds of any kind,
from the moment the seeds are sown during the continuance of the
plants therein ; and if you perceive their leaves turn foxy in sum-
mer, by heat or drought, it will be necessary to give them occasional
shade and water. In the month of June following, sift some fine,
light, rich earth over the beds, so as to just come up to the foliage
without covering it, which will protect their yet tender stems, pre-
vent their being scalded by extraordinary heat, which often melts
them away, so as to fall flat, whilst the foliage appears fresh ; and
besides, it will help to retain the moisture about their roots and
fibres.

The spring following, early in April, or as soon as you perceive an
inclination in the buds to push, pull up the largest grown plants, of
such kinds as have arrived at the height of three inches or upwards,
but not otherwise, and plant them in drills made with a hoe or spade
for their reception, eighteen inches or two feet asunder, and eight
inches plant from plant in the rows, just so deep as that the earth
may come up to their foliage ; close it well about the roots, and water
them occasionally till sufficiently taken with the earth and growing
freely, and if repeated occasionally during the summer and early au-
tumn, the better ; always giving it about the setting or going down
of the sun. The spring following, that is, when they have two years'
growth in the seed-beds, take them all up out of the face with a spade
without injuring the roots or fibres, and plant them as above, with-
out attempting to trim them, but laying them in a spreading and
horizontal manner in the drills. If the ground is good and the sea-
son proves favorable, a great number of the larch in particular will
have grown to a sufficient size for transplanting into nursery rows by
the ensuing spring.

When the plants have stood two or three years in these rows, they
may be planted in others at greater distances, or finally where they
are intended to remain ; observing, however, that the fourth or fifth
year of their growth is the most successful period for a final trans-
planting, which ought always to be done, in the middle States, be-
tween the first and fifteenth of April, earlier in the southern, and not
much later in the eastern States.

ALTHAEA FRUTEX, LABURNUM, AND SNOWY MEDLAR.

The Hibiscus syriacus, or althaea frutex, is propagated by sowing
the seeds in March, which grow very freely; all the varieties of it
take well by grafting or budding on one another.

The Cytissus laburnum, or common laburnum, grows freely by
sowing the seed in spring, and covering it as well as the former, about
half an inch deep.

The Mespilus canadensis, or snowy medlar, is a beautiful and early
flowering shrub, rises to a good height, and is a great ornament to

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 287

pleasure grounds. It is propagated abundantly by seeds, which should
be preserved in sand from the time of their being ripe till March, and
then sown and covered about half an inch deep. If kept in a dry
state till spring, some will vegetate the first season and some not till
the second. It will take by grafting or budding it on any kind of
medlar, or on the white thorn, pear, or quince.
,

THE JUDAS, SNOWDROP, AND FRINGE-TREES.

The Oercis canadensis, or American Judas-tree, is one of our most
beautiful early flowering and ornamental plants ; and may be propa-
gated by sowing its seeds in March, as directed for the common
locust-tree.

The Halesia tetraptera, or snowdrop-tree, is exceeded by very few
shrubs for the beauty of its numerous white pendant flowers. It
may be propagated by suckers or layers, or by sowing the seeds in
November when ripe, or in March, and covering them near an inch
deep with light rich mould.

The Chionanthus virginica, or fringe-tree, is a very ornamental
shrub, and may be cultivated by layers, suckers, or seed. Sow the
seeds when ripe in autumn, covering them an inch deep with very fine
light mould, or preserve them in earth or sand till March, and
then sow them as above; many will not rise till the second spring,
so that it will be necessary to keep the ground very free from weeds
all the time.

MAGNOLIAS.

The seeds of the different kinds of magnolia should be sown im-
mediately after being ripe, or be preserved in damp sand or earth till
March; for if kept dry till that time, very few, if any, will vegetate
till the year following; and indeed may not until the second season,
even if sown when ripe. They may also be propagated by layers and
suckers, and by grafting and budding upon one another.

RHODODENDRONS, KALMIAS, AZALIAS AND ANDROMEDAS.

Each and every species and variety of the above beautiful families
of plants may be propagated either by seeds, layers, or suckers. The
finest plants are always raised from seed, and although the process
may be thought tedious, it is worth attending to ; the more especially
as they do not always succeed well when taken from the woods, and
that thousands may be raised in this way, which may be successfully
removed to any place where wanted.

The capsules should be collected when the seeds are perfectly ripe,
and if you intend to sow them immediately, which is certainly the
better way, expose the capsules a few days to dry, but not to a power-
ful sun ; they will then open, and the seeds will easily shake out ;
but if you do not intend sowing them till February or March, pre-
serve them in the capsules till that time. To have a double chance
sow some on shady borders of light, dry, loamy earth, and also in

288 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

T>oxes, making the ground very fine and even on the surface, then
sow the seeds thickly thereon, and cover them not more than the
eighth of an inch deep, or rather so as barely to hide them. Immedi-
ately cover the beds or boxes with moss, in order to shade the surface
and vegetating seed from the influence of the sun, or parching air ;
for when the small descending radicles are protruded, if the earth
gets dry below them, all will be destroyed ; and the seeds being so
very minute, if covered deep, can never come up; therefore it will
be necessary to give them shade and very frequently light sprinkles
of water; the moss will prevent its washing the earth off the seeds,
and will gently communicate the moisture to the surface thereof.
When the plants begin to appear, thin the moss, and expose them,
but by slow degrees, as they collect strength. If the boxes be placed
in a green-house, or under the protection of garden frames and
glasses, from the time of sowing the seeds till the middle of May, it
will be a great advantage ; observing that the plants, when up, must
be carefully protected from the mid-day sun whilst in an infant state.
Towards the middle of May remove the boxes to some comforting
shade, to remain there till the latter end of October, then place them
in a warm exposure till the approach of severe frosts, when they may
be put into a garden frame, and slightly protected during winter.
Suffer the plants to remain in the seed boxes or beds till they have
two years' growth, being careful to give them shade and water in sum-
mer, and some slight protection in winter, and in the beginning of
April plant them out into.nursery rows as directed for firs and pines,
on page 284, in a shady situation and a loamy soil; covering the
ground about their roots with moss to keep it moist till the plants
are established; observing to give them occasional watering during
the first summer and autumn after being thus planted out.

Note. — All other minute seeded shrubby plants, such as ericas, &c.,
when propagated by seed, should be treated in the above manner,
with this difference, that they must have protection and heat in win-
ter, in proportion to their necessities, and soil adapted to their respect-
ive natures. Such may also be raised under bell-glasses, without
the assistance of moss, as these confine the evaporations from the
earth, thereby preserving the moist atmosphere around the plant,
which prevents a greater exhalation of sap from the tender leaves,
than the small radicles are yet able to extract and supply, which is
frequently the cause of the sudden death and disappearance of vari-
ous other crops in warm climates.

WEIGELA AMABILIS.

This beautiful new plant possesses such interest to the modern gar-
den, from its blooming twice in the year, that we insert an illustra-
tion of the new favorite. Like W. rosea it is a native of China and
Japan, and deserves to be grown by all who have space for a single
shrub. It is preferable to the rosea.

MARCH]

THE NURSERY.
Fig. 28.

289

Weigela Amabilis.

1. Calyx and pistil. 2. Corolla laid open. 3. Gland from the inner base of the tube of
the corolla. 4. Transverse section of ovary — magnified.

CALYCANTHUS, FRANKLINIA, AND GORDONIAS.

The CalycantJius floridus, or Carolina allspice, commonly called
the sweet-scented shrub, is deserving of a place in every pleasure-
garden, on account of the delightful odor of its flowers. It is easily
propagated by layers or suckers ; the most eligible time of laying it
is in autumn, and by the spring following twelve months, they may
be taken off and planted with good success.

The Franldinia alatamalia^ of Bartram, is a most charming plant,
and very deservedly worthy of cultivation ; it may be propagated in
the same manner as the Calycanthus, as may also all the family of
Gordonias, which are very ornamental shrubs.

19

290 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

i

RHUS, OR SUMACH.

The various kinds of rhus or sumach, may be propagated by suck-
ers, layers, or seed. The seeds, if preserved in sand, and sown
early in March, will rise freely the same season, and when one or
two years old, may be transplanted into nursery-rows, and having had
there two years' growth, may be planted where intended to remain.

THE CORK-TREE.

The Quercus suber, or cork-tree, may be cultivated with good suc-
cess in the southern States, and consequently deserves to be noticed
among other articles of great national importance. It is a native of
the south of Europe, and the northern parts of Africa. At present
there are considerable woods of them between Rome and Naples, be-
tween Pisa and Leghorn, and also in Spain, Portugal, and the south
of France.

The uses of the cork are well known amongst us, by sea and land,
for its resisting both water and air ; the fishermen who use nets, and
all who deal in liquors, cannot do well without it. Some persons
prefer it to leather for the soles of their shoes, being light, dry, and
resisting moisture, whence the Germans name it Pantoffel-hohs, or
slipper-wood; it was first applied to that purpose by the Grecian
ladies, whence they were called light-footed. The poor people in
Spain, and other parts of the south of Europe, lay planks of it by
their bed side to tread on, as great persons use Turkey and Persian
carpets ; they also employ it for bee-hives. For this last purpose,
they roll the bark into a cylinder, or into a conical form, and it an-
swers the end extremely well. It is also used for making cork jack-
ets, which have been found eminently useful for mariners, passen-
gers at sea, and for all those who resort to bathing-places for the
benefit of their health ; as such will enable the most timorous to swim
with perfect safety.

Of the cork-tree there are two or three varieties, one with broad
leaves, a second with narrow leaves, both evergreen, and one or two
which cast their leaves in autumn ; but the broad-leaved evergreen
kind is the most common, and said to produce the best cork. The
leaves of this are entire, about two inches long, and an inch and a
quarter broad, with a little down on their under sides, having very
short footstalks ; they continue green through the winter, and gene-
rally fall off just before the new leaves come out, so that the trees
are often bare for a short time. The acorns are very like those of
our common white oak.

The exterior bark is the cork, which is taken from the tree every
eight or ten years ; but there is besides an interior bark which nour-
ishes them, so that the stripping off the outer coat is so far from in-
juring the trees, that it is of real service ; for when it is not taken off
they seldom last longer than fifty or sixty years in health ; whereas
trees which are barked every eight or ten years will live one hundred
and fifty, or more. The bark of a young tree is porous and good for
little ; however, it is useful to take it off when the trees are twelve

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 291

or fifteen years old, for without this it will never be good. After
eight or ten years the bark will be fit to take off again ; but the second
peeling is of little use. At the third peeling it will be in perfection,
and continue so for upwards of one hundred and fifty years — for the
best cork is taken from old trees. The time for stripping is in July,
or early in August, or when the second sap flows plentifully : the ope-
ration is performed by slitting it down on one side, raising the edges,
and then it will peel off readily.

Having procured the acorns in good condition, they are to be
treated in every respect as directed for other kinds of oak, on page
282 j but if they are planted at once where intended to remain for
full growth, it will be much the best way ; in which case, particular
care must be taken to keep them free from weeds during their infant
state, and to protect them from the annoyance of cattle till grown
out of their reach. The sooner the acorns are planted after having
been procured the better, for when long kept in a dry state they lose
their vegetating power, like every other kind of oak.

Curse them ! exclaims the peevish planter ; I shall never live to
cork a bottle with them. Have patience, good sir; you have no
objection to throw by a few dollars in an iron chest for posterity,
never to come in contact with the light of the sun during your exist-
ence, and which will always be depreciating in value as the circula-
tion of paper currency increases, and from several other circumstances,
a few of which, if laid out on planting cork-trees, would be rapidly
accumulating wealth for your children, and rendering a real service
to your country, besides, every day you walked out, you would have
the pleasure of beholding your little family of trees prospering in
health and beauty, humbling their boughs before you, and in their
silent language returning you grateful thanks for your fostering care,
and promising to reward your offspring for the friendly protection
which you afforded them in their minor days.

TANNER'S SUMACH.

The Rhus coriaria,) or elm-leaved sumach, is a plant which should
be introduced and cultivated, particularly in the southern States,
where it will prosper in great perfection. It grows naturally in
Italy, Spain, the south of France, the Levant, about Aleppo, Kama,
and near Algiers, in Africa. The branches are used, instead of oak-
bark, for tanning leather ; but the great and particular necessity of
its introduction into the United States is, that without it our tanners,
who are both numerous and industrious, cannot manufacture what is
called Turkey or Morocco leather in good perfection ; for it is with
this plant exclusively that that valuable article is tanned in the
eastern world ; and a substitute for it has not yet been discovered in
America.

It has a strong woody stem, divided into many irregular branches,
and rises to the height of eight or ten feet or more ; the bark is hairy,
and of an herbaceous brown color when young. The leaves are com-
posed of seven or eight pair of leaflets, terminated by an odd one;
these leaflets are about two inches long, and half an inch wide in the

292 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

middle, and are of a yellowish green colorf' The flowers grow in
loose panicles at the ends of the branches, each panicle being com-
posed of several thick spikes of flowers, sitting close to the footstalks;
they are of a whitish herbaceous color, and appear in June and July,
and are followed by numerous roundish compressed seeds.

It may easily be propagated by seed, which, if sown soon after
being ripe, or preserved in sand or earth till spring, will grow freely
the first year; but if kept dry till spring, they do not generally vege-
tate till the next season. It can also be propagated by suckers, which
it produces pretty freely, or by layers. It is tolerably hardy, and
will thrive in warm exposures in the middle States.

MULBERRY-TREES AND SILK-WORMS.

The Morus allay or white mulberry, is a native of China, Cochin-
China and Japan, and according to Gmelin, of Persia. It grows
well in the United States, and may be cultivated to great advantage
for the feeding of silk- worms, as well here as in France, Spain, or
Italy. In Spain, Mr. Townsend informs us that, in the Province of
Valencia, they prefer the white mulberry; but in that of Grenada,
they give a preference to the black. The Persians generally make
use of the latter; and it has been asserted, upon very good authority,
that worms fed with the black mulberry produce much better silk
than, those fed with the white. But the leaves of the black should
never be given to the worms after they have eaten for some time of
the white, lest they should burst.

Sir George Staunton, in his embassy to China, says that the trees
he observed in that country did not appear to differ from the com-
mon mulberry-trees of Europe ; that some of them were said to bear
white, and some red or black fruit, but that often they bore none ;
and that the tender leaves growing on young shoots of the black mul-
berry are supposed to be the most succulent.

About the year of Christ 551, two Persian monks, employed as
missionaries in some of the Christian churches established in India,
penetrated into the country of Seres, or China. They there observed
the labors of the silk-worm, and became acquainted with the art of
working up its productions into a variety of elegant fabrics. They
explained to the Greek Emperor, at Constantinople, these mysteries,
hitherto unknown, or very imperfectly understood, in Europe ; and
undertook to bring to the capital a sufficient number of those wonder-
ful insects. This they accomplished by conveying the eggs of the
silk-worm in a hollow cane. They were hatched, and afterwards fed
with the leaves of a wild mulberry- tree, and multiplied and worked
in the same manner as in those climates where they first became the
objects of human attention and care. Vast numbers of these insects
were soon reared in different parts of Greece, particularly in the
Peloponnesus. Sicily afterwards undertook to breed silk-worms with
equal success, and was imitated, from time to time, in several towns
of Italy. In all these places extensive manufactures were established,
with silk of domestic production.

From the reign of Justinian, it was mostly in Greece and some of

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 293

the adjacent islands 1% silk-worms were reared. Soon after the
conquest of Constantinople by the Venetians, in the year 1204, they
attempted the establishment of the silk manufacture in their domi-
nions, and in a short time the silk fabrics of Venice vied with those
of Greece and Sicily.

About the beginning of the fourteenth century, the Florentine
manufactures of silk became very considerable. It was introduced
much later into France; the manufacture of silk, though considerably
encouraged by Henry IV., not having been fully established there
till under Louis XIV., by Colbert.

" It is an established and well-known fact that both the white and
black mulberry-trees grow as well in almost every part of the United
States as in any country on earth ; and also that silk has been raised
and manufactured into a most excellent fabric, under the direction of
that great and venerable patriot, and friend o"f mankind, Dr. BENJA-
MIN FRANKLIN. That so useful a pursuit should be suffered to die
away in a country as well adapted for it as any in the universe, is as
extraordinary as it is unfortunate and injurious to the real interest
of the nation."

Trees which are designed to feed silk- worms should never be suf-
fered to grow tall, but rather kept in a sort of hedge ; and instead of
pulling off the leaves singly, the young twigs should be cut off with
them on, which is much sooner done, and not so injurious to the trees.
This is the more interesting as the mulberry makes a tolerably good
hedge and can be used with advantage for both purposes.

The raising and manufacture of silk, as well as every other new
establishment, can only be brought to perfection, and consequently into
repute, by the industry of some wealthy individuals, or by established
companies whose united efforts will surmount the difficulties which
always present themselves in new undertakings : for we every day
see those that deal in small quantities in any way of life, or in any
commodities whatever, generally unsuccessful, whilst at the same
time, others possessed of wealth, or in established societies, dealing
largely in the same articles, acquire vast property and riches; merely
from being able to afford constant and regular employment for the
people engaged in the business, and having due attention paid to
every department thereof.

The vast wealth of Lyons, and of various other places, gained from
the labors of this little insect, plainly show that where no accommo-
dations or materials are wanted to employ a multitude of hands in a
regular society or combination of undertakers, the silken manufacture
must answer; and that people may grow rich thereby, as well in
America, as in any other country, if similarly pursued, is too self-
evident to bear contradiction.

With a view and expectation that this business may be attempted
successfully, I shall contribute my mite by giving the best informa-
tion that I have been able to acquire on the subject; not in the least
doubting but that better may be easily obtained, for the introduction
of this important work.

The first object is to raise a sufficient quantity of mulberry-trees,
of both the white and black kinds, which are very easily propagated,

294 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

as directed on page 275. The cultivating of both kinds I think the
more necessary, from the different opinions entertained of their utility
for this purpose, and the universal admission of either kind answer-
ing the end.

The next is to procure the eggs, about the beginning of May, or
when the mulberry begins to expand its leaves, to lay them on paper
or flannels placed on shelves, in warm exposures, where they may
have the heat of the sun to hatch them. In Sicily, boarded or frame
houses are commonly erected for this purpose in the fields, among the
mulberry-trees, with a number of shelves rising one above another,
and a large table in the middle of the room, on which, when they are
hatched, to lay over them the young twigs bearing the leaves intended
for their food, which must be removed and renewed as often as neces-
sary; keeping them always clean from dead leaves, and their own
dirt. A man and boy will attend all the worms that come from six
ounces of eggs, and those, one year with another, will spin twenty
pounds weight of silk.

The method of clearing off their dirt is this; spread a net over the
worms, on which lay fresh food; they will all crawl through the
meshes to feed on the leaves, when they may be taken up without
the least injury, and their shelves cleaned effectually : after which
lay fresh twigs with leaves on the shelves ; over these lay the nets
and they will return to their former places, when the nets may be
laid by till wanted again for a similar purpose. In some countries
the worms are suffered to feed and work upon the trees, but their
being subject, under such circumstances, to the ravages of birds, un-
favorable changes of weather, &c., they are generally kept in houses
or sheds erected for that purpose.

In Turkey, the worms are fed in long barns, made, both walls
and roofs, of reed or cane; when they are fed, and afterwards spin
their clues upon these reeds. In Italy and Spain, they are kept to
feed in the same rooms wherein the people live and do their other
household affairs, feeding them on shelves and tables without more
curiosity.

It is observed, that the worms are commonly sick three or four
times during their feeding, generally about ten days after they are
hatched, and at weekly periods afterwards. Their best treatment,
during these times, is to give them but little food while sick. The
whole time of their feeding is about seven weeks ; and as they g«t
strength and grow bigger, it need hardly be said that you must give
them more and oftener. The leaves should not be given to the
worms whilst wet with the dew or rain.

When they have fed their due time they begin to look clear, and
a little of the yellowish cast, and to prepare for work ; at every time,
but at this more particularly, they should have plenty of air. Then
small branches, divested of their leaves, are laid over them and in
their way, upon which they mount and attach themselves, and in
a few days each will cover itself all over with silk so as to be seen
no more, till suffered to work its way out for the business of propa-
gation.

In about two weeks they commonly finish their balls, and soon

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 295

after cut their way out, and couple for procreation; the balls so per-
forated are then good for nothing; but it is necessary to suffer a suffi-
cient number to come out in this way, to produce a sufficiency of eggs
for the next season's brood. The others, when they have done work-
ing, and before they begin to cut through, should be all put into an
oven just sufficiently hot to kill the worms.

The method of winding the silk off the balls, is first to find their
ends, which is not difficult, and then put about a dozen or fifteen
of them into a basin of hot water, wherein is dissolved a little gum
tragacanihy commonly called gum dragon; and thus they will be
easily wound. Sometimes the balls are gummy, in which case they
should be thrown into a hot clean lye of wood ashes, and after that
into scalding pure water, which will cause them to wind freely.

When the animal is protruded from the egg, it is a small blackish
worm, very active, and naturally crawls about in search of food; at
this period it should be fed with the youngest and most tender leaves;
in eight or ten days it will increase in size to about a quarter of an
inch in length. It is then attacked with its first sickness, which is
a kind of lethargic sleep, for about two or three days' continuance ;
during which time it changes its skin, preserving the same bulk. It
undergoes similar sickness and changes three or four times, at in-
tervals of about eight days, before it arrives at its full size ; which
is from an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in length ; and
the intervals between these changes, and consequently the periods of
its arrival at maturity for work, are said to vary in different climates,
which is very probable.

After it has formed its cocoon or ball of silk, and undergone its
change in the heart of it, it comes forth a heavy, dull-looking moth,
with wings, but these it seldom uses for flying ; it only flutters and
crawls slowly about in quest of its mate ; soon after copulation the
female lays its eggs, and both die without tasting food in this stage
of their existence.

When in the worm or caterpillar state, they are of a blackish, or
a milk or pearl color ; the former are esteemed the best. The body
is divided into seven rings, to each of which are joined two very short
feet. It has a small point like a thorn exactly over the anus. There
are a considerable variety of breeds, some of which possess qualities
much superior to others. This is a particular of much importance
to be adverted to at the time of beginning to breed ; for it will make
a great difference in the profit to the undertaker. The eggs, when
obtained, should be kept in a cool, dry place, neither exposed to heat
nor to excessive frosts, till wanted for hatching the ensuing season.

The Morus nigra, or black mulberry, is more esteemed for its fruit
than the white, and when cultivated for such, layers or cuttings from
good fruit-bearing trees ought to be preferred to raising them by
seed ; for monoecious trees, until arrived at a good age, bear male
flowers chiefly and very little fruit. The cuttings, if taken off in
March, rightly chosen, and skilfully managed, will do very well;
though, in general, they do not take as freely in this way as many
other trees ; however, if placed under bell-glasses, they will strike
with great certainty ; but where there is no such conveniency, the

THE NURSERY. [MARCH

ground about them should be covered with moss to prevent its dry-
ing ; and where this is carefully done, they will want but little water,
and will succeed much better than with having too much wet.

The Morus rubra, or red American mulberry, is admired by some
on account of the pleasant acidity of its fruit, and is said to answer
the end of feeding silk-worms very well. It is cultivated like every
other kind, by layers, cuttings, and seed.

The white mulberry prospers best in a moist rich loam, the black,
in a dry sandy soil, and the red in a mean between both these kinds.

The Morus multicaulis. Since the preceding was written this new
variety of the mulberry has been introduced to the attention of the
American public. Its introduction marks a new era in the silk his-
tory of the United States. It has already become so rapidly and ex-
tensively known that little more need be said upon it here than to
remark that it differs from the other varieties, particularly from the
white or Italian mulberry, in the luxuriance with which it sends up
its " many stalks;" the increased size of the leaf, and the small por-
tion of refuse left by the worms in feeding. It also is distinguished
by its foliage, furnishing food for the worms to considerable extent
during the first season of its growth, and in great abundance after
the second and third year. The product from the seed is so uncer-
tain, and the propagation by layers and cuttings so easy, that the
preference is invariably given to the latter mode of cultivation. A
good rich soil, aided by compost or well fermented manure, should
be chosen when the planting is intended simply for multiplying the
trees, though for feeding the worms the preference is decidedly in
favor of a foliage grown on a dry, sandy or gravelly loam, the latter
furnishing silk of a better quality, with less risk of endangering the
life of the worm. As to the particular mode of cultivation, it is
generally conceded to be as simple as that of corn. The ground
should be ploughed in the fall, and again in the spring.

The " Silk Worm" a valuable periodical, published by Mr.
Thomas C. Clarke, of this city, and devoted to the advancement of
this rapidly increasing business, furnishes the following directions for
planting, which we find corroborated by other writers on this sub-
ject, as well as by practical cultivators.

" There are four methods of planting these trees. 1st, by bud-
ding under glass ; 2d, by cuttings laid out at the usual season ; 3d,
by layers of whole trees ; and 4th, by layers of sections or parts of
trees.

" The cuttings should always be made at least with one bud, and
that within a quarter to half an inch of the end intended to be next
the surface. When they are budded, there should be a box made
about two feet on the back and eighteen inches in front, covered
with glass lids with hinges of iron or leather, so that they may be
aired. This box should be filled two-thirds full with rich mould, or
mould enriched with well-rotted manure. The cuttings should be
inserted in this in a sloping direction at an angle of 45°, the upper
end towards the north, the bud below the surface half an inch, and
the whole box towards the south. The cuttings should be from a
quarter to half an inch apart, so that the mould may be all around

MARCH} THE NURSERY, 297

each cutting. They should be placed in this position about the 1st
of March, and let remain to the 15th or 20th of May. The late
frosts should be all over when removed, and they should be placed in
well prepared soil with a trowel dibble, the soil pressed well around
them, and well watered if the weather be not rainy. The planting
of these should, if possible, be done in rainy or at least cloudy wea-
ther.

"The cuttings of the second method should be inserted in the soil
without dibble, the upper end to be about one inch under the soil, if
the mould be loose, or even with the soil if the mould be stubborn.
When they come up an inch or two, let the hoe draw carefully mould
around them.

" By the third method, the ground is prepared as for corn, well
broken with the harrow, and if necessary, the roller ; and let a cul-
tivator be run with one horse, from three to four feet, in parallel lines,
forming a furrow as for corn.

" The trees are laid horizontally, the root of one to the top of
another from one end of the row to another, the root laid deeper
than the tree, and let the hoe cover them about one or one and a
half inches.

"The fourth method is by cutting a tree up into pieces of from
twelve to fifteen inches, and laying them in the furrow, prepared as
in the last method, so as to leave a space between each piece equal to
the length of the cutting."

THE PAPER MULBERRY, AND METHOD OP MAKING PAPER OF
ITS BARK.

The Morns papyrtfera, or paper mulberry. This tree makes very
strong vigorous shoots, but seems not to be of tall growth; it drives
up an abundance of suckers from the roots, by which it is easily pro-
pagated. The leaves are large, some of them entire, others cut into
two, three, or four lobes, sporting themselves into various forms, and
scarcely two to be found alike on the same tree, especially while
young; they are of a dark green, and rough to the touch on the
upper surface, but pale green and somewhat hairy on the under side,
falling off on the first approach of frost in autumn. Their fruit is
little larger than peas, surrounded with long purplish hairs, when
ripe changing to a black purple color, and full of sweet juice.

It is a native of Japan and the South Sea Islands ; and according
to Mr. Miller, of China and South Carolina, whence he received the
seeds. The inhabitants of Japan have, for ages, been in the habit
of making paper from its bark : they cultivate the trees for this
purpose, on the mountains, much in the same manner as we do
osiers, cutting them all down for use every autumn after the leaves
are fallen.

The finest and whitest cloth worn by the principal people at
Otaheite and in the Sandwich Islands, is made of the bark of this
tree; which they frequently dye red. The bread fruit-tree makes a
cloth inferior in whiteness and softness, worn there chiefly by the
common people.

298 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

Paper making having a connection in this instance with objects of
my attention, and the probable use it may be of to the community,
induces me to give additional publicity to the following method of
manufacturing it from the bark of the paper mulberry-tree; the more
especially as such has been attempted last year, and with good success,
by the laudable exertions of Mr. William Young, proprietor of the
Brandywine paper-mills, in the State of Delaware. It is extracted
from Martyn's edition of Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, and quoted
by him from Keemfer. I am not certain what kind of mulberry Mr.
Young had used for that purpose, nor whether it was the bark of the
roots or branches he manufactured, but some of the paper I had seen
printed on, and it promised well. It is very probable that either
species might be manufactured into paper, but I am induced to think
that the paper mulberry, from the vigorous growth of its young shoots,
is more likely to answer the end than any other.

"The young shoots being cut down in autumn after the leaves are
fallen and divided into rods of three feet in length, or shorter, are
gathered into bundles to be boiled. If the shoots are dry, they must
be softened in water twenty-four hours. The bundles are bound very
close together, and placed erect in a large copper, properly closed :
the boiling is continued till the separation of the bark displays the
naked wood. Then the stalks are loosed out of the bundles and
allowed to cool; after which, by a longitudinal incision, the bark is
stripped off and dried, the wood being rejected. When this bark is
to be purified, it is put three or four hours in water, when being suffi-
ciently softened, the cuticle, which is of a dark color, together with
the greenish surface of the inner bark, is pared off. At the same
time the stronger bark is separated from the more tender, the former
making the whitest and best paper; the latter a dark, weak and in-
ferior kind. If any bark appears that is old, it is set aside for a
thicker paper of worse quality. Into this last class they throw the
knotty parts of the bark, and those which have any fault or blemish.

"The bark is now boiled in a lye that is clear and strained ; care
being taken to stir the substance as soon as it begins to boil with a
strong reed, and to pour in of the lye gradually as much as is ne-
cessary for stopping the evaporation and restoring the liquor that
is lost.

" The boiling is to cease when the materials can be split by a slight
touch of the finger into fibres and down.

"Next it is to be washed, which is a thing of some moment; for
if washed too short a time, the paper will be strong indeed, but too
rough, and of an inferior quality; if too long, it will be whiter, but
of a fat consistence, and less fit for writing. Being sufficiently washed,
the materials are put upon a thick, smooth, wooden table, and stoutly
beat by two or three men, with battons of hard wood, into a pulp,
which being put in water, separates like grains of meal. Thus pre-
pared, it is put into a narrow vat; an infusion of rice,. and a mucous
water of the infusion of the root of Manihot being added to it.
These three are to be stirred with a clean slender reed, till reduced
into a homogeneous liquor of a due consistence. The prepared liquor
is now put into a larger vat, from whence the sheets are poured out

MARCH] THE NURSERF. 299

one by one, and placed in heaps upon a table, covered with a double
mat; a small thread of reed being placed between the sheets at the
edge, and projecting a little, so that they may be taken up singly
when wanted; the heaps are covered with a plank of wood the size
of the paper, upon which stones are put, at first of a light weight,
but afterwards heavier, that all the wet may be pressed out by de-
grees. The following day, the weights being removed, each sheet is
taken up by itself, and the operation is finished/'

The preceding is the process employed by the Japanese, and whe-
ther we regard the expedition or labor, or the quantity and quality
of the product, it seems to admit of much improvement.

Instead of reducing the subject to a pulp by battons, in the man-
ner above described, that might be done more effectually by grinding
it, in the way practised with rags.

The color might be rendered as elegantly white as that of any
other substance, by means of an immersion, first in oxygenated muri-
atic acid, afterwards in a solution of alkali, and finally, washing it in
pure water. By these means it is probable that the portions thrown
aside for paper of inferior qualities, might be wrought into that of
prime excellence.

The decoction of rice and of the root of Manihot, can have no
possible advantage over the size commonly used for giving to the
paper the necessary firmness and texture.

THE CALABRIAN OR MANNA ASH.

There are two particular species of ash, from which that useful
drug called manna is collected, in the kingdom of Naples, &c., and
which might be cultivated in the southern States to advantage ;
therefore I am induced to give some account of them.

1. The Fraxinus ornus, or flowering ash, which is the principal
kind cultivated for manna. The leaflets are ovate-oblong, serrate,
petioled ; flowers with petals.

2. The Fraxinus rotundifolia, or round-leaved ash, which also
produces it, but not in as great quantities as the former. Leaflets
roundish, acutish, doubly serrate, subsessile; flowers with petals.
Both these kinds may be raised from seeds as directed on page 283,
or by grafting or budding them on any other species of ash. They
are natives of Italy, Sicily, and the southern parts of Europe.

They also cultivate in Sicily the Fraxinus excelsior, or common
European ash, for that purpose ; which induces me to think, that if
the above kinds were grafted low, on any of our American species,
it would not prevent their yielding as good manna as if established
on their own roots. Doctor Cullen supposes " manna to be a part of
the sugar so universally present in vegetables, and which exudes on
the surface of a great number of them." The qualities of th.ese ex-
udations he thinks are " very little, if any, different." The princi-
pal trees known to produce these mannas, in different climates and
seasons, are the larch, orange, walnut, willow mulberry, and some
different kinds of oak ; which latter are found growing between Mer-
din and Diarbecker, and also in Persia near Khounsar.

300 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

In Sicily, the three species above mentioned, with the view of ob-
taining manna from them, but more particularly the first, are planted
on the declivities of hills, having eastern aspects. After ten years'
growth the trees first begin to yield manna, but they require to be
much older before they afford it in any considerable quantity. Al-
though the manna exudes spontaneously from the trunks and
branches, yet in order to obtain it more copiously, incisions are made
through the bark, by means of a sharp crooked instrument, a slice
of which is taken off, about three inches in length and two in breadth;
they leave the wounds open, and by degrees the manna runs out.
The season thought to be most favorable for instituting this process,
is a little before the dog-days commence, when the weather is dry
and serene. The incisions are first made in the lower part of the
trunk, and repeated at the distance of an inch or two from the for-
mer wound, still extending them upwards as far as the branches, and
confining them to one side of the tree, the other side being reserved
till the year following, when it undergoes the same treatment. On
making these, a thick white juice immediately begins to flow, which
gradually hardens on the bark, and in the course of eight days ac-
quires the consistence and appearance in which the manna is imported,
when it is collected in baskets and afterwards packed in large chests.
Sometimes the manna flows in such abundance from the incisions,
that it runs upon the ground, by which it becomes mixed with vari-
ous impurities, unless prevented, which is commonly attempted by
interposing large concave leaves, stones, chips of wood, &c. The
business of collecting it, generally terminates in those countries in
September, when the rainy season sets in.

That manna is got in quantities on the leaves of trees, is an
opinion taken from the doctrine of the ancients, and received as in-
contestible without consulting nature ; for all those who are employed
in the gathering of it, know of none that comes from the leaves ;
therefore, that with which the Israelites were so peculiarly favored,
could only have been produced through miraculous means, and is
consequently out of the province of the naturalist. The best manna
is what exudes from the tree very slowly, and is collected clean ; this
is always more dry, transparent, and pure, for when it flows copiously
it concretes into a coarse, brown, unctuous mass.

METHODS OF PROPAGATING TREES AND SHRUBS BY LAYERS.

There are few trees or shrubs, if any, but may be increased in
this way. The nursery gardeners who want to propagate large quan-
tities of various hardy kinds, of which they cannot easily procure
seeds, and which by experience they do not find to grow freely by
cuttings, establish what they call stools, of the different kinds in-
tended to be propagated, particularly of the deciduous tribe, and also
some evergreens. For this purpose they plant in different quarters,
stout, healthy plants, at the distance of four or five feet from one
another every way, and head them down; these throw out near the
earth a number of young shoots, some of which may be laid in the
autumn or spring following; these stools, as they are commonly

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 301

called, continue for many years, always laying down the shoots of
the last season, and every year successively they produce abundance
for the ensuing year's laying, still taking them off either in autumn
or spring as they become well rooted. The elm, linden, mulberry,
and maple, do extremely well in this way, but it is seldom practised
on any of the pine family. The far greater number of kinds will be
well rooted and fit to take off in one year after laying, some not till
the second, and others not until the third year ; but the latter are
very few.

The ground in these quarters should always be kept free from
weeds, be manured occasionally, and dug every autumn and spring,
being careful not to disturb the layers.

After the layers are taken up, the stools must have all the wounded
parts taken away, and any old branches cut off pretty close to the
stems, the next season these will produce new shoots, which may be
laid the autumn or spring following.

The best season for laying all the kinds that do not root freely, is
autumn, and the young shoots of the preceding summer's growth,
should be preferred ; these should be tongued as hereafter directed.
The free rooting kinds may be laid either in autumn or spring, as
convenient.

Though branches may be laid at any time, yet the best season for
laying hardy trees, that shed their leaves, is October or November ;
for such as are tender early in March ; evergreens may either be laid
at the latter period or in June or July.

When the branches or twigs cannot be bent down into the ground
lay them in boxes or pots, filled with good earth and elevated to the
necessary places by blocks, tressels, or benches. Too much of the
head of the layers must not be left on, and the smaller, the less
should be left out of the ground, except they are twigs of the former
year's growth, and intended for timber trees, in which case they
should not be topped.

Many trees and plants will not put out roots from old wood
branches ; yet if the young shoots of the same year be laid in July,
they will often root very freely ; but as those shoots will be soft and
pithy, they must not have too much wet, which would cause them to
rot ; cover, therefore, the surface of the ground with moss, which
will prevent its drying too fast, and a little water will suffice.

In many kinds of the young shoots of the same year, if laid in
June or July, they will be well rooted by the November or spring
following, and may then be taken off.

When layers are to be made from green-house shrubs, or other
plants in pots, the laying should be generally performed either in
their own pots, or in others placed convenient for that purpose.

Sometimes the branches of trees are so inflexible as not to be easily
brought down for laying, in which case they must be half cut
through, as practised in plashing hedges, and by that means brought
down ; or when they are got too old for plashing, or the nature of
the wood will not bear that operation, they may be thrown down on
one side, by opening the earth and loosening or cutting the roots on
the opposite.

302 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

There are several methods of performing this operation.

1. Having well dug the ground and made it very light, take some
of the most flexible and free-growing shoots, and lay them into it
about six inches deep, pegging them down with hooked sticks if
necessary, leaving the end of the layer a foot or a foot and a half, or
more if the twig be young and healthy, out of the ground, with its
head as erect as possible ; keep them moist during the summer sea-
son, and if of a free rooting kind, they will take root and be fit to be
taken off and removed in the autumn or spring following, if not,
they must remain another season.

2. Tie a piece of wire tight around the bark of the layer, at the
place you intend to lay in the ground, and half an inch below a bud ;
twist the ends of the wire so that they may not untie, as the shoot
swells, prick the parts above and below the wire v ith an awl in seve-
ral places, and then lay it in the ground as before directed. This
method will succeed when the other fails.

3. Slit the shoot underneath a joint or bud up the middle, and
about an inch long, or a little better, according to the size and nature
of the layer, forming a sort of tongue, nearly the same as directed
for carnation layers ; laying that part in the earth and raising the
top upright, so as thereby to separate the tongue of the slit from the
other part and keep it open ; then apply the earth as before. This
is the most universally practised and successful mode, when any pre-
paration of the shoot is necessary to promote its rooting.

4. Twist the part of the branch intended to be layed in the earth
as you would a willow twig, this greatly facilitates the emission of
fibres, and layers of numerous trees and shrubs may be forwarded
exceedingly in rooting by this method.

5. Cut the bark nearly all around, a little below a joint or bud,
taking out small chips thereof in several places below the cut, and
lay that part in the earth. Some sorts will root more freely by this
than any other mode.

6. Thrust an awl through a shoot at a joint in several places, lay-
ing that part in the earth, and it will emit fibres from the wounds.

After laying, in either of the above methods, there is no particu-
lar culture necessary, except in the heat of summer to give occa-
sional waterings to keep the earth moist about the layers, which will
greatly promote their rooting, and which, if effected the first season,
they should be taken off in the autumn or spring following.

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON PLANTING.

Plants are always most prosperous when propagated by seed, which
is nature's favorite method.

Evergreen plants are best fit for transplanting from the seed-beds
into nursery-rows when they have attained the height of from four
to six inches, and deciduous kinds, when from six to twelve inches
high.

Layers should not be suffered to remain on the mother plants
longer than until sufficiently rooted, which will be effected by some

MARCH]

THE NURSERY.

303

in six or seven months, if laid in spring; by far the greater number
in one year, and by others, not in less than two or three.

Tonguing or twisting the layers, &c., is necessary for such kinds
as do not strike freely, but not for those that do.

All kinds of seedlings should be transplanted in spring, the de-
ciduous earlier than the evergreens.

October or November is the best time for the final transplanting
of all kinds of hardy deciduous trees, if the ground in which they
are to be planted is dry, and not subject to become too wet in winter;
but early spring planting does best in most soils.

Evergreens of every kind succeed best when planted in spring,
provided it be done to each respective kind immediately before its
vegetation commences.

Watering is very useful when given in small quantities and fre-
quently; but the reverse when in large quantities, and but seldom.

Every kind of tree, whether deciduous or evergreen, grows to a
larger size when finally planted out at the age of four years, having
remained one or two in the seed-bed, and two or three in the nursery-
rows, than at any other subsequent period.

Walnuts, oaks, and every other tree that has a tendency to drive
down perpendicular or to tap roots, always grow to larger timber when
the seeds are sown where intended to remain, and never transplanted.

PROTECTING TREES FROM CATTLE.

The beauty of individual specimens, as well as groups of trees, is
often marred, to a great extent, by the means employed to protect
them from cattle. None of these
are more objectionable than the p. 29

abomination termed a crate. Where
such heavy-looking and unsightly
objects are thickly placed, as they
often are, the effect is disagreeable
in the extreme; as they have to be
endured for years, any substitute
that will afford equal protection with-
out their objectionable appearance,
should be readily adopted.

The accompanying sketch illus-
trates a contrivance which combines
both support and protection from
cattle, and is also neat in appear-
ance. This fence by being entirely
below the eye, is very little seen,
and the supports of the tree, being
of wire, are scarcely to be distin-
guished, except upon close exami-
nation. If the whole were of iron,
it would, of course, be still less ob-
jectionable, on the score of appear-
ance. The uprights of the fence,

304 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

as given in the sketch, are supposed to be stout piles, six in number,
driven into the ground at an angle of about 45°, at a sufficient distance
from the tree to prevent cattle from reaching the stem or branches.
The uprights should be about three feet six inches out of the ground.
They are connected by rails placed horizontally, and sufficiently close
to prevent sheep from getting between them. From the tops of
three or four of these uprights, stout wires are fixed, the upper ends
meeting at the tree, where they are attached to a collar, which should
be somewhat larger than the stem it is to surround ; the intervening
space is then to be filled with leaves, hay, or moss, and properly
secured, to prevent damage to the bark. These wire supports are, of
course, only required when the tree is newly planted; by employing
them, stakes — which are rarely effective and always objectionable in
appearance — are entirely dispensed with.

PROPAGATION OP TREES AND SHRUBS BY CUTTINGS.

Various trees and shrubs may be. propagated by cuttings, and this
month, especially in the middle States, is a good time for planting
all the hardy deciduous and evergreen kinds that grow in that way,
observing to plant the former in the early part of the month, and the
latter towards the end of it.

When you intend to propagate trees for timber, or for a tall state-
ly growth, be particular never to take the cuttings from horizontal
branches, for they will never have an inclination to grow in a spread-
ing manner; always make choice of perpendicular shoots, and par-
ticularly those that terminate the branches ; these will most certainly
produce the straightest and handsomest trees, and be little inferior
to those raised from seed ; of this I have had ample experience, and
found it uniformly to be the case.

But when you intend the plants for hedges, wildernesses, or thick-
ets, the same precaution is not necessary ; though in propagating any
kinds of erect-growing shrubs for detached plants in the pleasure
garden, I would recommend it, as they will be less subject to spread
and injure other herbaceous flowering plants growing near them.

Large shoots cut into lengths, are often used, and will do tolerably
well, provided they are selected as above; but I would ever prefer
what gardeners term cock-shoots, or those retaining the terminating
buds. The soft and pithy sorts will succeed better with having an
inch or two of the former year's wood annexed to the cuttings, but
all the hard wooded kinds are much better without it.

For this purpose dig one or more beds or shady borders, &c., where
the ground is somewhat mellow and not wet ; let the earth be well
broken with the spade, and rake the surface smooth.

Take off the cuttings with your knife from the trees or shrubs that
you want to increase ; let them be of the last summer's shoots, cut-
ting them off from about six or eight to ten or fifteen inches long,
according as they may occur in the different sorts of trees, &c. ; plant
them in rows, each cutting about half or two-thirds of its length into
the ground; close the earth well about them, and in dry weather let
them be occasionally watered.

MARCH] THE NURSERY. 305

The tacamahaca, white, black, trembling; Lombardy, Canada,
Athenian, Carolina, heart-leaved, smooth-leaved, and various leaved
poplars, and all the varieties of willow may be propagated in this
way ; also, the plane-tree, tupelo-tree, mulberry, and alder ; with the
sea buckthorn, elder, tamarisk, some kinds of solanum, honeysuckles,
diervilla, privet, trumpet-flower, virgin' s-bower, Carolina kidney bean-
tree, passion flower, jasmine, periploca, jew, juniper, savin, arbor- vitae,
Portugal and English laurels, and immense numbers of other trees
and shrubs.

Cuttings of all sorts planted a year ago, and that are well rooted,
may now be transplanted or quartered out into open nursery rows,
to advance in proper growth, and to have occasional training for the
purposes intended.

GRAFTING FOREST TREES AND ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS.

The latter end of this month will be a good time to graft the vari-
ous kinds of forest trees and flowering and ornamental shrubs which,
you mean to propagate in that way ; such as elms, ash, oaks, hollies
of various kinds, robinias, double-flowering thorns, altheas and
cherries, &c. There are very few hard-wooded plants but will take
in this way when grafted on stocks of their own families, and indeed
there are many instances of plants taking on stocks of a different
genus, as the pear on the white thorn, the peach on the plum, &c. &c.

TRANSPLANTING YOUNG TREES AND SHRUBS.

All hardy kinds of deciduous trees and shrubs may now be trans-
planted, either into nursery rows, or finally where intended to remain;
always observing to do this in mild weather, and when the ground
works freely and is in a good condition to receive them. In the
middle, and particularly in the eastern States, the removal of ever-
greens should not be commenced before the beginning of April, and
then finished towards the middle of that month, if the season proves
favorable. Hollies are best removed towards the end of April.

WEEDING SEEDLING TREES AND SHRUBS.

Look over the seed-beds of young trees and shrubs: if weeds
appear on them, let them be carefully picked out by hand in time
before they mix their roots with those of the plants.

WATERING SEEDLING TREES, ETC.

In dry, warm weather, it will be proper to refresh the seed-beds of
small young trees and shrubs with water now and then ; a little at
each time will do; let this be done early in the morning.

DIGGING VACANT GROUND, ETC.

All requisite digging and trenching of vacant quarters of ground
20

306 THE NURSERY. [MARCH

in the nursery, designed for plantations of young trees, shrubs, &c.,
this spring, should now be completed as soon as possible, in due time
for the reception of the respective plants intended, which, in the de-
ciduous kinds particularly, should be mostly or generally finished by
the middle or latter end of this month, and the evergreens soon after
that time. (See April.)

Finish all digging between the rows of young trees, &c., in this
month if possible ; and also in all parts where planting is intended
this spring, provided that the ground will work freely.

PROPAGATING GOOSEBERRIES AND CURRANTS.

The only proper method of propagating gooseberries and currants,
is by cuttings ; suckers should never be resorted to except in cases of
necessity, for such will always produce others numerously from their
roots, which carry off the nourishment that ought to go to the sup-
port of the fruit; and besides, they form such thickets as to smother
and deprive them of the benefit of a free circulating air.

The proper cuttings for planting are the shoots of the last sum-
mer's production, of straight, clean growth ; they should be taken
from healthy trees, and such as are remarkable, according to their
kinds, for bearing the finest fruit ; let each be shortened from about
ten to twelve or fifteen to eighteen inches long, according to its
strength.

Previous to planting, cut off every bud as close as possible to the
shoot, except three, four, or five near the top, which are to be left to
form the head of the plant. Some people imagine that the buds on
those parts inserted in the earth grow into roots, which is by no
means the case, nature never having designed them for such ; the
roots or fibres always strike out through the clean and smooth bark,
but generally a little below a bud, and sometimes at the lower ex-
tremity of the cutting from between the bark and the wood. In
some kinds these buds decay and die away, but in gooseberries and
currants they always rise in suckers, and from these others innume-
rably, which always rob the fruit, and often render even the best
kinds not worth their room in the garden.

Your cuttings being thus prepared, plant them in rows eighteen
inches or two feet asunder, and about eight or nine inches apart in
the rows, always inserting them at least six inches into the earth,
3,nd if the shoots are sufficiently long, eight or nine, leaving from
"four to ten inches, according to circumstances, of a clean stem be-
tween the surface earth and lowest left bud, upon which to establish
the head. Having had one or two years' growth in these rows, they
may be planted out either in autumn or early in spring, where in-
tended for fruiting, but autumn is the most preferable season.

G-ooseberries, of all other fruit-trees, require the richest soil.
The situation should neither be too high nor too low, nor the soil
much inclined to gravel or sand, a deep rich loam is their favorite.
Where this fruit is expected in the best perfection, the ground be-
•tween and about the trees must be kept free from weeds, and dug
every spring and autumn, and strongly manured once a year with

MARCH] THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. SOT

old well-rotted cow-dung; they must be judiciously pruned, and each
tree kept to a single stem, without any suckers, which must be dug
up or stripped off whenever such appear. But all the culture oil
earth will not produce good fruit unless you have good kinds, for
there are crab gooseberries as well as crab apples, and as great a
variety of the one kind of fruit as of the other.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

HYACINTHS.

The choice kinds of hyacinths should now be protected from se-
vere frost, for if permitted to penetrate so far into the soil as to reach
the bulbs, especially about the time that the plants begin to appear
above ground, it will produce a singular effect, by causing some of
them to shoot forth or discharge their stems or blossoms ; but if at
this time the roots become entirely frozen they are in danger of
being destroyed, or at least so weakened as to produce but indifferent
flowers.

TULIPS.

When your choice tulips appear above ground, if on examination
any distemper or canker is discernible on the foliage, about this
time, either above or a little below the surface of the soil, it should
be carefully cut out with a sharp knife, and the wounded part left
exposed to the sun and air, which will presently heal it : a fine dry
day should be made choice of for the foregoing operation.

If the surface of the beds appear to be of too close and solid a
texture, it should be carefully stirred up, about two inches deep,
which will admit the air more freely to the stems, give vent to th^eir
exudations, and encourage their growth.

Should the weather prove extremely severe, a slight covering of
mats, placed on arched hoops over the beds, will be very serviceable
to them. But this care or attention is not necessary for the common
kinds, growing promiscuously in the borders, &c.

RANUNCULUSES AND ANEMONES.

Continue to protect your choice kinds of early planted ranuncu-
luses and anemones, as directed on page 168 ; they will now require
particular attention, as the rudiments of their flowers will be ad-
vancing, which would suffer greatly if too much exposed to nipping
frosts.

Finish planting the ranunculuses and anemones that are yet kept
out of ground for a successional bloom, which is to be done agree-
ably to the directions given in October.

Ranunculus roots will lay in the ground sevora 1 days after plant-

308 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

ing, before they begin to vegetate ; during this period they become
very much swollen by imbibing the moisture of the soil, and are in
this state extremely susceptible of injury from frost, much more so
than when vegetation has actually taken place.

As soon as the bed is planted, if hard frosts are likely to ensue, a
sufficient quantity of dry straw should be placed near it, ready for
covering when necessity requires, which should be kept on only dur-
ing severe frosts, or such as would be likely to penetrate to the roots,
as the effects of covering too long or too much would be as destruc-
tive as the reverse, by causing the roots to become mouldy, than
which nothing can be more prejudicial.

Anemones are somewhat hardier than ranunculuses, and therefore
do not require so particular care, but if such is afforded them, it will
cause them to blow in greater perfection.

PLANTING BULBS OF VARIOUS KINDS.

As* early in this month as possible, finish planting all your hardy
kinds of bulbous roots, such as hyacinths, tulips, polyanthus-narcis-
sus, jonquils, star of Bethlehem, &c. &c., as they must be consider-
ably weakened by being kept too long unplanted, observe the direc-
tions given on pages 93 and 94, under the article tulips.

AURICULAS.

The first favorable weather that occurs in this month, divest the
auricula plants of their exterior decayed leaves, and by the middle
of the month, the operation of earthing up, as it is termed, should
commence; that is to say, the surface earth of the pot should be
taken away about one inch deep, and fresh compost, with the addi-
tion of a little loam, should be substituted in its stead : this will con-
tribute greatly to the strength of the plants and the vigor of their
bloom ; at the same time it will afford a favorable opportunity to sepa-
rate such offsets as shall appear possessed of a sufficiency of fibres to
be taken off at this early season : these offsets, when properly planted
in small pots, should be placed in a frame, in some warm sheltered
situation, till their roots are established.

The fine auriculas should now be protected from very severe frost,
cold cutting winds, or excessive rains, for these would injure them
and prevent their blowing in good perfection ; but they must have
plenty of air in mild weather, and not be debarred from warm mode-
rate showers of rain, which will now prove beneficial.

When the weather proves very dry, let them be refreshed mode-
rately with water, just to keep the earth a little moist about their
roots, but too much would materially injure them. For their fur-
ther treatment see next month, &c.

SOWING AURICULA AND POLYANTHUS SEEDS.

If yon have neglected last month to sow auricula and polyanthus
seeds, to raise new varieties, sow them as early as possible in this,
agreeably to the directions given on page 176.

MAKCH] FLOWER GARDEN. 809

CARNATIONS.

Being provided with some of the finest and most valuable carna-
tions, for with the common sorts it will not be worth while to take
much pains, you should proceed to the potting of them between the
middle and latter end of this month.

The proper compost for these flowers is as follows, viz : —

One-half fresh, sound, loamy earth, taken from the surface of a
rich pasture ground, turf and all, and not more than four or five
inches deep.

One-third, or a little more, of old horse-dung, such as had been
a year previously used for hot-beds.

One-sixth coarse sea or river sand.

These ingredients ought to have been mixed together in autumn,
laid in a heap about two feet thick, in an open exposure, and turned
three or four times during winter, so as that all the parts may be
well incorporated and have the benefit of the frosts ; early in March
it should be gathered into a round conical heap to drain and become
dry, and when sufficiently so, and wanted for use, pass it through a
cqarse screen or sieve to reduce its parts, and take out stones or any
other extraneous substance which it contains.

The pots made use of for spring potting, should b« ten inches wide
at the top, five inches at the bottom, and eight inches deep in the
side, with a hole in the centre of the bottom an inch in diameter.

The pots are first to be nearly half filled with compost, previously
placing an oyster-shell or such like, with its hollow side downwards,
over the hole in the bottom of each : the compost is to be higher at
the sides than at the centre of the pots, and the plants intended for
them, which are supposed to have been wintered in small pots con-
taining three plants each, are to be carefully turned out with the
earth adhering to them in a ball ; and after rubbing off half an inch
of the surface of the old mould around the plants, above their fibres,
cleaning them and cutting off the points of their decayed leaves, the
ball is to be carefully placed in the centre of the pot, and the space
between it and the sides filled up with the prepared compost.

If your plants have been wintered one plant in each pot only, a
size much smaller than the above will be sufficient to shift them into,
but when three plants grow and flower together in a large pot, they
appear to more advantage.

This being done, give the plants a little water, and observe that
the earth comes no higher up their stems than it did in the former
pots, nor should the compost come nearer than within an inch of the
top of the rim, after it has been gently shaken or struck against the
ground in finishing ; as an inconvenience will attend its being too full
when the operation of laying comes to be performed, which requires
some additional mould on the surface, for the layers to strike into.

When the plants are thus potted off for bloom, they should be
placed in an open airy part of the garden under an arch of hoops,
that in case of cold drying winds, heavy rains, or cold frosty nights,
mats may be thrown over, to preserve them from the effects of such

310 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

unfavorable weather. In this situation they are to remain, always
open to the air, except in the cases above mentioned, and be kept
regularly watered with soft water, as often as appears necessary, from
a fine rosed watering-pot. For their further treatment, see next
month, May, &c.

The plants which were planted in large pots last autumn, where
they are to remain to flower, should now have the old mould taken
out as near to their roots as possible, without disturbing them, and
replaced with fresh compost, after which, treat them as above.

The common carnations in beds, borders, &c., may be removed
towards the latter end of this month and planted where desired.*

PINKS.

The culture of pinks is much less difficult than that of carnations ;
they are hardier, more easily propagated, increase more abundantly,
and are less liable to incidental casualties than the latter.

A good fresh loamy soil, dug and well pulverized, about twelve or
eighteen inches deep, and well manured and mixed with cow-dung,
two years old, is all the preparation that is necessary for this charm-
ing flower.

The plants designed for the principal bloom should be planted
where intended to blow in September or early in October, as they do
not flower quite so well if removed later in the season; they should
be planted at about the distance of nine inches from each other, and
the bed should be laid rather convex or rounding, to throw off excess
of rain ; but will require only a slight covering or protection in case
of frost; and this only for the superior kinds.

The beds should be kept free from weeds, and the surface stirred
up a little if it inclines to bind.

They may also be propagated now freely, by slips from their roots,
or removed if necessary. If desired to have them in pots, you may
pot a few of the finest kinds as directed for carnations.

POLYANTHUSES.

Your finest kinds of polyanthuses and double primroses may be
treated in every respect as directed for auriculas, if desired in pots ;
if not, they may be removed at pleasure, between the middle and
latter end of this month, and large roots divided for increase ; but
this should not be done to those which you intend to flower strongly,
till their bloom is over, immediately after which, you may slip them
or divide their roots. They are impatient of heat and drought, and
love the reverse, shade and moisture : they are very hardy, and sel-
dom perish except by the summer heats, which frequently destroy
them, unless the necessary precautions are taken.

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* The Remontant, or Ever-blooming Carnations, are now become indis-
pensable in the flower garden. They will strike readily from cuttings,
and should be propagated afresh each season.

.
MARCH] FLOWER GARDEN. 311

DOUBLE DAISIES.

These beautiful little flowering plants may, about the end this
month, be taken from the winter repositories and planted for edgings
in shady borders; for if planted in open exposures, the summer heat
will totally destroy them, unless they are removed into the shade as
soon as their first bloom is over. The roots may now be separated
for increase, as every shoot of them, if slipped off, will root freely.
They may also be removed into pots with balls of earth adhering to
their roots, where they will blow handsomely, but it would have been
better if they were planted in these in September or October.

'

GIVING FRESH EARTH TO VARIOUS PLANTS IN POTS.

Give some fresh earth to the pots of double wall-flowers, double
stock July flowers, double sweet williains, rockets, rose campions,
catchfly, campanulas, scarlet lychnis, and such like plants, which
were potted last autumn or before.

In doing this, clear the plants first from decayed leaves, and take
some of the earth out of the tops of the pots, but not too deep to dis-
turb the roots of the plants ; then fill up the pots again with fresh
earth, and give some water; this will strengthen their roots, and the
plants will shoot freely and produce large flowers.

PRICKING OUT EARLY ANNUALS.

If any tender annuals were sown last month, such as cockscombs,
tricolors, Ipomoeas, sensitive plants, ice plants, balsams, &c., in order
to have them in perfection at an earlier period than common, make a
new hot-bed towards the middle or latter end of this, in which to
prick them to forward their growth. Let the hot-bed be about thirty
inches high, and make the top even; then set on the frame; and
when the great heat is over, let the earth be put in; let it be light,
rich, and perfectly dry, and lay it equally over the bed six inches
thick ; when warm, prick the plants therein at three or four inches
distant each way, or some may also be pricked in small pots, one
good plant in each, and plunged in the earth of the bed ; giving the
whole a little sprinkling of water; then let the glasses be put on,
observing to raise them behind a little every day to admit air and
let out the steam; shade the plants from the sun till they have taken
fresh root.

When they are rooted and begin to push, they should have fresh
air every day ; therefore let the upper ends of the glasses be raised
an inch or two or three in height to admit it ; but shut them down
towards the evening, and cover them every night with mats ; remem-
ber to sprinkle them with water occasionally, giving but a little at
each time.

Keep up the heat of the bed by occasionally lining with hot dung.
Thus these tender annuals are to be continued forwarding in growth

312 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

till May; then, when the frost is totally gone, finally transplanted
into large pots, flower borders, &c.

SOWING TENDER ANNUALS.

A hot-bed may be made the beginning or any time this month, in
which to sow the seeds of tender annual flowers, such as the ice plant,
sensitive plant, browallias, &c.

Make the bed and sow the seed as directed in last month. Or a
few plants may be raised in pots in any cucumber or melon hot-bed
now in cultivation, to a proper size for transplanting. (See April.)

The plants raised from the above sowings will blow strong and
beautiful in May, June, July, &c.

Kemember they are not to remain in the hot-bed where raised, but
are to be transplanted, some into pots, and some into the borders.
(See April and May.)

SOWING HARDY ANNUAL FLOWERS.

Any time this month that the ground is in good condition, you
may sow in the borders and other flower compartments, a variety of
hardy annuals, such as large and dwarf annual sunflowers, sweet pea
of every kind, larkspur, flos-adodis, persicaria, Tangier peas, Nigella,
Venus's looking-glass, Venus' s navelwort, double dwarf poppy, Lobel's
catchfly, dwarf-lychnis, snails, horns, hedgehogs, caterpillars, migno-
nette, china-aster, horse-shoes, belvidere, candy-tuft, honey-wort,
convolvulus-minor, cyanus, china-hollyhock lavatera, curled mallow,
winged pea, china pink, ten weeks' stock, and many other sorts,
which will flower better if sown early than if delayed to a late period;
though all of the above will succeed very well if sown in the begin-
ning of next month.

These should be sown, each kind separate, in patches in the dif-
ferent borders and flower beds, &c., finally to remain where sown ; or
a few, when grown to a sufficient size, may be carefully transplanted
into such borders and places as you desire. For the method of sow-
ing them, see page 166.

SOWING VARIOUS KINDS OP FIBROUS-ROOTED PERENNIAL AND
BIENNIAL PLANTS.

Perennial and biennial flower-seeds, of most kinds, may be sown,
in the middle and southern States, towards the latter end of the
month; in the eastern States, the middle or latter end of April will
be preferable. '

It is to be observed that these kinds do not flower the same year
they are sown ; but all the sorts of them will flower strong, and in
good perfection the year after.

As every one may not know the meaning of perennial and biennial
plants, the perennials are those which continue on the same roots
many years, producing new flower stems annually, such as everlast-
ing sunflower, scarlet lychnis, perennial asters, &c. The biennials are

MARCH] FLOWER GARDEN. 313

only of two years' duration, being sown one year, flower and perfect
their seed the next, and soon after die, or become of a dwindling
growth, such as honesty, tree- primrose, tree-mallow, &c.

Many kinds are proper to be sown now, such as carnations, pinks,
sweet-williams, wall-flowers, and stock July-flowers of all sorts; also
rose-campion, scarlet lychnis, columbines, Greek valerian, polyanthus,
auriculas, scabiouses, and Canterbury bells.

The seeds of hollyhocks, French honeysuckles, rockets, honesty, or
satin flower, tree-primrose, broad-leaved campanula, and fox-gloves ;
snap-dragon, bee-larkspur, with seeds of most other sorts of perennial
and biennial plants, may be sown.

All the above, and other hardy perennial and biennial flower-seeds,
are to be sown in beds of light earth in the open ground.

For the method of sowing them, see the Flower Garden for next
month.

DIG THE BORDERS, ETC.

Dig the borders and flower compartments, &c., and rake them
smooth ; they will then be ready to receive the seeds of annual
flowers and plants of other kinds ; besides they will appear fresh and
neat.

TRANSPLANTING PERENNIAL PLANTS.

Where there are vacancies in any of the beds, borders, or other
parts of the garden, they may now be filled up with many different
kinds of perennial and biennial flower plants, and will all blow the
same year.

Many principal sorts may now be planted, such as lychnises, rose-
campions, rockets, catch-fly, campanulas, carnations, pinks, and sweet-
williams, double feverfew, golden rod, perennial sunflowers, perennial
asters, and French honeysuckles; also columbines, Canterbury bells,
monk's-hood, fox-gloves, tree-primroses, scabiouses, snap-dragon, lo-
belias, irises, bee-larkspur, double ragged robin, valerian, and most
others of the like sorts.

Plant also dwarf fibrous-rooted flowers in the borders, &c., they
will take root freely in a short time ; such as polyanthuses, double
chamomile, London pride, violets, hepaticas, thrift, primroses, saxi-
frage, gentianella, lilly of the valley, &c.

In planting the intended different kinds, dispose them variedly,
the larger growing sorts more or less back ; and the smaller forward
towards the front and middle.

Give water at first planting, and afterwards occasionally in dry
weather, till the plants are fresh rooted ; by which they will grow
freely, and all flower the same year in their proper seasons.

HOE AND RAKE THE BORDERS.

Loosen with a hoe or small spade, the surface of those beds or
borders which were dug and planted with flowers of any kinds last
autumn, or any time since.

314 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

Let this be done in a dry day, hoeing, or lightly digging and stir-
ring the earth carefully between the plants, taking care of the shoots
of bulbous roots, &c., which are now just peeping through the sur-
face ; clearing away all decayed leaves of the plants, weeds, and every
sort of rubbish, and then let the beds or borders be neatly raked even
and smooth.

By thus loosening the surface of the borders, the first growth of
seed- weeds will be retarded, it will greatly promote the strength of
the flowers, and the whole will appear clean and agreeable.

PRUNING SHRUBS, AND DIGGING THE CLUMPS IN THE SHRUBBERY.

Finish pruning all sorts of flowering shrubs and evergreens which
require it, observing the directions of the two former months.

Dig the ground in the clumps or borders if not done in the former
month, which will prove beneficial ; the ground being turned up
fresh will appear neat, and the plants will show themselves more
agreeably.

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PLANTING DECIDUOUS FLOWERING SHRUBS, ORNAMENTAL AND
FOREST TREES.

Where deciduous flowering shrubs or trees are wanted in any of
the pleasure grounds, they may now be planted with good success,
such as common and Persian lilacs, snow-drop tree, fringe-tree, blad-
der-nut, rose-acacia, bladder-senna, angelica-tree, Azalea, honey-
suckles, Calycanthus, New Jersey tea, Judas-tree, clethra, papaw,
leather-wood, fern-leaved Comptonia, Amorpha, dog-wood, double
flowering thorns, cherries and peaches, snowy-medlar, Euonymus in
sorts, Fothergilla, althea-frutex, Franklinia, Guilandinia, sassafras,
swamp magnolia, Benjamin-tree, witch-hazel, St. Peter' s-wort, dou-
ble altheas, of various colors; corchoras japonica, evergreen or sweet-
scented China honeysuckle, purple magnolia, pyrus japonica, purple
beech, copper beech, fern-leaved beech, Norway maple, sorbus hy-
brida, jasmine, rhus cotinus, or Venetian sumach, Dierville roses,
and all kinds of hardy deciduous shrubs ; and also the tulip-tree,
lime-tree, poplars of every kind, catalpa, chestnuts of every sort,
sour and sweet gum, elm, maple, walnut, hickory, plane-tree, horn-
beam, beech, nettle-trees, ash, honey-locust, oak, poplar, &c. &c.

In planting trees for timber allow them the proper distances for
the purposes intended ; if for close plantations, or by way of coppices
or underwood for gradual thinning and falling for poles and other
small purposes, every seven, eight, or ten years ; you may plant them
in close rows only four, five, or six feet distant ; and when they have
attained growths proper for the first thinning, select the handsomest
plants at regular distances to stand for timber, and thin the rest ;
but when designed to fcave the whole to stand for a full plantation of
large standards before they are thinned, plant them at from ten to
fifteen or twenty feet distant.

MARCH] FLOWER GARDEN. 315

DIRECTIONS FOR PLANTING ALL SORTS OF TREES AND SHRUBS.

All flowering and evergreen shrubs, ornamental trees, &c., designed
for the shrubbery and other plantations, should be planted at such
distances that they may not crowd each other as they grow up ; for
they always, show themselves best when they stand separate at mode-
rate distances. Shrubs of all kinds designed for detached clumps
particularly, should be planted not less than three to four or five feet
asunder, that the different kinds, according to their growths, may
generally remain distinct ; but where a thickety growth is required
in particular compartments, a closer plantation may be formed of
different common shrubs.

Let all the tree kinds be allowed proper room, proportionate to
their respective growths, and according as they are designed for open
or close plantations, or clumps, groves, avenues or thickets, &c.

In planting shrubs and trees of every kind, let all convenient ex-
pedition be made in doing it, so that they may be planted as soon as
possible after they are taken up, or brought from the nursery or
elsewhere ; that their roots may not be dried by the sun and wind ;
but when brought from any distance, and they cannot be immedi-
ately planted, untie the bundles, lay the roots in a trench, and cover
them with earth to lie till the places allotted are ready to receive
them.

In preparing for planting, dig a round aperture for each shrub or
tree from half a yard to two or more feet wide, according to the size
of the roots, and a spade deep, capacious enough to receive them
freely, and loosen the bottom well. Then having the shrubs, &c.,
ready, prune off broken or bruised roots, and any irregular produc-
tions of the heads, and place them in the holes upright, break the
earth well, and throw it in equally about the roots, which cover a
proper depth, shaking each plant gently as the earth is filled in, to
cause it to settle close between all the roots and fibres ; tread it mode-
rately to fix the plant firmly in an upright position, making the top
of the earth a little hollow round each to hold water when given in
dry weather; and if they are watered as soon as planted, it will settle
the earth about all the roots more effectually, and promote their fresh
rooting; it would be of advantage in general, but more particularly
to any of the more tender or curious shrubs, &c., to lay some long
litter on the surface to preserve the moisture about the roots in dry
weather.

Immediately after planting, fix stakes to such tall plants as require
support, and let them be fastened thereto.

PLANTING EVERGREENS.

Evergreen trees and shrubs may be planted with good success any
time this month in most of the southern States, but in the middle
States that should not be attempted before the last week therein ;
nor in the eastern States before the beginning or middle of April;
these kinds are always most successfully planted when done imme-

316 THE PLEASURE, OB [MARCH

diately before, their respective vegetations commence; which is a rule
that ought to be carefully observed. (See the Nursery and Pleasure
Garden for next month.)

PLANTING ROSES.

You may plant roses any time this month that the weather will
permit ; and indeed there is a particular advantage in planting some
every ten days, even to the middle of May,- for the flowering of them
may be retarded in this way, and the bloom of those delightful shrubs
continued for a much longer period than if all were planted at the
same time ; but such as are planted after the twentieth of April,
should the season prove dry, will require shade and water until they
have taken fresh root. The early planting, however, will be the
most successful in growth, and flower in greater perfection than the
others.

PLANTING BOX EDGINGS.

Box, of all other plants, makes the neatest and most beautiful
edgings, and this is a very successful time to plant it, particularly in
the middle States ; in the other States it should be planted on ihe
spur of the earliest spring vegetation ; for although it is an ever-
green, its taking and growing freely by slips or cuttings, causes it to
agree with early planting better than those kinds that do not easily
propagate in that way ; and, moreover, it is very hardy and seldom
injured by winter frosts.

To make neat edgings you should get some short bushy box, and
let it be slipped or parted into moderately small slips of not more
than from eight to ten inches long ; if any of them have roots or
fibres, the better, but the cuttings or slips will all grow if planted
early, and kept moderately and occasionally watered. The long
woody roots of such as have them must be trimmed, and all the
plants, slips or cuttings, made pretty much of a length.

The method of planting is this : stretch your line, if for a straight
edging, along the edge of the bed or border, let that part be trodden
lightly and evenly along to settle it moderately firm, and with the
spade make it up full and even according to the line ; then on the
side of the line next the walk, let a small neat trench be cut out,
about six inches deep, making the side next the line perfectly up-
right, turning the earth out towards the walk or alley.

The box is to be planted in this trench close against the upright
side next the line, placing the plants so near together as to form
immediately a close compact edging, without being too thick and
clumsy, and with the top of the plants as even as possible, all an
equal height, not more than an inch or two above the surface of the
ground ; and as you proceed in planting, draw the earth up to the
outside of the plants, which fixes them in their due position ; and
when you have planted the row out, then with your spade cast in the
earth almost to the top of the plants, and tread it neatly and closely

MARCH] FLOWER GARDEN. 31 1

thereto ; when the edging is planted, let any inequalities of the top
be cut as even and neat as possible with a pair of shears.

Where there are any gaps in the former planted edgings, let them
now be made good ; for, when ragged and uneven, they have a dis-
agreeable appearance.

Or where any old edgings of several years' standing have been
permitted to run up rude and spreading, nothing in a garden looks
more unsightly ; and should be taken up, slipped, trimmed, and re-
planted in a neat, regular order.

For an account of the various plants generally used for edgings
and the methods of planting them, see the Flower Garden next
month. They may all be planted towards the latter end of this, if
the weather proves favorable.

PLANT HEDGES.

Finish planting all the kinds of deciduous hedges as early in the
month as the weather permits, and if the season proves very favor-
able, you may, in the last week thereof, plant evergreen hedges.
For the methods of doing which, see the Nursery for this month.

China arbor-vitae forms a very ornamental hedge for a flower
garden. The American makes the best hedge.

CLEAN THE PLEASURE GARDEN.

Every part of this garden should be now well cleaned and put into
the best order. Give the flower borders, beds, &c., a general spring
dressing, by digging, hoeing, and raking; let the edgings of box, &c.,
be regulated where disorderly, and the gravel-walks be well cleared
from weeds and litter, and occasionally rolled.

Keep the grass lawns, walks, &c., now well cleared from litter and
worm-cast earth, which appears unsightly, and spoils the compact
evenness of the sward; give them, therefore, occasional rollings with
a heavy roller, whereby to preserve a clean, even, firm surface, neat
to appearance, and that can be mowed close and regular with greater
facility.

The edges of all the grass walks and lawns should now be cut
even with an edging-iron (see page 91), which will add greatly to
the general neatness.

MAKING GRASS-WALKS AND LAWNS.

The sooner in this month that you can make any grass-walks, lawns,
or grass- plats, that may be necessary, the better ; as the roots will
have time to establish themselves before the great droughts and heats
commenee. Turf, when it can conveniently be got, is always pre-
ferable to sowing grass-seed, but in extensive lawns, the latter, of
necessity, must be resorted to. The best turf for those purposes, is
that of a close-fed pasture or common, where the sward is tough, and
the grass short and fine.

This natural turf is generally composed of Kentucky blue grass

318 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

(Poa pratensis), and our native variety of white clover (Trifolium
repens). They are the best for lawns in all cases as they do not
" burn out," and form a close sward.

If you have much to lay, you should be provided with a turfing
iron. This instrument is formed with an iron plate for the cutter,
six or seven inches wide, rounding at the edge, very sharp, and about
a foot long, pretty much in the form of a spade; and at the tread,
it is forged or connected to a long bent iron handle, the bending so
formed as to admit of the plate or cutter resting flat on the ground,
in the proper position for flaying the turf; the iron handle at top
being either formed like the handle of a spade, or having a socket
near the plate to place a crooked wooden and properly headed handle
therein. With this instrument, turf can be taken off with much more
convenience and expedition than with a spade; but when it cannot
be conveniently had, a spade may do very well.

It will also be necessary in order to go completely about your work,
to have a racer or sward-cutter. This should have a stout wooden
handle, about four feet long and bent a little in the lower end,
having about four or five inches of the point end of an old scythe,
placed transversely in the lower extremity, with the point down-
wards, projecting an inch and a half, with the edge forward and
made fast in a slit in the handle with a couple of rivets ; so that
when pushed before you, it may expeditiously cut the sward as you
race it along.

Having this instrument, strain a line tight, first lengthwise, then
strike the racer into the sward close to the line, run it along, it will
expeditiously cut its way and divide the turf to a proper depth ;
directly place the line a foot farther, and race it out as before, and
so proceed to as many widths as may be wanted, then with the line
placed crosswise, race out the sward in yard lengths. Being thus
divided, the turf-cutter with his turfing iron proceeds to cut them up,
about an inch and a half thick, which he can do with great expedi-
tion ; and according as they are cut, each should be rolled up with
the grass side inward, as close and firm as possible, for the more ready
carrying and removing them without breaking.

Let the ground where the turf is to be laid, be made as even as
possible, that it may settle equally thereafter, and rake the surface
smooth. In laying them, make the edges join close every way, and
as soon as laid, the whole should be immediately well beaten, with
a wooden beater, and afterwards rolled with a heavy stone, or iron
roller.

GRAVEL WALKS.

Now is the time to begin to turn gravel walks where the surface
is dirty, &c., especially in the middle States, observing, that this is
to be done where necessary in all parts of the Union as early as
possible in spring.

The gravel walks which display a dirty surface, or are annoyed
with weeds, should be turned as early in this month as the weather
gets dry and comfortable, in order to render them neat and conve-

MARCH]

FLOWER GARDEN.

319

nient for walking on. For the method of doing which, as well as
that of their general formation and treatment, see the Flower Gar-
den for next month, to which I {ferticularly refer you, and advise as
much of that work to be done in this as the weather and hurry of
business will permit.

Such gravel walks as were broken up and laid in ridges the begin-
ning of winter, which is a very bad practice, as noticed on page 90,
should now be levelled down, formed, dressed, and rolled, as directed
next month.

The necessity of due attention being paid to all your walks, on the
opening of spring, is so evident, that it is scarcely necessary to urge
it; the having them neat and newly dressed will give a gay and
sprightly appearance to the whole garden.

RATIONALE OF DRAINING LAND.

*> -'.; \ ^i. ./ .V, ••• • / •;,> , M/>, •»*: "q&i'if W*. ' ' "'»'•'* '' " "" ' '*'' '"* • *'• < ' '^fV

So many gardens consist of a clay soil which it is necessary to
success to drain, the following should be studied by those who wish
to understand the necessity of the oft repeated advice as to drainage,
whether they be gardeners or farmers.

The reason why drained land gains heat, and water-logged land is
always cold, consists in the well-known fact that heat cannot be trans-
mitted downwards through water. This may readily be seen by the
following experiments : —

Experiment No. 1. — A square box
was made of the form represented by
the annexed diagram, eighteen inches
deep, eleven inches wide at top, and six
inches wide at bottom. It was filled
with peat, saturated with water to c,
forming to that depth (twelve and a half
inches) a sort of artificial bog. The
box was then filled with water to d.
The thermometer a, was plunged, so
that its bulb was within one and a half
inch of the bottom. The temperature
of the whole mass of peat and water
was found to be 39 J° Fahr. A gallon
of boiling water was then added; it
raised the surface of the water to e. In
five minutes the thermometer a rose to
44°, owing to the conduction of heat by
the thermometer, and its guard tube; at
ten minutes from the introduction of
the hot water, the thermometer a rose to 46°, and it subsequently
rose no higher. Another thermometer, 6, dipping under the surface
of the water .ate, was then introduced, and the following are the
indications of the two thermometers at the respective intervals,
reckoning from the time the hot water was supplied : —

320 THE PLEASURE, OR [MARCH

Thermometer &. Thermometer a.

20 minutes V 4"TY"» .t-' 15QO 46°

1 hour 30 " . •%= -U 101 45

2 hours 30 " ^ . .i*V* 80 J 42

12 " 40 ••&.•;.• *,<*;.; y,*sfc- A-it 45 40

The mean temperature of the external air to which the box was
exposed during the above period was 42°, the maximum being 47°,
and the minimum 37°.

Experiment No. 2. — With the same arrangement as in the pre-
ceding case, a gallon of boiling water was introduced above the peat
and water, when the thermometer a was at 36°; in ten minutes it
rose to 40°. The cock was then turned, for the purpose of drainage,
which was but slowly effected, and, at the end of twenty minutes,
the thermometer a indicated 40°; at twenty -five minutes 42°, whilst
the thermometer b was 142°. At thirty minutes, the cock was
withdrawn from the box, and more free egress of water being thus
afforded, at thirty-five minutes the flow was no longer continuous,
and the thermometer b indicated 48°. -The mass was drained and
permeable to a fresh supply of water. Accordingly, another gallon
of boiling water was poured over it, and, in

3 minutes, the thermometer a rose to 77°

5 " " " fell to 76J

15 " " " "

20 " " " remained at 7l

1 hour 50 " " " " 70£

In these two experiments, the thermometer at the bottom of the
box suddenly rose a few degrees immediately after the hot water was
added ; and it might be inferred that heat was carried downwards by
the water. But, in reality, the rise was owing to the action of the
hot water on the thermometer, and not to its action upon the cold
water. To prove this the perpendicular thermometers were removed.
The box was filled with peat and water to within three inches of the
top ; a horizontal thermometer, a /, having been previously secured
through a hole made in the side of the box, by means of a tight-
fitting cork, in which the naked stem of the thermometer was grooved.
A gallon of boiling water was then added. The thermometer, a very
delicate one, was not in the least affected by the boiling water in the
top of the box.

In this experiment, the wooden box may be supposed to be a field;
the peat and cold water represent the water-logged portion ; rain falls
on the surface, and becomes warmed by contact with the soil, and
thus heated descends. But it is stopped by the cold water, and the
heat will go no further. But, if the soil is drained, and not water-
logged, the warm rain trickles through the crevices of the earth, car-
rying to the drain level the high temperature it had gained on the
surface, parts with it to the soil as it passes down, and thus produces
that bottom heat which is so essential to plants, although so few sus-
pect its existence.

This necessity of warmth at the root undoubtedly explains why it
is that hardy trees, over whose roots earth has been heaped, or hav-
ing laid, are found to suffer so much, or even to die ; in such case,

MARCH] FLOWER GARDEN. — GREEN-HOUSE. 321

the earth in which the roots are growing is constantly much colder
than the atmosphere, instead of warmer.

It is to the coldness of the earth that must be ascribed the common
circumstance of vines that are forced early, not setting their fruit
well when their roots are in the external border, and unprotected by
artificial means ; and to the same cause is often ascribed the shank-
ing or shrivelling of grapes, which most commonly happens to vines
whose roots are in a cold or unsunned border.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

The green-house plants should now have plenty of air admitted to
them at all favorable opportunities, particularly as the weather gets
warm towards the latter end of the month, but due attention must
be paid, in any sudden changes, which are very frequent at this
season, to preserve them from cold, cutting, or frosty winds ; during
the prevalence of which, the windows, &c. should be kept close, for
such weather would ruin some of the tender kinds, and would be of
bad consequence to all. It need hardly be said that the windows
and doors must be kept close every night, and should imperious ne-
cessity require it, in the early part of the month, the flues heated at
night to counteract the power of severe frosts.

Look over the tubs or pots every day, and see where water is want-
ing, and let such as require it be supplied therewith, taking care to
use moderation in that case. Water will be serviceable to most of
the plants, but especially to all the woody kinds, which will now re-
quire more frequent refreshments, if fine mild weather, but always
in moderate quantities j and be still careful, on the whole, not to give
too much water at a time, for that would prove the destruction of
many kinds, and would be prejudicial to the plants in general, espe-
cially if a cold season, and while they are confined in the green-
house.

Keep every plant in the house free from decayed leaves ; that is,
where such appear let them be immediately picked off; for these, if
generally permitted to remain would injure the plants ; besides, they
appear disagreeable.

Any decayed or mouldy shoots should be cut clean off to the firm
live wood, and where dust or any sort of filth appears on the leaves
of the plants, let them be cleared therefrom : if those of the oranges,
lemons, and other large-leaved kinds, are foul, have a sponge dipped
in water and clean them therewith, one by one, and let the small-
leaved sorts be cleaned by a brisk syringing all over their heads.

ORANGES, LEMONS, AND MYRTLES.

Where any of the oranges, lemons, and myrtles, &c., have naked
or irregular heads, you may now towards the latter end of the month,
if mild fine weather, begin to reduce them to some regularity. The
21

322 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [MARCH

branches or head may either be cut close, or shortened less or more
to the place where you desire shoots to rise, to form the head regu-
lar, for they will break out in the old wood.

When any trees are thus headed down, it would also be an advan-
tage to shift them, especially such as are of a weakly growth, in
order to add a little fresh earth about their roots ; and the method is
this : let the tree be taken out of its tub or pot, but preserve the ball
of earth entire j then trim off with your knife any very matted roots,
or dry fibres round the outside, and also some of the loose old earth
from the bottom and sides of the ball; and, having fresh compost
ready, put some into the bottom of the pot or tub ; place the tree
therein, fill up around the ball with fresh earth, and give it a little
water.

But in heading down any of the green-house plants, if time will
not permit, or that you think it not necessary to shift them as above,
do not, however, fail to loosen the earth in the top of the tub or
pots, and a little way down around the sides, and draw this loose
earth out ; then fill up the tub again with new compost, and give some
water.

But where any orange or lemon-trees are in a very weak or sickly
unprosperous growth, it would be advisable about the latter end of
this month, or beginning of next, to prune the heads and shift them
into entire new earth, taking the plant clean out of the pot, all the
old earth shaken entirely from its roots, and all mouldy and decayed
roots cut off; then let the whole root be washed in water, and plant
it again immediately in a tub or pot of new earth, taking care not
to place it too deep, and give water moderately.

After this shifting, it would be a great advantage to the same
plants if you had the convenience of a glass case, &c., in which pre-
viously to make a hot-bed of tan or dung, but tan is much prefer-
able ; and if in this bed the trees are plunged, they will shoot sooner
and more freely, both in root and top, to recover good strength, and a
renewed head of branches of prosperous growth, early in the follow-
ing summer.

HEADING DOWN MYRTLES, ETC.

Where myrtles or other similar exotics have decayed branches, or
their heads thin, straggling, and irregular, they may now also be
headed down, more or less, as it shall seem proper, and either shift
them into some fresh earth, as directed above for the oranges, or some
of the top mould within the pots taken out, and a little around the
sides, then fill up with fresh earth and water them.

These trees with this management will shoot out again, and in four
or five months' time will be furnished with entire new heads. Supply
them duly with water.

SHIFTING PLANTS, THAT WANT IT, INTO LARGER POTS.

Any of the oranges, lemons, or myrtles, or other green-house
plants that want larger pots, may be shifted therein, with some fresh
earth, towards the end of this month, when the weather is mild.

MARCH] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 323

In performing this, let each plant intended for shifting be turned
out of its present pot with the ball of earth entire ; but let any
thickly matted or dry mouldy roots on the outside of the ball be
pared off with a sharp knife ; then set them in their new pots, and
fill up the spaces with fresh earth.

Water them immediately after this, set them in their places in the
green-house, and they will shoot freely both at the root and top.

CARE OF GERANIUMS OR PELARGONIUMS.

Examine the geraniums and other plants of a similar growth ; the
young shoots being somewhat succulent, are more liable to injury
from the effects of a severe winter, or great damps, than the harder
wooded exotics, so that sometimes many of them decay or mould, and
which, where they occur, should now be pruned away : likewise pick
off all decayed leaves.

Your geraniums will now show flowers, and it is necessary to give"
them plenty of water and as much air as the weather will admit of.

GIVING FRESH EARTH TO THE POTS OF GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS.

The orange and green-house plants in general, which do not re-
quire shifting, should at this time have some fresh earth added to
the tops of their pots or tubs ; it will encourage the plants greatly,
and it is soon done.

First loosen the old earth in the tops of the tubs or pots, quite to
the surface of the roots, but so as not to disturb them, and loosen it
also down round the sides a little way, then take out the loose earth
and fill up the pots with some that is new, and give them a moderate
watering.

SOW SEEDS OF GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS, ETC.

A hot-bed may be made the beginning of this month to sow the
seeds of tender plants, either of the green-house or stove kinds. The
bed should be made either of hot dung, or fresh tanners' bark, and
covered with frames and glasses ; or if made of hot dung, lay eight,
ten, or twelve inches of tan-bark at top, either new or old, both in
which to plunge the pots, &c., and to continue longer a regular heat.

The seeds should be sown in pots of light earth, and these plunged
to their rims in the tan, and moderately watered at times, as you see
occasion.

Where tan cannot be obtained readily, make the bed of hot dung,
three feet high, set a frame on, and when the burning heat is over,
lay on four or five inches depth of earth, then fill some middling
small pots with fine light mould, sow the seeds therein, and cover
them lightly with sifted earth, then plunge the pots in the earth on
the bed, and put on the glasses.

Let the pots in general be frequently sprinkled with water, and
when the plants appear, give them fresh air, by raising the glasses
behind a little way. Observe to keep up the heat of the bed, by

321 THE HOT-HOUSE. [MARCH

applying a lining of fresh hot dung, when it declines much, and pro-
tect them occasionally from the too powerful influence of the mid-
day sun.

SOWING KERNELS OF ORANGES FOR STOCKS.

Now is the time to sow the kernels of oranges and lemons, in order
to raise stocks to bud any of those kinds of trees upon.

The best method of sowing these kernels is this : fill some middle-
sized pots with very good earth, sow the kernels in the pots, and
cover them half an inch deep with earth, then plunge the pots into
a hot-bed, and let them be frequently watered. (See the Green-house,
next month.)

PROPAGATING BY CUTTINGS, LAYERS, ETC.

Propagate by cuttings and slips, various shrubby green-house plants,
as myrtles, geraniums, fuchsias, oleanders, hydrangeas, jasmines, coro-
nillas, justicias, &c. The. young shoots planted in pots and placed in
a hot-bed, will soon strike ^oot and grow freely; or where there is
the convenience of bark-beds, either in a hot-house, or under any
glass frames, &c., these, and many other sorts, if plunged therein,
may be struck very expeditiously \ or, if at the same time, some are
covered with a hand-glass, it will still more expedite their rooting,
giving proper waterings.

Likewise propagate shrubby kinds by layers, and also different
sorts by suckers, &c.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

FRUITING PINES.

It is on a due proportion of air admitted into the hot-house that
the goodness of the pine plants in a great measure depends. The
want of it will cause them to grow with long leaves and weak stems,
which plants never produce good fruit.

On the other hand, air admitted in too great a quantity, or at im-
proper times, will injure the plants, and cause them to grow yellow
and sickly.

In the depth of winter, during the time that the plants are nearly
in a state of inaction, the hot-house will require but very little air ;
yet it will absolutely be necessary to take every favorable oppor-
tunity to let out the foul air and admit fresh, when it can be done
with safety to the plants ; the letting down the glasses a little way,
even for &few minutes, in the middle of the day, is of more import-
ance than inexperienced persons can conceive, especially when there
is a little sun and a mild wind. But at this season, particularly in
the advanced part of the month, to have regard to the words give air

MARCH] THE HOT-HOUSE. 325

on the botanical thermometers, is not necessary, for a little may with
much safety be given, although the spirits should not rise higher
than 62° of Fahrenheit, or six or eight degrees above temperate.

It will be necessary to continue a regular degree of heat in the
house, as directed last month, by keeping up a fire-heat every even-
ing, night, and morning, but more particularly in severe weather;
and a constant heat in the bark-bed. As the heat of the weather
increases, and the sun becomes powerful, the morning fires, in par-
ticular, must be regulated accordingly.

The fruiting-plants will now generally show fruit; they must,
therefore, have very particular care, and not be suffered to want a
sufficiency of bottom heat, air, or a reasonable portion of water.

Examine the bark-bed, and see if there is a proper heat, for upon
that depends the success of having handsome and full-sized fruit.
The great article is to preserve a free growth in the fruit from their
first appearance to the time of their maturity ; this must be done by
keeping the bark-bed to a proper degree of heat , that is, it should
be quite lively, for a faint heat will not answer the purpose ; there-
fore, on examining the bed, if you find it much decreased, let pre-
paration be made for its revival as soon as possible.

Provide for that purpose a quantity of new bark from the tanners
the beginning of this month. The middle-sized bark is to be chosen,
and such as has been at least a fortnight or three weeks out of the
tan-vats.

The quantity of fresh bark necessary to provide at this time,
should be equal to near one-third of what the bark-pit will contain.
This, when brought home, if very full of moisture, and but little or
no heat, should be thrown up in a heap to remain eight or ten days,
to drain and prepare for fermentation. But if very wet, it should be
first spread thin in an open, sunny place for two or three days to
dry, and then be thrown in a heap.

When your bark is ready, and the bark-pit is declined in heat,
the latter end of this month, or earlier if necessary, proceed to fork
up and renew it as directed in page 185, and immediately replunge
the pots. The whole of this work should be begun and finished the
same day if possible.

The heat of the old bark, not being quite exhausted, will cause the
new immediately to ferment, and if well proportioned and mixed,
and it is done towards the end of the month, it will retain a kindly
growing heat till the fruit is ripe. (For further particulars, see Janu-
ary and February.}

SUCCESSION PINES.*

As the length ""of the day and power of the sun increase, these
plants will begin to grow freely, and from this time it will be neces-

* The best cultivators now dispense with succession stocks altogether.
The under part of the bed is heated by hot- water pipes, the plants twined
into the bed, and a good sucker allowed to take the place of the one fruited
In this way a crop is annually secured from the same bed.

326 THE HOT-HOUSE. [MARCH

sary to keep them in a regular growing state ; for if young plants
receive a check afterwards, it generally causes many of them to start
fruit. From this time forward they will require a little water occa-
sionally, just what is only sufficient to keep the earth in a moderate
state of moisture, for too much would injure them.

About the middle of the month or soon after, will be an eligible
season for shifting them, in the doing of which, shake off the whole
ball of earth, and cut off all the roots that are of a black color, care-
fully preserving such only as are white and strong. Then put the
plants that are intended to fruit next season, in pots of eight or nine
inches diameter at the top, and seven deep, with fresh mould entire.

The bed at this time should be renewed with a little fresh tan, and
forked up in order to promote its heating, and the pots plunged
therein immediately. The hot-house should be kept pretty warm till
the heat of the tan begins to rise, as it will be the means of causing
the plants to strike both sooner and stronger.

As soon as the bed gets warm, give the plants a sprinkling of water
over their leaves, and when you perceive them to grow, give water
according as they require it, and as the weather increases in heat
give air in proportion.

VARIOUS SHRUBBY AND SUCCULENT HOT-HOUSE PLANTS.

The various kinds of shrubby and succulent exotics will require
the same treatment this month as directed in the last, page 186, &c.,
but particularly observing to give them air in proportion as the heat
of the weather increases, and water according to their respective ne-
cessities, as noticed in February.

PROPAGATION OP EXOTIC TREES, SHRUBS, AND PLANTS.

This is a very proper time to sow such seeds of rare plants as you
are able to procure ; those that are in good condition, and whose nature
it is to vegetate the first season, will rise freely ; but many kinds will
not grow for three, four, five, or six months after sowing, and others
not for a year; therefore, it will be necessary to have patience, and
to take care all the time of the whole, as well the pots in which the
plants do not rise, as those that do ; if you have room to plunge them
into the bark-pit, or into hot-beds at work, or made for the purpose,
it will greatly facilitate their growth.

You may now propagate many kinds by suckers, cuttings, and
layers, which should be duly attended to, particularly such as are
scarce and difficult to be obtained.

RAISING EARLY FLOWERS. FRUITS, ETC. IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Pots of any desirable flowering plants may still be introduced to
forward an early bloom, such as pinks, fuchsias, hydrangeas, roses,
carnations, and many others. (See February, &c.)

Also pots of strawberries and vines, as in the two former months,
to continue the supply of early fruit.

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 32 1

Likewise, a few more kidney-beans, &c. (See last month and
January?)

In hot-houses where grape-vines are trained in, from plants grow-
ing on the outside, and conducted up under the glasses, &c., they
will, towards the end of this month, or earlier, according to the de-
gree of heat kept up, be well advanced in young shoots, having fruit,
which shoots should be carefully trained along in regular order, and
all the improper and superfluous growths cut away.

APRIL.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

PREVIOUS to entering upon the work of the kitchen garden, &c.
for this month, it will be proper to observe that a great portion of
the open ground culture and sowing necessary to be done in some
places in April, have been fully treated of in March, in order to
accommodate those citizens of the middle States, whose gardens,
from the nature of soil and situation, admit of early sowing, as well
as a desire in many to have their crops at as early a period as pos-
sible, either for sale or family use; and also for the general accommo-
dation of the more southerly States, that month being their principal
season for gardening. But, in the eastern States generally, and in
such parts of the middle States as the ground is naturally of a bind-
ing and heavy nature, this will be the most eligible period for sowing
their general garden crops ; always observing to sow the hardy kinds
as early in the month as the soil, season, and situation will admit of,
in order that the young plants may be established before they are
overtaken by the summer heat and drought ; but never, nor on any
account should a stiff or moist ground be wrought till it gets so dry
as to fall to pieces in the working, nor delayed till it binds and
becomes hard. Let the spade not be applied till every particle of
water, that is not in contact with the clay, is either drained away or
drawn off by the air ; nick that time and you will then find the earth
to work freely, and not subject to bind afterwards ; for if a clay is
worked before this critical period it kneads like dough, becomes more
tough, and never fails to bind when drought follows, which not only
prevents the seed to rise, but injures the plants materially in their
subsequent growth by its becoming impervious to the moderate rains,
dews, air, and influence of the sun, which are all necessary to the
promotion of vegetation.

On the other hand, a light sandy soil will be rather benefited by
working it when moist, as such will have a tendency to make it more
compact, and consequently more retentive of moisture.

The nearer the ground approaches to a sand the less retentive will
it be of moisture ; the more to a clay the longer will it retain it ; and

THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

the finer the particles of which the clay is composed, the faster will
it hold every small particle of water, and consequently be longer in
drying, and become harder when dry ; but earth of a consistence
that will hold water the longest without becoming hard when dry, is
that of all others best adapted for raising the generality of plants in
the greatest perfection. This last described is called loam, and is a
medium earth between the extremes of clay and sand.

The great art of improving sandy and clay soils, is to give to the
former such dressings of clay, cow-dung, and other kinds of manure,
as will have a tendency to bind and make it more compact, and con-
sequently more retentive of moisture; and to the latter, coats of
sandy earth, pond-mud, horse-dung, and such other composts as may
tend to separate its particles and open its pores, thereby easily to
discharge any superabundance of moisture, and cause it to approach
as near as possible to a loam, which may be greatly assisted by sum-
mer and winter fallowing ; for the winter frost and summer heat being
the plough and spade of nature, have a power to separate the parti-
cles of earth, by the expansion of the particles of water lodged be-
tween and in contact with them, more effectually than the ploughs
and spades made by the hand of man ; but when art and nature act
in co-operation, the business is more speedily accomplished. This is
the foundation stone of horticulture and agriculture, and merits the
serious consideration of every person concerned.

Let it not be understood that I am an advocate for late sowing or
planting ; I am the reverse, when it can be done under favorable cir-
cumstances.

The above remarks are applicable generally to all the other open
ground departments, as well as to the Kitchen Garden ; but particu-
larly inasmuch as they have relation to the sowing of seeds.

CARE OF CUCUMBERS AND MELONS, ETC.

Examine your cucumber and melon beds, and if any have declined
in heat, especially in the early part of the month, line them with
fresh dung, as directed in page 25 : this will be necessary, in order
to obtain plentiful crops of fruit.

As the sun is now become very powerful, all kinds of plants which
you have in hot-beds, will require abundance of air, and occasional
shade, for if the beds were left close shut only for a few hours during
the prevalence of a hot mid-day sun, the whole would be scorched
to death : therefore you ought never to leave the garden at such times
without first raising the glasses and giving shade to the plants if
thought necessary.

MAKING NEW HOT-BEDS FOR CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

In order to have successional crops of cucumbers and melons, you
may in the early part of this month make new hot-beds, either for
the reception of plants or for sowing the seeds ; observing the direc-
tions given in the former months, as well for these, as the due atten-
tion which fruiting and other plants require.

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 329

MAKING HOT-BED RIDGES FOR CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

Make hot-bed ridges about the middle of this month for the cu-
cumber and melon plants raised last month, in order to be planted
under hand or bell-glasses. For this purpose make trenches three
feet wide and two deep, in a warm dry part of the garden, and fill
them to the surface with good fresh horse-dung, as directed in Janu-
ary for other hot-beds, then you may either earth them directly, or
in two or three days after when the dung will be settled, and the heat
risen to the top of the bed, laying from seven to nine inches thick
of light rich earth over every part.

When this is done and all the surface made smooth, lay on your
hand or bell-glasses in the middle of the ridge four feet asunder,
and keep them close down till the dung has thoroughly warmed the
earth, then proceed to put in the plants.

You may plant under each glass two strong melon plants, or three
cucumbers; observing, if possible, to remove and plant them with
balls of earth about their roots.

As soon as they are planted, let them be moderately watered and
directly set on the glasses ; if sunny weather, and the sun powerful,
shade them a little with a mat over each glass, and repeat the water-
ings occasionally, once or twice a week, according to the degree of
warmth in the bed, and temperature of the weather ; but let modera-
tion be always observed in performing this work, especially when
newly planted.

When the plants are well taken with the ground and growing
freely, give them plenty of air, by raising the glasses on one side,
and when they have grown so large as to run out under the glasses,
let these be raised on brickbats, stones, or pieces of wood, to give full
liberty to the plants, and do not take them off totally till towards the
end of May.

Cucumber and melon seeds may be sown about the middle of this
month, on ridges made as above, and protected with glasses j these
will be much earlier than if sown in the beginning of May in the
open ground, and much more profitable to market-gardeners.

PLANTING CAULIFLOWERS.

In order to have cauliflowers in good perfection, you must be pro-
vided with stout early plants, such as are strong, and in the middle
States, perfectly fit for planting out, early this month: being fur-
nished with these, select a piece of very rich loam, rather inclining
to moisture, but by no means wet,, and such as will not be subject
either to burn or become stiff and bound by severe drought, always
avoiding sand or clay, as much as possible ; give it at least four or
five inches deep of well rotted cow-dung, or if this cannot be had,
other old manure; dig or trench it one good spade or eighteen inches
deep, incorporating the manure effectually therewith, as you proceed
in digging or trenching.

Then in the first week of this month, take up your plants, which

330 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

were managed as directed in the preceding month, with a transplanter
or hollow trowel, one by one, preserving as much earth as possible
about their roots, and plant them down to their leaves in rows three
feet asunder, and the same distance plant from plant, in the rows,
forming a little hollow (basin like) about eight inches over, and two
deep, round every plant to receive water occasionally, till fit for earth-
ing up; and which, immediately previous to landing the plants,
should be filled with good compost earth, if convenient. Then give
each a little water, which repeat at intervals of three or four days,
till in a vigorous growing state, and afterwards occasionally. Or,
after having first manured and dug the ground, you may make
trenches as if for celery, in the direction of north and south ; and
in the bottom of each lay four inches deep of well rotted cow-dung,
cast thereon five or six inches of earth, and point over the whole with
a spade, mixing the earth and dung effectually : in these trenches
plant your cauliflower plants at the above distances, and give occa-
sional waterings as before.

To attempt planting cauliflowers in poor ground would be labor
in vain; they love, nay, they require a deep, very rich, and moist
loam, and agree exceedingly well with large quantities of manure.

You should be provided with hand-glasses, garden-pots, or covers
made of two boards, each a foot long, and nailed together at right
angles, to cover every plant at night and in very severe weather for
two or three weeks after planting ; observing to take them off early
each morning, except the weather is desperate, and never to keep a
dark covering over the plants longer than necessity requires.

This occasional protection is necessary to keep them in a constant
and uninterrupted state of vegetation, for if stunted, at this period,
by frost or too much cold, many will button, and very few produce
large flowers.

The early cauliflower plants, under hand-glass, should have earth
drawn up to their stems. This will be of a great service in promot-
ing a strong forward growth.

The hand or bell-glasses may still be continued over these plants
at night, and in cold wet weather; but in warm days, and when there
are mild rains, let them be exposed to the free air ; when the plants
are considerably advanced in growth, the glasses should be raised pro-
portionably high on props; first drawing a border of earth, two or
three inches high or more, round each plant; then place the props
upon that, and set the glasses thereon; but towards the end of this
month, or beginning of next, they should be taken entirely away.

The above instructions will suit any part of the Union, except as
to time of planting, which should, in every place, be on the eve of
the first brisk spring vegetation, when no danger can be apprehended
from subsequent frosts ; and where this can be done in December,
January, or February with safety, so much the better.

Young cauliflower plants, raised from seed sown last month, should
now be pricked out into nursery beds, or some in a hot-bed, to for-
ward them for final transplanting. (See page 192.)

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 331

SOWING CAULIFLOWER SEED.

Cauliflower seed may be sown, any time this month, in the open
ground, to raise plants for heading in October, &c.
For the further treatment of cauliflowers, see May.

CABBAGES.

As early in this month as possible plant out your general crops
of cabbage plants, observing to set all the early heading kinds at the
distance of two feet every way, and all the late sorts at that of
three feet.

As to soil and preparation, 'the nearer you approach in both to
that directed for cauliflowers, the larger cabbages you will have; but
where they are desired very early, you must adapt the soil and situa-
tion to that purpose.

Some of the cabbage and savoy plants which were sown in March,
for a succession of young summer and autumn cabbages, and a for-
ward autumn crop of savoys, should be thinned out and pricked into
nursery-beds, to get strength before they are planted out for good.

Let this be done when the plants have leaves one or two inches
broad ; prepare beds of good earth about three feet and a half wide,
in an open situation, and let the largest plants be drawn out regu-
larly from the seed-bed, and planted in those prepared for them, at
four or five inches distance every way. Water them immediately,
and repeat it occasionally in dry weather.

The smaller plants which are left in the seed-beds, should be
cleared from weeds ; give them a good watering to settle the earth
about their roots, loosened in drawing out the others ; they will then
grow strong, and in two or three weeks be in fine order for trans-
plantation.

SOWING CABBAGE SEEDS.

Sow now a general assortment of cabbage seeds, such as early
York, early sugar-loaf, and early Battersea, to succeed those sown
in March, and large late Battersea, large late sugar-loaf, flat Dutch,
drum-head, large English, large Scotch, flat-sided, and Savoys, for
autumn and winter use. Sow also the seed of the red pickling cab-
bage, to succeed those sown in the former months. The earlier you
sow all these kinds, the larger and better cabbages will you have.

Sow these seeds tolerably thin, in open beds or borders, and keep
them free from weeds, till fit for planting out ; or if they are trans-
planted into other beds, when about four inches high, it will greatly
strengthen them, and render them in a much better condition for
final transplanting.

SOWING BORECOLE, OR FRINGED CABBAGE.

The varieties of this are — 1. G-reen curled. 2. Red curled.
3. Thick-leaved curled. 4. Finely fringed. 5. Siberian, or Scotch
kale.

332 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

For the garden these may be treated in every respect as winter
cabbages ; they are extremely hardy, and never so delicious as when
rendered tender by smart frosts ; they are very valuable plants to
cultivate, particularly in the more southerly States, as they will there
be in the greatest perfection during the winter months; they will
also, if planted in a gravelly soil and in a sheltered warm situation,
bear the winters of the middle States, and may be kept in great per-
fection in the eastern States if managed as directed on page 200,
which see. The deliciousness of their sprouts in spring, surpasses
everything of the kind, which they produce in great abundance.
The seeds of either sort may be sown any time this month, and
treated in every particular as directed for cabbages.

The green and red borecole, is also a very useful green food for
sheep ; because, it is not only hardy, but if sown in time, will grow
three or four feet high, and may in deep snows be got at by these
animals, who frequently suffer much for want of food in such cases.

TURNIP-CABBAGE, AND TURNIP-ROOTED CABBAGE.

The turnip-cabbage produces its bulb or protuberance, which ap-
proaches to roundness, on the stem above ground, immediately under
the leaves. It is eatable when young, and about the size of a tole-
rably large garden turnip. The bulb or protuberance must be
stripped of its thick fibrous rind, and then it may be treated and
used as a turnip. Some of their bulbs grow to twenty-three inches
in circumference and weigh upwards of twelve pounds.

The seeds may now be sown and the plants afterwards treated as
you do cabbage, only that in earthing up the plants when grown to a
good size, you must be cautious not to cover the globular part, which
is to be eaten. They are much more hardy than turnips, and in
Europe are cultivated for the feeding of cows and sheep, as well as
for table use j in either case they treat them as they do cabbages, or
sow them like turnips, and afterwards hoe them out to proper dis-
tances.

The turnip-rooted cabbage has an oblong, thick root, pretty much
of the form of the winter radish, but very large, and is a valuable
article to cultivate for cattle, as it produces, with proper care, from
twenty-five to thirty tons per acre. It is extremely hardy, and very
seldom injured by frost, and would be found an excellent sheep food
in April, where the frosts are not overly desperate. It merits atten-
tion from the farmer, and is frequently used for culinary purposes in
the same manner as the turnip-cabbage. The tops and sprouts make
delicious greens in spring.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND JERUSALEM KALE.

The Brussels sprouts is an open-headed cabbage, grows very high,
and is remarkable for producing a great quantity of excellent sprouts
in spring.

The Jerusalem kale is one of the most hardy plants of the cab-
bage tribe ; it never heads, but the leaves, after being pinched by a

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 333

smart frost, make most delicious greens, and boil greener than any
other of the cabbage kind ; it bears a very severe winter, and affords
a grateful supply when most other plants perish.

Both these kinds are cultivated in the same manner as cabbages ;
their seeds may now be sown ; but let it be observed, that they stand
the winter frosts better when planted in a gravelly soil than in any
other.

BROCCOLI.

There are several varieties of the broccoli, which are all but late
heading varieties of the cauliflower, such as the Purple Cape, the
Walcheren and white Cape, the green and black broccoli, with some
others ; but the purple and white Cape are in most estimation. The
seeds should be sown in the early part of this month, if not before,
and afterwards, when of due size, pricked out in beds at the distance
of four inches apart and watered, there to remain till arrived of suf-
ficient strength for planting in the quarters where intended to pro-
duce their flowers or heads.

The early purple broccoli, if sown early in this month and planted
as you do cabbage, in good rich ground, will produce fine heads in
October or November, very little inferior to cauliflowers, and by
many preferred to them ; the white will not flower so early, and in
the middle and eastern States must be taken up in November and
managed as directed in that month, by which a supply of this very
.delicious vegetable may be had in great perfection during all the
winter and spring.

In such of the southern States as their winters are not more severe
than in England, they will stand in the open ground, and continue
to produce their fine flowers from October to April. In the middle,
and especially in the eastern States, if the seeds are sown early in
March on a hot-bed, and forwarded as is done with cauliflowers and
early cabbage plants, and planted out finally in April, it would be
the most certain method of obtaining large and early flowers. All
these kinds produce heads exactly like the cauliflower, only that some
are of a purple color, some green, some black, and the white kind so
exactly resembles the true cauliflower, as to be scarcely distinguished
therefrom, either in color or taste.

If any plants were raised in the preceding months, let some of
them be pricked out now into nursery beds, to get strength for plant-
ing out finally.

PEAS.

Continue to sow successional crops of peas every ten or twelve
days, as directed in pages 140 and 194, to which I refer you for in-
structions.

You may now sow the dwarf-sugar and the dwarf Spanish-peas;
they are both plentiful bearers, and do not require to be rodded, as
they never rise more than from twelve to eighteen inches high.
They are to be sown in drills two feet asunder, very thin, and covered
about two inches deep.

334 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

Bishop's dwarf pea is, perhaps, the most prolific and profitable of
the whole family ; it bears most abundantly, and is very delicious ; it
rises to the height of from two and a half to three feet, according to
the soil, and may, or may not be rodded, but if having some support,
the produce will be the greater.

The tall crooked sugar pea is particularly worthy of cultivation,
and should now be sown; its green pods, when young, are boiled like
kidney -beans, and are uncommonly sweet and delicious ; these grow
to a considerable height, and require rods from seven to eight feet
high, and to be sown in drills at least four feet asunder.

If you sowed no peas in the preceding months, the early frame, early
Warwick, and Charleton kinds should now be sown for first crops ; and
for succession, the Champion of England, or the dwarf marrowfat, and
blue imperial, and blue Prussian kinds. The Champion should be
planted in drills -at the distance of six feet at least, and be rodded or
sticked to the height of six feet or more, by which you may expect
very abundant crops. Rods from four to five feet high will answer
for the early frame and other kinds, and also for the pearl peas and
Essex-reading, all of which are very prolific bearers.

Draw earth to such rows of peas as are up and advanced a little in
height, which will strengthen the plants and forward them greatly in
their growth.

This earthing should always be performed, for the first time, when
the plants are about three or four inches high.

Be very particular to rod or place sticks to such rows of peas as
have attained the height of five or six inches ; if this is not timely
attended to, the crops will be greatly injured, for peas are never so
productive as when rodded before they begin to fall to either one side
or the other. For the method of doing which, see page 195.

PLANTING AND EARTHING UP BEANS.

In the early part of this month you may plant long-pod and
Windsor beans, with every other variety of that species. These are
always most productive when planted early ; but if you are desirous
of a succession of this kind of bean as long as possible, your late crops
must be of the early Mazagan, early Lisbon, or green Genoa kinds,
but more particularly the latter, as it bears our summer heat better
than any of the whole family. For particulars, see page 195.

Such beans as are advanced in growth to the height of four or five
inches must have some earth drawn up to their stems, which will
greatly refresh and strengthen them.

LETTUCES.

Transplant lettuces of every kind that require it, where they stand
too close ; both those of the winter standing or such as were sown
in any of the former months, and are now grown to a sufficient size.

Choose a spot of good ground for these plants, and if moderately
dunged it will prove beneficial to their growth; dig the ground
evenly one spade deep, and rake the surface smooth, then plant the

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 335

lettuces about ten or twelve inches distant each way ; water them
immediately, and repeat it occasionally in dry weather till they have
taken good root.

For the method of planting the kinds most deserving of cultiva-
tion, and other particulars, see page 196.

Continue to sow a variety of the best kinds of lettuce once every
two weeks, that there may be a regular succession. Dig a spot of
rich ground for them in an open situation, sow the seed even, not too
thick, and rake them in lightly. Scatter a few seeds among general
crops, and they will grow large and fine.

SMALL SALADING.

Sow small salading generally about once every week or fortnight ;
the sorts are lettuce, cresses, mustard, rape, radish, &c.

Dig a bed of light mellow earth for these seeds, and rake the sur-
face fine. Draw some flat, shallow drills, sow the seeds therein, each
kind separate, and cover them lightly with earth.

Water them moderately if the weather should be dry, which will
greatly promote their growth.

For more particulars respecting small salading, see pages 132 and
199.

RADISHES.

Thin the general crops of radishes where they have arisen too
thick, leaving the plants about two or three inches asunder, and
clear them from weeds.

Radish seed, both of the short-topped, salmon-colored, and white
and scarlet turnip sorts, should be sown at three different times this
month, by which means a constant supply of young radishes may be
obtained, allowing about twelve days between each time of sowing ;
choosing at this season an open situation for the seed ; sow it evenly
on the surface, cover, or rake it well in, and the plants will come up
in a few days, and be of proper size for drawing in three or four
weeks.

The crops of early radishes in general should be often watered in
dry weather ; this will promote their swelling freely, and will prevent
their growing hot and sticky.

Sow a thin sprinkling of radish-seed among other low-growing
crops ; such will generally be found very good.

Turnip-rooted radishes, of both the white and red kinds, should
now be sown, and treated as directed on page 198. Thin such of
them as were sown last month to two or three inches apart. You
may, likewise, sow some of the white Spanish radishes ; but the gene-
ral time for sowing that, and the black winter kind, is June, July,
and August.

SOWING SPINAGE.

Continue now to sow seed of the round-leaved spinage every ten
or twelve days, agreeably to the directions given on page 198, which

336 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

see. Hoe the spinage sowed in the former months, and thin the
plants to three, four, or five inches distance.

CARROTS AND PARSNEPS.

Carrots may now be sown for a full crop ; but in order to have
tolerable sized roots, in some reasonable time in summer, let the seed
be sown the beginning of the month.

Where, however, a supply of young carrots is required, it is pro-
per to perform three different sowings this month ; the first in the
beginning, the second about the middle, and the third towards the
latter end.

Parsneps may also be sown in the beginning or middle of this
month ; but if later, the crop will not succeed well, at least not to
have large swelling roots in full perfection.

For the method of sowing both carrots and parsneps, see page 199.

Note. — There are several varieties of the garden carrot ; differing
in the color of their roots ; such as the orange, white, yellow, and
dark red. These variations may be continued by taking care not to
mix them together in the same garden. There is another variety
called the horn-carrot, differing in the form of its root, the lower
part terminating in a round, abrupt manner, and not tapering off
gradually like the others ; this is the earliest sort, is of an orange
color, and very delicious; and should always be sown for a first crop.
The long orange carrot is the best for a principal crop. They all de-
light and thrive in a deep, rich, sandy loam.

CELERY.

The young celery plants, arising from the seed sown in February
or March for an early crop, will be fit to prick out now, some in the
beginning, and others towards the middle or latter end of the month,
into a nursery-bed of rich light earth, or in a hot-bed, to forward
them still more.

Prepare a spot of ground, form it into three or four feet wide beds,
and rake the surface smooth ; then thin out a quantity of the best
plants from the seed-bed, and plant them into the above, at about
three inches distance ; or you may prick some of the earliest into a
moderate hot-bed to forward them ; give a gentle watering, and re-
peat it occasionally till the plants have taken fresh root.

They should remain in these beds a month or five weeks, to get
strength before they are planted out finally into the trenches.

As these early sown plants, after they become fit for use, will not
continue long before they run up for seed, there should not be more
of them raised or planted out than are necessary for an early supply.

Sow some celery seed in the first or second week of this month, to
raise plants for a general cropj and to succeed those which were sown
in March.

Dig for this purpose a bed of rich light earth, and make the sur-
face even ; sow the seed thereon tolerably thick, and rake it in light-
ly ; in dry weather give frequent moderate watering, both before and

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 331

after the plants come up, which being very essential should not be
omitted.

The best kinds to sow are the white solid and red-stalked celery,
both of which are very fine and blanch delightfully.

Those who have not the convenience of a hot-bed, to raise early
plants, and wish to have celery as soon as possible, will find the fol-
lowing method of some importance. Make choice of a piece of very
rich, light loam, that lies well to the sun ; give it a good coat of ma-
nure, and dig it carefully in one spade deep at least ; then at the dis-
tance of four feet form trenches, north and south, about ten inches
deep, eight wide at bottom, and the edges sloping outward regularly
towards the centre of the ridges formed by the earth thrown up, the
better to admit the sun to the seeds and plants ; in the bottom of
these trenches lay three inches of very old horse-dung; cast over
this the same depth of earth, and with your spade dig and incorpo-
rate both well together; cover the whole with mould previously
made fine with the rake, and draw a shallow drill with your finger
in the centre of each trench, not more than a quarter of an inch
deep, in which sow your seed very thin, and draw the earth lightly
over it, just to cover the seed and no more. This should be done as
early in this, or the preceding month, as the ground can be got to
work freely.

When the plants are up they must be kept free from weeds, and
when grown a couple of inches, thinned to the distance of five from
one another, always leaving the strongest and most promising.

When about eight inches high draw to their roots, on each side,
three inches deep of mould, and let them grow on till of sufficient
size to earth them up for blanching ; then they are to be earthed in
the general way. Plants thus treated will arrive at perfection three
weeks earlier than those managed in the common method.

ASPARAGUS.

The forking, dressing, sowing, and planting of asparagus, if not
done last month, should be performed the first week in this, particu-
larly the forking and dressing; for the shoots will be advancing
rapidly, and if not done in time they will be greatly injured, either
by omitting it altogether, or performing it at an untimely season.
New plantations ought to be made in the early part of the month ;
the seed may be sown at any time therein, but the earlier the better.
For the methods of doing the whole, see pages 201, 202, and 203.

SOWING BEET SEED.

Beet of every kind may now be sown with good success. For
the kinds and methods of sowing them, see page 203.

SOWING ONION AND LEEK SEED.

Onion seed, if sown in the first week of this month, agreeably to
the directions given on page 204, will arrive at a tolerable size for
22

338 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

use the same season ; but if sown for the purpose of raising seed
onions, or small bulbs for planting next year, the middle of the month
will be the proper time, or even towards the latter end. Seeds for
the latter purpose should be sown pretty thick, and in poor gravelly
ground ; otherwise they will grow too large, or run to tops and not
bulb well. -V

You may now sow a principal crop of leeks, either in drills, or as
directed for onions on page 204 ; if in drills, they may be landed, as
you do celery, when arrived at full size ; or if in beds, they should
be transplanted in June or July, as then directed.

PLANTING SEED ONIONS.

All your seed onions ought to be planted, if not done in the pre-
ceding months, as early in this as possible; for they never succeed
so well as by early planting. (See page 205.)

GARLIC, ROCOMBOLE, SHALLOTS, AND CHIVES.

These useful culinary and medicinal plants, if not attended to in
the former months, should now be planted as early as possible, and
as directed on page 206.

TURNIPS.

You may sow any time this month, a full summer crop of the early
Dutch, early stone, or early green turnip; they will succeed very
well, and being of a quick growth, will arrive at good perfection
before they are overtaken by the violent summer heats.

Sow the seeds in open quarters or beds, after the ground has been
well dug and sufficiently manured, tolerably thin, and as evenly as
possible; if the ground is dry, tread down the seed regularly, and
rake it in with a light and even hand.

Hoe and thin the turnips which were sown last month, leaving the
plants six, seven, or eight inches distant from each other, according
to the richness of the soil.

SALSAFY,

Salsafy, or Tragopogon porrifolium, is a plant by some highly
valued for its white eatable root, which grows a foot or more long,
and in shape like a carrot or parsnip. Some have carried their fond-
ness for it so far as to call it a vegetable oyster. Its method of culti-
vation, &c., you will find on page 207 : the seed may be sown with
good success any time this month.

SCORZONERA, OR VIPER' S-GR ASS.

There are nineteen species of scorzonera described ; but the Scor-
zonera hispanica is that principally cultivated in gardens, for its
roots; which, if sown in this month in drills, and covered about half

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 339

an inch deep, will produce fine eatable roots for autumn and winter
use; they are boiled and eaten like carrots, &c., and are greatly
esteemed by many. When the plants are up, they must be thinned
to five or six inches apart, and be kept perfectly free from weeds.
They may also be sown broadcast, in three or four feet wide beds,
and, when up, thin them to six or seven inches distance every way.

SKIRRET.

The Sium sisarum, or skirret, is greatly esteemed as a garden
vegetable; its root is composed of several fleshy tubers, as large as a
man's finger, and joining together at top. They are eaten boiled,
and stewed with butter, pepper and salt ; or rolled in flour and fried ;
or else cold with oil and vinegar, being first boiled. They have
much of the taste and flavor of a parsnep, but a great deal more
palatable.

This plant is cultivated two ways ; first by seed, and second by
slips from the roots : the former method I think the more eligible,
because the roots which are raised from seeds generally grow larger
than those raised by slips, and are less subject to be sticky.

The seeds should be sown the latter end of March, or in the be-
ginning of this month, either broadcast or in drills ; the ground
should be light and moist, for in dry land the roots are generally
small, unless the season proves wet.

The seeds may be sown broadcast or in drills, and covered half an
inch deep ; they will rise in five or six weeks, when they must be
carefully weeded, and thinned to the distance of six inches asunder.
In autumn, when the leaves begin to decay, the roots will be fit for
use, and continue so till they begin to shoot in the spring. They
may be taken up on the approach of winter, and preserved like car-
rots.

To propagate this plant by offsets, dig up the old roots in spring,
before they begin to shoot, and slip off the side shoots, preserving an
eye or bud to each ; plant them in rows one foot asunder, and six
inches distant in the rows ; and in autumn they will be fit for use as
before. Or you may separate the roots that you have preserved all
winter, and plant them in the same manner.

SOWING COMMON AND LARGE-ROOTED OR HAMBURG PARSLEY.

Sow a full crop of the common and curled parsley ; and also of
the large-rooted parsley, as directed last month, on page 207.

SEA KALE.

If you have yet omitted sowing the Crambe maritima, or sea kale,
it may be sown the beginning of this month. For its general cul-
ture, see page 208, &c.

340 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

CORIANDER AND CHERVIL.

Coriander and chervil may yet be sown, as directed on page 208,
which see. The latter particularly, is by many esteemed in salads
and soups.

DRESSING, PLANTING, AND SOWING ARTICHOKES.

In the early part of this month, if omitted in the last, you may
give a spring dressing to your artichokes, and it will be a very pro-
per time to make new plantations of that delicious vegetable, or to
sow the seed of it. For full instructions as to the performance of
all the above, see pages 211, 212, &c.

CARDOONS AND ALEXANDERS.

Cardoons and Alexanders may yet be sown, as directed on page
214. For their further culture, see June and July.

PROPAGATING VARIOUS POT AND MEDICINAL HERBS.

For the various kinds of pot and medicinal herbs, and the different
methods of propagating them, either of which will answer extremely
well in this month, but more particularly that of sowing the seeds,
see page 215, &c.

DILL AND AZORIAN FENNEL.

For an account of, and the method of propagating Dill and Fino-
chio or Azorian fennel, see page 216.

HORSERADISH.

Horseradish may now be planted with good success, but the ear-
lier in the month that it is done, the better. For the method of pro-
pagating it, see page 217.

RHUBARB.

For the general culture of rhubarb, see page 219. The seed, if
neglected to be sown in the former months, will still succeed, by
sowing it in the early part of this, but the plants from late sowings
particularly, will require to be shaded, when up, from too powerful
sunshine, till they have attained strength.

In the first week of this month, it may be successfully propagated
by offsets from the root.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE.

Jerusalem artichokes may still be cultivated, as directed last month,
on page 222.

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 341

POTATOES.

If omitted in the last month, plant potatoes in the beginning of
this, as directed on page 217.

NASTURTIUM.

The Tropdeolum majus, or large nasturtium, is very deserving of
cultivation, as well on account of the beauty of its large and nume-
rous orange-colored flowers, as their excellence in salads, and their
use in garnishing dishes. The green berries or seeds of this plant,
which it produces abundantly, make one of the nicest pickles that
can possibly be conceived ; in the estimation of many, they are supe-
rior to capers.

There are, of the nasturtium, a major and minor kind; the former
being of a large running growth, and the most productive, is the
proper sort for the above purposes.

A drill may be drawn for them as practised for peas, and the seeds
dropped therein, at the distance of two or three inches from one
another, and covered with earth near an inch deep. When the
plants are grown about six inches, they should have sticks placed to
them to run upon. Or they may be sown near hedges, fences, or
palings of any kind, on which they can climb and have support, for
they will always be more productive in this way than when suffered
to trail on the ground.

LIQUORICE.

The early part of this month is a very good season, in the middle
States, for planting liquorice. For its general culture, see page

218, &c.

SOWING OKRA.

The Hibiscus esculenta, or okra. The green capsules of this plant
are an admirable ingredient in soups, and its ripe seeds, if burned and
ground like coffee, can scarcely be distinguished therefrom. Numbers
cultivate it for that purpose, and even say that it is much superior to
foreign coffee, particularly as it does not affect the nervous system
like the latter.

Between the middle or latter end of this month, is a proper time
to sow the seed in the middle States ; and in the eastern States, the
early part of May ; or generally, it may be sown, with certainty of
success, at the time that Indian corn is planted. Draw drills about
an inch deep and four feet asunder, into which drop the seeds at the
distance of eight inches from one another, or rather drop two or three
in each place, lest the one should not grow, and cover them near an
inch deep. As they advance in growth, earth them up two or three
times as you do peas, and they will produce abundantly. Some plant
or sow them much thinner in the rows; but by the above method
you will have more in quantity and as good in quality.

342 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

CAPSICUMS OR RED PEPPERS.

Sow capsicums towards the end of this month on a warm border,
to produce plants for planting out towards the latter end of May, or
beginning of June ; the large heart-shaped capsicum is in the greatest
estimation for pickling, but the small upright kinds are the strongest
for pepper : if they are desired at an early season, sow them on a
slight hot-bed the beginning of this month, and with due care they
will be fit to transplant, where they are to remain, towards the middle
of May. In the eastern States, the tenth of May will be soon enough
to sow them in the open ground, but in the southern States they may
be sown any time this month.

TOMATOES, OR LOVE APPLES.

The Solanum lycopersicum, tomato, or love apple, is much culti-
vated for its fruit, in soups and sauces, to which it imparts an agree-
able acid flavor; and is also stewed and dressed in various ways and
very much admired.

The seeds, may, towards the latter end of this month, be sown on
a warm border, pretty thick, and about the end of May will be fit to
plant out ; or they may be sown where intended to remain for fruit-
ing. They will require such support as directed for nasturtiums, on
page 341, and must be planted in rows five feet asunder, and a foot
or fourteen inches distant, plant from plant, as they run greatly.
Some lay various kinds of old branches in their way for them to run
upon ; however, the better they are supported, the more numerous
will their fruit be.

This fruit may be had much earlier by sowing the seeds in the
first week of this month, if not done in March, on a slight hot-bed,
and forwarding them in that way; they bear transplanting well, and
may be set out finally about the middle of May.

EGG-PLANT.

The Solanum melongena, or egg-plant. There are two varieties
of this plant, the white fruited and the purple, cultivated for culinary
purposes ; the latter kind is preferable, and when sliced and nicely
fried, approaches, both in taste and flavor, nearer to that of a very
nice fried oyster than perhaps any other plant.

This delicious vegetable may be propagated by sowing the seed on
a slight hot-bed the beginning of this month, or in March ; and
towards the middle or latter part of May, they should be planted in
a rich warm piece of ground, at the distance of two feet and a half
asunder every way for the purple, or two feet for the white kind ;
and if kept clean, and a little earth drawn up to their stems, when
about a foot high, they will produce plenty of fruit. Or, the seed
may be sown about the end of this month on a warm border, and
planted out finally in the beginning of June; but these will be rather
late, and not produce fruit so abundantly in the middle or eastern

APRIL] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 343

States, as by the former method. If any were sown last month, let
them be pricked out into a fresh hot-bed the middle of this, at the
distance of four or five inches, to gather strength, and prepare them
for planting out about the fifteenth or twentieth of May.

SOWING CUCUMBERS, SQUASHES, MUSK AND WATER-MELONS.

In the middle States where the ground is light, dry, and warm,
you may in the last week of this month sow cucumbers, squashes,
water-melons, and early musk-melons in the open ground, agreeably
to the directions given next month. If the weather proves favorable,
and they are not attacked by frost after being up, they will succeed
very well; but if you have hand or bell glasses for their protection,
there is no doubt of their success.

It is generally observed, that cucumbers, squashes, and melons of
every kind, may be sown in the open ground as early as Indian corn ;
but they are certainly somewhat more tender, and cannot be sown in
the middle States with great certainty of success before the eighth of
May.

KIDNEY-BEANS.

Towards the latter end of this month you may plant a first crop
of kidney-beans in the open ground. Select a warm, dry, and
favorably situated spot, and having dug and manured it properly,
draw drills an inch deep, and two feet or thirty inches asunder ; drop
the beans therein two inches apart, and draw the earth equally over
them ; do not cover them more than an inch deep, for at this early
time they are liable to rot if cold or wet ensue. The kinds proper
to be sown now, are the early cream-colored, speckled, yellow, and
white dwarfs.

ENDIVE.

Those who are fond of endive as a salad, may now sow some of
the seed, as directed in June, and blanch it when of sufficient size
in the manner prescribed in August. But in the early summer
months, lettuce has almost generally superseded the use of it.

SORREL.

Sow now a sufficient supply of the broad-leaved garden sorrel, and
also of the round-leaved or French sorrel; these, or either of them,
may be sown on narrow beds or borders and covered lightly or raked
in ; when the plants are up keep them free from weeds, and in June
you may transplant them either in rows along the borders, or into
three or four feet wide beds, at the distance of nine inches, plant
from plant, every way.

344 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [APRIL

GARDEN ORACHE.

The Atriplex hortensis, or garden orache, is cultivated for culinary
purposes, being used as spinage, and is by some persons preferred to
it. The French particularly are very partial to this plant. There
are three or four varieties of it, differing only in color ; one is of a
deep green, another of a dark purple, and a third with green leaves
and purple borders. The green-leaved variety, however, is that cul-
tivated as an esculent herb, and is sown at the same time and treated
in every respect like spinage.

CARAWAY.

The Carum carui, or common caraway, is a biennial plant : it pro-
duces its seed, which is highly aromatic and grateful to the stomach,
the second year after sowing, and then generally dies. It may now
be sown on a bed, either broadcast and raked in, or in drills, and
covered half an inch deep ; when up, thin the plants to six inches
distance, and in the June twelve months following, it will produce
its seed. Some of the plants that have not seeded abundantly will
continue to bear the second season. Young plants rise in abundance
where the seeds fall when ripe, and these will shoot and produce seed
the following summer.

DESTROY WEEDS.

Weeds will now begin to appear plentifully from seed in every part
of the garden. The utmost diligence should be used to destroy them
while they are young, before they get the start of the crops, espe-
cially towards the middle and latter end of the month, when, if a
forward season, they will be advancing in a rapid growth.

Pay particular regard, at this time, to your small crops, as onions,
carrots, parsneps, and the like ; weeds grow much quicker than they
do ; and if they are not weeded in time, either by small hoeing or hand-
weeding, such will occasion much labor and trouble to clear them,
and sometimes totally destroy the crops.

Take the opportunity of dry weather, and hoe the ground between
the rows of beans, peas, cabbages, cauliflowers, and other crops that
stand wide, to destroy the weeds.

A large piece of ground may soon be gone over with a hoe when
the weeds are small; but when they are permitted to grow large, it
requires double labor to destroy them.

IMPORTANCE OF WATER IN GARDENING.

The importance of water in gardening is too well understood to
require anything to be said to enforce it. The proper mode of in-
troducing it will depend upon the resources at hand and the means

APRIL]

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

345

of the owner. The hydraulic ram is now much employed, and is
found to be economical in its working; the reduced price of lead pipe

Fig. 31.

has resulted in a general introduction of this valuable invention long
confined to the wealthy only.

The accompanying figure, No. 31, represents an ornamental tower
containing a reservoir, and serving also as a prospect tower. It is

346

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

[APRIL

Fig. 32.

filled by two water rams; the pipes are
laid below the frost.

The water tower is eighteen feet square,
and forty-five high, placed upon a terrace
for beauty, and to gain elevation. Within
is a reservoir seven feet square and thirty-
four feet high, constructed in the strong-
est manner. From the bottom the water
is conducted in 2-inch iron pipes, three
and a half feet below the sod, and lateral
pipes of lead, varying in size to supply
hydrants for root culture, irrigation, the
cattle-yard, stable, garden, the house,
and fountains.

A useful and simple trough is repre-
sented by cut No. 32, which it will be
well to adopt in watering ground that has
a slight fall.

This simple trough may be six inches
wide, with sluiceways every few feet,
formed by pieces of the sides cut out
and turning on pivots in the centre,
which, when open, shut off the water
from further progress down the trough
by falling back against the side, and
allows it to escape through an opening
wherever it may be wanted.

For strawberry beds, and, indeed, all
plants that require much water, this sim-
ple contrivance, which may be varied in
many ways, will be found truly useful.

THE FEUIT GARDEN.

PLANTING FRUIT-TREES.

Such fruit-trees as are not yet burst into leaf may be transplanted
in the early part of the month, but any that are either in leaf or
flower will suffer considerably by such unseasonable removal. How-
ever, when late planting is from some cause unavoidable, and having
a previous knowledge thereof, it would, in that case, be highly proper
to take up the trees some time before, to check their shooting, and
lay them by the roots in a trench of earth till they can be planted.

APRIL] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 34t

Where such planting is intended in the middle States, let it be done
in the first week in the month, but in the eastern States it may be
continued to the second, particularly with apples, pears, and plums,
and even many other kinds, should the season prove late.

After planting, give each tree a plentiful watering, which will cause
the earth to settle close about its roots, and prepare them for pushing
fresh fibres ; repeat it once every week or ten days till the new roots
are established. For the method of planting, see the Fruit Garden
and Orchard in March.

New planted trees, in general, but particularly such as are planted
late in the spring, should be frequently watered in dry weather, once
a week or ten days will be sufficient. In doing this, give a copious
watering to reach the roots effectually, and let their heads be some-
times watered as well as their roots.

To preserve the earth moist about the roots of new planted trees,
let some mulch or half rotted litter be spread on the surface of the
ground ; this will keep out the effects of the sun and wind, and the
earth will retain a due moisture, with the assistance of a moderate
watering now and then.

DESTROY INSECTS ON FRUIT-TREES.

Insects often do much damage to fruit-trees if not prevented. This
is the time they begin to breed on the buds, leaves, and new advanc-
ing shoots of young trees, and also frequently on those of older
growth. Proper means should be used to destroy them in time,
before they spread over the general branches.

Where you perceive any of the leaves of these trees to have a
crumpled, deformed, clammy appearance, &c., it is a sign of insects,
notwithstanding it is sometimes produced by the extreme changes
from warm, to wet and cold. Let the worst of these leaves be taken
off as soon as they appear ; and if the ends of any of the young shoots
are also attacked, prune away such infected parts ; and if furnished
with a garden watering engine, it would be greatly serviceable there-
with to dash the branches with water in dry weather, which, and the
above precautions, if proceeded to in time will do a great deal in pre-
venting the mischief from spreading considerably.

Or where wall-trees are much infested, first pull off all the curled
or crumpled leaves, then get some tobacco-dust, or fine snuff, and scat-
ter some of it over all the branches, but most on those places where
the insects are troublesome. This should be strewed over the trees
in the morning when the twigs and leaves are wet, and let it remain.
It will greatly diminish the vermin, and not injure the leaves or
fruit.

But fruit-trees are also sometimes attacked by insects of the cater-
pillar tribe, contained numerously in a minute embryo state in small
webs deposited on the branches, &c. ; animated by the heat of the
weather they soon overrun and devour the young leaves, whereby
neither the trees nor fruit prosper in growth, and which should be
attended to, especially in young trees, by picking off the webs, &c.,
before the insects animate considerably ; and, if accommodated with

348 THE FEUIT GARDEN. [APRIL

a watering engine, as above suggested, you might play the water
strongly upon the trees, so as in the whole to diminish the increase
and spreading depredations of the vermin as much as possible.

PRUNING.

Pruning of all kinds of fruit-trees should be finished in the first
week of this month, if neglected so long, especially the forward blos-
soming kinds. (See page 223.)

PROTECTING THE BLOSSOMS, ETC., OP WALL TREES FROM FROST.

Your early kinds of fruit-trees, particularly those planted against
walls, may in forward seasons require protection for their blossoms
and young setting fruit from night frosts ; the doing of which will
be found of importance. (For the method, see page 219.)

Where the sheltering of these trees is practised, it should be con-
tinued occasionally all this month ; for although there are generally
some fine warm days and nights, yet the weather is so very uncer-
tain at this season that we often have such severe hard frosts as to
prove the destruction of the blossoms and young fruit on such of the
above trees as are very forward and fully exposed.

They may be protected with mats every cold night, and taken
down in the morning j if cuttings of evergreens are used as devised
last month, let them remain constantly till the fruit is past danger.

GENERAL SPRING TREATMENT OF FRUIT-TREES.

For the general spring management of fruit-trees, see the Fruit
Garden and Orchard, last month.

GRAFTING.

For the various methods of grafting, &c., see the Nursery for last
month, and also for this.

RASPBERRIES.

New plantations of raspberries may be made in the first week of
this month, but it would have been much better if that business had
been performed in the last, except in the eastern States, where it
may now be done with good success, as directed on page 231, which
see.

STRAWBERRY BEDS.

Strawberry beds should now be kept perfectly free from weeds.
The runners produced from the plants should be constantly cleared
away as they advance. But where new plantations are wanted, let
some of the strongest remain till June, to form young plants, then
to be transplanted, as directed in that month.

Water the beds of fruiting plants frequently in dry weather, when

APRIL] THE ORCHARD. — THE VINEYARD. 349

they begin to advance for bloom ; for if they are not supplied with
that article in a dry time, the fruit will be smaller and of less abun-
dant production ; observing to give the water between the plants, and
not over them. New plantations may be made in the first week of
this month. For the method, see pages 232, 233.

EARLY FRUITS IN FORCING.

Let the same care be taken of the early fruits of all kinds now in
forcing, as directed last month and February ; but be very particular
to give air in proportion to the increasing heat of the weather.

THE ORCHARD.

The orchard has been so fully treated of in the last month, be-
ginning at page 234, as well as in January and February, that there
is little to be said respecting it in this ; except to advise the comple-
tion of all that was directed to be done in the former, as early in
this as possible. Late planting of deciduous trees, whether fruit or
forest, seldom succeeds well, especially in warm climates ; and to
insure the best possible success everything should be attended to in
due season, but more particularly planting; for "time waits for no-
body." Apples and pears, however, may be planted with tolerable
success in the middle States, but more particularly in a backward
season, any time before the middle of April; though it is necessity
alone that could warrant their removal at so late a period.

Let it be observed, as a general rule, always to plant or transplant
your fruit-trees before a leaf expands, or a blossom appears ; it is
true that some plant later, but never with equal success.

The grafting of various kinds of fruit-trees, may be performed in
the early part of this month, as directed in the Nursery for March,
page 259, &c.

THE VINEYARD.

Vine cuttings, preserved since the time of pruning, as directed on
page 256, may yet be planted in the method pointed out on page
258 ; and all the other work, directed to be done in the vineyard in
March, should now be finished as early as possible. Rooted plants
may also be planted out into rows at proper distances, but the earlier
in the month the better.

If neglected last month, you must early in this, before the buds
begin to shoot, either plough, dig, or deeply hoe the ground between
the vines. This is indispensable ; the surface must always be kept
loose, clean, and free from weeds, or the consequence will be the

350 THE NUESERY. [APRIL

having of few fruit, and these of a bad and insipid quality. Keep-
ing the earth loose and pulverized by frequent working, will cause it
to attract the dews, imbibe the rains freely, when such occur, and
consequently to be constantly stored with a sufficient supply of nour-
ishment for the plants and fruit; and moreover, the reflection of the
sun from the clean surface, will dry and dissipate the damps that
would otherwise cause the fruit to become mildewed, and render its
quality crude and insipid.

In looking over the vines about the end of the month, observe to
displace such young shoots or prominent buds as appear useless, or
promise to be injurious to those intended for bearing fruit. Many
small weakly shoots generally arise from the old stocks or branches,
that seldom produce fruit, and are supernumerary ; such should be
rubbed off close, except in places where a supply of new wood or
shoots for next year's bearing are wanted ; in which case a suitable
number should be carefully preserved. This operation ought, at this
time, to be performed with the finger and thumb, nipping or rubbing
them off close to where produced.

Where two shoots arise from one bud, take the worst away, the
remaining one will grow stronger, and its fruit be numerous and large
in proportion.

The vines should now have stakes placed to them, such as are di-
rected to be made on page 60, and any old or decayed poles replaced
with new, if not done in the former months, in order to tie and train
the young advancing shoots thereto.

Any very long shoots of the last year, left upon strong and estab-
lished stocks, for fruiting more abundantly, as directed before, may,
about the first of this month, when the sap has arisen, and the
shoots become pliant, be bent round the stake, in the form of a hoop,
and made fast thereto with a willow twig, &c. ; by this method it will
break out into fruit more abundantly, and produce a less luxuriancy
of wood than if left in the ordinary way ; but it must be bent gently,
so as not to crack the bark, lest it should bleed and be weakened
thereby, or become totally abortive.

THE NURSERY.

As it is my plan to avoid repetitions as much as possible, in order
to make room for more important matter, and having gone pretty
extensively into the nursery business in March, I must refer you to
that month for general instructions respecting the culture of trees
and shrubs. You will there find the various methods and proper
periods for grafting ; the modes of raising, planting, and training all
sorts of live hedges ; the different ways of cultivating various kinds
of shrubby plants, forest and fruit-trees, by layers, suckers, cuttings,
seeds, &c., a repetition of which, in this place, would only swell the
book to no purpose.

APRIL] THE NURSERY. 351

Let it, however, be observed, that the sowing of all kinds of tree
and shrub seeds (except those that have had a year's previous pre-
paration), and also grafting, may successfully be practised in the
middle States in the early part of this month, and in the 'eastern
States till near the latter end thereof; and that the earlier in the
month such can be done, provided the ground is in good condition,
and the weather favorable, the better. Propagation by layers, suck-
ers, and cuttings, may also be practised in the early part of this
month, both in the middle and eastern States, and indeed in the lat-
ter, it is the most eligible season for the performance of that work.

TRANSPLANTING.

All hardy evergreen trees and shrubs, seedling and others, may be
taken up and transplanted in the first week of this month (earlier in
the southern States, and not much later in the eastern), with great
certainty of success.

Pines and firs of all kinds may now be removed. Likewise
cedars, junipers, kalmias, and rhododendrons ; pyracanthas, hollies,
evergreen oaks and yews; and also alaternuses, phillyreas, arbor-
vitses and evergreen privet, with many others.

The seedlings are to be planted as directed in Marclij the others as
on page 814, and immediately after, they should have a good water-
ing to settle the earth about their roots. Likewise, any deciduous
shrubs and trees of the late shooting kinds may yet be transplanted,
if done early in the month.

CARE OF NEW PLANTED TREES AND SHRUBS.

Water the new plantations of evergreens and flowering shrubs,
&c., but in particular those which were lately planted out from the
seed-beds. Three times a week will be sufficient for these ; and for
those deciduous kinds that have been transplanted in autumn or early
in spring, once a week will do ; always observing, during this month,
to give the water very early in the morning.

NEW GRAFTED TREES.

Examine the new grafted trees, the clay is sometimes apt to fall
off or crack, so as to admit air and wet to the grafts.

"When that is the case, the old clay must be taken entirely off, and
immediately apply some more that is fresh and well wrought : let this
be closed in every part, so that neither air nor wet can enter.

Where there are any shoots produced from the stocks below the
grafts rub them off close ; for these, if permitted to grow, would starve
the young shoots : be careful also to eradicate all root suckers.

BUDDED TREES.

Budded trees should also be looked over about this time, for those
that were worked last summer will now be making their first shoots,
and therefore demand some attention.

352 THE NURSERY. [APRIL

The first shoots from the inoculated buds are, in some seasons, apt
to be attacked by insects or blights ; and these, if not prevented,
will injure them greatly, and sometimes entirely spoil them; but by
timely attention, it may be, in a great measure, prevented : where the
ends of the young shoots appear crumpled, and the leaves curled, let
them be carefully taken off, for they are full of small insects. By
this practice the vermin may be prevented from spreading farther.

Likewise observe, that all shoots which put out from the stock,
except the proper inserted bud, must be rubbed off constantly as they
are produced, that its whole efforts may go to the support of the bud-
shoots only.

THE MANAGEMENT OF SEED-BEDS.

Water occasionally the seed-beds of all kinds of trees and shrubs
in dry weather: this must be practised both before and after the
plants begin to appear.

Observe at all times to water these beds with moderation ; a little
and often must be the rule. Likewise be very careful not to apply
the water over hastily at any time, for that would be apt to wash the
earth away from the seed, and also from the young plants now begin-
ning to come up : be particularly careful as to the more tender and
delicate sorts : generally let the refreshments of water be repeated
moderately once every two days in warm dry weather, which will be
of great service to all kinds of seedling plants.

Shade will also prove very beneficial in the middle of hot sunny
days, to many of the choice kinds of seedling-trees and shrubs, about
the time of their first appearing, and for some time after.

These young plants may be shaded from the sun occasionally, by
fixing hoops across the beds, then let mats, canvas or the like, be
drawn over the hoops as often as occasion requires.

Where there are boxes, pots, or tubs of seedling plants, let them
be placed in a shady situation, about the middle, or towards the latter
end of this month, where they may have the morning and afternoon
sun only, carefully protecting them from its mid-day influence.

All beds of seedling trees and shrubs whatever, must be kept per-
fectly clean from weeds. This should be carefully attended to, for
the weeds are of much quicker growth than the young seedling plants,
and would soon get the start of them if permitted to stand. There-
fore, let such as soon as they appear in the beds be pricked out before
they get to any great head, performing it by a very careful hand-
weeding.

HOEING AND WEEDING.

Hoe and destroy weeds between the rows of young trees ; they will
now arise abundantly from seeds, but by applying the hoe to them
while young, they may be very expeditiously destroyed. Choose dry
weather, let the hoe be sharp, take advantage of the weeds while they
are small, and cut them up clean within the ground.

There is nothing like destroying weeds in due time, for when they

APRIL] THE NURSERY. 353

are suffered to grow large, they are extremely hurtful to all young
trees and shrubs, and in particular to those plants which are not far
advanced in their growth ; besides, if suffered to ripen and shed their
seeds these lay the foundation of a world of trouble afterwards, which
might be avoided by timely exertions and care.

GRAFTING HOLLIES, ETC.

Graft hollies with cuttings of the variegated kinds. The first fort-
night in this month is the proper time to perform that work, in the
middle States.

The common green holly is the proper stock to graft the variegated
kinds upon, and the stocks for this purpose must not be less than three
or four years7 growth from the seed ; but those of five or six answer
perfectly well.

Get some cuttings or grafts of the best variegated kinds ; they
must be shoots of the last summer's growth. Let them be grafted
with exactness, according to the general method of whip-grafting.
(See page 263.)

Likewise graft any other curious varieties of trees, on stocks of
their own kinds.

But in most fruit-trees and other deciduous kinds, where any graft-
ing remains to be done; no time should be omitted in forwarding it
early in the month.

INARCHING.

Inarching may be performed now on evergreens, and on any kinds
of trees or shrubs that you desire to propagate that way.

This method of grafting is principally intended for those kinds
which are not easily raised by common grafting or budding, or by
seeds, layers, or cuttings, or any of the other general methods.

The evergreen kinds may be inarched towards the end of this
month, but deciduous sorts generally succeed best when done about
the middle of it. For the method, see page 267.

23

354

THE PLEASURE, OR

[APRIL

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

HANGING VASES.

Those who study the ornamental will not omit the use of hanging
vases, which may be placed in rooms, windows, and piazzas, to the

great beautifying of the

Fig. 33. scene. In general, the

plants for growth should
be selected from those
whose branches hang down
gracefully, and are suffi-
ciently vigorous to cover
the vase. Ivy, carefully
cultivated, forms an admi-
rable plant for the house,
as it bears a fire heat bet-
ter than most. The fol-
lowing are also eminently
suitable : Petunia, Nurein-
bergia gracilis, Torenia
ariatica, mesembryanthum,
Pentas carnea, heliotropi-

um Peruvianum, verbenas, maurandia Barclayana, lycopodium, tro-
paeolum, hoya, &c. &c.

CHOICE HYACINTHS.

The earlier sorts of hyacinths will begin to open and -show color
in the beginning of this month ; it will be proper to screen the finer
sorts from the too powerful effects of the sun, which, if not prevented,
would bleach and tarnish their colors, particularly the reds and deep
blues, but if they are properly defended from it, their colors will be
preserved, and they will, in some measure, be kept back so as to be
in full bloom with the later sorts, especially if the roots of the early
kinds have been planted about an inch deeper than the rest : it is a
very desirable object in a grand display of this delightful flower to
have a uniform bloom.

It will be necessary to support the stems as they advance in height;
for this purpose small sticks or wires, painted green, should be forced
into the ground immediately behind the bulbs, either in an erect
position or leaning a little backwards, to which the stems are to be
rather loosely tied with small pieces of green worsted as soon as they
begin to bend, or are in danger of being borne down by the weight
of their bells ;* this operation must be repeated as they advance in
height, for it is impossible to do it at one time, so as to answer the
purpose. When the greater part of the bed appears in color, a
covering or awning should be erected over it, and the walk to be in

* The Florist's usual name for the corolla of the hyacinth.

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 355

front : for the support of the awning, a strong frame of wood should
be erected, ten feet high in the centre, and seven feet at each side,
and covered with strong sheeting, which will keep out the rain and
admit a tolerable degree of light ; it should come down close to the
bed on the north side, in order to preserve it from cold winds, which
are prejudicial to the bloom.

The covering ought to be so constructed by means of lines and pul-
leys, as to be easily and expeditiously rolled up or let down, as occa-
sion requires, to afford the plants the full benefit of light and air at
all favorable opportunities ; that is to say, when the air is mild, and
light clouds intervene, so as to blunt the sun's rays.

A bed of hyacinths never requires to be watered at any period ;
the rains that happen after planting are generally more than sufficient
both for the roots and bloom; and after the bloom is over, they are
rather prejudicial than otherwise, except when very moderate.

Although covering in the manner described presents and exhibits
the bloom to the greatest advantage, yet it evidently has a tendency
to weaken and injure the bulbs, and ought not, therefore, to be con-
tinued more than two or three weeks at most ; but as soon as the
general bloom declines, the bed should be immediately exposed to
the open air, and the hoops replaced as before, that mats may be laid
on occasionally for protecting the beds from heavy torrents of rain,
which would prevent the bulbs from ripening well, and render them
very subject to decay after having been taken up.

The common hyacinths in open beds and borders, will require no
other care at this time than to support their flower stems, as directed
above, without which they will generally fall down, and much of
their beauty be lost.

The stem should be strong, tall, and erect, supporting numerous
large bells, each suspended by a short and strong peduncle, or foot-
stalk, in a horizontal position, so that the whole may have a compact
pyramidal form, with the crown or uppermost bell, perfectly erect.

The bells should be large and very double ; that is, well filled with
broad bold petals, appearing to the eye rather convex than flat or
hollow : they should occupy about one-half the length of the stem.

The colors should be clear and bright, whether plain red, white,
or blue, or variously intermixed or diversified in the eye ; the latter,
it must be confessed, gives additional lustre and elegance to this
beautiful flower.

Strong bright colors are, in general, preferred to such as are pale;
there are, however, many rose-colored, pure white, and light blue
hyacinths, in high estimation.

Observations. — Some sorts consist of petals of different colors,
such as light reds, with deep red eyes ; whites, with rosy, blue, pur-
ple, or yellow eyes ; light blues, with deep blue or purple eyes; and
yellow, with purple in the eye, &c. Others again have their petals
striped or marked down the centre with a paler or deeper color, which
has a pleasing effect.

356 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

It sometimes happens, and with some sorts more frequently than
others, that two stems are produced from the same root, one is gene-
rally considerably taller than the other; when this is the case, the
weaker may be cut off near the ground soon after it makes its ap-
pearance, or suffered to bloom, and its bells be intermixed with the
lower ones of the taller stem, so dexterously as to appear like one
regular pyramid of bells.

TULIPS.

Towards the end of this month, some of your choice tulips will
begin to show color ; they should, when the greater part of the blos-
soms begin to open, be shaded from the sun, in the same manner as
directed for your elegant hyacinths ; for, when its heat is considera-
ble, it will cause the colors to run and intermix in such a manner as
to destroy the elegance and beauty of the flowers; some sorts are
more particularly liable to this than others, and will be spoiled in
five minutes.

The awning should be always kept rolled up, or totally off, except
when the sun is powerful ; for if kept too long, or too closely covered,
the colors of the flowers would become faint and weak, and the gran-
deur of effect would be lost or considerably lessened.

Strong winds are extremely injurious to tulips when in flower, by
dashing them against one another, and thereby bruising their petals,
from the effects of which they must be guarded by letting down the
awning at such times quite to the ground on the windy side ; a line
of bass mats sewed together, and their upper edge nailed to the frame
on that side, may answer the purpose, if the cloth is not of sufficient
length.

Tulips never require to be artificially watered in the hottest and
driest seasons, at any period from planting to taking up the roots ;
nevertheless, moderate rains will be very beneficial to them in spring,
and cause them to produce a strong bloom ; after flowering, too much
wet is very prejudicial to the roots. Immediately after the flowers
are on the decline, the bed must be fully exposed to the open air.

Lines of small twine, painted green, should pass from one end of the
bed to the other, corresponding with the rows of flowers, fastened at
the ends and middle to nice painted sticks placed therein for that
purpose; to these the stems of the flowers are to be loosely tied with
short pieces of green worsted, which will preserve a pleasing regu-
larity of appearance, without stiffness and formality. The covering
may be continued at the necessary intervals for three weeks with
safety, but continuing it too long will injure them.

When vacancies occur in the beds by the decay of some roots which
might look awkward, you may immerse the lower end of the stems
of flowers from other quarters, in phials filled with water, and sunk
into the bed, so as not to appear above ground; these will continue
in bloom, when shaded, for several days, and may be replaced with
others, which will fill those vacancies and make a tolerable appearance.

Common tulips will require no other care in the borders, &c., than
keeping them free from weeds.

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 35 7

RANUNCULUSES.

April showers, and frequent rains in May, are essentially necessary
to the growth and vigor of ranunculuses : if these fail, soft water must
be administered in sufficient quantities between the rows, by means
of a common watering pot, with a long tube or spout held low, so
as not to wash the earth into holes : for it is better to avoid watering
the plants themselves, as it might chill them too much, and stagnate
their juices, and has a tendency to rot the crowns. The consequences
of omitting to water, when necessary, are these, viz : The plants will
make little progress; the blossom buds of the strongest will be small,
and the weaker plants will not bloom at all ; the grass or foliage will
put on a sickly yellowish appearance, from which it will not recover
during the season; and lastly, the roots when taken up will be small
and lean.

But such kinds of watering, however necessary, are by no means
so salutary to these, or any other flowers or plants, as fine warm,
natural showers; as they can neither be so equally dispensed, nor are
the plants naturally disposed to receive them when the atmosphere
is dry ; because their pores and fibres are contracted, and they are,
as it were, in the expectancy of dry weather.

Since it is evident that artificial waterings are, in all respects, so
much inferior to natural, it is, therefore, better to wait a day or two,
in hopes of a change of weather, than to be too hasty in affording
these succors, although the plants may appear to suffer for the mo-
ment by the omission; for if such a change should fortunately take
place, they will receive infinitely more benefit from it than when both
themselves and the soil are already saturated or replenished with
water, not so congenial to vegetation as that ordained by nature for
the purpose. (For their further treatment, see the Flower Garden
in May.)

ANEMONES.

The beds of anemones, for the present, will require exactly the
same treatment as the ranunculuses ; therefore it is not necessary to
say more in this place respecting them.

AURICULAS.

The auriculas, towards the middle of this month, will be advanc-
ing in their flower stems. If any plant is possessed of more than
one or two principal stems, it is advisable to pinch off the pips or
flower buds of the smallest and weakest, in order to render the blos-
soms of the remaining larger and more vigorous than they would be
if this was omitted to be done in due time.

When the pips become turgid, and begin to expand, they must be
preserved from rain; nor should the early plants be suffered to remain
in a situation exposed to cold winds ; on the contrary, they ought to
be selected from the rest, and removed to a shady corner, where they
should have hand-glasses suspended over them, or placed on brick-

358 THE PLEASURE, OE [APRIL

bats or the like to admit air, and yet preserve the expanding bloom
from rain.

The farina or mealy dust which overspreads and ornaments the
surface of those flowers, contributes exceedingly to their lustre and
beauty; this must therefore be preserved upon them ; the least shower
of rain would easily wash it off; it is also liable to be blown away by
the winds ; and the sun, if permitted to shine freely on the flowers,
would occasion them soon to fade.

Therefore, where it is required to have the more curious or choice
varieties to blow in the best perfection, the pots containing the plants
should, according as the flowers begin to open, be immediately re-
moved and placed on the shelves of the auricula stage or where the
flowers may be protected occasionally from such weather as would
deface the bloom. The stand or stage should have from three to five
ranges of shelves, in proportion to the number of pots, about six
inches wide, rising theatre-like, one above another, from the front ;
having the back generally placed against a shady wall, pale, or other
building; it must be constantly covered at top, water-tight, sloping
to the back part ; but the front and ends should only be covered occa-
sionally by having some canvas or mats fastened thereto by way of
curtain, so contrived that it may be readily let down and drawn up at
pleasure; which, when the air is very sharp, or in high winds, or
driving rains, must be let down to shelter the flowers; but when the
weather is mild and calm, let the front and ends be constantly open.
Or this may also be used occasionally to shade the flowers from the
sun, where it has access in the heat of the day; observing, however,
generally, not to let the screen remain longer than is necessary for
the defence of the bloom.

Regular waterings should be given during the time the plants are
on the stage; examine them once every day to see where water is
wanted, and let such pots as stand in need of that article be imme-
diately supplied with it. In doing this suffer no water to fall on the
flowers, for that would wash off the afore-mentioned farinaceous bloom,
and greatly deface their beauty.

The waterings should be moderate and frequent; for these plants
being rather of a succulent nature cannot bear too much without
material injury.

Keep the surface of the pots perfectly neat, free from weeds and
every sort of litter ; suffer no decayed leaves to remain on the plants,
but let such, as soon as they appear, be taken off.

By thus placing your auricula pots on a covered stage, it not only
preserves the flowers much longer in beauty, but you also more readily
view them, and they show themselves to much greater advantage than
when placed on the ground.

The shelves and back of the stage should be painted black, or of
some dark color, by way of contrast to the white eyes, &c,, of the
flowers ; and if a large looking-glass be placed at each end of the stage,
the effect produced will be very pleasing, by apparently lengthening
the stage each way as far as the eye can reach.

A row of fine polyanthuses in pots may likewise be introduced on

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 359

the auricula stage ; it will add to the variety and form a pleasing con-
trast.

The tallest flowering auriculas should stand on the most distant
shelf, and the shortest in front; those stems which are weak and
bend, ought to be supported with small wires fixed in the earth be-
hind them, so as not to be easily discerned. If the root of the stage
is covered with glass, it will be an additional advantage to the plants.

COMPOST FOR AURICULAS.

The compost proper for auriculas, should consist of the following
ingredients in the annexed proportions, viz :— -

One-half rotten cow-dung, two years old.

One-sixth fresh sound earth of an open texture.

One-eighth earth of rotten leaves.

One-twelfth coarse sea or river sand.

One-twelfth moory earth.

One twenty-fourth ashes of burned vegetables.
These ingredients should be well incorporated, and placed in an
open situation, perfectly exposed to the action of the sun and air; it
should be laid in a regular heap or mass from fifteen to eighteen
inches thick, and turned frequently : in this state it should remain a
year or six months, turning it once every two months, and keeping
it always free from weeds : before it is used it should be passed
through a coarse screen, to free it from stones, &c., and to incorpo-
rate it more effectually.

NEW POTTING AURICULAS, AND INCREASING THEM BY SLIPS.

The most advisable time to transplant, or to slip auriculas, or as
it is usually termed, to pot them, is immediately or very soon after
their bloom is over ; and this should be repeated annually, for it pre-
serves the health and constitution of the plants, by affording them a
fresh supply of nourishment, and affords an opportunity of curtailing
the fibres if grown too long, or if any are decayed and mouldy j or
of cutting off the lower part of the main root, if in a rotting or de-
cayed state, which is frequently the case. By this treatment, the
plants are brought into a state of action and fresh vegetation, which
will cause a continued circulation of the juices during the summer.

The pots should be hard baked, and for blooming plants, ought to
be seven inches in diameter at top, four and a half at bottom, and
about seven deep; but smaller plants and offsets should have shal-
lower pots, and of a proportionate size, and very large plants must
have pots in proportion. These before being used, if new, should be
immersed in water for five or six hours or more.

In potting or transplanting auriculas, the plant ought to be care-
fully turned out of the former pot, and the earth shaken from its
fibres, which should be trimmed if found long and numerous, and
also any part of the old main root that appears in a sickly or de-
cayed state must be cut clean out, whether on the lower part or side ;
and if near the leaves, a cement should be immediately applied, con-

360 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

sisting of beeswax and pitch, in equal quantities, melted together
and laid on when soft, but not hot, to make it adhere more firmly.
Place a hollow oyster shell, or the like, over the hole in the bottom
of each pot, with the convex side upwards, and then more than half
fill it with the compost; let it be higher in the middle than at the
sides : the plant is next to be placed thereon, with its fibres regularly
distributed all around, and the pot filled up, adding a little coarse
sand close around the stem of the plant, on the surface ; the bottom
of the pot should then be gently struck two or three times against
the ground, in order to close the earth about the roots, this will
cause it to sink about half an* inch below the top of the pot, which
will prevent the loss of water when administered.

N. B. The true depth to plant an auricula, is within about half an
inch of the bottom of its lowest or outside leaves.

Any offsets that have formed one or more fibres, of an inch or two
in length, may be slipped off the old plant, and replanted around the
sides of large pots, or singly in small ones, filled with the same com-
post ; and if hand-glasses are placed over them, such will cause their
fibres to grow more rapidly ; but they ought not to be long continued
on, lest the plants should be drawn and weakened thereby.

After potting, give each plant a little water, and place the pots in
a shaded situation, where they may have the morning sun till ten
o'clock, and the afternoon from four or five, but by no means under
the drip of trees ; there they are to remain till October, taking care
to keep them regularly watered, and free from weeds. The pots may
or may not be plunged in the earth, but in the latter case they will
require more attendance. Those who wish to grow auriculas and
polyanthuses without all the trouble of potting, may do so by plant-
ing eight inches apart, in the fall, in a common garden-frame, and
after blooming, plant them out in an open but shaded situation.

CARE OP SEEDLING AURICULAS.

Seedling auriculas which were sown last autumn or this spring,
now demand attention ; these plants when newly come up, or while
quite young, must be carefully protected from the full sun in the
heat of the day, and frequently refreshed with water.

The boxes or tubs in which they are growing should be removed
to a shady border, toward the latter end of this month or beginning
of next ; the place should be open to the morning sun till about nine
o'clock, but shaded the rest of the day, and the plants watered fre-
quently in dry weather. As soon as any of them appear with six
leaves, such should be carefully taken out from the rest and planted
in pots or boxes filled with compost, about two inches asunder ; and
if grown by the beginning of August so large as to touch each other,
they may then be transplanted into separate small pots, to remain
all winter.

POLYANTHUSES.

Polyanthuses blow at the same time, and the fine kinds require
nearly the same treatment as auriculas, both with respect to soil and

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 361

situation ; they are, like the latter, very impatient of heat and drought,
and agree with a much greater portion of moisture ; they are fond of
shade, and will not succeed well when exposed to our summer heats,
in a warm situation ; at least so as to blow, even in tolerable perfec-
tion, the ensuing season.

The fine kinds may be grown in the same sized pots, and in the
same compost, as auriculas, with the addition of more loam ; and the
common or more indifferent sorts may be planted in cool shady beds
or borders, being tolerably hardy, and having more to fear from the
summer heats than the winter frosts.

Their propagation is by slips and seed, at the same time and in the
same manner as directed for auriculas.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTIES OF A FINE POLYANTHUS.

Its properties are, in most respects, similar to those of a fine au-
ricula; that is, the stem, peduncles, or footstalks, and formation of
the bunch or truss; therefore, a description of its pips or corollas
only remains to be given in this place.

The tube of the corolla, above the calyx, should be short, well
filled with the anthers or summits of the stamens, and terminate
fluted rather above the eye.

The eye should be round, of a bright clear yellow, and distinct
from the ground color ; the proportion as in the auricula throughout
the flower.

The ground color is most admired when shaded with a light and
dark rich crimson, resembling velvet, with one mark or stripe in the
centre of each division of the rim, bold and distinct from the edging
down to the eye, where it should terminate in a fine point.

The pips should be large, quite flat, and as round as may be con-
sistent with their beautiful figure, which is circular, excepting those
small indentures between each division of the rim which divide it
into several heart-like segments.

The edging should resemble a bright gold lace, bold, clear, and
distinct, and so nearly of the same color of the eye and stripes as
scarcely to be distinguished ; in short, the polyanthus should possess
a graceful elegance of form, a richness of coloring and symmetry of
parts not to be found united in any other flower.

Fine double primroses are cultivated by offsets, in the same way
and at the same time as polyanthuses, and require similar care and
management in pots; they are somewhat more tender, and conse-
quently must be treated accordingly.

CARNATIONS.

If you have omitted the potting or transplanting of carnations last
month where necessary, let it be done in this, as early as possible,
agreeably to the rules laid down on page 309.

Keep the pots perfectly free from weeds, and the plants from de-
cayed leaves, and let the earth on the surface be stirred if it binds
hard, for this will encourage the plants to shoot, and will also give

362 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

an air of neatness. Water the pots in warm weather, for they will
require a little every second day, or oftener, if the season proves dry,
which should not be omitted, otherwise the plants will shoot weakly,
and produce but slender flower-stalks.

When the flower-stalks have advanced, let them be supported as
directed in May.

Carnations may yet be finally planted into the borders or beds
where intended to flower, but that should be done in the beginning
of the month, removing them with balls, and watering them as soon
as planted.

MANAGEMENT OF POTS OF PERENNIAL PLANTS IN GENERAL.

Give fresh earth to such pots of perennial plants as were not
dressed and new earthed in March. For the method of doing which,
see page 311.

The plants will receive great benefit from this dressing ; and where
it was not done in that month, it should not be put off longer than
the beginning of this.

If you have plants of any kind in small pots, that require to be
shifted into larger, it may be performed early in the month j in doing
of which, turn each plant out of the former pot with the ball of
earth entire ; trim the outside roots and pare away some of the old
earth ; having fresh mould or compost, replant it into a larger pot,
filling the deficiency with new earth, and give some water immedi-
ately.

Be very particular in dry weather to supply all your plants with
a sufficiency of water ; this is a material article, and should not be
omitted. Water should be always given as often as the earth begins
to appear dry in the pots, as there is no other general rule by which
it can be administered.

PINKS.

Pinks may yet be transplanted, slipped, and managed as directed
in March , pages 312, 313, but it will be necessary to do this as early
in the month as possible.

TENDER ANNUALS.

Such tender annuals as you have in an advanced state, are to be
managed as directed on page 312 ; always observing to give them
more and more air, in proportion to the increasing heat of the wea-
ther, and shade to the young and weakly plants from the mid-day sun,
when too powerful. As they advance in growth, it will be necessary
to raise the frames, in order to give them full liberty to shoot, clos-
ing the vacancy below if thought necessary.

But where there is the convenience either of drawing-frame or glass
case, for the purpose of drawing the tall growing tri-colors and other
curious annual plants, it may be effected to greater advantage.

The drawing-frame is either composed of two, three, or more dif-

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 363

ferent frames, all of the same length and breadth, and each about
nine or ten inches deep, except the upper glass frame, which should
be ten inches deep in front, and eighteen at the back ; being all of
equal dimensions in width and length, made in a very exact manner,
to fit one on the top of another, appearing as but one frame when
thus joined, and are to be made use of in the following manner: —

Begin first with the deepest frame ; then, when the plants have
reached the glasses, let the said frame be taken up, and in its place
set one of the others, and immediately fix the deepest frame upon
that, as above ; and then, when they have filled that space, let an-
other frame be added, observing, as above, to let the deepest or slop-
ing frame be always placed uppermost in order to receive the glasses.

The glass-cases for this purpose are generally made about six,
seven, or eight feet wide, and as long as may be convenient; the
height should be five or six feet in front, and seven or eight in the
back.

The front ought to be of glass sashes, perfectly upright, and facing
the south; the back may be either of wood or brick, and both ends
of the same materials, but if of glass, the better ; and the top must
also be of glass sashes, sloping from the back to the front.

Within this, a hot-bed is to be made, for which a pit must be
formed nearly the whole length, raised by brick-work or planking
above the floor, having the whole about two feet and a half deep,
and from four to five or six feet wide : this is to be filled with hot
dung or tanner's bark, carrying it up a few inches higher than the
top of the pit, to allow for settling ; and if a dung-bed, lay earth or
tan-bark at top five or six inches thick.

The pots are to be placed upon this, plunging them to their rims
in earth, as before mentioned ; but if the bed be made of tan, plunge
them therein, having no occasion for earth upon such beds.

In this frame or glass case, let the plants have fresh air daily, and
give sufficient supplies of water, and towards the latter end of May
they will be advanced to a large size, and may be removed in their
pots into any principal compartment in the pleasure-ground, &c., or
placed among the green-house plants.

When tender or curious annuals have .been omitted to be sown in
the former months, a slight hot-bed may be made for them in the
beginning of this, to forward them as much as possible. The seeds
are to be sown as directed on page 169.

SOWING ANNUAL FLOWER SEEDS.

All the varieties of annual flower-seeds that are capable of bear-
ing the open air, and of arriving at perfection in our climates, may
now be sown with good success. In the early part of the month,
you may sow the following kinds with many others too tedious to
mention in this place, viz : alkekengi, China aster in sorts, Molda-
vian-baum, belvidere or summer cypress, candy-tuft in sorts, LobeFs-
catchfly, cyanus in sorts, flos-adonis, bladder-ketmia, heart's-ease,
convolvulus tri-color, larkspurs in sorts, lavatera in sorts, and lu-
pins of every kind; dwarf lychnis, curled, oriental, and Peruvian

364 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

mallows, nigellas, roma nettle, sweet, Tangier, and winged peas, an-
nual and ten-week stocks, strawberry spinage, persicaria, sunflower,
and Venus' s looking-glass; snails, horns, hedge-hogs, caterpillars and
horseshoes; Venus' s navelwort, purple and yellow hawk weed; Cas-
sia chamsechrista, polygala sanguinea and silene in sorts, &c. &c.
About the middle of the month you may sow sweet alyson, love lies
bleeding, prince's feathers, mignonette, tree and spike amaranthus ;
cock's-combs, cape marigold, bastard saffron, and honey-wort ; sweet
sultan, China hollyhock, and China pinks; marvel of Peru, nolana,
palma christi, annual snapdragon, zennia and xeranthemum, &c., and
in the last ten days of the month, you may sow either of the pre-
ceding, and also the following kinds, viz : white, purple, and striped
globe amaranthus, tri-color amaranthus, double balsams and martynia
annua; browallia, scarlet ipomoea, capsicums in sorts, serpent cu-
cumber and squirting cucumber, white and purple egg-plant ; cleome,
purple, white, and dwarf dolichos, with many other kinds.* The
whole of the preceding sorts may be sown in small patches in the
borders, interspersing the kinds, so as to form a well assorted variety
and a long succession of bloom. If to be sown in patches, observe
the directions given for sowing hardy annual /lower seeds, on page
166, &c., which will now be perfectly applicable to these. Such as
you wish to sow in small beds for transplanting, let them be sown as
directed for perennial and biennial flower seeds, on page 365, ob-
serving always to give each kind a depth of covering in proportion
to the size of the seed.

Let the beds or patches be frequently watered in dry weather, both
before and after the plants appear ; and when they have been up a
few weeks, let all the large growing kinds be thinned where they
have risen too thick, observing to transplant into other places where
wanted some of the best you pull up of the kinds that succeed in
that way. Thin the others as directed in May, &c.

Any of the smaller growing kinds, such as mignonette, ten-week
stock, browallia, sensitive plant, ice plant, &c., may be sown in pots,
and if duly watered and kept clean will arrive at good perfection;
but the last two will require the protection of glasses for some time.

SOWING CARNATION AND PINK SEEDS.

Carnation and pink seeds may be sown any time this month. As
it is from seed that all new varieties are obtained, you should sow
some every year ; and if you have but one good variety from each
sowing, there can be no reason to complain, as this may afterwards
be abundantly propagated by layers or slips. The fine double kinds
seldom ripen seed, but semi-doubles do very plentifully. From the
seeds of the latter, especially when growing near the finest varieties,
you may expect some good and perhaps valuable flowers. For this
purpose prepare a small bed of good rich ground, sow the seeds on

* This list contains most of the old and beautiful annual flowers, many
of. which are now seldom seen. The newer discoveries have in a great
measure displaced them, without in all cases, being any improvement.

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 365

the surface tolerably thick, each sort separate, and sift over them
about a quarter of an inch of fine light earth. If the weather should
prove dry, water the beds occasionally ; the plants will soon rise,
after which it will be necessary to keep them free from weeds and
refresh them now and then with a little water. For their further
management, see the work of the following months.

SOWING PERENNIAL AND BIENNIAL FLOWER-SEEDS.

You may now with good success sow the seeds of most kinds of
perennial and biennial fibrous-rooted flowers that prosper in the open
ground, such as those mentioned last month on page 313, together
with monk's-hood, nettle-leaved campanala, lobelias, phloxes, double
soapwort, sneezewort, goat's-rue, and red garden valerian ; crimson
monarda, Chinese ixia, verbascums, night-smelling rocket, and aletris
or star-root ; asclepiases of various sorts ; calceolarias, Maryland
cassia, clinopodiums and coreopsises ] dracocephalums, galega virgi-
nica, gerardias, cucubalis, hedysarums and huecheras; hibiscuses,
liatrises, oenotheras and podalyrias ; penstemons, rudbeckias, saxi-
fragas and silphiums; solidagoes, spigelias, spiraeas, chelone, tril-
liums and veronicas, with many other kinds.

These seeds may either be sown on borders or on three or four
feet wide beds of rich earth, and covered evenly with fine light earth,
the largest not more than from half to three-quarters of an inch deep,
and the smallest from an eighth to a quarter of an inch.

But in sowing these or any other kinds you may draw shallow
drills, proportioning the depth to the size of the seeds, and sow them
therein, drawing the earth lightly over them, observing that it is
much better to cover too light than too deep, for if covered shallow
they will vegetate when moist weather ensues, but if overly deep
never. Or you may practise the following method : first, rake the
surface of the bed smooth, and with the back of a rake or a common
trowel draw or push off the fine top mould, either into the alleys or
the divisions intended to be left between each kind, and to a depth
in proportion to the size of the seed intended to be sown in each
space, then sow it on the surface, and cast the drawn-off earth evenly
over it, after which pick or rake away the lumps with a fine rake,
and pat the surface lightly and smooth with the back of the trowel.

Should dry weather ensue, it will be necessary to sprinkle the beds
frequently with water, both before and after the plants appear, and
to be very particular in keeping them free from weeds. Some of the
more delicate kinds when up may not be able to bear the mid-day
sun whilst young, and will consequently appear in a declining state.
These must be shaded and protected from its influence by occasional
coverings of mats until they have established their roots and obtained
sufficient strength to withstand its force.

PLANTING AND PROPAGATING PERENNIAL FLOWERING PLANTS.

In the early part of this month you may continue to remove and
transplant most sorts of fibrous and tuberous-rooted perennial flower-

366 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

ing plants, and to slip and increase many of them by offsets. The
following, together with those mentioned on page 314, may yet be
removed with good success, that is, such of them as have not pre-
viously begun to shoot flower-stems, viz., dracocephalums of various
kinds, but particularly the virginicum and dentatum, which are very
beautiful ; penstemons, podalyrias, gentianas in sorts, hibiscuses in
great varieties, cypripedums and phloxes, monardas, coreopsises,
sisyrinchiums and gerardias, aletrises, aconites, ranunculus, aconiti-
folius, dictamnuses, and dodecatheon, ineadia, galega virginica, he-
dysarums, hemerocallises, napsea, peeonia, saponaria, silphiums and
rhexias, with many others. A great number of the above kinds may
now be taken up out of the woods and fields and transplanted into
the flower-borders and pleasure-grounds, which will keep up a regular
succession of bloom during the whole summer and autumn.

Let the plants be taken up carefully with balls of earth about their
roots, and planted where necessary; then water them, and repeat it
in dry weather, till they begin to grow freely : they will flower gene-
rally the same year, and those that are truly perennial will continue
to reward your labors annually with a new display of their beauty
as long as you deserve that compliment, by rendering them a foster-
ing care.

Here again would I call attention to the necessity of introducing
into our gardens and pleasure grounds, a variety of our beautiful field
flowers, and not to suffer those departments to appear desolated in
the autumnal months, whilst nature displays a profusion of its glory
in the fields, woods, meadows, and swamps ; but in doing this, let it
be observed to give each kind a soil and situation as nearly similar to
that in which it grew in its wild state as the nature and extent of
your ground will admit. (See pages 91 and 92.)

Note. On pages 74, 87, you will find general designs, both ancient
and modern, for laying out pleasure grounds, flower gardens, and all
kinds of ornamental planting, to which I refer you.

DOUBLE DAISIES.

Double daisies may now be propagated abundantly by dividing and
slipping the roots; but these should be planted in shady borders, or
rather in shallow frames, where they can be protected from the too
powerful influence of the summer sun, which would absolutely destroy
them if left to its mercy. These frames will also be convenient for
the laying of boards and mats over them, for the winter protection of
the plants, without which most of them would perish. They may be
either planted in small pots sunk in the earth, or in rows in the beds,
ten inches asunder, and plant from plant six inches distant in the row.
Water them immediately and give them shade for a few days.

PLANTING DECIDUOUS FLOWERING AND ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS.

Such deciduous kinds of trees and shrubs as are yet to be removed,
should be transplanted in the first week or ten days of the month in

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 361

the middle States, and not delayed longer in the eastern States than
the fifteenth. (For the various kinds and methods of planting them,
see page 314.)

PROPAGATING FLOWERING SHRUBS AND EVERGREENS.

For the methods of propagating all kinds of hardy flowering shrubs
and evergreens, see the Nursery in March ; and also the work of the
Nursery in this month, June and July, &c.

PLANTING EVERGREENS.

Every kind of hardy evergreen trees and shrubs may be removed
in the beginning of this month, with the best possible success; but
the earlier the better. (See page 351.)

Neither the English broad-leaved laurel, Portugal laurel, sweet bay,
laurustinus, arbutus or strawberry-tree, nor the evergreen cypress can
withstand the severity of the winter frosts in the middle or eastern
States, with very few exceptions, in the former ; and, therefore, must
in these places be treated as green-house plants. In most parts of
the southern States they succeed extremely well ; but all kinds of
trees and shrubs will there require to be planted much earlier in the
season.

In transplanting large evergreens, if the plants can be conveniently
taken up, and brought with balls of earth about their roots, it should
be done, placing them in the holes with the balls entire; or pre-
viously pour some water into each hole, and with your spade let it
and the earth be worked up together, then plant the roots in the pap,
and fill the earth in about them, tread it down gently around the
stem, and form it in a little hollow at top, in order to retain about
the roots any water that may afterwards be given when necessary.

Such as are not treated in this way must have a plentiful watering
immediately after being planted, to settle and close the earth about
the roots; and if some mulch is laid on the surface around each plant
it will be very serviceable in preventing the sun and wind from dry-
ing the earth too fast.

Stakes should be immediately placed to such as require them,
firmly fixed in the ground, and the plants tied thereto.

368

THE PLEASURE, OR

[APRIL

PLANTING ROSES.

Roses of every sort may still be planted with great success. (But
for some remarks worthy of attention, see the article on page 316.)
A well cultivated pot-rose should present the healthy appearance here
figured.

Fig. 34.

PLANTING EDGINGS.

There is no plant that makes so neat and permanent an edging
as box; it may be planted, for that purpose, in the first week of this

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 369

month, but if slips or cuttings are to be used, they will require very
frequent waterings till they throw out and establish fibres or young
roots. Rooted plants, however, or slips with the roots attached to
theni, will succeed well in the early part of the month, if watered
occasionally. (For the method of planting and forming box edgings,
see page 316.)

Thyme, hyssop, winter savory and lavender are sometimes planted
for edgings ; but these grow rather out of compass or get stubby and
naked by close clipping.

Pinks may likewise be occasionally planted for edgings, and will
grow in tolerably close order for a year or two, and produce abund-
ance of flowers.

Thrift, if neatly planted, makes handsome edgings to borders or
flower-beds, both in its evergreen property and as a pretty flowering
plant in summer. This may be planted either in a close edging as
directed for a box, or with a dibble, setting the plants near enough
to touch one another, so as at once to form a tolerable close row, or,
however, not above two or three inches apart, giving occasional
waterings for a week or two if necessary.

London-pride, that is, the Saxifraga umbrosa, will make a very
neat edging, and is to be planted as directed for thrift.

Double daisies are made use of in many parts of Europe for edgings,
and form very neat ones ; but they are not able to bear £he heat of
our summers, which seldom fail to destroy them when fully exposed
thereto; nor can they survive, without some slight protection, the
severe winters of the middle and eastern States.

Any of our Sisyrincliiums, but particularly the mucronatum, will
make beautiful edgings; they keep blowing a long time, look very
gay, and may now be propagated by parting their roots and planting
them as directed for thrift. They are indigenous, and bear our sum-
mers and winters well.

Strawberries may be occasionally used to make edgings for large
walks, and answer the double purpose of pleasure and profit.

Where box-edgings want trimming, it should now be done, although
this is not the general season for clipping them; but notwithstand-
ing, when they appear in need of it, let them be handsomely dressed
with a pair of garden shears, which will add much to their neatness.

The sisyrinchium will bear trimming extremely well, and continue
to produce flower-stems and flowers notwithstanding.

Where any of the above edgings have, for want of care, grown
into rude disorder, they should be taken up, slipped, or divided, and
replanted in a close regular manner.

TUBEROSES.

To have this fragrant flower in tolerable early perfection you may,
about the first of this month, or any time in March, plant a few roots
in pots of light rich mould, one in each, first stripping off the offsets,
for if these are left on they will draw away a considerable part of
the nourishment, whereby the bloom will be greatly weakened. The
upper part of the roots, when planted in pots, should only be covered
24

3TO THE PLEASURE, OB [APRIL

about a quarter of an inch deep. Immediately plunge the pots to
their rims in a hot-bed, and give but very little water, if any, until
the plants are up and growing freely; but afterwards they will re-
quire a good supply. As the weather gets warm, give them plenty
of air, and also sufficient head-room, till the middle of May ; then
place them where designed to flower, first tying the advancing stems
to small green painted sticks to prevent their being dashed about by
the winds.

The time for planting these roots in the open ground is, in the
southern States, between the first and twentieth of this month ; the
more northerly, the later ; in the middle States, the last week in
April or first ten days of May ; and in the eastern States, between
the fifteenth and twentieth of May.

Prepare for them beds of rich sandy loam, which, being well
trenched or dug, divest the roots of all the larger offsets, or of the
whole, if the flowers are the exclusive objects, and plant them in
rows one foot asunder and eight inches distant from one another
therein, making small drills for their reception, and covering their
crowns or upper parts about an inch or an inch and a half deep
with fine loose earth. They will require no further care but to keep
them free from weeds, and to support their flower-stems till Novem-
ber, when tjie roots are to be taken up and managed as then directed,
except to cut off the stems after the bloom is over. The offsets are
to be planted in like manner, but somewhat closer, to produce blow-
ing roots for the ensuing season, as the old ones seldom flower well
the second year, though they will increase abundantly.

SCARLET AMARYLLIS.

Its management and season of planting are in every particular the
same as directed for the tuberose ; it flowers generally in about a
month after its being planted, and its bulbs do not ripen sufficiently
for taking up before November. It is increased by offsets from the
roots, which are to be treated as those of the tuberose. In order to
have a succession of the flowers, you may in the middle States plant
some of their roots in the open ground, once a week, from the twen-
tieth of April to the middle of June. And if the roots are strong
and are preserved in saw-dust or the like, they will keep good and
blow well, even when planted at that late period. However, the
roots will not be so strong the ensuing season, nor the increase so
numerous, as if they had been planted in due time.

These can be made to flower during any of the winter months, by
planting some of the strongest bulbs, which were taken up in No-
vember and kept dry till the time of planting, in pots of light good
earth, and plunging them into the bark-pit in the hot-house, or into
a good hot-bed : in a month or five weeks after, or sooner, if the heat
be regular and brisk, they will produce their very admirable flowers.

APRIL]

FLOWER GARDEN.

3U

GERANIUMS, MYRTLES, BALM OF GILEAD, ETC.

For the methods of cultivating the above, and other green-house
plants, see the article green-house, in this month, and in March.

TRANSPLANTERS.

Dibbers and trowels are well-known instruments for the removal
of plants of various kinds. In using the pointed or semicircular
trowel, the young plants may be taken up with a considerable ball of
earth attached to the roots, while they suffer no injury by the pro-
cess. A more perfect mode of transplanting by the use of the
trowel, is that by taking two of these, one in each hand, thrusting
them down on opposite sides of the plant, at the same time drawing
the handles slightly outwards ; the faces of the trowels are thus made
to collapse so much as to press the soil about the roots, and enable
the operator to take the plant, with ball entire, from the seed-bed to
its destination, and to place it in its new abode without the least
check to its growth. We have figured several transplanters, which
have been employed for such plants as the brassicse, &c. Fig. 35
is called Saul's transplanter. It may be thus described : the blades

Fig. 35,

Fig. 36.

Fig. 37.

Fig. 38.

are opened by pressing the lever a toward the handle, when they
open outwards, and in this state are thrust into the ground, having
the plant within them ; a counter-pressure causes them to collapse
and embrace the ball firmly, and, in this state, the instrument being
drawn upwards, brings with it the plant and ball entire ; it is then
taken to its new place, when the handle is again pressed inwards,

372 THE PLEASURE, OR [APRIL

and the blades open and are withdrawn, leaving the ball to be filled
around with earth.

Fig. 36 shows a modification of the above instrument, wherein
the blades are opened by moving the slider a upwards, and when
thrust down around the plant, the blades collapse by pressing the
slider downwards. The operation, afterwards, is the same as in Fig.
35.

Upon the same principle, but with much more mechanical inge-
nuity, is McGlashan's transplanter, Fig. 37, constructed, which is
admirably adapted to such operations. These three collapse upon
the ball firmly — and not only that, by their construction they em-
brace it tighter at the bottom than at top, rendering it next to im-
possible that the ball should be extracted, and, also, that it cannot
slip out afterwards until relieved by the removal of the pressure upon
it. All these transplanters are merely modifications of Fig. 38, long
used in France for similar purposes. Its principle will be readily
seen by the figure. The handles, a a, are pulled outwards when the
blades are thrust into the ground. They are pressed inwards when
the operation of lifting upwards is desired.

GRAVEL WALKS.

New gravel walks may be made any time this month ; in the mak-
ing of which, be very particular in the choice of good and suitable
gravel ; as to color, you must be governed by fancy and convenience,
but as to quality, it should be coarse and lively, containing a due
proportion of light sandy loam to make it bind close and firm at all
seasons ; but not so redundant in loam or clay as to stick to the feet
in wet weather, nor so sandy, as to become open and loose in dry
weather. As to the dimensions and distribution of gravel walks,
see page 77, &c. Agreeably to the designs there laid down, or to
any other fancy of your own, stake out the width of the walk, and
proceed to level the boundary on each side, corresponding to the ad-
jacent ground, and form the cavity of the walk for the reception of
the gravel, observing that the whole space, to make a permanent and
good walk, should be dug ten or twelve inches deep, to allow for a
proper depth of gravel, both to prevent weeds rising from the ground
below, and worms from casting up the earth therefrom ; and also to
allow a proper depth for turning the gravel occasionally, when the
surface becomes foul : the earth dug out from the cavity of the walk,
may be used to raise and level any hollow parts on each side, or con-
tiguously situated, which, with the edgings, if of box, should always
be completed before you begin to lay the gravel.

The walks being thus laid out, you may first lay any stony rub-
bish, such as brick-bats, small stones, &c., for several inches deep in
the bottom, which will greatly obstruct worm casts, drain off any
extra moisture, and thereby prevent the surface from becoming mossy
or foul : the proper gravel is then to be laid on six or eight inches
thick ; and as you proceed in laying, observe to rake off the coarse
parts into the bottom and to raise the middle of the walk higher
than the sides in a gradual rounding form, just as much and no more

APRIL] FLOWER GARDEN. 313

as is sufficient to carry off the wet to each side. The proportion to
be observed is, a walk of four feet wide should be one inch and a
half higher in the middle than at the sides, and for every foot after
that such increases in width, add to this a quarter of an inch for the
centre elevation. Rounding the walk too much would make it very
uneasy to walk on, and of an unpleasing appearance. Never lay
more in one day than you can finish off and roll effectually.

Gravel walks should now, if not done in March, be broken up and
turned ; for such turnings will not only destroy weeds and moss, but
will render them much more agreeable to walk on ; besides, the fresh
and lively surface will be sightly and pleasing.

Before you begin to turn the gravel, the edges of the walks, if of
grass, should be first neatly dressed with an edging iron, such as de-
scribed on page 90 ; or, if planted with box, they ought to be hand-
somely trimmed with garden shears; any borders near the walks
should be neatly dug, and the surface raked smooth; for when the
edges and borders are put in proper order they add much to the
general neatness. Proceed then to dig the walk five or six inches
deep, or whatever depth the fine gravel will admit of, turning the
surface clean to the bottom, and the fresh gravel below to the top,
rounding and dressing the walk neatly after you, and rolling the
whole effectually when done.

In turning or laying down gravel walks, always choose dry wea-
ther, and let the work be done in the most complete order, as these
contribute very materially to the beauty of the whole garden.

Roll the walks once a week regularly after being either turned or
new laid ; such will render them firm and neat, and also greatly pre-
vent the growth of weeds. It is a general rule among neat garden-
ers, who are allowed sufficient help, to roll and sweep the gravel
walks every Saturday. During the summer it is of much advantage
to give a good rolling after rain, which will preserve a compact
smooth surface.

GRASS- WALKS AND LAWNS.

Grass- walks and lawns may yet be laid in the middle and eastern
States, if done in the beginning of this month; but if delayed till
the weather becomes dry, it will scorch the turf and render the sur-
face disagreeable. For the method of laying and making them, see
page 317.

The grass-walks and lawns should be well rolled in the early part
of the month ; and afterwards, as the grass advances in growth, it
should be mowed as often as the scythe can lay hold of it, for this
is a season in which most people delight to walk out; consequently
the walks ought to be kept in good order. Besides, were this neg-
lected in spring, the grass would become coarse and rank, and be
some time before it could be restored to its proper texture.

Always mow this short grass when wet either by dew or rain, other-
wise it will be impossible to cut it close or even. (For the general
care of grass- walks and laws, see page 89.)

The edges of all your lawns and grass-walks should now be neatly

374 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [APRIL

cut with an edging iron, if omitted in last month; but this should
be particularly done to those edgings next to gravel walks always
before the gravel is turned or newly laid on, and afterwards occa-
sionally.

STICKING AND TRIMMING FLOWER PLANTS.

Examine all the beds and borders, and place convenient sticks to
such advancing plants as require support; tying them neatly thereto,
which should be repeated occasionally as they progress in growth.
Let them be made or cut in proportion to the usual height of each
respective kind, for it is awkward to see a tall stick set for the support
of a plant of humble growth.

WEEDS.

"Weeds of every kind, both from roots and seeds, will now make
rapid progress; particular care must be taken to keep the beds and
borders free from them, as on this, in a great measure, depends much
of your success and the beauty of your improvements.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

GIVING AIR TO THE PLANTS.

Many of the green-house plants will now begin to shoot freely,
therefore it will be necessary to give as much air as possible, consist-
ent with their safety. Open the windows every morning when the
weather is mild and calm, and let them continue so till the cold of
the afternoon begins to increase, provided that the air continues mode-
rately warm all the time. Too much confinement at this season, espe-
cially towards the end of the month, when the heat of the weather
increases, would do infinite injury to the plants in general, but espe-
cially to the early shooting kinds ; for if drawn up weakly in the
house, they would not be in so good a condition to bear a removal
into the open air in the early part of next month, as if their vegeta-
tion had been retarded by the admission of a due and salutary circu-
lation of air in the house at all favorable opportunities.

WATERING.

The plants will now require frequent waterings, giving only a little
at a time; but especially the oranges, lemons, myrtles, oleanders,
African heaths, jasmins, coronillas, justicias, arbutus, laurustinus,
and most of the woody kinds; and also the herbaceous green-house
exotics will require to be occasionally refreshed with moderate
waterings.

Let all of the plants, in general, be often looked over, to see where

APRIL} THE GREEN-HOUSE. 3f 5

water is wanted, and let such as need it be supplied therewith accord-
ing to their respective necessities, for it is now an indispensable article.
But moderation and discretion ought to be observed in the dispensing
of it, especially while the plants are in the house, and particularly
to the succulent tribe. The latter, such as aloes, agaves, euphorbias,
cactuses, crassulas, stapelias, mesembryanthemums, &c.4 being natu-
rally replete with moisture, do not require much water; to those and
other plants of the same nature, it should be given only when the
earth in the pots appears very dry, as too much would rot them.

SHIFTING PLANTS INTO LARGER POTS AND TUBS.

Such of your plants as require to be shifted into larger pots or
tubs may now be brought out in a mild warm day, and taken out of
the pots or tubs in which they have stood, with the balls of earth
entire about their roots; then cut away such roots on the outside as
are rotted or appear dry or decayed, and also some of the earth around
the ball.*

Having good sound fresh earth in readiness, put some into each
new pot or tub, previously placing a hollow oyster shell or such like,
with the concave side under, over each hole in the bottoms; over this
put an inch or two, according to the size of the plant, of small lumps
of charcoal or broken crocks ; then set each plant, with its ball of
earth prepared and dressed as above, into the middle of the pot or
tub, and fill it with fresh compost, so as that the new earth may cover
the crowns of the roots an inch deeper than before.

According as the plants are thus potted, let them be immediately
watered and returned to their places in the green-house, administer-
ing the water occasionally afterwards, as their respective necessities
may require.

FRESH EARTHING THE PLANTS.

Such of the plants as do not require shifting into larger pots, &c.,
should be refreshed with new earth, as directed on page 323 ; after
which, give them a moderate watering and replace them in the green-
house as before.

TRIMMING AND CLEANING THE PLANTS.

Where any decayed, straggling, or ill-placed branches appear, either
cut them off close, or prune them, so as to give the plants a neat and
becoming form. .

Pick off all decayed leaves as they appear, and suffer no weeds
of any kind to grow in the pots ; keep them free from moss, &c., by
stirring the surface earth frequently; wash and clean the floor of

* When the roots are healthy, it is "best not to remove any of them, even
though they be matted, and always let the ball of earth be moist before
being removed into a larger pot, else, it remains dry, as the water, given
afterwards, runs down amongst the new soil without penetrating to the
centre.

376 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [APRIL

the green-house, and let everything in and about it appear neat and
lively.

When any large-leaved kinds have contracted foulness, wash them,
one by one, with a sponge dipped in soft water ; the small-leaved
sorts may be taken out of the house, in a warm day, and water poured
over them out of a watering pot, which will not only wash off the
dust but greatly refresh them; then replace them as before.

HEADING DOWN SHRUBBY PLANTS.

Myrtles, oranges, lemons, geraniums, and several other woody
plants that have got into a bad state of health, may now be headed
down ; observing that any of the budded kinds should not be cut off
below where they were worked, except in cases of absolute necessity,
that is, when the wood is either dead so far, or in such a state that
no hopes remain of its producing new shoots — under such circum-
stances you may head them down to the fresh wood.

By this means they will put out plenty of strong shoots, near, or
from the stems, and form full regular heads in two or three months.

Shifting, or fresh earthing the plants, as above directed, will be
necessary upon this occasion, and in the case of unhealthy roots, they
should be cut away to the sound parts, and the plants placed in smaller
pots than those they previously occupied.

INARCHING.

Towards the latter part of this month you may inarch oranges,
lemons, citrons, limes, shaddocks, pomegranates, and almost every
other kind of shrubby plants, agreeably to the directions given on
page 267.

By way of curiosity, or as required, you may inarch a branch of
an orange or lemon-tree, that has young fruit on it, on one end of
the common seedling stocks : it will be well united by the end of
August, when it may be separated from the mother plant, in a full
bearing state.

SOWING SEEDS OF GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS, ETC.

As early in this month as possible, sow the seeds of geraniums,
myrtles, oleanders, coronillas, lemons, oranges, balm of Gilead, aloes,
cannas, buddleias, and cactuses; callicarpa, caparis, celcias, mimosas,
mesembryanthemums, centaureas and chrysocomas ; cinerarias, cis-
tuses, coluteas, cyclamens, dolichoses, ericas and euphorbias ; ferra-
rias, gardenias, genistas, heliotropiums, indigoferas and lyciums;
melias, melianthuses, oleas, passifloras, solanums, proteas, salvias,
silenes, spartiums, teucriums, yuccas and xeranthemums, with many
others. For the method of sowing them see page 323. Many kinds
will not vegetate for two, three, four or six months, and some not
sooner than twelve ; therefore attend the pots carefully, and your pa-
tience and trouble will be ultimately rewarded.

APRIL] THE HOT-HOUSE. 371

PROPAGATING GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS BY CUTTINGS, SUCKERS AND
LAYERSj ETC.

There are few shrubby plants but may be propagated by layers ;
these should be laid in the pots or tubs, agreeably to the methods
directed on page 300.

Suckers may now be taken off where they appear, and be planted
in separate pots, or several small ones in the same pot.

The far greater number of all the green-house plants may now be
plentifully propagated by cuttings or slips; such as laurustinus,
myrtles, geraniums, balm of Gilead, and all the fuchsias, jasmines,
gardenias, hydrangeas, English and Portugal laurels ; oleanders, pas-
sion-flowers, justicias, lagerstrcemia, heliotropiums, coronillas and
melianthuses; acuba, and camellia japonica, buddleias, solanums, teu-
criums, proteas, and salvias, with almost every other kind, if planted
in hot-beds, and carefully shaded and watered. Such as do not root
freely should have bell-glasses placed over them in the hot-bed till
rooted ; this is the most effectual way to insure the growth of many
hard-wooded kinds.

The roots of herbaceous kinds may now be separated and planted
in different pots for increase ; the succulent kinds may also be pro-
pagated by slips, cuttings, and suckers, such as cactuses, stapelias,
mesembryanthemums, &c. The succulent sorts should not be planted
for a. few days after having been taken off, that the wounds may
heal ; during which time, they may lie on a shelf in the green-
house, and when fit, plant them in pots of good sandy earth.

The young orange and lemon stocks, raised last year for budding,
should now, if not done before, be planted into separate and suitable
sized pots ; and if then plunged in a hot-bed till they have taken
fresh root, it will greatly promote their growth. Some of the strong-
est will probably be of sufficient size to bud in August, and all of
them at that time twelve months.

CAPE BULBS.

Many of the cape bulbs, mentioned on page 175, will be now in
flower ; they should all be kept in the front parts of the green-house,
and have plenty of air, without which they will spindle up and never
show either strong or brilliant flowers ; such as are in blow, how-
ever, are, when the sun shines too powerfully on them, to be, for the
moment, removed out of its rays, or it will facilitate their decline.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

PINE APPLES.

In this month it will be easy to distinguish which of the pines
are likely to produce the best fruit : this is not always common to

378 THE HOT- HOUSE. [APRIL

the largest plants. A few of the most promising being marked, a
small iron rod, made with a sharp angular point, may be thrust down
the centre of each sucker arising therefrom, which being turned two
or three times around, will drill out the heart and prevent its growth.
Thus the plants being sufficiently supplied with water, and having
nothing to support but the fruit, will sometimes grow amazingly
large. But this method is not to be practised on too many plants,
as it would be attended with the entire loss of all the suckers.

WATERING THE PINES.

In the West Indies, where pines grow to the greatest perfection,
rains are very unfrequent during the period that this fruit is coming
to maturity j but the dews are remarkably heavy, therefore it is
principally supplied with moisture from the latter, in imitation of
which you should raise artificial dews in the hot-house by watering
the walks and flues frequently in dry weather. This will be found
extremely beneficial, not only to the pine-apple but to all other plants
which are natives of similar climates, and by this management they
will require much less water than they otherwise would. However,
regular waterings, taking care to give but little at a time, just to keep
the earth moderately moist, will be necessary.

TOP AND BOTTOM HEAT.

Continue to support the requisite heat in the hot-house by aid of
moderate evening fires and a constant good heat in the bark-bed ; the
fruiting plants in particular will require this. If the bark was not
turned and fresh tan added thereto in March it should be done in
the first week of this mouth, as there directed ; but if then attended
to there is no necessity for it now, as the pit will yet continue to be
in excellent order.

ADMITTING AIR.

Air should now be admitted in proportion to the increasing heat
of the season. A great deal depends on this article, for without due
attention to its utility and great influence on the plants they may, if
deprived of a sufficiency, be soon rendered of little value.

Every warm sunny day, when the wind is not cold, let some of
the glasses or lights be opened a little way, and more in proportion
to the heat of the day ; but this should not be done before nine or
ten o'clock in the morning, and they ought to be continued open
longer than while the air in the house keeps up to a proper degree
of warmth.

Towards the end of the month you will find that a sufficiency of
air cannot be admitted by the upright glasses, therefore it will be
very necessary to have your roof-lights constructed so as to slide up
and down by means of pulleys. Seventy or seventy-two degrees of
Fahrenheit will be a good medium for sun-heat, but always when it
rises above that give abundance of air j and in the early part of the

APRIL] THE HOT-HOUSE. 3f 9

month this is done with more safety by sliding open a sufficient
number of the roof-lights.

SUCCESSION PINES.

The succession pines, especially those intended for fruiting next
season, should be shifted as early in this month as possible if not
done in March. For the method of doing it and the manner of
treating them after, see page 325.

The crowns and suckers of last season should now also be shifted
into larger pots and managed in like manner.

TREATMENT OF THE OTHER VARIOUS STOVE PLANTS.

The general treatment directed for the pines may be given in
common to most other stove plants. With respect to shifting or
adding fresh earth to the pots, that should now be done in the same
manner as directed for the green-house plants ; after which, if there
be room in the bark-bed, let the pots be immediately plunged to their
rims therein, and by the assistance of the kindly heat the plants will
root freely in the new earth, which will give them strength, promote
their health, revive their color, and prepare them the better for a
removal. into the open air towards the end of next month.

The woody kinds will now require frequent and gentle waterings,
the herbaceous occasionally; but the succulent sorts should get only
a little now and then, as the earth in the pots seems to stand in
need of it.

When any of the stove plants have contracted much dust or other
foulness, such must be cleaned off immediately; all decayed leaves
should constantly be picked away, and the utmost cleanness pre-
served in all the house.

Where insects appear on the pines or on any of the other plants,
immediate attention ought to be paid to the destruction of them, for,
in a short time, if neglected, they would overrun the house and ruin
many of the plants. For the methods of extirpating them, see
article Hot-house for February, page 178, &c.

The paying of due attention to all the plants, giving them suitable
care and culture, preserving them in good health, and keeping the
house constantly clean and the plants free from decayed leaves and
filth, is the surest method of not being much troubled with insects.

PROPAGATING VARIOUS STOVE EXOTICS.

You may now propagate by cuttings, layers, suckers, or seeds, the
various plants of this department. Plant the cuttings in pots, plunge
them in the bark-bed, and the kinds that grow by that method, which
are very numerous, will strike root freely ; and, indeed, there are
very few sorts but may be cultivated in this way, if covered close for
some time with bell-glasses to preserve a moist atmosphere around
them till they establish themselves in the earth and are able to draw

380

THE HOT-HOUSE,

[APRIL

therefrom a sufficient supply of juices to replace those which might
be exhaled by the open dry air.

You may, in like manner, strike cuttings of many sorts of green-
house plants, and of any curious and valuable shrubs of the open^
ground departments.

Sow seeds of all hot-house plants that you' are able to procure and
wish to cultivate ; let them be sown in pots, and if room can be had
plunge these in the bark-bed, give them occasional watering, and you
may expect many kinds to come up shortly, and several others not
for months. The laying of panes of glass over these pots will
facilitate the growth of the seeds by opposing the ascending mois-
ture, and retaining it about the surface of the earth ; but bell-glasses
would more effectually answer this end.

CARE OF SEVERAL FRUITING, FLOWERING, AND ESCULENT PLANTS
IN THE STOVE.

Pay due attention to the regular watering of the strawberries,
kidney beans, cucumbers, and flowers now forcing in the stove, and
early in the month introduce others to succeed them.

Continue to keep the grape-vines now fruiting free from all unne-
cessary shoots, and such as are produced from the axillas of the
leaves, &c., and train the others close and regular.

A COLD PIT.

It must be recollected that to flower plants is a very different thing
from merely preserving them. A structure that would answer per-
fectly for the latter, might be wholly unsuited for the former. A
" cold pit" is simply a miniature green-house, without any facilities
for producing artificial warmth. If the amateur gardener wishes to

Fig. 39.

flower plants in winter, a small furnace and flue will be requisite.
Indeed, under any circumstances, the means for producing heat are
desirable to keep the atmosphere free from damp. As this is a kind

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 381

of house which, we think, ought to be more generally used, we have
prepared the accompanying plan. The arrangements are so apparent
that no detailed description is deemed necessary. The dimensions of
this pit are as follows : inside width, 8 feet, height of back wall the
same, and the front five feet. As all the other parts are in propor-
tion, they can easily be ascertained; of course, the length may vary
to any extent. If under twenty feet, the flue should return on itself,
as shown in the figure. It should be constructed either of brick or
stone ; a dry situation should be chosen, and the bottom covered with
six inches of gravel, sand, or coal ashes. It may be entered by a
door at one end, or by merely lifting up one of the sashes. The
best covering is water-proof cloth, hung on rollers, and elevated six
inches from the glass by a portable framework of laths, so as to in-
clude a stratum of air between the glass and the covering. It is
essential that the cover, when in use, should fit closely round the pit ;
as a protection from frost this system will be found more efficient
and economical than any method of wooden shutters. Fire heat will
eeldom be found necessary, and all kinds of green-house plants may
be kept in the highest state of health, and flower better than in a
close, steaming green-house. The mere exclusion of frost only is
required, and the day temperature may be allowed as high as 70° or
75° during sunny weather. Water must be carefully administered ;
the dryer everything can be kept, compatible with healthy growth,
the better will it be for the plants. A southeast aspect is best.

MAY.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

EARLY MELONS AND CUCUMBERS.

The early melons will now show fruit abundantly ; they must have
plenty of air, and protection from the mid-day sun ; for a few hours
sunshine at this season, if the glasses were close shut, would destroy
the whole crop. The lights should be taken off, and the plants fully
exposed to the open air, about the twentieth or towards the end of
the month ; therefore the plants ought to be previously and gradually
inured thereto. Should the beds happen to be greatly declined in
heat about the first of this month, a fresh lining of hot dung ought
to be applied, for at this period of their fruiting a brisk bottom heat
is necessary to the free swelling of the fruit. The advantage of this
will soon appear very evident. A slight covering ought to be kept
over the glasses every night, till about the tenth of the month, after
which they will need it no longer; these should be taken off early
every morning, for light and plenty of air will now be absolutely
necessary.

382 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

According as the melons set, place a piece of board or shingle
under each fruit ; this will preserve them from the damp of the earth.

About the middle of the month the frames may be raised by
means of any kind of support at the corners, and the plants be suf-
fered to run out under them, and by the end thereof you may take
them totally away.

A regular supply of water will be very necessary ; and although
melons do not require as much of it as cucumbers, yet a sufficiency
must be given.

The early cucumbers will now be in full fruiting, and will require
plenty of air and water ; they may be fully exposed to the open air,
in the middle States, about the twentieth of the month, and in the
eastern States about the end thereof.

MAKING HOT-BED RIDGES FOR CUCUMBERS AND MELONS.

The cucumbers and melons which were sown last month, or late in
March, may in the first week of this be planted in hot-bed ridges, as
directed on page 329, or the seeds may be sown thereon in the fol-
lowing manner.

The ridges being made and earthed as directed in April, page 329,
mark out the holes for the seed, four feet asunder, and in form of a
shallow basin, about an inch deep, and nine or ten inches wide. In
the middle of each, sow eight or nine seeds, and then put on bell or
hand-glasses. After the plants have been up ten or twelve days, they
must be thinned, leaving only three of the strongest in each hole,
drawing a little earth about their stems, and giving a light watering
to settle it close to the roots.

When the plants have two rough leaves, they must be stopped or
topped, as directed on page 127, which see. This operation is very
necessary to throw them into a fruiting state, before they run too
much into vine.

As the plants advance in growth, they must have gentle and fre-
quent waterings, and plenty of air admitted, by the raising of the
glasses on props, under which suffer them to run out as they increase
in growth. The glasses may be totally taken off about the end of
the month.

SOWING MELONS AND CUCUMBERS, IN THE OPEN GROUND.

About the tenth of this month will be a good time, in the middle
States, to sow a general crop of melons in the open ground ; from a
week to a month earlier, to the southward, according to the respect-
ive situations; and between the fifteenth and twentieth in the eastern
States. It is remarked that musk and water-melons, cucumbers,
pumpkins, squashes, gourds, and all the varieties of these families,*
may be sown at the periods in which people generally plant Indian

* The different genera of this family ought to be kept as far asunder as
the extent of the garden will permit, as they are very subject to fertilize
with each other, and of course become mixed.

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 383

corn ; but in order to have them as early as possible in the open
ground, a few patches may be sown ten days or more before the dates
above mentioned, which, with good care, may succeed very well,
especially if the season proves favorable.

For the varieties of the musk or cantaleupe melons, prepare a piece
of rich sandy ground, well exposed to the sun ; manure it and give
it a good digging, then mark it out into squares of six feet every way;
at the angle of every square, dig a hole twelve inches deep and
eighteen over, into which put seven or eight inches deep of old hot-
bed dung, or very rotten manure ; throw thereon about four inches of
earth, and mix the dung and earth well with the spade ; after which,
draw the remainder of the earth over the mixture so as to form a
round hill, about a foot broad at top. Some people use hot stable
dung, under an idea that its heat would promote the vegetation of
the seed; this is a mistaken notion, as in a few hours it loses all it
had for want of a sufficient quantity being together to promote fer-
mentation, and becomes a dryish wisp, unfit, at least for the present,
to afford either heat or nourishment to the plants.

When your hills are all prepared as above, plant in each, towards
the centre, eight or nine grains of good melon seed, distant two inches
from one another, and cover them about half an inch deep.

When the plants are up and in a state of forwardness, producing
their rough leaves, they must be thinned to two or three in each hill ;
the extra number in some, may serve to fill up deficiencies in others :
draw earth from time to time around the hills, and as high about the
roots of the plants as the seed leaves ; when fit, stop them as directed
on page 127, after which keep the ground, by frequent hoeings, per-
fectly free from weeds.

SQUASHES.

Squashes of every kind may be cultivated as directed for cucum-
bers and melons, should be sown at the same time, and at similar dis-
tances, with this difference, that two plants of these will be plenty
for each hill, and that they are easier pleased in soil and preparation
than the others.

WATER-MELONS.

In order to have water-melons in good perfection, you must fix
upon a piece of very light, rich, sandy soil ; prepare, sow, and manage
it in every respect, as directed for cucumbers and melons, only let
the hills be nine or ten feet distant every way.

PUMPKINS AND GOURDS.

Pumpkins will require to be ten feet distant hill from hill, two or
three plants will be sufficient in each ; they are not so tenacious of a
particular soil as either melons or cucumbers, but will grow freely
in any dry and tolerably rich ground ; they are to be sown at the
same time as directed for sowing melons and cucumbers in the open
ground, and should be kept constantly clean and free from weeds.

384 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

The various kinds of gourds, which are more cultivated for orna-
ment than use, may be sown where they can be trained to trellises,
fences, walls, or to cover arbors.

When you intend to cultivate either melons, cucumbers, squashes,
pumpkins, or the like kinds, on a large or extensive scale, you can
prepare the ground with a plough, which will save much labor ; and
also, afterwards, as the weeds advance, plough and harrow between
the plants till they begin to run, after which, the hoe must be used.

SWEET POTATOES.

The sweet potato requires a very light, sandy, and tolerably rich
soil to bring it to good perfection. The time to plant it in the middle
States is the first ten days in May, or more generally it is planted
about the eighth or tenth of the month. It is remarked that the
earlier and more forward crops are always most productive and best
for eating; and several people, to accomplish this end, first sprout
them in hot-beds, and then plant them out in the following manner.

The ground being first well pulverized by ploughing and harrow-
ing, &c., is afterwards laid out by the plough in squares of four or
five feet each, and at the intersections of the scores or furrows, hills
are made, in the manner directed for melons and cucumbers, on page
382 ; into each of these, one or two good sets are planted, and covered
about an inch deep, or a little better ; as they advance in growth the
hills are enlarged by drawing the earth up around them with a hoe ;
or, by first cross ploughing the ground, harrow it with a very narrow
harrow, and then finishing and rounding the hills with a broad hoe.
They ought to be kept constantly free from weeds, and the frequent
enlargement of the hills will encourage the growth and increase the
number of roots.

When they are cultivated upon a small scale in gardens, all this
work may be performed with a spade and hoe.

INDIAN CORN.

The Zea mays, or Indian corn, is frequently required from the
gardener for early use. For this purpose, procure some seed of the
earliest kind, and select a piece of dry, sandy, and tolerably rich
ground, in a warm exposure. After preparing it as if for peas, &c.,
form shallow drills about two inches deep, at the distance of six feet
from each other ; drop the seed therein two feet and a half asunder,
and two grains in each place; strew a little wood ashes in the drills,
then cover the seed as you would peas. As the plants advance in
growth, earth them up two or three times. For an early crop you
may plant the seed, in the middle States, about the first of this
month, or ten days earlier should the season prove very favorable.

This method is exclusively intended for the garden culture of the
small early kinds.

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 385

EARLY CAULIFLOWERS.

The early cauliflower plants, as they advance in growth, should
have the earth drawn up about their stems, and in dry weather be
occasionally watered, which will cause the heads to grow to a much
greater size than they otherwise would.

Towards the latter end of the month the plants will begin to show
their flowers, when they should frequently be looked over ; and as
these appear in an advanced growth, not before, let some of the
largest leaves be broke down over them to defend them from sun
and wet, whereby they will be preserved in their natural color, firm-
ness, and beauty; for, if left fully exposed to the weather, it would
change their peculiar whiteness to a yellowish hue, and occasion them
to open sooner than if treated in this manner.

PLANTING CAULIFLOWERS.

The plants from the late spring sowings should now, according as
they arrive at a sufficient size, be planted out as directed on page 329.
Very few of these will produce flowers till October, but then you
may expect some fine heads.

SOWING CAULIFLOWER SEED.

You may now sow cauliflower seed for a late crop. Should the
plants from this sowing not produce heads before November, they are
then to be taken up and managed as directed in that month, by which
meaEte they will continue to produce fine flowers all winter, when
such will be very acceptable.

CABBAGES.

Draw earth about the stems of your early cabbages, and all others
that are advanced in growth ; this will strengthen them considerably,
and cause them to produce fine large heads.

The earliest will, towards the middle or latter part of this month,
begin to form their heads, when they may be greatly forwarded in
their whitening by tying their leaves together. For this purpose,
get some strong bass or small osier twigs, go over the plants row by
row, and tie such as begin to turn their leaves inward for heading,
first gathering all the leaves up regularly. Do not, however, bind
them too close, for that would occasion their rotting.

This method may be practised with a few early plants, but by no
means with the principal crop, as those treated in that way never
produce such large and firm heads as they would if left to nature.
However, market-gardeners may derive some advantage from it, as
the early produce will always command the highest price.

Continue to plant out your spring cabbage-plants for autumn and
winter use agreeably to the directions given on page 331. Plant also
at this time a full crop of red-pickling cabbage and savoys. All
25

386 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

these will require an open situation ; they never thrive or head well
near trees, walls, or shade of any kind, and the richer your ground
the larger- sized heads will you have. You may plant some between
rows of forward kidney-beans and other low-growing crops, which
will occupy the ground when those are off.

Let all be planted out, if possible, in moist or cloudy weather, and
immediately after give each a little water, unless the ground is
already sufficiently saturated.

Sow now some early York, sugar-loaf, and other close quick-heart-
ing kinds for summer and autumn use; likewise savoys, large drum-
head, flat Dutch, and any other of the large late-heading sorts for
autumn and winter cabbages, and also some of the red-pickling cab-
bage. Sow these seeds as directed on page 331, and transplant
young advancing seedlings into beds as there directed, watering
them immediately, giving them shade for a few days if necessary.

SOWING BORECOLE.

You may now sow a principal crop of green and red-curled bore-
cole for autumn, winter, and spring use, for an account of which see
pages 200 and 331.

By sowing the seed early you will have tall strong stems and large
bushy heads, sometimes growing to the height of four feet ; but the
'largest are always obtained from the spring sowings. However, it
is usual to continue sowing successive crops of them to the end of
July.

The seed should be sown in beds of open ground tolerably thin
and covered lightly or raked in regularly. In dry weather it will be
of use to water the beds occasionally, both before and after the plants
are up. When about three inches high, it will be proper to thin the
seed-bed, and prick out a quantity therefrom at four inches' distance,
that the whole may obtain proper strength for final transplanting.

Towards the end of the month those sown in April should be
planted out into beds of rich sandy soil in the manner directed for
cabbages, at three feet distance every way, and afterwards be kept
fr$e from weeds and the earth drawn to their stems as they advance
in growth. Those intended for winter use should never be planted
in a rich fat loam, as there they would become too succulent, and
consequently could not bear the frost as well as if growing on a gra-
velly soil. Such as are designed for autumn use may be planted in
any convenient open bed that is tolerably rich.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND JERUSALEM KALE.

The Brussels sprouts and Jerusalem kale are both cultivated in
the same manner, at the same time, and for similar purposes, as the
borecole. They may be now sown and treated like the latter, with
this difference, that two feet, or rather two and a half, will be a suffi-
cient distance for the final transplanting of the Jerusalem kale, as it
never grows as tall as either of the other kinds.

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 381

TURNIP CABBAGE AND TURNIP ROOTED CABBAGE.

For an account of both these varieties, see page 332. The seeds
of the turnip cabbage may now be sown, and the plants afterwards
treated as directed for cabbages ; only observing not to earth them up
above the swelling bulb on the stem. The turnip rooted kind should
be sown on a bed of strong rich ground, as you would turnips, and
treated like them in every respect; observing to thin the plants with
the hoe, when advancing in growth, to the distance of about sixteen
inches apart. Their roots will be much larger and better when treated
in this way than if transplanted.

The early sown plants of the former kind may now be planted out,
and afterwards treated as above observed.

BROCCOLI.

The early sown broccoli plants should now be planted out into beds
of good rich earth, in an open situation ; the purple kind at two feet
and a half distance every way, and the white at the distance of three
feet.

Broccoli seeds of both these kinds, as well as of any other variety
which you would wish to cultivate, should be sown early in this month
for a second principal crop, for winter and spring use. Sow them in
a bed or border of rich earth, in an open exposure, each kind sepa-
rate, and rake them in regularly.

In the middle and eastern States, where the frost is too powerful
for the standing out of these plants during winter, on its approach
they must be taken up and planted in earth up to their leaves, either
in cellars or under sheds, where they can be protected from wet and
very rigorous frosts, and they will continue to produce their fine heads
during all the winter months, which are equal to any cauliflowers.
On the opening of spring, plant out the stalks of the purple kin$d,
and they will produce abundance of the most delicious sprouts; the
white do not answer for that purpose.

These plants, even if hung up in a cellar, would shoot forth their
flowers or heads pretty much about their usual time. (For a more
particular account of them, see page 333.)

MANAGEMENT OP BEANS IN BLOSSOM.

The early Mazagan, long-podded, Windsor, and all the varieties of
that species of bean, should be topped when arrived at full bloom
and the lower pods begin to set; this will greatly promote the swell-
ing of the pods, as well as their early maturity; for, having no ad-
vancing tops to nourish, their whole efforts must go to the support
of the fruit.

This should be performed on the beans in general, which are now
in full blossom, observing to let the stems be first advanced to such
a due height as to have a sufficient quantity of pods; the early Maza-
gan bean may be topped when about two feet high, and the larger

388 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

sorts when from about two feet and a half or a yard, to three and a
half high, according to the growth of the different varieties, and may
be done with a finger and thumb.

But with respect to the small early beans, if you would have them
come in as soon as possible, you should top them when the blossoms
at the bottom of the stalks begin to open.

Be very particular to earth up the stems of your beans two or three
times in the course of their growth, as this is absolutely necessary to
their good success and plentiful production.

SOWING PEAS.

To have a regular supply of peas, let some be sown at least twice
in this month ; but where a constant succession is wanted, three or
four sowings will be necessary.

The best sorts to sow now are the champion of England, Wood-
ford's marrow, Flack's victory, and blue imperial — these being the
finest and largest sorts — Prussian blue, &c. ; those that are sown any
time this month will yield tolerably good crops.

The earlier in the month, however, that those or any other kinds
of peas are sown the more abundantly will they produce.

You may now sow some of the tall sugar peas, as directed on page
334, to which and its preceding page, I refer you for more general
instructions on this subject.

Sow, early in the month, the dwarf sugar and dwarf Spanish peas,
and also Bishop's dwarf, as directed on page 334. These are all
very delicious, great bearers, and do not require sticks, particularly
the two former ; and when sown at this season, are generally more
productive than the taller growing kinds.

Hoe and earth up the peas which were sown in April; this will
greatly strengthen them and promote a plentiful bearing; and also
pay due attention to the sticking or placing pea- rods to the young
rising crops, as soon as they have attained the height of five or six
inches. There is a great advantage in allowing sticks of a suitable
height to the various kinds, for the produce is, generally, not only
much superior, but by far more abundant, often to more than double
the quantity produced by those that are permitted to trail on the
ground. The sticks should not only be sufficiently tall, but also
branchy, that the plants may readily take hold; and they should be
prepared fan fashion, so as the side branches may extend only along
the rows.

• They should be placed, when in single rows, on the sunny side of
the drills, as the plants will naturally incline that way, and more
readily lay hold of the sticks ; or there may be double rows of sticks
placed to them, as directed on page 194.

TRANSPLANTING LETTUCE.

Take advantage of moist weather to transplant such of those sown
in the two former months as are now fit for it. The ground should
be fully exposed, not encumbered with trees, or near any kind of

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 389

shade whatever, for these plants never form good heads in such situ-
ations, but start to seed immediately.

Dig the ground neatly and rake the surface smooth, then dibble in
the plants, in rows ten or twelve inches asunder, and near the same
distance from one another in the rows ; water them immediately, and
repeat it occasionally till they have taken good root.

Such as are intended to remain for heading, where sown, should
now be thinned to about ten or twelve inches distance, every way,
and those growing among other general crops ought not to be left
nearer to each other than three feet.

SOWING LETTUCE SEEDS.

Lettuce seeds of various good kinds should be sown two or three
times this month, that there may be a constant and regular supply
of this very wholesome vegetable. The white Silicia, grand admiral,
and India, are very proper kinds to sow now ; the cos varieties do not
head like the other kinds, but if tied up as you do endive they will
blanch beautifully, and are extremely crisp and delicious ; they, how-
ever, soon run up for seed. The white and brown Dutch, and large
cabbage kinds are excellent sorts, and will succeed well if sown in the
early .part of this month.

An open situation must be chosen in which to sow the seeds ; the
ground should be light and rich, and each sort sown separately and
very thin ; for if drawn up close in the seed-bed, they will never
head well.

The beds wherein these are sown, should be frequently refreshed
with water in dry weather, to promote the vegetation of the seeds
and encourage the growth of the young plants.

TYING UP EARLY LETTUCES.

The various kinds of cos or Koman lettuce which are now begin-
ning to gather and whiten in the heart, should be tied up with strings
of bass, which will forward their whitening, and render them crisp
and tender for eating ; but this must be done only by degrees, or as
they are wanted, for it greatly promotes their shooting to seed.

SOWING SMALL SALADING.

Sow a variety of small salading every week or ten days, for these,
at this season, shoot on to seed very rapidly, such as cresses or pep-
per-grass, lettuce, rape, radish, mustard, &c. Sow the seeds in shal-
low drills on shady borders, cover them lightly, and give them occa-
sional waterings, without which they will be destroyed by insects.

KIDNEY BEANS.

A principal crop of kidney beans should be planted in the first
week of this month, and successional crops about the middle, and
also towards the end thereof.

390 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

Any of the dwarf kinds may now be planted; such as the black,
brown, or red speckled, yellow, cream-colored, negro, Canterbury,
white, Dutch, Mohawk, refugee, and Battersea dwarfs. The cream-
colored, brown, speckled, yellow, Mohawk, and white, are the earliest
sorts, and should be particularly chosen for the first crop.

Select for these a piece of light rich ground, for in such they will
always be most productive. Let drills be made for them with a hoe,
about two feet and a half asunder, and an inch and a half deep ;
drop the beans therein at the distance of two or three inches from
one another, draw the earth evenly over them, and rake the surface
lightly to give the bed a neat appearance.

These, upon a more extensive scale, may be cultivated to great
advantage, and to the saving of much labor by the plough, in which
culture the rows will require to be three or four feet asunder for the
convenience of ploughing and harrowing between them, for the de-
struction of weeds, and also for the landing of them with that instru-
ment.

The various kinds of running or climbing kidney beans may also
now be sown in drills made four or five feet asunder, and the seeds
planted double the distance from one another of the dwarf sorts.
The large white Dutch, common white, and cream-colored runners
are excellent sorts for this purpose, they are very productive, boil
well, and eat very tender.

When the plants come up and begin to push their runners, then
let some tall sticks or poles be placed to each row for them to climb
upon. The runners will soon catch hold and twine themselves natu-
rally around the stick or poles, to the height of eight or ten feet or
more ; or if some are planted in a row close against a wall or any
high fence or building, you may suspend strong pack-thread from
above, six mches distant, fastened tight at both ends, the lower of
which may be tied to the main stem of the beans, and the runners
will readily ascend around the strings.

The scarlet runner, though in Europe considered one of the best
bearers, and very good for the table, is here neither productive nor
esteemed, and is cultivated exclusively for the beauty of its flowers,
and for covering arbors, &c.

CAROLINA AND LIMA BEANS.

What is commonly called the Carolina bean, is only a small and
early variety of the Lima bean : it may be planted in the first week
of this month, or in the last of April, if a favorable season, and the
ground sandy and dry ; they may be cultivated in the same manner
as above directed for the running kidney-beans ; or, in hills, as they
are called, at the distance of four feet every way, planting five or six
good beans in each hill, a few inches apart, and covering them about
an inch and a half deep. When the plants are up a few inches, or
before, if more convenient, place two or three tall poles to each hill
for them to climb on, and as they advance in growth, draw the earth
around the hills up to their stems.

The Lima beans should not be sown in the middle States before

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 391

the first week of this month, when vegetation is very brisk ; for they
are very subject to rot if planted in cold weather, especially if the
ground be replete with much moisture.

They delight in a light, sandy, and tolerably rich soil, and should
be planted in hills, as directed for the Carolina beans, but at the
distance of four feet or upwards, hill from hill, four or five beans
in each, and the poles for their support ought to be strong and near
ten feet high. They are very productive, will continue bearing till
overtaken by the frost, and are extremely delicious. To these may
be added the red and white cranberry beans, which may be treated
in the same way as white Dutch.

RADISHES.

Hoe, weed, and thin the advancing crops of radishes, as directed
on page 335 ; and continue to sow a fresh supply every two weeks,
as at this time they soon shoot to seed after growing to any tole-
rable size.

The salmon-colored, white Naples, olive shaped, and white turnip-
rooted, are the best kinds to sow now ; you may likewise sow some
of the white Spanish radish, they bear the warm weather rather better
than the other kinds, but are not so crisp and tender. The purple
and short-top kinds will yet do very well.

At this season these seeds must be sown in an open exposure, on
beds of rich loose loamy earth, for if on a clay or gravelly soil they
would become sticky and good for nothing ; in order to have them
crisp and nice they should be frequently watered in dry weather.

PLANTING RADISHES FOR SEED.

Transplant radishes for seed when the roots are just in their prime;
if showery weather, it will be a particular advantage.

Choose for this purpose some of the best kinds, long, perfectly
straight rooted, and with short tops j having also regard to the color
of the root, that is, if of the purple, or short topped kind, those that
are of a clear pale red are preferable, as they generally eat more
crisp and mild than such as are of a darker color.

When intended to save seed of the salmon radish, always prefer the
best and brightest colored roots, to preserve the kind in its purity,
and particularly those that have the shortest tops.

The principal reason why radishes for seed are directed to be trans-
planted is, that, having drawn up a quantity for that purpose, you
can the more readily judge of the goodness of the roots, taking only
what are of the right sort, otherwise the transplanting of them would
be unnecessary, and those not so treated would produce a much
greater quantity of seed.

Plant the roots by dibble in rows four feet asunder, in an open
situation, one foot from each other in the row, and give them a good
watering immediately after.

Select, also, some of the best formed white and red turnip-rooted
radishes of moderate growth, hoe the others out and let these remain

392 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

for seed ; or, if necessity requires, you may transplant them ; in that
case, plant the bulbs or roots entirely in the earth, leaving the tops
free, and then water them.

SPINAGE.

When spinage is required in continuation, some of the round leaved
sort may be sown in a cool moist loamy soil, every eight or ten days ;
for during the summer months it starts to seed immediately.

Weed and thin the spinage sown last month, especially what had
been sowed in the broadcast way ; and of your early crops, both of
the round-leaved and pricklyseeded kinds, leave a sufficiency of the
best plants for seed.

NEW ZELAND SPINAGE (TETRAGONIA EXPANSA).

This is a delightful vegetable for greens : it has a large luxuriant
leaf, which it produces in great quantities in the dryest summers.
Two or three dozen plants are sufficient for a family : the seeds re-
quire to be planted the beginning of this month, and covered about
one inch deep. On the approach of frost if the plants are taken up
and planted in a box and placed where they will be secure from it,
and have light and air occasionally, they will continue to yield plenty
of leaves.

SOWING CARROTS.

Carrots may yet be sown, especially in the eastern States, with a
good prospect of success, if done in the first week of this month,
and even in the middle States, if the season is any way backward.
(For the proper soil and method of sowing them, &c., see pages 199
and 336.)

CLEANING AND THINNING CARROTS AND PARSNEPS.

Carrots and parsneps will now be advancing fast in their growth
and should be properly encouraged. Clear them from weeds, and
thin the plants out to due distances.

This work may be done either by hand or hoe, but for extensive
crops particularly small hoeing is the preferable method, as being
the most expeditious, and by loosening the surface of the ground with
the hoe it will greatly promote the free growth of the plants.

Whatever method is pursued, it will be necessary to free the
plants from weeds, and to thin them to proper distances, that they
may have full liberty to grow and enlarge their roots. The general
crops of carrots should be thinned to about six or seven inches, plant
from plant, and the parsneps from eight to ten, in order that each
kind should attain its utmost perfection.

Such crops of carrots, however, as are intended to be drawn gra-
dually for the table, while young, need not be thinned at first to
more than four or five inches distance, as the frequent pulling up of
some for table use will in a little time afford the others sufficient

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 393

room to grow large ; but the main crops should be thinned at once
to the proper distances.

PRICKING OUT AND PLANTING CELERY.

Some of the early celery plants from the seed-beds should now
be pricked out to obtain strength previous to a final planting in
trenches; by this method those left in the beds will have room to
grow strong and stout. They should be planted at the distance of
three inches from one another, in beds of rich loose earth, watered
immediately, and afterwards occasionally, till growing freely. When
they have acquired sufficient strength in these beds they are to be
planted in trenches for full growth, as directed in June.

Let those remaining in the seed-beds be watered to settle the earth
about their roots, which had been loosened in the act of pulling out
the others.

When of sufficient size and strength, plant out into trenches some
of your earliest sown plants, as directed in the Kitchen Garden for
June.

For the best method of obtaining celery in early perfection, with-
out the assistance of a hot-bed, see page 336.

SOWING CELERY SEED.

Sow more celery seed for a principal later crop ; let this be done
as directed on page 336. In hot sunny weather the shading of the
bed with mats, raised a foot or more above the ground, from ten to
four o'clock, would greatly facilitate the growth of the seed. Occa-
sional waterings also will be very serviceable, and in a dry season
indispensable.

ASPARAGUS.

Asparagus is in the best state for cutting when the shoots are from
two to four inches above ground, and the top buds or heads remain-
ing close and compact; soon after they become open and of less esti-
mation. For the proper method of cutting them, see page 201.

Keep the asparagus beds perfectly free from weeds, and let it be
remembered to terminate the general cutting as soon as you perceive
the coming-up roots begin to appear small or weaker than usual;
for, if the cutting be continued too late in the season, it will greatly
exhaust the roots, and the next and succeeding years' produce will
be diminished in proportion.

BEETS.

Weed or hoe your early crops of beets, and thin them, if in beds,
to one foot asunder, or, if in drills, to eight or nine inches, plant
from plant. Continue to sow more, especially of the turnip-rooted
and long red beet, for a succession crop, which will succeed very well
if sown in the early part of the month. A full and abundant supply

394 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

of this very excellent vegetable ought to be cultivated in every gar-
den. (For the methods of sowing, see page 203.)

ONIONS.

The onions which were sown at an early season, with an expecta-
tion of their growing to a sufficient size for table use the first year
from seed, should now be perfectly cleared from weeds, and the
plants thinned to about three inches from one another, being careful
to leave the largest and best. They should be thinned at an early
period, atad kept totally free of weeds from the moment of their ap-
pearance above ground to the period of their perfection.

This work may either be performed by hand or with a small hoe.
The latter is the quickest method, and the stirring the ground there-
with will be of great service to the growth of the plants. Have for
this purpose a small one-hand hoe about two inches broad, or, in
want of this, an old table-knife, bent a little at the end, about an
inch, by heating in a fire, will answer very well for small or mode-
rate crops, and use a six inch wide scuffle hoe between the rows.

The plantations arising from seed onions should now be kept very
clean, and also the late sown crops intended to produce small bulbs
for next year's planting.

TURNIPS.

Hoe and thin your advancing crops of turnips, and sow some more
of the early Dutch or early stone kinds for a succession. This sowing
should be performed in the first week of the month, in order that
the roots should have time to grow to a good size before their being
overtaken by the great summer heat and drought, which' are very
inimical to them. In the doing of this, take advantage of moist or
cloudy weather or immediately after rain, and sow the seed on a bed
of good mellow ground, thin and even ; tread it down and rake it in
regularly. It is only in very damp and cool seasons, however, that
these late sowings will be of use.

HAMBURG PARSLEY, SCORZONERA, AND SALSAFY.

The young crops of Hamburg or large-rooted parsley, scorzonera,
and salsafy, must now be carefully cleaned from weeds, and the plants
should be thinned or hoed out to proper distances, that their roots
may have room to swell, thinning them to about six inches asunder.

Early in this month you may sow principal crops of salsify and
scorzonera, for autumn and winter use ; for those that are sown now
will not be so subject to run to seed as those which were sown in the
former months, and their roots will be in excellent order for the table
during the entire autumn and winter.* For a more particular ac-
count of these plants, see pages 207 and 338.

* Late sown salsafy does not always vegetate, although the roots of such
are more tender for winter use. The seedsman sometimes gets blamed for
this without reason. Sow early for surety.

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 395

CAPSICUMS OR RED PEPPERS.

Early in this month you may sow in a warm exposure, on a bed of
rich e%rth, seeds of the various kinds of capsicums which you desire
to cultivate ; the large heart-shaped kind is that which is more gene-
rally used for pickling; it is also the best flavored. The small Cay-
enne is good for vinegar. The plants from this sowing may be
planted out in rows about the first of June.

The early plants raised in hot-beds should, in the middle States,
be planted out finally, as soon after the twentieth of this month as
moist or cloudy weather may occur ; the rows must be two feet or a
little better asunder, and the plants one foot distant fnom one an-
other; when planted give each some water, and afterwards keep the
ground free from weeds.

You may, likewise, at this time, sow the seeds in drills at the
above distance, covering them about a quarter of an inch deep ; and
when grown an inch or two, thin them to proper distances; but as
they bear transplanting extremely well, it will be attended with less
trouble to raise them in the seed-bed, and afterwards plant them out.

TOMATOES.

Sow the seeds of tomatoes in the first week of the month, on a
warm sandy soil, either to remain for fruiting or for transplanting,
as directed on page 342.

Plant out from the hot-beds about the middle of the month, or a
little later, if the season is not favorable, those plants which are for-
warded therein, and at the distances mentioned on page 342. Or
they may be planted close to palings or fences of any kind to which
they may be trained ; but a support of some kind will be necessary
in order to have them in the best perfection, and in abundant bear-
ing.

EGG-PLANT.

If omitted to sow the seed of the egg-plant last month, as there
directed, some should be sown in the first week of this, do a rich
warm border, to raise plants for planting out when about three or
four inches high, as directed on page 342.

About the middle of this month, or soon after, according to the
season, you should plant out for fruiting the early plants of this kind
which were forwarded in hot- beds. A rich sandy soil is the most
suitable for them : the purple kind will require to be two feet and a
half asunder ; and for the white, two feet will be sufficient. As they
advance in growth, draw some earth to their stems in like manner as
to cabbage plants ; keep the ground about them clean, and you may
expect fine fruit.

ENDIVE.

Some endive may now be sown for an early crop; but at this sea-
son, it is very subject to run up to seed; however, when such is

396 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [MAY

required, let it be sown on an open spot of rich ground, tolerably
thick, taking care to cover it evenly, or to rake it in well.

The white and green curled endive are the proper sorts to sow
now ; when the plants are about three inches high, they should be
transplanted into beds, at the distance of ten or twelve inches from one
another, and immediately watered, taking care to transplant them in
cloudy or wet weather, if such should occur in due season.

Towards* the end of the month you may sow some more, to keep
up a regular succession, and although it is very difficult to raise it in
good perfection at this season, some families must have it at all
events.

OKRA.

The first week of this month is a very proper time to sow a full
crop of okra ; and another sowing may be made about the middle
thereof, for a succession crop ; the seeds will now vegetate freely and
the plants advance apace. For the method of sowing them, &c., see
page 341.

NASTURTIUMS.

The seed of the nasturtium may be sown in the first week of this
month, as directed on page 341 ; but the early crops of this kind are
generally most successful.

SORREL.

Either the common garden broad-leaved, or the French round-
leaved sorrel, may be sown in the first week of this month, as di-
rected on page 343. Or, the old standing roots of either kind may
be separated and planted for increase, in beds or borders, at the dis-
tance of ten or twelve inches asunder ; this would have been better
if done last month, but they will succeed any time in this if well
watered immediately after planting, and repeated at intervals for a
few days. When the plants shoot up to seed, cut them down close,
and a new crop of leaves will be produced ; this may be repeated
from time to time during the summer and autumn.

SOWING POT-HERBS, ETC.

Common and curled parsley may now be sown where it had been
omitted in the former months, as may also the seeds of chervil, sweet
basil, coriander, pot-marigold, borage, and burnet ; thyme, summer
and winter savory, sweet and pot marjoram, together with many other
sorts of pot, aromatic, or medicinal herbs ; observing the same me-
thod as directed on page 215, which see. All those, with every other
kind necessary, should be sown as early in the month as possible.

MAY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 397

PROPAGATING AROMATIC, POT, AND MEDICINAL PLANTS, BY
CUTTINGS AND SLIPS, ETC.

You may yet, if attended to in the early part of this month, pro-
pagate the various kinds of pot, medicinal, and aromatic plants men-
tioned on page 215, and in like manner as there directed; hut they
will now require to be frequently watered, and if shaded for some
time after planting, the better.

SUPPORTING PLANTS FOR SEED.

Now support the stems or stalks of such plants as were planted for
seed. The onions and leeks in particular will require this care, for
the stalks of these will be run up to a good height, and if they are
not secured in due time, the winds and heavy rains will break them
down.

The best method of supporting these plants is to drive some firm
stakes into the ground along the rows, placing them about two or
three yards asunder; then let some thin long poles, or strong lines,
be fastened from stake to stake, close along each side of the seed-stalks.

Let the advancing stems of the different kinds of cabbages and
other tall growing plants, that are now shooting to seed, and are sub-
ject to be borne down by wind or wet, be likewise supported by plac-
ing stakes to them and tying them thereto securely, or by any other
more convenient method.

CARDOONS.

The cardoons which were sown in March or April ought now to be
thinned where they have risen too thick, that the plants may have
room to grow and get strength by next month, when they should be
planted where they are to remain for landing up to blanch.

Thin them to about four or five inches distance, or some may be
pricked six inches asunder on a nursery-bed, to remain till next month,
when the whole should be transplanted finally.

Grive water immediately to those that you prick out, and if sunny
weather, shade will be necessary for a few days.

DESTROYING WEEDS.

It is in vain to expect good crops, and folly to go to the expense
of seed or labor, unless you keep them free from weeds, and parti-
cularly while they are young ; therefore, more than common care
should now be taken to destroy weeds throughout the whole garden,
but more especially among the young rising crops. It is now the
most important work in the garden ; the hoe should be applied be-
tween all the rows of peas, beans, cabbages, and every other kind
growing in drills, and the weeds which are close to the plants be
pulled up by the hand.

The onions, carrots, leeks, parsneps, and all other close and low

398 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MAY

growing crops, should be always kept free from weeds, from the mo-
ment they appear above ground till grown to their full size. A small
hoe may be applied where it will answer, but where not, hand-weeding
must be practised.

WATERING.

Watering in dry weather is very necessary, but especially to the
newly transplanted crops, whether young seedlings, or plants of larger
growth finally transplanted, such as cabbages, cauliflowers, lettuces,
celery, &c. A plentiful watering should be given to each plant im-
mediately after planting out, and repeated occasionally till all have
taken root and begin to grow. Most of the young seedling plants
•will require it now and then, till they have established their roots,
and extended them to a sufficient depth to be out of the power of
drought.

Water should generally be given late in the afternoon, or very early
in the morning, but the former is preferable, that the plants may
have as much benefit from it as possible before any part is exhaled
by the heat of the ensuing day.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

WALL TREES.

In the early part of this month look over your wall trees, and
where you perceive a superabundance of young and unnecessary shoots
appearing, either rub, nip, or cut them clean off close to whence they
were produced, being particular to leave a plentiful supply of such
as are good and well placed ; and when of due growth, train them in
at full-length, close and regular. The long fore-right shoots, that
is, such as project directly towards the front, ought generally to be
displaced, except where some are wanted for laying in, to fill up va-
cant places ; and likewise, any extraordinary vigorous growths arising
in the middle of the tree, unless where necessary to be preserved for
similar purposes.

Where any considerable opening appears, and that but one or two
shoots offer in such place, you should, after these have grown about
a foot long, shorten them to three or four eyes, and they will soon
after shoot out again, probably one from each bud, to furnish the
vacancy.

Be very particular as to apples, pears, plums, and cherries, not
to shorten or rub off such advancing buds as nature has intended for
fruiting-spurs, which are very distinguishable by their short thick
growth.

MAY] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 399

ESPALIERS.

All unnecessary, ill-placed, and fore-right shoots on espalier trees
of every kind, should now be rubbed off or cut away ; they are only
robbers, and should consequently be discarded; but in doing this
discretion ought to be observed, and an abundant supply left to fur-
nish the trees and to discharge such parts of the ascending juices as
are not convertible into wood or fruit.

Apples, pears, plums, and cherries, continue bearing many years
on the same spurs or branches, and do not require such a general
annual supply of young wood as peaches, nectarines, &c., which
always, with very few exceptions, produce their fruit from the pre-
ceding year's shoots: yet a sufficiency should be left to train in be-
tween the main branches, and a leading or terminal one to each branch,
unless the tree has already extended as far as you desire ; for it is
essentially requisite to leave a sufficient number of the best placed
shoots to choose from in the general winter pruning. The shoots
now preserved should be trained in regularly to the espalier at full
length, for the reasons assigned in the winter pruning; see the Fruit
Garden in January.

Where there is any great vacancy it is proper, towards the latter
end of this month, to shorten some of the adjoining young shoots of
the year to three or four buds, to cause them to produce a supply of
lateral branches to fill the vacant places.

Young wall and espalier trees that are advancing in a training
state should also be attended to now, in their early shooting, to dis-
place the improper and ill-placed growths, and retain all the well-
placed shoots, both for an additional supply of branches in the
general formation of the trees and to form future bearers for produc-
tion of fruit.

THINNING OF FRUIT.

Apricot, peach, and nectarine trees, in favorable seasons, some-
times set superabundant crops of fruit often in thick clusters, and in
greater quantities than they can supply with a sufficiency of nourish-
ment, and which, if suffered to remain, would not only be poor and
miserable but would so exhaust the trees as to render it impossible
for them to produce good and sufficient shoots capable of bearing
any tolerable quantity of fruit the ensuing season, or perhaps ever
after.

Therefore let them now be thinned, leaving only a good, moderate,
regular crop on each tree; and the sooner it is done the better, both
for the trees and remaining fruit, always leaving the best placed and
most promising.

The young fruit that are thinned off are excellent for tarts, &c.,
particularly the apricots; but the others are also very good for that
purpose.

Some people will consider this a very disagreeable task, both on
account of casting away so many fruit, which they might think would
do very well, and also on account of the time spent in performing

400 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [MAY

the work ; but this is a mistake, as the loss in number will be more
than repaid by the size, flavor, and excellence of the remaining fruit;
and, besides, the trees will be preserved in health and vigor for the
production of future crops.

This thinning should not be confined only to wall and espalier
trees, but ought to be extended generally, and for the same reasons,
to all your standard peach, nectarine, and apricots, but more particu-
larly to such as are young.

When trees are suffered to bear a superabundant crop, the extra-
ordinary efforts made to support their too numerous offspring often
so exhaust them as to bring on diseases, of which several do not re-
cover, at least for two or three years.

PROTECTING CHERRIES FROM BIRDS.

As soon as your cherries begin to ripen, hang up nets before the
wall-trees, and cast some over the espaliers, supporting them with
sticks or branches at a sufficient distance to prevent the birds from
reaching the fruit. Likewise, the casting of large nets over standard
cherry-trees will prevent the depredations of birds.

CLEANING THE FRUIT-TREE BORDERS.

The borders where wall and espalier-trees grow should be kept
remarkably clear from weeds, for these not only appear disagreeable
and exhaust the nourishment, but afford harbor for snails, slugs, and
other crawling insects, to the detriment of the fruit.

Therefore, when weeds appear in these parts, and where there is
room to admit of hoeing between any crops that are growing on the
borders, let a sharp hoe be applied to them on a dry day, by which
you may stop their progress ; and, as soon as hoed, rake off all the
weeds and rubbish, leaving a clean smooth surface.

INSECTS.

At this season insects will probably appear on some of your fruit-
trees j when that is the case, there should be immediate means used
for their destruction before they increase and become numerous. See
page 347.

Watering with common water proves very beneficial to trees infested
with insects, especially if thrown against them with some force, by
means of a small water engine. This will not only displace cater-
pillars and many other insects, but greatly refresh the trees, espe-
cially in dry weather, and if often repeated where insects appear, it
will considerably diminish their number, and prevent their spreading.

The most eligible engines are such as have the pump and discharg-
ing pipe fixed in the vessel for containing the water, of which some
are of a moderate size for carrying about by the hand, but larger ones
are fitted upon a low, light, three wheeled carriage, for the more con-
venient removal from place to place.

MAY] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 401

This engine may be conveniently used for watering different parts
of the garden in dry weather.

WATERING NEW PLANTED TREES.

The new planted fruit-trees will now be greatly benefited by occa-
sional watering, which should always be given in the morning, and
frequently over the branches, as well as about their roots ; this will
be of great service in washing off any dust and filth which their
leaves may have contracted, and in opening their pores for the re-
ception of the atmospheric moisture.

STRAWBERRIES.

Watering at this season will be extremely salutary to straw-
berries, by causing their fruit to set and swell freely; let it not be
given over the plants, but between them, lest it should wash off the
fecundating pollen from the flowers, and thereby prevent their setting
fruit.

In those beds where the plants are kept apart from one another,
and the fruit required in the greatest perfection, the young advanc-
ing runners should be trimmed off, to encourage the bloom and en-
large the fruit ; but when a supply of those are wanted for forming
new plantations, a sufficiency must be left for that purpose.

The edgings of strawberries, round beds or borders, &c., should be
kept within due bounds, by occasionally cutting away their advancing
runners.

NEWLY GRAFTED AND BUDDED TREES.

For the treatment of such trees as were grafted in the preceding
months, or budded last summer or autumn, see the Nursery for this
month.

THE IMPOSTOR'S GRAFT.

Mention is made by Pliny, of a tree in the garden of Lucullus, at
Tivoli, which is described in his Natural History. On the trunk of
one tree he saw branches which produced pears, others figs, apples,
plums, olives, almonds, grapes, &c. ; but he adds, that this wonder-
ful tree did not live long. Even at the present day, the gardeners
of Italy, especially of Genoa, Florence, and Rome, sell plants of
jasmines, roses, honeysuckles, &c., all growing together from a stock
of orange, or myrtle, or pomegranate, on which they say they are
grafted. But this is a deception, the fact being that the stock has
its centre bored out, so as to be made into a hollow cylinder, through
which the stems of jasmines and other flexible plants are easily made
to pass, their roots intermingling with those of the stock. After
26

402

THE ORCHARD.

[MAY

Fig. 40.

growing for a time, the
horizontal distension of
the sterns forces them
together, and they as-
sume all the appear-
ance of being united.
M. Thouin, who calls
this "The Impostor's
Graft" (Gre/e des
Charlatans), tells us
that he himself tried
the operation with per-
fect success upon both
a linden and an ash-
tree a foot in diameter.
He contrived to give
both of them heads of
plums, hazels, wild and
cultivated services, wal-
nuts, peaches, and
vines, the branches of
which were thoroughly
interlaced. Of one of
these he gives a figure,
which is here repro-
duced, and which per-
fectly illustrates the

THE ORCHARD.

You should now pay attention to the due formation of the heads
of young or new planted trees ; much may be done towards that by
the timely displacing of irregular and unnecessary shoots, and by the
shortening of luxuriant ones.

The new planted trees will require to be frequently watered, giving
it occasionally to the branches as well as the roots, and always about
the hour of sun-setting, or a short time before or after.

Such of your peaches, nectarines, and apricots, but more especially
the young trees that are over-burdened with fruit, must be deprived
of any superabundance by a judicious thinning, and only as many
left on as they have sufficient strength to support without injury to
themselves.

Take particular care to destroy caterpillars, &c., while yet in small

MAY] THE VINEYARD. — THE NURSERY. 403

clusters, before they overrun the trees, and where worms or canker
appear in either stems or branches, let such parts be treated as di-
rected on page 149.

THE VINEYARD.

The vines will now begin to shoot vigorously, and produce besides
bearing and other useful shoots, numbers that are totally unnecessary,
which ought to be carefully cleared away, for if left on, they would
rob the fruit, and also crowd and impoverish those shoots intended
for next year's bearing. But in doing this, you must be very par-
ticular not to break off, in going between the vines, such fruiting or
other shoots as are necessary, for at this time they are very easily
injured; nor to annoy in the least the blossom buds, which will early
in the month be very prominent. Where suckers from the roots, or
shoots from the under parts of the stems appear, let them be imme-
diately stripped off. The principal part of this work, if attended to
in due time, may be done with the finger and thumb, but where that
will not answer, you may now use the knife with great safety, for
although these plants bleed copiously in spring when destitute of
leaves, yet afterwards the exhalation by the foliage becomes so great,
that the absorbent roots do not supply a fluid so fast as it could be
expended in the growth of the plant or dissipated into the air; hence
the cause of the drooping of various kinds of plants in hot weather.

All the shoots that have fruit on, and others that are strong, well
placed, and suitable for next year's bearing, should, when grown to
a sufficient length, be carefully and neatly tied up to the stakes, pre-
viously observing, as before directed, to clear away all unnecessary
young growths arising in places not wanted, and to leave a sufficiency
of the best for a proper choice in the general winter pruning.

It will not be proper at this time to cultivate the ground between
the vines, as many accidents might happen thereby to the blossoms
and young shoots ; but towards the end of the month, or when all
the vines have had their first tying up (for this must be repeated as
they advance in growth), you should give the ground a general clean-
ing either by hoe or plough, &c., as most convenient.

THE NURSERY.

DESTROY WEEDS.

There is nothing more important at this season, than the destruc-
tion of weeds in all parts of the nursery, for if you let any of them
perfect seeds, your ground will thereby be stocked for years ; there-
fore the hoe must be applied wherever you can use it, and always be

404 THE NURSERY. [MAT

careful to rake and carry away all you hoe or pull up, for if left lying
on the surface or in the alleys, many of them would there ripen seed
which would afterwards considerably increase your labor. Weeds
should never be suffered to grow between the rows of trees, &c., for
those rob them of a great portion of the necessary nourishment ; nor
should you, for the same reason, ever plant any kitchen vegetables
between them, as is practised by some unskilful and covetous persons.
The seed-beds of all young trees and shrubs should now, in par-
ticular, be kept remarkably free from weeds, and this must always
be done by a very careful hand-weeding.

WATERING THE SEED-BEDS.

If the weather should now prove dry, all the seed-beds, but par-
ticularly the evergreens, such as pines and firs, &c., ought to be
frequently watered, taking care not to administer it too hastily lest
it should wash the earth from about the young roots and expose them
too much to the sun, which would greatly retard their growth.

SHADING AND SIFTING EARTH OVER SEEDLINGS.

All the slow growing and tender seedlings, especially the ever-
greens, should, after having newly come up, be occasionally shaded
from the too powerful influence of the mid-day sun, which would de-
stroy a great number of them, particularly while their small stems
are in a tender succulent state.

There is nothing that will be more beneficial to the young seed-
lings at this period of their growth, than to sift some fine, light
earth over them, just as much and no more as will cover their stems
up to the seed leaves ; this will keep their roots cool and moist, and
protect their steins from the power of the sun. The pines and firs
in particular, are very subject to be cut off, when young, at the very
surface of the ground, by the burning heat thereof, melting away
the yet soft and tender stems, while the leaves do not appear in the
least injured.

WATERING NEW PLANTATIONS.

Watering will be extremely necessary for all the new plantations
of the more curious and valuable sorts of evergreens and flowering
shrubs, and indeed for as much of the general young plantations as
it can be extended to with any tolerable degree of convenience. It
should be occasionally given to the leaves and branches as well as
the roots, for it will not only wash off any dirt or filth which they
may have contracted, but open the pores of the plants, which, in dry
weather, are many times almost closed, whereby the trees suffer
greatly ; nor is the water poured about the r.oots only capable of re-
lieving them when in that condition ; this is one reason why rain is
much more effectual than artificial watering : these waterings should
always be given in an evening after the heat of the day is over, tlyit
the water may have time to soak down to the roots, and the moisture

MAY] THE NURSERY. 405

be dried from the leaves by the morning sun ; for if watered in the
forenoon, and there should be a powerful sun soon after, the leaves
are frequently scalded thereby, the spherical drops of water which
remain on their surface, causing the rays to converge to a focus, and
act upon them as a lens or burning-glass.

But in watering, let it be observed not to give too much, as that,
in some cases, would be injurious. To avoid these bad effects, when
water is necessary, let a good soaking be given, and a mulching of
rotted dung or litter be applied on the surface around the roots, this
will prevent the demand for frequent repetition.

Such plants as you have in pots, should be treated as directed here-
after for those of the green-house department.

feb

PROPAGATING EVERGREENS, ETC., BY LAYERS.

About the latter end of this month begin to propagate such ever-
greens and other shrubs by layers of the young shoots of the present
year as do not succeed well by layers of the old wood.

When the young shoots are from eight to ten or twelve inches
long, bring them down to the earth, and if strong, you may slit them
as directed on page 300, or if weak, give them a gentle twist and
lay them into the earth from two to six inches deep, according to
their size, leaving about two or three inches of the tops out of
ground ; fasten them securely with hooked pegs and draw the earth
over the parts laid. When done give them a moderate watering, and
repeat it occasionally, so as to keep the earth in a moist state, to en-
courage their rooting.

Trees and shrubs in general root very freely by this method,
which may be practised on the various kinds as they advance in
growth, both evergreen and deciduous, from the middle of this
month to the end of July. Many kinds will be well rooted by Oc-
tober, and may then be taken off and removed. Such as are not
rooted by that time must be suffered to remain another year.

NEWLY GRAFTED AND BUDDED TREES.

Examine all kinds of trees and shrubs which were grafted in the
preceding months, and such as are well united, manifested by the
free shooting of the grafts, the clay and bandages may be taken off,
not, however, in most kinds, until the scions have grown five or six
inches long ; the latter part of the month will, generally, be the pro-
per time for this examination.

Those that are not as well united as might be wished, should have
the bandage slackened and fresh clay applied to them as in the first
instance, or the clay may be applied without the bandage, which will
preserve the wounds from the weather, and greatly promote the
growth of the bark over the headed parts of the stocks ; this may
be left on till it falls off.

Suffer no shoots to remain that arise from the stocks below the
grafts ; all should be looked over once a week, and when such appear,

406 THE PLEASURE, OR [MAY

let them be immediately rubbed off, that the whole nourishment may
go to the support of the scions.

The trees which were budded last summer must also be carefully
and frequently looked over, and all improper shoots rubbed off.

As the shoots from the inoculations advance in growth, they
should be tied gently to the spurs, left for that purpose at the time
of heading the stocks, that they may not be broken off by winds or
other accidents.

SEEDLINGS IN POTS OR TUBS.

The pots and tubs of the more rare and delicate seedling plants
should now be kept constantly in the shade where they may have
only the morning sun till nine or ten o'clock, and that of the after-
noon, after four; they must be frequently watered and kept free from
weeds. A little earth sifted over them, as directed for other seed-
lings, will be of great service.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

DAHLIAS, OR GEORGIANS.*

Of this beautiful plant there is an endless variety ; they are ori-
ginally a native of Me'xico, where they grow in great quantities.
They were introduced into England in 1806, and were cultivated for
some time before any of the double varieties were obtained, which is
done by raising from seed. They generally produce seed, which is
sown and treated as other annuals, generally flowering the first season ;
but you cannot judge of the quality of a fine flower until the second
year ; sometimes those which produce single or semi-double flowers
the first season will give five double ones the second.

They are also propagated by dividing the roots, and by cuttings
from the young shoots, which is the method employed to increase the
double varieties. The proper time to plant the roots is the beginning
of this month, and the plants about the .twentieth ; they will grow
and thrive in any common garden soil, but are much finer when culti-
vated in fresh loam well enriched by rotted stable manure and guano.
When you plant them it is necessary to place a good strong stake to
each, and, as they advance in growth, tie them up to it, to prevent
their being broken off by the wind. The dahlias vary in height from
two to eight feet, so that when they are planted it is necessary to
proportion the stake to the height of the plant, for it looks very awk-
ward to see a low growing plant with a tall stake. Through the sum-

* The enthusiasm of florists has now brought this flower to perfection
in symmetry, and it forms an indispensable requisite to our flower gardens
in the fall months. There are all shades of color, excepting pure blue, from
a snowy whiteness, down to maroon black.

MAY] FLOWER GARDEN. 40T

mer, should the weather prove dry, it will increase their flowers mate-
rially to water your plants every evening.

In October, when the leaves and stalks are killed with the frost,
it is necessary to cut down the stalks to within six inches of the
ground, and let them remain so for a few days that the roots may
be well refined, otherwise they are not so likely to keep during the
winter or vegetate in spring. As you take them up label each plant
separately with the name, color, and height, as it will assist you to
diversify the different varieties in* planting. The better way to label
them is to write the name on a small wooden tally, and tie it on the
root with good twine, or fine wire is preferable. Keep them in winter
secure from frost by putting them in dry sand or saw-dust, and placing
them in a cellar.

HYACINTHS.

Continue to defend the beds of the more curious hyacinths, yet in
full blow, as directed last month, or they may be defended either by
boards or by mats laid occasionally on hoops placed archwise over the
beds for their support. These should be laid on every day, when the
sun shines powerfully, about nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and
taken off at four or five in the afternoon.

When hyacinths are past flower, let them always be fully exposed
to the weather, except in very heavy torrents of rain, from which
they should be carefully protected.

It is the practice in Holland to take up the bulbs about a month
after the bloom is completely over, in the following manner : as soon
as the plants begin to put on a yellowish decayed appearance, they
take up the roots and cut off the stem and foliage within an inch or
half an inch of the bulb, but leave the fibres, &c., attached to it ;
they then place the bulbs again on the same bed, with their points
towards the north, and cover them about an inch deep with dry earth
or sand in form of a ridge, or in little cones over each bulb : in this
state they remain about three weeks longer, and dry or ripen gra-
dually; during which period the bed is preserved from heavy rains
or too much sun, but at all other times exposed to the full air: at the
expiration of this period, the bulbs are taken up, and their fibres,
which are become dry and withered, cut or gently rubbed off; they
are then placed in a dry room for two or three weeks, and are after-
wards cleaned from any soil that adheres to them, their loose skins
taken off, with such offsets as may be easily separated.

When this dressing is finished ; the bulbs are wrapped up in sepa-
rate pieces of paper, or buried in sand, made effectually dry for that
purpose, where they remain till the return of the season for planting.

Another, and less troublesome mode of treatment after bloom,
though perhaps more hazardous, is to suffer the roots to remain in
the beds till the stems and foliage appear nearly dried up and con-
sumed ; this will seldom happen to be the case in less than two
months after bloom ; the bulbs are then to be taken up, cleaned from
the fibres, soils, &c., and spread to dry and harden on the floor of an
airy room, for about three weeks, then to be preserved in sand or

408 THE PLEASURE, OR [MAY

paper as before directed. Or they may be deposited in dry barley
chaff, saw-dust, or kept on open shelves out of the sun and wet ; but
too much exposure to the air often destroys many roots, and materi-
ally injures the whole.

Others again take up the roots at the first mentioned period, cut-
ting off the flower stems but not the foliage, and prepare a bed of
light earth, either where the hyacinths had grown, or in any other
convenient place ; forming it into a high sloping ridge, east and
west ; on the north side of which, 'they place the roots in rows, so as
that the bulbs do not touch, and in a horizontal manner, covering the
roots and fibres with the earth, and suffering the leaves to hang down
the ridges ; here they remain till the bulbs are sufficiently ripened,
and then are taken up and treated as before.

TULIPS.

Continue to protect the fine late tulips, yet in flower, as directed
last month on page 356, and treat them in every respect as there
advised.

As soon as the petals or flowers fall, the seed-vessel of each should
be immediately broken off, or if suffered to remain and ripen seed, it
would procrastinate the maturity of the roots, and considerably weak-
en them.

Towards the end of the month, or rather when the grass or foliage
becomes of a yellowish-brown, not before, which will happen sooner
or later, according to season, climate, soil and situation, and a few
inches of the top or stem appear dry, purplish, and withered, you
are to take up the roots of such as you particularly esteem ; for this
is the critical period for that work, because if done earlier, they
would be weak and spongy, and deferred later, their juices would be-
come gross ; which would appear manifest at the succeeding bloom,
by too great a redundance of colorific matter in the petals, and the
flowers would be what is generally termed foul.

When the roots are taken up, they are to be laid in a dry shady
place and gradually dried; observing to keep each variety of the
superb kinds separate, that in planting, you may know how to diver-
sify the bed, according to fancy, either as to intermixture of colors,
or the usual height and growth of the plants. About five or six
weeks after the bulbs are taken up and properly dried, it is proper to
take off their loose skins, fibres, and offsets; the last brown skin
which is so intimately connected with the root, ought to be left on ;
after which they should be preserved in dry sand, barley chaff, saw-
dust, or rolled up in separate papers, till the time of planting, for
the action of the air during our warm summers and autumns would
greatly weaken and injure them, by drying up part of their juices.

The smallest and weakest offsets, particularly such as are not pro-
vided with a brown skin, ought to be replanted as soon as they are
taken up, about an inch and a half deep, in a fresh sandy loam, and
in a dry situation ; or instead of replanting these offsets so early,
they may be preserved from the drying influence of the air by bury-

MAY] FLOWER GARDEN. 409

ing them in dry sand till October, when they are to be planted as
already mentioned.

Common tulips, planted in the borders of the pleasure-ground, &c.,
need not be taken up oftener than once in two or three years, to
separate the offsets, and replant the bulbs in fresh earth.

RANUNCULUSES.

The weather in this month is generally very clear and hot ; the
ranunculuses ought to be shaded at such times from the mid-day sun,
by means of lofty hoops and mats, or by some better contrivance,
that will admit light and air freely ; a frame and cover, similar to
that directed for hyacinths on page 354, would answer best, if ex-
pense and trouble were not to be considered : it will, however, be
absolutely necessary to shade them, in some manner, during the
period of bloom, otherwise they will continue but a short time, espe-
cially the dark rich colored sorts ; for, in proportion as their colors
approach to black, is the injury they will receive from the rays of
the sun, if it is permitted to shine upon them in full force ; some of
the very darkest cannot stand it a day without being entirely deprived
of their beauty. The light colored sorts will bear the sun's rays
much better, reflecting them in proportion as they approach to white;
green is the only color that reflects and absorbs the rays of light in
«qual proportion, and consequently, is more predominant in the
vegetable kingdom than any other.

During the continuance of the bloom, the earth around the roots
must be occasionally watered as directed on page 357, but when that
is over, they will require it but seldom, and not at all should gentle
showers of rain occur now and then, but shading in the middle of
hot days will be very beneficial to the plants ; it tends to prolong
their vegetation, and the size and substance of the roots are thereby
increased. For their further treatment, see the Flower Garden in
June.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTIES OF A FINE DOUBLE RANUN-
CULUS.

The stem should be strong, straight, and from eight to twelve
inches high, supporting a large well-formed flower, at least two inches
in diameter, consisting of numerous petals, the largest at the outside,
and gradually diminishing in size as they approach the centre, which
should be well filled up.

The blossom should be of a hemispherical form, and its compo-
nent petals imbricated in such a manner as neither to be too close
and compact nor too widely separated, but have rather more of a per-
pendicular than of a horizontal direction, to display its colors with
better effect.

The petals should be broad, and have perfectly entire well rounded
edges ; their colors should be dark, clear, rich, or brilliant, either con-
sisting of one color throughout, or be otherwise variously diversified

410 THE PLEASURE, OK [MAY

on an asb, white, sulphur, or fire color ground, or regularly striped,
spotted, or mottled, in an elegant manner.

There are more numerous varieties of beautiful double ranuncu-
luses than of any other flower, and we may add, that, neither them
nor yet anemones will give satisfaction unless well attended to accord-
ing to these directions.

ANEMONES.

Gentle and moderate waterings will be necessary for anemones,
during their period of flowering, as well as for ranunculuses; the
blossoms and petals of the former are of a more soft and flexible
texture than those of the latter, and are consequently more liable to
receive injury from high winds and heavy rains ; their colors soon
fade when exposed to a strong sun ; it is, therefore, equally necessary
to shade and shelter them whilst in bloom, in order to prolong the
extreme beauty of their flowers.

Anemones continue longer after bloom in a state of vegetation
than ranunculuses, probably because of their greater degree of succu-
lency ; and even at the proper time to take them up, it will some-
times happen, that part of their foliage will not be entirely divested
of greenness and moisture ; when it thus happens, which it does more
frequently in rainy or wet seasons, much skill is necessary to ascer-
tain the critical period to take up the roots ; for if they are suffered
to remain toe long, especially if the season be moist, they will shoot
afresh, and be thereby materially weakened and injured ; it is indeed
better to take them up too early, than suffer them to vegetate in this
manner, but the roots will not be so firm and solid as if done at the
exact time. The safest and most effectual method to preserve them
from these disagreeable consequences, is to keep off all heavy rains
after the bloom is quite over, by means of mats and hoops, but on
no account suffer the ground to become too dry; the roots will then
regularly and gradually mature, and the foliage in due time will be-
come brown and dry, which will point out the true time to take up
the roots, and this will usually happen to be about a month after
bloom.

For their subsequent treatment, see the Flower Garden for next
month.

EARLY FLOWERING BULBS.

Any curious bulbs that are now in flower, may be much prolonged
in bloom and beauty by occasional shade from the sun.

Spring crocuses, snow-drops, fritillaries, crown-imperials, dens
canises, and all other early flowering bulbs that have done flowering,
should, where intended, be taken up as soon as their leaves decay.

This ought to be constantly practised with such as have stood un-
removed two or three years, in order to separate the offsets, and to
select the best roots for new planting, for without this care the bulbs
would become numerous, and so small as to render the flowers very
insignificant. The offsets, when separated, may be immediately

MAY] FLOWER GARDEN. 411

planted in beds or prepared borders, to increase the stock and enlarge
their size ; or they may be kept up as well as the largest of the roots
till found convenient to plant them.

All these kinds, when taken up, should be placed in the shade to
dry, and when sufficiently so, preserved in dry sand or saw-dust, &e.,
till the time of planting, which, for these, should not be delayed latec
than October, nor even till then if not taken good care of, as they do
not keep well out of ground, especially if exposed long to the air.

AUTUMN FLOWERING BULBS.

The autumnal crocuses, amaryllises, and colchicums, should be
taken up as soon as their leaves decay, the offsets separated, and all
replanted again before the end of July : they are by no means to be
kept longer out of the ground, as that would prevent their flowering
in due perfection in autumn, which is their proper season.

CARE OF SEEDLING BULBS.

The boxes of seedling tulips, hyacinths, narcissuses, and other
bulbous kinds, arising from the seeds sown last autumn, should be
now placed in the shade, carefully preserved from the mid-day sun,
and the plants refreshed now and then with a little water : a small
portion of loose earth sifted over them would be of great benefit.

AURICULAS AND POLYANTHUSES.

The first week of this month, or immediately after your fine auri-
culas and polyanthuses have done flowering, is a very proper time to
repot and slip them, as directed in the Flower Garden for last month;
after which they must be treated during the summer and autumn, as
there advised. (See page 360.)

CARNATIONS.

The fine carnations in pots should now have due care and good at-
tendance ; they should be watered according to their necessities, and
as their flower stems advance, small neat sticks, for their support,
should be placed, one in each pot, to which they are to be tied ; these
ought to be at least three feet long, tapering a little from the bottom
to top, and painted green j they should be substantial and straight,
and their lower ends are to be forced into the earth in the centre of
each pot, sufficiently deep and firm not to be shaken loose by the
wind. As the stems continue advancing in height, the tying is to
be repeated at about every five or six inches.

The pots may now be removed to the stage, and remain there till
the time of bloom.

If any small, green winged insects appear on the stems or foliage
of the plants, they must be effectually extirpated, either by washing
the infested parts with a strong infusion of tobacco-water, or dusting

412 THE PLEASURE, OR [MAY

some Scotch or fine snuff over them early in the morning, whilst yet
wet with the dew of the night.

The common carnations in the borders will require to be kept free
from weeds, and as their stems advance they should be tied up neatly
to sticks placed for that purpose. (For the further treatment of car-
nations see the Flower Garden next month.)

PINKS.

Your choice pinks in pots will require due attention at this time;
they must be kept free from weeds — frequently watered, and not too
much exposed to the mid-day sun in hot water. (For further par-
ticulars see next month.)

TUBEROSE AND SCARLET AMARYLLIS.

The first week of this month is, in the middle States, the best pe-
riod for planting the roots of the tuberose and scarlet amaryllis ; for
the method, see pages 369 and 370.

SOWING ANNUAL FLOWER SEEDS.

Most kinds of annual flower seeds may yet be sown, if done in the
early part of this month ; but the first week thereof will be a very
proper time to sow the seeds of the most tender kinds, such as the
various sorts of flowering dolichos, tri-colors, mesembryanthemums,
ipomrea quamoclit, browallia, sensitive plant, and vinca rosea, &c. ;
the last two, however, though often considered as annuals from their
flowering the same season in which they were sown, are not truly so,
as they will continue for several years if preserved in a hot-house :
to do them justice they should be sown in pots, and forwarded under
frames and glasses, or else the sensitive plant will not display its
sensibility so well, nor will the vinca rosea flower in due time : the
dolichoses should be sown to cover arbors, &c., as may also the ipo-
mcea quamoclit, convolvulus purpureus, scarlet kidney beans, &c. ; or
they may be sowed in small patches, and neat poles placed for them
to climb on.

(For the various kinds, &c., see pages 863 and 364.)

TRANSPLANTING ANNUALS.

You may now transplant various kinds of annuals from the early
sowing into beds, borders, or pots, as you think proper, observing to
give them shade and water till well rooted, or to transplant them in
moist or cloudy weather.

Towards the middle of the month, the various beds, intended for
the purpose, may be filled with verbenas, heliotropes, salvias, cupheas,
petuneas, Nurembergias, tea-scented China, and Bourbon roses, re-
montant carnations, and all such continual blooming plants, that
have been wintered in the green- house or cold frame.

MAY] FLOWER GARDEN. 413

SOWING PERENNIAL FLOWER-SEEDS, ETC.

The seeds of most kinds of perennial and biennial flower-seeds,
may yet be sown as directed on page 365 ; but they will require oc-
casional watering till up and well established in the earth.

PROPAGATING DOUBLE SCARLET LYCHNIS.

This beautiful flowering plant may now be propagated by cuttings
of the stocks, as well as at an earlier period by slips from the root.
Towards the latter end of the month, let some of the young flower-
stalks be cut into lengths of six or seven inches, and planted in a
shady border of rich light earth, leaving one or two joints of each
cutting above ground; close the earth well about them, water them
gently, and if bell or hand-glasses are placed over them, their rooting
will be greatly facilitated thereby.

THE HESPERTS MATRON ALIS, OR GARDEN -ROCKET.

The double white, and double purple varieties of the garden-rocket,
are extremely beautiful and fragrant; I have not yet had the plea-
sure of seeing one of them in this country, nor have I been able to
learn that such is to be found on this side the Atlantic; however, it
is to be hoped we shall soon obtain that charming, showy, and de-
lightful flower.* It is perfectly hardy, and maybe cultivated at this
season, as above directed, for the double scarlet lychnis, or by slips
or offsets from the root, taken off and planted either in spring or au-
tumn ; it does not prosper well except when annually slipped or pro-
pagated by offsets ; for the old roots are very subject to decay, espe-
cially the double varieties ; the single sorts are much more permanent
and easy of culture. The ladies of Europe are extremely fond of it,
whence it obtained the name of dame's- violet, or queen's gillyflower.

DOUBLE WALL-FLOWERS AND STOCK-GILLYFLOWERS.

The fine double wall-flowers, and double stock-gillyflowers, may
now be propagated by young slips of the present year : choose those
of short and robust growths, from four to five, or six inches long,
and let them be carefully slipped or cut with a knife from the mother
plants. Take the lower leaves off, so that there may be two, three,
or four inches of a clean stem to each, and plant them in a shady
border or in pots, inserting them into the earth up to their leaves ;
then give some water, and be particular to shade them from the mid-
day sun till they have taken root. Water them occasionally during
summer, and in September, such as are planted in borders may be
taken up with balls of earth and potted, in order to lie placed in
frames, &c., for protection from the winter frosts.

The double varieties are accidentally produced from seed, and it is

* The double white is now in many collections in this country, and the
double purple has been often imported, but for some unknown cause it
generally dies out after a short time.

414 THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. [MAY

very rare to meet with such among seedling plants of the wall-flower,
perhaps not one out of five hundred would prove double, but the gil-
lyflowers produce numbers of double flowers from seed, especially if
it is saved from semi-double varieties ; the full double never produc-
ing any. The beginning of this month is a very proper time to sow
the seed of either of these or of their varieties.

GUERNSEY LILLY.

The Amaryllis sarniensis, or Guernsey lily. The leaves of this
most beautiful flower will generally be decayed towards the end
of this month, when the roots may be taken up, and the offsets
separated; they may be re-planted in pots immediately, or if dried
first in the shade, be preserved in dry sand, &c., and planted any
time before the end of July, but are not to be kept up longer, as
they flower in September or October. When the winter frost ap-
proaches, the pots are to be removed into a garden-frame, where
they may have occasional protection during the winter months, or
they may be placed in the front windows of the green-house. Their
roots do not increase numerously when removed oftener than every
third year, and in the summer months they ought to be kept in the
shade and gently watered now and then ; but as their roots are in a
dormant state during that time, too much water would totally destroy
them.

TRANSPLANTING PERENNIAL AND BIENNIAL SEEDLINGS.

Many of the early sown perennial and biennial flower plants, will
in the course of this month be fit to transplant into nursery beds,
where they should be set at a distance of six inches from one ano-
ther, there to remain to get strength till September or October, when
they should be removed with balls of earth, and finally planted where
intended to flower.

SUPPORTING FLOWER-PLANTS.

Sticks must now be placed to such flowering plants as want sup-
port; in doing this, have regard to the natural size and height of
each kind, and let the sticks be in proportion ; fix them down firm
on that side in which they can be least seen ; for although the in-
tent is to keep the plants upright and of neat appearance, yet the
means should be concealed as much as possible, and similar care ought
also to be observed in tying up the plants.

Likewise, climbing and trailing plants of every kind should have
timely support of sticks or stakes proportioned to their respective
growths, and their stems or shoots conducted thereto in a proper
manner.

WEEDS.

More than ordinary care should now be taken, to keep all your beds
and borders free from weeds, but more especially those in which
small seedlings are growing.

MAY] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 415

GRASS AND GRAVEL WALKS.

The grass-walks and lawns should now be duly mowed and rolled,
otherwise the grass will soon grow rank and unsightly; and where
plantain or any other kind of weeds are mixed therewith, they ought
to be picked or grubbed out, or else many of their seeds will ripen,
and thereby increase their species, which will overpower the grass
and render the verdure less agreeable.

The gravel-walks should also be kept in complete order, pre-
serving them always free from weeds, and having them occasion-
ally swept to clear away all loose litter, and likewise well rolled,
generally once a week, but particularly after heavy showers of rain,
which well consolidate them, and render the surface smooth and
even.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

AIR AND WATER.

During the first ten days of this month, and in the middle States,
the last week of April, the doors and windows ought to be kept open,
night and day, in order to harden and prepare the plants for a re-
moval into the open air ; an extraordinary change of weather, how-
ever, may sometimes render it prudent to close them at night, but
that should not be done at this seasod except in cases of necessity.

Water must now be given to every plant according to its nature
and in proportion to its necessity, as observed last month; the
oranges, lemons, myrtles, and other woody kinds, will require it fre-
quently; it is impossible to say how often ; the state of the earth in
which they grow will readily denote it; it should always be kept
moist but not wet. The succulent tribe must yet get it but sparingly.

SHIFTING.

Such plants as were not removed into larger pots or tubs in the
preceding months, and that still require it, may now be shifted as
directed on page 375 ; but this must be done in the first week of
the month, keeping them afterwards in the shade till they begin to
grow freely.

Loosen the earth in the top of the pots and tubs, and refresh with
new compost such as had been neglected in April.

PRUNING AND HEADING.

You may still prune, trim, and head such of your plants as are
in need of that treatment ; but let it be done early in the month,
and as directed on pages 821, 322, and 376, which see.

416 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [MAY

PROPAGATING GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS.

Continue to propagate most kinds of plants, by cuttings, suckers,
seeds, and layers, as directed on pages 324 and o77. The China,
tea-scented, and Bourbon roses may now be increased abundantly by
cuttings, they will strike root freely, and flower handsomely in
autumn.

SEEDLING ORANGES AND LEMONS.

The seedling oranges and lemons raised from the late sowings of
last year should, early in this month, if not done before, be trans-
planted into separate pots ; they ought to be watered immediately,
and shaded from the sun till newly rooted. If plunged into a hot-
bed or bark-bed for two or three weeks, and carefully shaded from
the mid-day sun? it will greatly facilitate their rooting, and promote
their growth.

The early sown seedlings may, towards the latter end of the month,
be planted separately into small pots, and treated in like manner.

You may yet sow the seeds of oranges and lemons in pots or boxes,
for stocks ; they will rise freely without any artificial heat, and make
tolerable progress during the season.

INARCHING.

Inarching may now be performed on oranges, lemons, and any
other plants that you desire to propagate in that way, for the method
see page 267.

BRINGING OUT THE GREEN- HOUSE PLANTS.

About the tenth of this month, two or three days earlier or later,
according to the season and situation, you may, in the middle States,
begin to bring out the more hardy kinds of green-house plants, such
as the viburnum tinus, prunus lauro-cerasus, prunus lusitanica, nerium
oleander, hydrangea hortensis, myrtles, pomegranates, oranges, lemons,
magnolia grandiflora, lagerstroemia indica, daphne indicum, and all
the other hardy kinds : the more tender, and tenderest sorts, are to
be brought out successively, so that the entire may be abroad by the
twentieth of the month.

In the eastern States this work must be delayed for a week or two
longer, according to the respective climates, and not attempted while
there is any danger remaining from night frosts; but when this is
over, the sooner the plants are taken out the better, especially the
more hardy kinds : by no means ought they to be continued a day
longer in the house than their preservation from frost and cold severe
weather requires, as at this season the young shoots of many kinds
will be growing freely, and if deprived of the benefit of the open
air, they would become weak and sickly.

Generally, when the plants are first brought out of the green-house,

MAY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 417

it would be advisable to place them in a warm situation where the
wind can have but little power ; about ten or twelve days after they
will be somewhat hardened to the open air, and may then be removed
to the places where they are to remain during the season.

Every plant, as soon as brought out, should be cleared from all
decayed leaves, dust and foulness of every kind, and the heads of the
whole ought to be watered all over by means of a watering pot or a
hand engine, which will greatly refresh and cause them to assume a
lively appearance. f,f 8

If not done before, take out the earth from the tops of the pots or
tubs, and fill them up with fresh compost ; this will greatly encourage
their flowering and promote a free growth ; andjf their stems, &c.,
had not been pruned and dressed in the former months, it should now
be done.

It would be very advisable, immediately on bringing out, to place
the pots of small growing plants on a stage, and the larger kinds on
boards or planks, supported on bricks or pieces of timber, in order
to prevent the earth-worms from entering at their bottoms, which,
if once admitted, never fail to destroy the texture of the soil, and
render it like a honey-comb, consequently, it cannot long retain
moisture, and becomes more pervious than necessary to wind and
weather, to the great injury of the plants, and trouble of the gar-
dener; for the pots or tubs so perforated will require to be watered
double as often as those that are free from earth-worms.

When pots are plunged in the earth there ought to be a piece of
shingle, board or slate placed immediately under the bottom of each
to prevent the roots from working out through the holes into the
surrounding earth ; for although their rooting in this way will cause
them to grow more vigorously, it, to many, when taken up, proves
very injurious ; therefore, to avoid this evil as much as possible the
pots should be turned around, at least once a week during the season,
to break off the extending fibres that may have pushed through those
apertures at bottom.

The hard-wooded kinds are generally not so much injured by this
as those of a more spongy texture, but it is ultimately of more injury
than service to every plant, and, therefore, ought to be avoided as
much as possible.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

Fire-heat should now be totally discontinued, except in the more
northern parts of the eastern States, where a moderate fire at night,
during the first week of the month, may, in some seasons, be neces-
sary ; but still continue for the pine-apples a constant moderate heat
in the bark-bed agreeably to the intimations given last month.
27

418 THE HOT-HOUSE. [MAY

PINE APPLES.

The pine apple plants will now require frequent and moderate re-
freshments of water, which, during the summer season, should be
given late in the afternoon ; let this not be given in too great quan-
tities at any one time, for such would not only damp the heat of the
bark but also loosen the plants in the pots.

As the weather increases in heat give air in proportion, both by
the front and roof-lights j but especially when the thermometer rises
above seventy degrees of Fahrenheit; for that is necessary in order
to have large and good fruit. When the weather gets very hot the
front lights must be kept open night and day, but the roof-lights
should be closed every night, particularly in cloudy weather, to pre-
serve the tan-pit from sudden rains, and ought to be opened again
early in the morning, especially in warm weather.

GENERAL CARE OP ALL EXOTICS IN THE HOT-HOUSE.

Continue also to give plenty of air to the plants in all the hot-
house departments ; supply them duly with proper waterings ; and
if any want shifting into larger pots, let it be done now as soon as
possible, keeping the whole clear from decayed leaves, &c. If casual
irregularities occur in the shoots or branches, prune or regulate them
as may be required, and cut away any decayed parts ; observing the
same general directions as in the two preceding months.

PROPAGATING THE PLANTS.

You may still continue to propagate such plants as you desire by
cuttings, layers, suckers, and seeds in the manner directed in March
and April.

Any time in this month you may plant cuttings or slips of cac-
tuses, euphorbiums, aloes, agaves, sedums, mesembryanthemums, sta-
pelias, and other succulent plants, laying them in a dry, shady place
a week or ten days, according as they are more or less succulent,
before they are planted, that the wounded parts may heal over,
otherwise they are subject to imbibe too much moisture and rot.
When they are planted they should be placed in the shade or plunged
in the tan-pit till newly rooted, giving them a little water as neces-
sity may require. The hardy sorts may be planted in a bed of light
sandy earth, where, if they are screened with mats for some time,
they will freely take root.

1 ?

BRINGING OUT THE HOT-HOUSE PLANTS.

About the twenty-fifth of this month you may, in the middle
States, begin to bring out the hardier sorts of hot-house plants ; if
they had been removed into the green-house eight or ten days pre-
viously, it would be of service, as there they would gradually be pre-
pared, hardened, and become in a good condition for a removal into

MAY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 419

the open air. The more tender kinds should not be brought out till
the first week in June, but if previously removed into the green-
house for a week or ten days it would be the better way; always ob-
serving, wherever they are, to give them abundance of air to harden
and prepare them for the transition.

In the eastern States the above work is to be deferred, in every
instance, from one to two weeks later, according to climate and the
local situation of the place; and to the southward of the middle
States it may be done somewhat earlier.

Should you have no pine-apples in your hot-house, and there are
plants permanently growing in any beds or borders therein, the roof-
lights should be totally taken off when the other plants are out, that
these may receive the full benefit of the open air during the summer
months, &c.

As to the manner of placing and treating the pots when and after
being brought out, I would advise the same as recommended for the
green-house plants, which see.

You must be very careful when you plunge any of your pots, to
make it a particular point to turn them around in their seats once a
week, in order that such roots as run into the ground through the
holes in the bottom may be broken off; for though these would, for
the moment, encourage the growth of the plants, when you come to
take them up for housing, the sudden deprivation of their usual sup-
ply of nourishment would give them such a check as seriously to
injure them : and, besides, they would be but ill rooted in the pots,
and badly prepared to extract the necessary nourishment during
winter.

TREES GROWN IN POTS.

The injury done to the roots of trees grown in pots, is a subject that
the gardener should well consider. By cutting round the roots before

Fig. 41.

the removal of a tree (Fig. 41), we may have those rootlets preserved
from injury which are too often destroyed : the main roots now radi-

420

THE HOT-HOUSE.

[MAY

ate from the common centre as in Fig. 42. In the next figure, 43,
is represented a tree circumscribed by the limits of pot culture. In*

Fig. 42,

Fig. 43.

Fig. 44.

the former, the roots are extending in all directions, near the sur-
face, in search of food ; in the latter they have a direct tendency
downwards, where they neither can derive food, nor from their posi-
tion have the same effect as the former, in maintaining the perpen-
dicular position of the tree.

The next figure, 44>
shows the state of a fruit
or forest tree, subjected in
early life to pot culture;
where the roots have been
most confined and contort-
ed, the supply of sap
thrown into the tree im-
mediately above them has
been limited and irregular,
as seen by the smaller and
irregular portions of the
annular rings in the trans-
verse section of the trunk;
whereas again, where the
root a has had the means
of penetrating deeper into
the soil, and consequently
been able to collect a great-
er amount of sap food, the annular rings above are larger, and more
uniform in size. Sickliness, deformity, and premature death are the
result. Great care should be employed in planting such a specimen^
to disentangle and spread the roots carefully.

JUNE]

THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

421

Where the corkscrew, or
spiral direction has been
once taken by the roots,
they are very apt to retain
it during their lives; and
if when they have become
large trees they are exposed
to a gale of wind, they
readily blow out of the
ground. To prevent this
occurrence, it is a good plan
to place trees intended for
transplantation in old bas-
kets. Through their wick-
er sides the roots readily
penetrate, and when this
has happened, the half de-
cayed baskets are lifted and
" potted" in other baskets
of a larger size.

Fig. 45 is a sketch of a
root of Laricio, after hav-
ing been planted ten years,
illustrating the effects of
corkscrewing better than
any description.

Fig. 45.

JUNE

^^ . <•

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN,

EARLY MELONS AND CUCUMBERS.

About the first of this month all your melons and cucumbers that
have been hitherto under the protection of glasses or paper-frames,
may be fully exposed to the open air, having been previously and
gradually inured thereto. A piece of shingle or board should be
laid under each fruit of the early melons to preserve them from the
damp of the earth, which would injure their flavor. Occasional re-
freshments of water will be necessary, but particularly to the cucum-
bers.

Your principal or general crops of melons and cucumbers, in the
open ground, should now be kept totally free from weeds, the ground
between the plants must be frequently hoed, and the earth drawn
gently to the stems of the latest sown : the vines should be laid off

422 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JUNE

in a neat and regular manner, and when any of them are too luxuri-
ant, check them by nipping off the extremities of the runners.

In the last week of this month sow general, crops of cucumbers
and melons for pickling, which is to be done in the same manner
as directed on page 382. The long oval musk-melon, and the long
prickly cucumber, are in general estimation for this purpose ; but the
cluster cucumber, on account of its numerous bearing and small
fruit, is by many preferred.

WATER-MELONS.

If not done before, thin your water-melons, leaving but three of
the best plants in each hill, and draw the earth with a hoe up around
the hills till the stems of the plants are covered up to the seed leaves ;
the ground between them must be kept perfectly free from weeds,
either by hoeing, or (if cultivated on a large scale), by ploughing
and harrowing in the early part of the season.

SQUASHES AND PUMPKINS.

Squashes and pumpkins may be treated in the same way as di-
rected for water-melons ; they are more hardy, and do not require so
very particular attention ; however, the ground must be kept loose
and free from weeds, for it will be in vain otherwise to expect pro-
fitable crops.

SWEET POTATOES.

Your sweet potatoes must have earth drawn around the hills, to
enlarge them and encourage the growth of the roots; lay off the
vines regularly, and keep the ground very clean.

CAULIFLOWERS.

The early cauliflowers will now be producing their heads abund-
antly ; care must be taken to break down the leaves to preserve the
flowers from sun and rain, as directed on page 385.

Those plants which are still advancing in growth, or part coming
into flower, should, in very dry weather, be frequently well watered,
which will greatly enlarge the size of the flowers. For this purpose,
draw the earth around each plant, basin-formed, to retain the water
till soaked down about the roots. This practice is absolutely neces-
sary in dry seasons.

The cauliflower plants from late sowing, should now be planted
out finally, as directed on page 329 ; taking care either to do it in
moist or cloudy weather, or to give shade and water after planting :
a large cabbage leaf laid over each plant will protect it considerably.

CABBAGES AND SAVOY.

Take opportunity of moist or cloudy weather, and plant out a full
crop of cabbages and savoys, from the late spring sowings ; also, of

JUNE] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 423

the red pickling cabbage, allowing each kind a sufficient distance ac-
cording to the nature of its growth, as directed in the former months.

But in gardens, where there is no ground vacant, from other crops,
or where there is a necessity of making the most of every piece of
kitchen ground, you may plant the savoy and cabbage plants between
rows of forward beans, and early cauliflowers, or such crops as stand
distant, and are soon to come off the ground ; observing to give each
plant a little water immediately after planting, unless the ground is
sufficiently saturated with moisture.

You may now sow seeds of any of the early heading kinds of cab-
bage, such as the early York, Sugarloaf, or Battersea, to come in both ,
for small hearts and hard cabbages in autumn.

BORECOLE, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, JERUSALEM KALE, AND TURNIP
CABBAGE.

The early plants of either of the above kinds may now be planted
out, as directed in May ; the late sown crops should be thinned, and
those pulled out planted in nursery-beds, four inches asunder, giving
them a good watering when planted, and afterwards occasionally, till
well established : here they are to remain till of sufficient strength for
planting out finally.

•;•; -T. 't-j - IH'.i*' -:>'l <' 'i;r ';*'''•• ' "* ,"'•' * ;-; "-'''I

BROCCOLI.

Plant out finally such broccoli plants as are of sufficient size, choose
for this purpose a bed of rich mellow earth, and let them be planted
at the distances mentioned on page 387.

Thin the late sown crops, and plant those pulled out into nursery
rows, to obtain strength, giving them a good watering immediately
after planting.

Early in the month sow some more seed for a succession crop, to
produce their heads in February, &c. For particulars see page 387.

CELERY.

The celery plants that have arrived to a sufficient size, should now
be finally planted out into trenches.

Choose for this purpose a piece of rich ground, in an open expo-
sure; mark out the trenches by line, ten or twelve inches wide, and
allow the space of three feet between trench and trench, which will
be sufficient for the early plantations.

Dig each trench a moderate spade deep, laying the dug out earth
equally on each side, between the trenches; lay three inches deep
of very rotten dung in the bottom of each trench, then pare the
sides and dig the dung and parings with an inch or two of the loose
mould at bottom, incorporating all well together, and put in the
plants.

Previous to planting, trim the tops of the plants, by cutting off the
long straggling leaves, and also the ends of their roots, leaving the
former about six inches long, and the latter two. When, however,

424 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JUNE

the plants have been duly thinned and kept free from weeds they
will be short and stubby, and will lift with small balls of earth to
each. In this case they may be planted with a trowel and need no
trimming.

Let them be planted with a dibble, in single rows, along the mid-
dle of each trench, allowing the distance of four or five inches be-
tween plant and plant ; as soon as planted, give them a plentiful
watering, and let them be shaded until they strike root, and begin to
grow.

Small sticks may be placed across the trenches, and on those boards
or pine planks laid lengthwise; or, pine or cedar boughs may be laid
"over the plants, which are to be taken off as soon as they begin to
grow.

The plants when grown to the height of eight or ten inches
should have their first landing ; this must be done in a dry day; the
earth should be broken small and laid in gently to both sides of the
plants, always taking care to leave the hearts and tops free; repeating
it every ten or twelve days till they are blanched of a sufficient length
for use.

PEAS.

Though peas sown at this time do not always succeed in bearing
abundantly, yet a few, to keep up a regular succession, may be sown
at two or three different times in the month, and if the season should
prove somewhat moist, there will be a chance of obtaining a hand-
some crop. The best kinds for this season are early Frame, early
Warwick, or blue Prussian. The marrow and other such are more
subject to mildew, while the above sorts are comparatively free.

If the weather and ground be very dry, it will be of some use to
soak them a few hours in soft river or pond water previous to sowing,
otherwise water the drills and then sow them.

Let those crops, if convenient, be sown in moist ground, but not
in a shady place ; in such a situation, the plants would draw up and
be good for nothing; observe to allow plenty of room between the
rows, for at this season much depends on their having air and liberty
to grow.

ASPARAGUS.

The asparagus now running up to seed, should be cleared from
weeds, and also your new plantations; likewise, the seedlings intended
for next year's planting; for if suffered to be overrun with weeds, it
. would ruin them.

TRANSPLANTING LEEKS.

Select a piece of good ground for this purpose, manure and dig it
well, then draw from the seed beds a sufficiency of the stoutest plants,
trim the long fibres of the roots, and cut off the tops of the leaves ;
this done, plant them in rows a foot asunder, and six inches plant
from plant in the rows, inserting their shanks into the earth up to

JUNE] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 425

their leaves; by this means they will grow very large, and the part
inserted in the earth become white and tender.

LETTUCES.

Transplant and sow lettuces as directed last month, on page 388.
Let this be done in moist weather, particularly the transplanting ;
for if in a great drought, the plants will not succeed well : the place
must be open and fully exposed, otherwise they will start to seed
before they arrive at any tolerable perfection. If you are under the
necessity of planting them in dry weather, let it be done late in the
afternoon, and immediately give them a plentiful watering.

SMALL SALADING.

Continue to sow cresses and other small salading once a week on
a shady border. They should be often refreshed with water, in dry
weather, and this ought to be repeated both before and after the
plants appear.

KIDNEY BEANS.

Sow successive crops of kidney beans in the beginning, middle,
and towards the latter end of this month, as directed on page 390 ;
either of the dwarf or running kinds may now be planted with good
success.

Should the ground happen to be very dry at the time of planting,
the drills ought to be well watered previous to the beans being
dropped therein ; this should not be omitted in dry weather, as it
will greatly promote the sprouting of the seeds, and the crops will
rise sooner and be more regular.

Land up the rows of kidney beans planted last month, which will
greatly strengthen and bring forward the plants, and place sticks or
poles to the running kinds, which are now beginning to advance in
growth.*

CAROLINA AND LIMA BEANS.

Hoe and clean the ground between your crops of Carolina and
Lima beans; see that all are properly supported with sticks or
poles, and draw up some earth around the stems of the plants. A
few of the early Carolina kind may be planted about the first of
this month, for a late crop; for the method of planting, &c., see
page 390.

RADISHES.

Although radishes do not generally succeed well at this season,
yet a few of the salmon-colored may be sown at different times in
the month : should the season prove moist, they may do tolerably
well. Some of the short top and white turnip-rooted kinds may also

426 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JUNE

now be sown, and toward the middle or end of the month you may
sow a good crop of the white and black winter or Spanish radish, to
draw early in autumn.

CARROTS, PARSNEPS, AND ONIONS.

The crops of carrots, parsneps, and onions, must now be kept
clean and free from weeds ; and if you observe that your onions in-
cline more to tops and roots, you may with a long stick gently lay
over their tops on one side, so as to bend them, and in a few days
after, lay them back to the opposite side, which will check the ascent
of the juices and cause the bulbs to swell.

BEETS.

The crops of beet should be kept very clean and the plants thin-
ned to proper distances, that they may have room to swell and grow
large.

The seeds of these plants are generally sown in drills, or rows,
a foot or more asunder ; and where that method was practised, you
can now more readily clear out the weeds and thin the plants ; ob-
serving to thin them to ten inches distance in the rows ; also, where
the seed was sown broadcast, so as the plants stand promiscuously,
they must likewise be cut out to ten or twelve inches distance, plant
from plant, and the roots will grow to a large size accordingly.

You may now sow succession crops of red, green, and white beet ;
and also of the Mangel wurtzel, or root of scarcity ; they will all
succeed well from this sowing, but the green and white kinds are
generally cultivated for their leaves (see page 203), while the last is
only useful for cattle.

TURNIPS.

The advancing crops of turnips should be hoed and thinned to
proper distances, and this ought always to be done at an early period
of their growth. As they do not grow large at this season, six or
seven inches apart will be sufficient.

SCORZONERA, SKIRRETS, SALSAFY, AND HAMBURG PARSLEY.

Thin and clear from weeds the crops of scorzonera, salsafy, skirret,
and large rooted parsley, which perform either by hand or small-
hoeing, thinning out the plants to six inches distance, and cutting up
all the weeds.

ENDIVE.

Transplant endive that is now of a sufficient size ; for the method,
see page 396.

Sow another crop of curled endive, to keep up a regular succession
when wanted ; and also some of the broad Batavian kind j this grows

JUNE] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 427

very large, whitens well if tied up, and is very palatable. Sow more
towards the end of the month.

OKRA, TOMATOES, AND EGG-PLANTS.

Earth up your advancing crops of okra; where too thick, thin
them to the distances mentioned on page 341, and keep the ground
free from weeds.

In the early part of this month, plant out a general crop of toma-
toes and egg-plant, as directed on pages 342, 395 and 396.

. CARDOONS.

Plant out cardoons in a bed of good earth, at the distance of four
feet from one another, every way : they may either be planted on
the level, or in holes made basin-form, at the above distances, pre-
viously laying some rotten manure in each hole, and mixing the
earth therewith ; one good plant is sufficient in a place, as they rise
to the height of three or four feet and require a considerable quan-
tity of earth to blanch them. Observe, before planting, to dress
the tops and roots as directed for celery ; and as they advance in
growth, they are to be earthed up for blanching, keeping the leaves
close together.

These plants are a species of Cynara, or artichoke ; the stalks of
the leaves are used, when well blanched, in salads, soups, and for
stewing, &c.

RED PEPPERS, OR CAPSICUMS.

In the early part of this month, you should plant out from the
seed-beds full and general crops of the various kinds of capsicums,
as directed on page 395.

PLANT POT AND OTHER HERBS, &C.

Plant out from the seed-beds the young plants of thyme, hyssop,
marjoram, winter savory, &c. &c. ; let this be done, if possible, in
moist or cloudy weather. Prepare for that purpose some beds, three
and a half feet wide, rake the surface smooth, and put in the plants
in straight rows, setting them six or eight inches distant every way,
and water them immediately. Many of these kinds may be planted
occasionally as edgings, along the sides of any particular beds or
borders.

All the large growing kinds of medicinal herbs, such as angelica,
lovage, &c., ought to be planted a foot or eighteen inches asunder,
in proportion to their usual growth. You may yet make slips or
cuttings of lavender, rosemary, thyme, hyssop, &c., and plant them
in shady borders.

428 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [JUNE

GATHERING HERBS.

All kinds of herbs, such as mint, balm, lavender, clary, sage,
rosemary, &c., that are gathered for drying, or for distillation and
other purposes, should be cut off when just beginning to come into
flower, and laid in the shade to dry gradually, which will render
them much better for any purpose than if they were dried in the
sun.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

WALL AND ESPALIER FRUIT-TREES.

Where the apricot, peach, nectarine, and other wall or espalier
trees were neglected last month, or not carefully attended to, you
may in the early part of this thin the fruit as then directed; rub off
all fore-right or ill-placed shoots, and train others regularly at proper
distances : be not too officious with the knife at this season, nor pull
off any of the leaves from the branches, unless they are distempered;
for the pulling off the leaves will expose the fruit too much to the
sun, and thereby greatly check their growth ; besides it would greatly
injure the buds which are formed at the footstalks of those leaves.
For further particulars respecting fruit-trees, see the Fruit Garden
for May, which are generally applicable in this month.

STRAWBERRIES.

The strawberry plants in general will, early in the month, be coming
into full bearing, and if watered occasionally between the rows as
directed on page 401, it will swell the fruit to a much larger size, and
greatly encourage the bloom and setting of an abundant crop.

Should the weather prove moist or cloudy, this will be a very
proper season, to make new plantations of the various kinds of straw-
berries, observing the method directed on page 232. But it would
be more advisable at this time to plant some of the best runner-
plants of this year's production into nursery beds in shady borders,
six inches asunder, there to remain and get strength till September
or October, and then to plant them with balls of earth where they
are to stand for fruiting. Frequent waterings will now be very neces-
sary for the young plantations.

Be particular in selecting the best kinds, and of the stoutest and
most vigorous growth ; dress or trim their roots, and cut off all the
strings or runners previous to planting.

Though it is not common to propagate strawberries at this season,
yet if done, and duly watered till they are well rooted, the plants
will be stronger, and bear much more abundantly next season, than
if deferred till September or October ; but if the weather should not

JUNE] THE ORCHARD. 429

happen to be peculiarly favorable, I would advise them to be planted
for the present in nursery beds, in a shady border, as before observed,
taking good care to water them frequently till well rooted.

You may, however, any time this month, plant out some of the
young runner-plants of the Alpine or prolific strawberry, and if
shaded and watered till they have taken fresh root, they will soon
bear fruit on the present plants, and in August and September, on
the runners produced in the intermediate time. The seeds of these
latter kinds, if sown in March, are particularly productive; these will
commence bearing in the September following, and continue on until
destroyed by frost, or if placed in the green-house, all the winter.

THE ORCHARD.

At this time there is very little to be done in the orchard, but a
repetition of what was recommended on page 402, to which I refer
you.

It would be very proper, when you observe many of your young
fruit punctured by insects, and consequently in a declining state,
gently to shake the trees, and pick and carry away to the pigs such
as fall to the ground, for the reasons assigned on page 151, &c.,
which see.

PRUNING.

Dr. Lindley, in his new edition of the Theory of Horticulture , has
given some directions regarding pruning and trimming, which it is
well to remember, and it is therefore here inserted. His views on
this subject have become authority with many. They will not be
unprofitable studies at all times.

THE PEAR-TREE.

This tree bears its fruit on wood more than one year old, but
chiefly on spurs, and very rarely on two-year branches. The object
of the pruner is to secure spurs by stopping branches and arresting
luxuriance, at the same time maintaining the plant in perfect health.

There is no difficulty in obtaining the requisite number of branches,
at proper distances, by observing the following directions : Plant a
maiden tree in autumn ; allow it to establish itself for one year, and
then head it back to a good eye, a few buds from its base. Let one
shoot grow as strong and upright as possible during the summer, and
head it back to within thirteen inches of the ground in autumn, cut-
ting very close to a bud, in order that the shoot springing from it
may form little or no bending; train it upright, whilst three or four
shoots, from buds immediately below it, should be more or less in-
clined to horizontal direction, according to their strength; the strongest

430 THE ORCHARD. [JUNE

should be most depressed. These three or four constitute the com-
mencement of the first or lower tier. For the next tier, head back
the upright leader to within eighteen inches of its base, if the soil is
rich ; if not, to fifteen inches ; and from the shoots produced in the
following season from buds, just under the cut, train a shoot for a
leader, and three or four somewhat horizontally, as before, for a
second tier. Precisely in this manner tier after tier must be started,
till the tree attain its assigned height. All this can be effected in
accordance with the natural disposition of the tree to form an upright
stem, and with the tendency of the sap to develop the uppermost buds
of a shortened shoot. But it is not to be done without serious diffi-
culties.

The shoots started for horizontal branches will rarely take that
direction; on the contrary, they will generally diverge at an angle
of 45°. This may, and should be overcome by tying down. The
disparity of vigor in the upper, as compared with the lower branches,
is a more serious affair. If allowed, the former will soon overgrow
the latter, and the pyramid will ultimately become inverted. It is,
therefore, evident that, in order to have well-conditioned pyramid
pear-trees, means must be adopted to maintain vigor in the lower tiers
of branches, and repress over-luxuriance in the upper.

With the view of invigorating the lower, permit the shoots to grow
without restraint till September, and then bend them towards a hori-
zontal position. They will thus be much stronger than if they had
been made to follow a horizontal direction from the beginning. Shorten
them a little at the winter pruning, in order to obtain a stronger
leading shoot than would otherwise be produced. Cut to a side bud ;
one on the upper side would produce a stronger shoot, but the latter
could not be brought down without occasioning an unsightly bend.
Besides a leader, some other shoots will probably be produced ; let
them grow, for their foliage will assist in forming channels or layers
of wood containing channels, for the transmission of sap along these
branches in the following season. The growing shoot should have
its point elevated till September, as before. No reduction of foliage
connected with the lower branches should be made by summer prun-
ing. Their leading shoots must not be overshaded.

In order to prevent excessive luxuriance in the upper branches,
recourse must be had to summer pruning as the most efficient means.
The shoots should be trained horizontally from their origin, their
points depressed instead of elevated. In short, they must be sub-
jected to a treatment generally the reverse of that recommended for
the lower branches.

Against walls, the horizontal mode of training answers well for the
pear. When the young tree is planted, head down the shoot to a
foot, or four courses of bricks, above the level of the ground. Train
a shoot upright, and one right, another left, at an angle of 45° ; if
these prove unequal in point of vigor, depress the strong and elevate
the weak. Lower them both about the middle of September to the
horizontal line represented by the joint between the fourth and fifth
course of bricks. Their origin on the stem was somewhat below this
line, and therefore they must ascend a little to reach it. This, as

JUNE]

THE ORCHARD.

431

Fig. 46.

regards the lower branches, is an advantage, for the sap flows more
freely into limbs thus diverging, than it does when constrained to
proceed from the stem directly at right angles. The lower branches
being apt to become the weakest, may be afforded this advantage,
whilst towards the top of the wall the branches may be made to pro-
ceed horizontally immediately from the stem.

The tree haying now a central upright shoot, and two horizontal
side shoots, shorten the latter at the winter pruning according to their
strength ; if weak, nearly to their bases ; the upright one to the fourth
course of bricks above that to which the first shoot was cut. Train
the shoot from the uppermost bud in a perpendicular direction, and
one on each side as before. Proceed thus to obtain an upright and
two horizontal branches
every year till the tree
reach the top of the
wall. When the hori-
zontal branches are
sufficiently strong, they
may be trained along
the courses of bricks
without shortening.

If properly managed
in summer, fruit-spurs
will begin to form along
these branches. The
accompanying cut (Fig.
46) represents a spur
in which a is progress-
ing to form a blossom-
bud, whilst b b are
already blossom-buds,
known by their plump-
ness; and from this
period of the season
such buds exhibit signs
of active vegetation, but
in a the surrounding
scales remain undis-
turbed till late in spring.
The scar at c is where
a portion of spur that
has borne fruit has been
cut back, and at the
winter pruning, after b
b have produced fruit,
they must likewise be cut back to others likely to form at their bases,
as they did at the base of c.

The pruning of the pear-tree trained against an espalier differs in
nothing from that which it requires when trained against a wall,
except that the spurs of espalier trees need not be so much short-
ened.

Spur of the pear -tree.

432

THE ORCHARD.

[JUNE

Fig- 47. THE FIG-TREE. — The accompanying figure re-

presents a shoot of the last summer's growth; on
which a, a, a, a, a, are fruit-buds ; 6, b, wood-
buds; c, c, c, c, c,c, scars where the leaf-stalks had
detached themselves at the fall of the leaf. It
thus appears that the fruit-buds of the fig-tree
are formed on the young shoots, in the axils of
the leaves. Sometimes it happens that leaves
are not accompanied with fruit-buds ; but they
are frequently formed in the axil of every leaf,
from the base of the shoot to its apex. In a
congenial climate, fruit-buds thus progressively
formed, result in a succession of ripe fruit. But
in our climate, although young figs are produced
in great abundance, they rarely acquire maturity
in the same season in which they originate, un-
less assisted by artificial heat. Shoots may be
seen plentifully furnished with green figs, some
of the latter attaining a considerable size before
autumn, but seldom ripening even at that period ;
and then the temperature begins to decline below
that which is necessary for carrying on the active
vegetation of the plant ; the leaves drop ; the
fruits still hold on ; but they wither even if pro-
tected from frost. Such being the case, those
fruit buds which may be expected to yield ma-
ture fruit in the open air, are not to be looked
for on the lower part of the shoots where the
fruit-buds have become developed. It is towards
the extremity of the shoots, where fruit-buds are
yet in embryo, compact and sessile, like those
represented by a, a, a, a, a, that we have to look
for a crop. Such buds retain their vitality till
the following spring, if they are not killed by
frost, or cut off by a badly directed pruning-
knife. The mode of bearing will thus be readily
understood, and the necessity of protecting the
extremities of the shoots of figs from frost.

" Whenever," says Mr. Knight, " a branch of
this tree appears to be extending with too much
luxuriance, its point, at the tenth or twelfth leaf,
is pressed between the finger and thumb, with-
out letting the nails come in contact with the
bark, till the soft succulent substance is felt to
yield to the pressure. Such branch, in conse-
quence, ceases subsequently to elongate; and
the sap is repulsed, to be expended where it is
more wanted. A fruit ripens at the base of each
leaf, and during the period in which the fruit is
ripening, one or more of the lateral buds shoots,
Shoot of a fig-tree. an(j js subsequently subjected to the same treat-

JUNE]

THE ORCHARD.

433

Fig. 48.

ment, with the same result. When I have suffered such shoots to
extend freely to their natural length, I have found that a small part
of them only became productive, either in the same or the ensuing
season, though I have seen
that their buds obviously
contained blossoms. I
made several experiments
to obtain fruit in the fol-
lowing spring from other
parts of such branches,
which were not success-
ful : but I ultimately
found that bending these
branches, as far as could
be done without danger of
breaking them, rendered
them extremely fruitful;
and, in the present spring,
thirteen figs ripened per-
fectly upon a branch of
this kind within the space
of ten inches. In train-
ing, the ends of all the
shoots have been made,
as far as practicable, to
point downwards."-.ZZbr£.
Tram.j iv. 201.

THE FILBERT-TREE. —
The filbert-tree is one of
those which does not con-
tain all the parts necessary
for the production of fruit
in the same bud. Some
buds develop only the
male parts, and others
only the female ; the for-
mer are comprised in
those pendent yellow cat-
kins, easily recognized in
the end of winter and
early spring. The female
portions are less conspicu-
ous ; all that appears of
them are some slender,
deep crimson stigmas, pro-
truding beyond the apex
of the buds, as repre-
sented at 6, b. On these,

fertilizing particles from the catkins either fall naturally, or are other-
wise brought in contact with them whilst being blown about by the
winds ; and fruitfulness is the result. If, on the contrary, there are
28

Branch of the Filbert, a, a, a, wood
buds ; 6, 6, blossom buds.

434 THE ORCHARD. [JUNE

no catkins, or if they are prematurely cut away in pruning, there
can be no fruit. Pruning should not be commenced till after the
appearance of the crimson stigmas at the apex of such buds as 6, 6,
and after the full expansion of the catkins. When the latter have
fulfilled their purpose, they fall off. After fertilization, the buds 6,
5, lengthen into a twig much the same as other buds; but towards
midsummer the formation of the cluster can be seen. The cluster
is always terminal.

The county of Kent has been long celebrated for the production
of large crops of filberts. The method pursued by the Maidstone
cultivators is minutely detailed by the Rev. William Williamson in
the fourth volume of the first series of the Transactions of the Horti-
cultural Society.

" Plant the bushes unpruned, and after being suffered to grow with-
out restraint for three or four years, cut them down within a few
inches of the ground. From the remaining part, if the trees are
well rooted in the soil, five or six strong shoots will be produced. In
the second year after cutting down, these shoots are shortened ; gene-
rally one-third is taken off. If very weak, I would advise that the
trees be quite cut down a second time, as in the previous spring; but
it would be much better not to cut them down till the trees give
evident tokens of their being able to produce shoots of sufficient
strength. When they are thus shortened, that they may appear
regular, let a small hoop be placed within the branches, to which
the shoots are to be fastened at equal distances. By this practice
two considerable advantages will be gained — the trees will grow more
regular, and the middle will be kept hollow, so as to admit the influ-
ence of the sun and air. In the thir3 year a shoot will spring from
each bud; these must be suffered to grow till the following autumn,
or fourth year, when they are to be cut off nearly close to the original
stem, and the leading shoot of the last year shortened two-thirds. In
the fifth year several small shoots will arise from the bases of the
side branches which were cut off the preceding year ; these are pro-
duced from small buds, and would not have been emitted had not the
branch on which they are situated been shortened, the whole nourish-
ment being carried to the upper part of the branch. It is from these
shoots that fruit is to be expected. These productive shoots will in
a few years become very numerous, and many of them must be taken
off, particularly the strongest, in order to encourage the production
of the smaller ones; for those of the former year become so exhausted
that they generally decay; but whether decayed or not they are
always cut out by the pruner, and a fresh supply must therefore be
provided to produce the fruit in the succeeding year. The leading
shoot is every year to be shortened two-thirds, or more should the
tree be weak, and the whole height of the branches must not exceed
six feet. The method of pruning above detailed might, in a few
words, be called a method of spurring, by which bearing shoots are
produced, which otherwise would have had no existence. Old trees
are easily induced to bear in this manner, by selecting a sufficient
number of the main branches, and then cutting the side shoots off
nearly close, excepting any should be so situated as not to interfere

JUNE] THE ORCHARD. 435

with the others, and there should be no main branch directed to that
particular part. It will, however, be two or three years before the
full effect will be produced."

The management of the laterals must be varied according to the
nature of the soil, and the greater or less humidity of the climate.
If the soil is rich and moist, strong shoots, too strong for any but
wood buds being formed on them, will be produced. Instead of the
fruitful laterals produced on the Kentish soil, rod-like walking canes
will be produced when the plants are grown in many other parts of
the kingdom. They must be cut back, otherwise they would form
strong cross branches ; but then we must consider that each of these
rods, with their ample foliage, has contributed to the formation of
roots during the summer ; that these roots will be adequate to supply
nourishment in the following season to all the shoots made in the
present season; but when the shoots are necessarily reduced, say
more than one-half, either by shortening or cutting out entirely, then
the remaining portion has more than double the quantity of roots
necessary for its nourishment ; and it will, in consequence, be stimu-
lated to grow with excessive luxuriance.

THE PEACH. — The mode of bearing is as follows : A, Fig. 49, re-
presents the branch of a peach-tree. The figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, denote
the respective ages of the portions of branch opposite. The asterisks
at the sides of the shoots, indicate the place to which these may be
shortened at the winter pruning. B, is a portion of a bearing shoot
furnished with both wood and blossom buds ; a, a, a, a, are blossom
bubs ; b, b, I, b, wood buds.

Peach and nectarine-trees bear their fruit exclusively on wood of
the preceding summer's growth. For example, if one pull a peach
in the summer of 1857, it must be from wood formed in the summer
of 1856, and which had no existence, as a shoot, in 1855, although
then its origin might have been traced to a vital point within a bud.
Such an almost invisible point was the shoot B, in 1855. In sum-
mer, 1856, this point, developed from a bud, grew a shoot, furnished
with leaves disposed singly, in twos or in threes, along the growing
shoot. In the axil of each of these leaves, the rudiments of a bud
were formed. The leaves, having accomplished their office, dropped
in autumn, whilst the energy of the young buds continued to increase.
Their winter appearance is represented in B. The blossom buds are
distinguished by their plumpness; they have an ovate form, which
gradually becomes globose ; they have a hoary appearance, owing to
the scales opening and exposing their downy integuments. The wood
buds are slender and conical. Their scaly covering is less deranged
by expansion of their interior parts in early spring, and consequently
they exhibit less of that hoary pubescence by which the others are
distinguished. In the case of triple buds the middle one is generally
a wood bud.

The peach differs materially from the pear and apple-trees. In
these a shoot may be shortened to any bud, and the one immediately
below the cut will almost invariably produce a shoot ; but the peach
shoot must be cut to where there is a wood bud; for if cut to a blos-
som bud only, no shoot can result. Sometimes all the buds on a

436

THE ORCHARD.

[JUNE

Fig. 49.

Slioot of Peach-tree.

shoot are blossom
buds, except the ter-
minal one and one or
two at the base.
Such shoot must
either be left its en-
tire length, or cut
back to the wood bud
at its base. The
shoots of the peach
naturally terminate
with a wood bud. If
this be cut off, the
blossoms on the part
left will expand and
the fruit may set, but
all will prematurely
drop ; thus, if all the
buds marked b were
blossom buds, they
would expand j but
the eight blossoms
would either drop
without setting, or
the fruit would drop
at the time of ston-
ing; at all events, a
leafless, budless shoot
would result, incapa-
ble of further vege-
tation. It dies down-
wards to the first
wood bud. The blos-
som buds, a of B,
will produce four
peaches, but one is
enough to leave to
come to perfection.
From the wood bud,
b, shoots will pro-
ceed; these, in the
course of the sum-
mer, will form buds
for future bearing j
and a twelvemonth
hence they will ap-
pear similar to those
on B, which having
once borne fruit can
do so no more, and
therefore its place
must be supplied by

JUNE] THE ORCHARD. 43 1

the most appropriate shoot it produces at or near -its base, or by a
shoot from an adjoining branch.

These facts are the foundation of all the long intricate plans
for pruning and training this tree. The following are, I think,
the best concise directions which have yet been given on this sub-
ject:—

" Commencing with the winter pruning, the first rule to be laid
down as a basis for all the rest, is to shorten every shoot in propor-
tion to its strength, and to prune where the wood is firm and well
ripened : this will cause all the pithy and unripened wood to be re-
moved, thence insuring a supply of that which is better ripened for
the ensuing year. But in order to give every facility to the ripening
of this wood, it must be trained thin, not in profusion according to
the general custom, but such shoots only as may be required for the
following year.

ft Trees which have arrived at a bearing state should have their
strongest bearing shoots shortened to twelve or fourteen inches, those
next in strength to eight or ten, and the weaker ones to four or six
inches, pruning each to what is termed a treble eye, or that where
there is a blossom-bud on each side of a wood-bud; where branches
are not in a bearing state, these treble eyes will not be found; they
must, therefore, be pruned to a wood-bud alone, which is always
known by its sharp point.

" In May, the season for disbudding the tree, all fore-right shoots,
as well as those from the back, must be carefully removed with a
sharp small-bladed knife, taking care to cut close to the biaach, but
not into the bark ; a few, however, of these fore-right shoots had bet-
ter be cut within a quarter of an inch only, which will leave two or
three leaves to each, to shade the young fruit, and such slight
wounds in the branch as have been occasioned by cutting the shoots
off close.

" As soon as the young shoots have grown long enough, the lead-
ing one from each branch should be nailed neatly to the wall, select-
ing one or two of the side shoots produced lower down the branch,
and training them parallel also. This applies to those of the stronger
branches, at and near the extremity of the tree. Those in the middle
and near the bottom will allow of but one shoot probably in addition
to the leaders; this will depend upon the space left in the winter
pruning; if sufficient, it is always better to have a young shoot on
each side as well as the leader, than to have only one, for it is by this
arrangement that a succession of young wood can be kept up through-
out every part of the tree.

" Should young shoots, indicating extraordinary vigor, anywhere
make their appearance, they should immediately be cut out, unless
where a vacant part of the wall can be filled up, because an excessive
vigor in one part of the tree cannot be supported without detriment
to the other. Peach-trees, when in a state of health and vigor,
generally throw out laterals from their stronger shoots; when this is
the case, they should not be cut off close, but shortened to the last
eye nearest the branch; and if there is room, one or two of those

438

THE ORCHARD.

[JUNE

Fig. 50.

Shoot of Gooseberry-bush.

a, a, a, a, wood-buda.
6, b, b, b, fruit-buds.
c, c, c, young shoots cut back.

first produced may be nailed to the wall ;
or the middle shoot may be cut out,
leaving the two lowest laterals, and
allowing them to take its place ; thus
frequently obtaining two fruit-bearing
branches, when the former one would
in all probability have been wholly un-
productive of fruit the following year."

THE GOOSEBERRY-BUSH. — Left to its
natural growth, the Gooseberry becomes
an almost impenetrable thicket, not at
all adapted for producing such fine fruit
as is produced by plants properly culti-
vated and pruned.

In the accompanying cut it will be
seen that the wood-buds, a, a, a, a, are
on the last summer's shoot, whilst the
fruit-buds, b, b, 6, b, are on two-years
old wood, and produce the largest and
finest fruit, but they may be seen on
wood much older. The buds marked
«, are called wood-buds, because from
them young shoots are produced, but
usually not from all of them; for it ap-
pears, that of the buds on the two-years
old wood, which, a twelvemonth back,
were similar to those now marked a,
three had produced shoots, c, c, c, and
the others formed the fruit-buds, b} b,
b,b.

After the plants have formed shoots,
these must be shortened according to
their strength ; if moderately strong, to
about six inches. In shortening, care
must be taken to cut to a bud pointing
the most towards the direction which
the branch should follow, in order to
complete the form in which the plants
are intended to be kept. The general
mode is to keep the bush hollow in the
middle, and six, eight or ten branches
at equal distances, or as nearly so as
possible. If two branches are likely to
approach too near each other, one or
both must be cut to buds pointing in
the opposite direction ; thus, in the
accompanying figure, supposing the
branch were intended to be prolonged
more towards the left, then the young
shoot is properly cut, as represented, for

JUNE]

THE ORCHARD.

439

Fig. 51.

the uppermost bud a to proceed in that direction. On the contrary,
if the uppermost bud a had been on the inside of a shoot, of which
it would have been desirable that the direction should be outwards,
towards the right, then it would have
been entirely wrong to cut at that bud.

Observing thus to cut at the proper
buds, each leading branch may be made
to diverge outwards, or to either side,
to an extent sufficient for ordinary cul-
tivation. The pruning of one of the
leading branches may now be detailed
from its commencement. In autumn,
or early part of winter, the shoot ought
to be shortened to some extent, bear-
ing in mind that generally the three
buds immediately below the section
will break into shoots; therefore, it
will be advisable to cut where another
leader is required to originate This
is the first winter pruning. The se-
cond will consist in shortening the
leading shoot about one-third; and
also the other shoot intended for an
adjoining leader. If there should be
another young shoot growing strongly
where not wanted, it may be cut off
close; and others, weaker, may be cut
like that marked c on the right of the
engraving. The next season the leader
should be shortened, and laterals cut
to one eye, if weak; but otherwise
three or four eyes may be left on these,
some of which will probably break into
shoots, and others will form fruit-spurs.
The other branches will require a si-
milar treatment. Young shoots should
be trained up to supply the place of
any branch exhibiting symptoms of
decay.

In the midland and northern coun-
ties, an open cup-form of bush is gene-
rally aimed at in pruning; on the con-
trary, in some cases in the South,
although the branches are pruned and
thinned, yet some are left in the cen-
tre for the purpose of shade, otherwise
the fruit would be scorched. Shoot of Currant.

The CURRANT-BUSH. — Under every a, a, a, a, wood-buds. &, &, fruit*
mode of training, the red Currant, and
also the white, require to be regularly
pruned every year. In rearing the

buds, but amongst them there are

440 THE VINEYARD. [JUNE

young plants, the first thing to be aimed at is a clear stem, about
five inches in length, free from suckers. In preparing the cutting,
care should be taken to remove all the buds on the portion intended
to be inserted in the ground, otherwise many of them would form
suckers, injurious to the plants, and troublesome to displace effect-
ually. In some cases, cuttings can be obtained long enough to afford
at once the proper length of stem ; but when such cannot be had,
when the cutting is altogether too short, or proves so after the neces-
sary removal of the imperfectly formed wood at top, then three buds
above the surface of the ground will be sufficient. These will gene-
rally produce three shoots, all of which may be allowed to grow dur-
ing the first summer after the cutting has been planted, in order to
assist in forming roots. Supposing the plant is intended for the open
ground, and that it is to be trained in the usual way, open in the
centre ; then in autumn, after the leaves have fallen, two out of the
three shoots which the plant has made should be cut off, and the
third, selected as the most eligible for a stem, should be shortened,
so that the third bud below the cut may be five inches above the
ground. Three shoots will generally be produced in the following
summer. In autumn the plants will require to be planted out where
they are to remain, and at the same time the shoots should be cut
back to about four inches, taking care to cut above buds pointing
outwards. We have now a stem five inches high, and three branches
diverging from it, each of them shortened to about four inches. Two
shoots should be encouraged from each of these three, so that in
autumn the plant will have six shoots, corresponding with the ulti-
mate number of branches necessary. All other shoots must be spur-
red to within an inch of their bases. The six shoots selected for
leaders should be cut back so as to leave them from four to six inches
long; and, like those of the former season, they should be cut to buds
pointing outwards. At every future winter pruning the terminal
shoots of the six branches should be shortened to between four and
six inches long, according to their strength. When the branches
nearly attain the intended height, the terminals may be shortened to
two or three buds. With regard to the lateral shoots, they must all
be cut to within an inch of the old wood at every winter pruning.

No fruit is more improved than the Currant by good pruning.
When left to itself, both bunches and berries are small and worth-
less j it is only when carefully thinned, skilfully pruned, and annually
divested of old spurs, that the fruit acquires its proper excellence.

THE VINEYARD.

During the early part of this month, the vines will be in full
«bloom, which, in the middle States, generally happens about the first
week thereof, a little earlier or later, according to the season ; and
although the vines may now require some attendance, it is dangerous
to administer it until the bloom is over, lest the blossoms should be

JUNE! THE NURSERY. 441

broken off thereby or otherwise injured; but when that period arrives,
let the young shoots as they advance be neatly and regularly tied up
to the stakes, not too close, that they may enjoy the full benefit of
the sun and air; at the same time displace all weakly and unneces-
sary growths, any young side shoots growing out of the main ones
should be nipt off at their first appearance, and the tops of the bear-
ing spurs some three leaves above the fruit.

Towards the end of the month, or when the bloom is over and the
fruit is set, if the weeds have made much progress, they should be
extirpated by the most convenient means.

The young vines of one, two, or three years' growth, should now
be carefully tied to the poles placed for their support, and never suf-
fered to trail about on the surface of the earth; the ground must be
kept perfectly free from weeds, as these would rob the plants of a
great portion of their nourishment, and exhaust the ground to no
purpose.

THE NURSERY.

WEED, SHADE, AND WATER.

You must observe in this month, as directed in the former, to keep
the ground between your rows of trees entirely free from weeds, for
these are very injurious to the plants, and nothing can have a worse
appearance than a nursery overgrown with weeds ; therefore, this
caution cannot be too often repeated. Observe, also, to keep the
seed-beds, in which the seeds of trees and shrubs were sown, per-
fectly clean, for these plants being young, are soon greatly injured,
if not totally destroyed, when overrun with weeds.

The beds of small, young, tender seedlings should now be shaded
from the mid-day sun, particularly the pines, firs, and other ever-
greens in general; and also the more delicate and rare deciduous
trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. They, however, must not be
kept close, nor shaded too long a time, for that would draw them up
weak and tender; therefore, give but a slight shading from about
ten to four or five o'clock, and that only when the sun is powerful
and no clouds interrupt its rays.

The more choice sorts of new planted trees, that is, such as were
planted late in the spring, should have occasional waterings; and
observe to renew the mulch about their roots where it is decayed; for
at this season the moisture of the earth will soon be exhaled and the
young fibres dried up when this is neglected; besides, it will save
much trouble in watering.

The seedling-beds of all kinds of trees and shrubs, but more espe-
cially the evergreens, will require frequent waterings in dry weather;
let it always be given late in the afternoon, frequently and mode-
rately, as observed on page 403.

442 THE NURSERY. [JUNE

TRANSPLANTING SEEDLING PINES AND FIRS.

It has been advised by some writers on gardening, of consider-
able celebrity, to plant out in this month pines, firs, &c., from the
seed-beds ; and asserted " that they would be much stronger and
better prepared to live through the winter by this treatment than if
suffered to remain in the seed-beds, as their roots would be fixed in
the ground and their stems shorter." The reverse of this I have
experienced in upwards of twenty years' practice, and therefore have
here noticed it, lest my readers should be led astray by such respect-
able authorities. The true method of treating these and such plants
is, frequently during the summer months, as they advance in growth,
to sift some loose earth over them in the seed-beds till it comes up
to the seed leaves, by which the stems are protected, and, as it were,
shortened, without disturbing their roots or checking their growth ;
and, besides, it tends to keep the moisture confined to the earth by
preventing its too sudden evaporation, and the loose sifted mould
attracts the dews and imbibes the rains, when such fall, by which
means the plants are kept cool, moist, and in a constant growing
state.

PROPAGATING EVERGREENS AND OTHER TREES AND SHRUBS BY
LAYERS.

Most kinds of evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs may now
be propagated by laying the present year's shoots; being soft and
tender, they will emit roots much more freely than the older wood;
and several sorts that would not root for two years if laid in spring
or autumn, by this method will be well rooted the autumn twelve
months after laying, and many kinds before the ensuing winter.
Virgin's bower, passion flowers, trumpet flowers, common jasmine,
and most of the climbing plants root immediately when laid in this
way. For the various methods of performing this operation, see
page 300.

After these are laid you should observe to water them occasionally
in dry weather, which will greatly promote their rooting. But these
waterings should not be too often repeated, nor too abundantly given
at a time, for that would rot the tender fibres as they proceed from
the layers; therefore the best method is to lay mulch on the surface
of the ground, after the layers are put down, to prevent the sun from
drying it too fast, then a little water will be sufficient, and the layers
will more certainly take root.

TRIM UP EVERGREENS.

Evergreens should now be trimmed up according to the uses for
which they are designed ; for if you suffer them to grow rude in
summer, they cannot be so easily reduced afterwards ; besides, the
ruder they grow the more naked they will be near the stems.

JUNE] THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. 443

NEWLY GRAFTED AND BUDDED TREES.

Take off the clay and loosen the bandages of your grafted trees,
and where any have made remarkably vigorous shoots and seem to
need support to protect them from the power of violent winds, but
more especially in exposed situations, let stakes be placed thereto,
and the shoots bound to them with strings of bass or such like.

The vigorous shoots from the buds inserted last season may, under
like circumstances, require similar support, which ought to be given
when deemed necessary.

Be very particular to rub off such young shoots proceeding from
the stocks as are independent of the grafts or the inserted bud-
shoots; for those, if suffered to remain, would rob the grafts and
budded shoots of a great portion of nourishment, and therefore ought
to be displaced as often as they appear.

BUDDING.

Budding might now be practised on most kinds of trees and shrubs,
but when done at this time, the inserted buds, generally, grow in the
present year, and the shoots arising therefrom are much weaker, and
worse prepared to withstand the winter frost than those produced in
spring, from the buds inserted the preceding autumn; and, in fact,
such seldom make but indifferent trees. Therefore, it will be much
better not to attempt this work, except upon a few roses or other
shrubs, until the latter end of July and the autumnal months, as
hereafter directed. The method of performing the operation you
will find in the Nursery for July.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

HYACINTHS AND TULIPS.

Most of your hyacinths and tulips will, in the course of this
month, be fit for taking up, and then are to be treated as directed on
pages 407 and 408.

TAKING UP EARLY FLOWERING BULBS IN GENERAL.

^ All the different kinds of spring flowering bulbs, such as fritilla-
rias, crown imperials, crocuses, snow-drops, &c., whose leaves are now
decayed, may be taken up and treated as directed more particularly
in the Flower Garden for last month.

GUERNSEY AND BELLADONNA AMARYLLISES.

The roots of the Guernsey and belladonna amaryllis may now, if
their leaves are quite decayed, be taken up, their offsets separated,

444 THE PLEASURE, OR [JUNE

and all the roots treated as directed for the former in page 414, with
this difference, that during the winter months the belladonna will
require rather more care and protection than the Guernsey amaryllis ;
but both may be considered as hardy green-house plants. The roots
ought to be replanted before the end of July, as both kinds flower
late in autumn. The soil in which to plant them should be a good
fresh loam, mixed with about a fourth part of fine sand, and the
roots are not to be covered, when planted in pots, more than half an
inch above their crowns.

These plants commonly flower in October, and in some seasons not
till November ; but on taking in the green-house plants those should
be removed with them, and placed in the windows, where they will
display their beautiful flowers in great perfection.

In such of the southern States as the winter frosts are not very
severe, both these kinds may be planted in the open ground, and
two or three inches of tan laid over the beds on the approach of frost,
to protect the bulbs therefrom, or the beds may be covered at such
times with mats laid on hoops, placed archwise over them, for that
purpose.

HARDY AUTUMNAL FLOWERING BULBS.

The beginning or middle of this month is still a proper time to
take up your yellow amaryllises, colchicums, autumnal crocuses, and
such other autumnal flowering bulbs as have their leaves decayed or
in a declining state.

These may be planted again immediately after separating their
offsets, or kept up dry till July or early in August, and then planted
where they are to flower in October, &c. The roots when taken up
are to be carefully dried in the shade, as directed for tulips, &c.; and
it will be well to plant them either in or before the last week of
July or the first in August. By planting them at this time they
will blow stronger than if kept too long out of the ground. All
these sorts, in their flowering state, are generally unattended with
leaves, which spring up after the flowers fade.

It is not absolutely necessary to take up these bulbs every year,
once in two or three years will do ; but then it must be done, in
order to separate the offsets for increase, and to plant the strong
roots in fresh earth, which will cause them to shoot and flower much
more luxuriantly.

CYCLAMENS.

These are all too tender to bear the winter frosts of the middle
and eastern States, and consequently must be treated as green-house
plants, where they should be kept in the front windows, to have the
benefit of as much light and air as possible. The leaves being gene-
rally decayed about this time, the roots may be taken up and re-
planted immediately into a composition of one-half good loamy earth,
one-fourth sand, and one-fourth light moory earth, or earth of rotten
leaves, all being well incorporated together. They do not require to

JUNE] FLOWER GARDEN. 445

be taken up oftener than every second or third year, and then only
to give them fresh earth, as they never increase by offsets, and are
only propagated by seed, or by cutting the roots through across the
crowns, which latter method is, generally, very unsuccessful.

They continue a long time in bloom, and display flowers of a
curious structure and delicately beautiful. The pots containing these
roots must be kept, during the summer months, where they will not
be much exposed to the sun, and in that time should have but little
water, as their roots are, generally, then in an inactive state, and
would soon rot by too much moisture.

All the sorts may be propagated by seed, which should be sown
soon after being ripe, or early in spring, and covered near half an
inch deep; they must always be protected from frost and also from
the summer sun ; the September following, you are to lay over the
roots, not covering the leaves, half an inch or better of good loose
sandy earth, and during the following winter and ensuing summer
protect them as before. Any time in the summer of the second or
third year that the leaves are decayed, take up the roots, and replant
them in pots of fresh earth, covering them one inch deep ; here they
remain till they flower, which will generally be in the second and
third years after sowing.

PINKS.

Your superb pinks, during the time of bloom, should be defended
from the sun by an awning of some kind, and the soil ought to be
kept regularly moist by soft water, administered between the plants,
carefully avoiding to wet the blossoms.

The most approved method of propagating pinks, is by piping
them as directed for carnations; they seldom fail to strike sufficient
root in two or three weeks ; when well rooted, they may be trans-
planted into an open part of the garden, on a bed of common garden
mould, fresh dug up, where it will in a few weeks be easily discerni-
ble which are the most proper to place on the best bed for bloom.
The time to pipe pinks is immediately previous to, or during the
bloom, or, indeed, as soon as the new shoots are grown of a sufficient
length for that purpose. The surest and readiest way, however, is to
lay down the shoots two inches under the soil immediately after
flowering.

New sorts of pinks are produced from seed, but this should be
gathered from such as have superior properties.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTIES OF A FINE DOUBLED PINK.

The stem should be strong and erect, and not less than twelve
inches high. The calyx rather smaller and shorter, but nearly
similar in form and proportion to that of a carnation, as well as the
formation of the flower, which should not be less than two inches
and a half in diameter.

The petals should be numerous, large, broad, and substantial, and
have very finely fringed or serrated edges, free from large .coarse

446 THE PLEASURE, OE [JUNE

deep notches or indentures ; in short, they approach nearest to per-
fection when the fringe on the edge is so fine as to be scarcely dis-
cernible; but it would be a very desirable object to obtain them
perfectly rose-leaved, that is, without any fringe at all.

The broadest part of the limina, or broad end of the petals, should
be perfectly white and distinct from the eye, unless it be ornamented
by a continuation of the color of the eye round it,* bold, clean, and
distinct, leaving a considerable portion of white in the centre, per-
fectly free from any tinge or spot.

The eye should consist of a bright, or dark rich crimson, or pur-
ple, resembling velvet ; but the nearer it approaches to black, the
more it is esteemed; its proportion should be about equal to that of
the white, that it may neither appear too large nor too small.

CARNATIONS.

The calyx of many sorts of carnations contains a great number of
petals, which, as they increase in bulk, will distend and burst it,
if not timely prevented : this will generally happen a few days pre-
vious to the proper time of the blossoms opening, and will, if neg-
lected, by letting out the petals on one side, and thereby producing
a loose irregular appearance, totally destroy that compact, graceful
circular form, which a perfect flower ought to possess, and which is
one of its greatest ornaments; but this disagreeable effect may be
easily avoided by fastening a small narrow slip of bladder round the
middle of the pod, where it is most swelled, and appears to have the
greatest inclination to burst. The slip of bladder should be rather
longer than is required to go once around, so that one end of it may
lay over the other a little, which by the application of some strong
gum water, will adhere firmly together, and answer the purpose com-
pletely. Small slips of wet bass may be substituted for those of
bladder, and being tied with a single knot around the same part of
the calyx, will answer the purpose.

Others place upon the calyx thin pieces of card, cut circular, of
a proper size to suit the blossom, with a hole in the centre adapted
to the size of the pod, and cut quite through from thence to the
periphery, in order to admit the stem, after which to draw them up
around the calyx; these are to be placed close to the guard leaves or
outside petals, to support them horizontally, and will, when extended
just as far as the extreme points of the petals, give the flower a neat
and pleasing appearance ; but these are apt to warp when long ex-
posed to the weather, especially after being wet, and must, in such
cases, be either taken off entirely or replaced with new ones, as they
will no longer answer the intended purpose.

Either of the above methods may, and should be resorted to, in
order to have the fine large bursting kinds of carnations and pinks
to blow to the greatest advantage.

When the major part of your elegant carnations are in bloom, an

* When the corolla consists of petals of this description, it is denomi-
nated a Laced Pink.

JUNE] FLOWER GARDEN. 447

awning should be placed over the whole, so as to be drawn up or let
down by means of pulleys. The same frame that was used for tulips
or hyacinths would answer this purpose extremely well.

In order that the flowers should appear to the greatest advantage,
it is necessary that the pots should stand upon a stage erected
theatre-like ; and it would be an additional advantage to have the
flowers suspended from the sticks placed in the pots for their support
by small pieces of fine elastic wire of unequal lengths, to support
them in a natural, easy, and graceful manner, neither too near to-
gether nor remote from each other ; one end of the wire should be
introduced into the stick by means of a small awl, and there fixed
sufficiently tight, to prevent its being drawn out by the weight of
the flower ; the other end of the wire should be formed into a small
ring about a quarter of an inch in diameter, to inclose the stem
below the calyx; this ring should be a little open on one side to
admit the stem freely without bruising it, which would materially
injure the bloom.

The pots must be kept regularly and constantly watered during
the bloom, and no favorable opportunity should be neglected to allow
them the full advantage of exposure to light and air ; but no rain
should be admitted to the blossoms at any period of their bloom.

It is not advisable to let every pod blow, because it would render
each blossom smaller than if only two or three were left on each
plant; it is, therefore, proper, in this case, to cut off or draw out the
small lateral pods close to the main stem as soon as they appear, in
order that the remainder may have time to reap due benefit by it ;
but those sorts that have remarkably large short pods, abounding with
petals (commonly called bursters) should be suffered to bloom them
all, or the greater part, although, in general, three or four pods are
as many as ought to be suffered to blow on one plant.

Modern florists divide the carnations into four classes : —

1. Flakes; of two colors only, and their stripes large, going quite
through the leaves.

2. JBizards; with flowers striped or variegated with three or four
different colors in regular spots and stripes.

3. Piquettes or Piquettees; having a white ground, and spotted
or pounced with scarlet, red, purple, or other colors.

4. Painted Ladies; these have the petals of a red or purple color
on the upper side, and white underneath.*

A DESCRIPTION OP THE PROPERTIES OP A FINE VARIEGATED DOUBLE

CARNATION.

The stem should be strong, tall, and straight, not less than thirty,
nor more than forty-five inches high. The flower should be at least
three inches in diameter, and the petals well formed, neither so many
as to appear crowded, nor so few as to appear thin. The lower or

* These classes are more particularly applicable to the once flowering
kinds. The remontants, which bloom all the year rouiid if protected in
winter in the green-house, are far more preferable, and now may be had of
all hues and kinds of stripes.

448 THE PLEASURE, OR [JUNE

outer circle of petals, commonly called the guard leaves, should be
particularly substantial ; they should rise perpendicularly about half
an inch above the calyx, and then turn off gracefully in a horizontal
direction, supporting the interior petals, which should decrease gradu-
ally in size as they approach the centre, which should be well filled
with them. All the petals should be regularly disposed and lie over
each other in such a manner as that their respective and united
beauties may meet the eye altogether ; they should be nearly flat, or,
at most, have but a small degree of inflection at the broad end ; their
edges should be perfectly entire (or what is called rose-leaved), with-
out notch, fringe, or indenture. The calyx should be at least an
inch in length, sufficiently strong at the top to keep the base of the
petals in a close and circular body. The colors should be distinct,
and the stripes regular, narrowing gradually to the claws of the petal,
and there ending in a fine point. Almost one-half of each petal
should be of a clear white, and free from spots.

Bizards, or such as contain two or more colors upon a white ground,
are esteemed rather preferable to Flakes, which have but one, espe-
cially when their colors are remarkably rich and very regularly dis-
tributed.

Scarlet, purple, and pink, are the three colors most predominant
in the carnation; the first two are seldom to be met with in the same
flower, but the purple and pink very frequently.

PROPAGATING CARNATIONS BY LAYING AND PIPING.

When carnations, &c., are propagated in the open air, by their
shoots or layers connected with the mother plant, the operation is
called laying ; but when they are propagated by cuttings taken from
the original plant, and by the assistance of artificial means caused to
strike root in a confined air, it is called piping them.

The operation of laying, or piping, is to commence as soon as the
plants are in full bloom; nevertheless, those who are particularly
desirous to preserve their bloom in the greatest perfection, may defer
it till the flowers are on the decline ; but others, anxious to have their
plants strong and well rooted early in autumn, with a view that the
layers may be better prepared to endure the severities of the ensuing
winter, begin to lay at the commencement of the bloom ; at which
time, the plants being full of juices and vigor, the layers are the
better nourished and supported, and soon strike root ; but it must be
allowed that the bloom is considerably impaired by the wounds
inflicted in the operation, particularly so when performed in an early
stage of it; the old plants seldom survive unless very strong and
sound, or some of the upper young shoots be left, such as are too
short to be laid with convenience; these will encourage and continue
the circulation of the juices if suffered to remain.

Previous to entering on the operation of laying, you must be pro-
vided with a sufficient number of wooden or other pegs, each to be
about five or six inches long, and formed somewhat like the figure 7,
that is, with a short hooked end. The operator should, likewise, be
provided with a table, on which to place the pots, when the plants

JUNE] FLOWER GARDEN. 449

are so grown, for the greater convenience in the examination, dress-
ing, and laying of the shoots, also with a sharp pen-knife, and some
fresh compost earth.

The layer may be supposed to have four or five joints, more or
less; the lower leaves next the root are all to be cut or stripped off
close to within two or three joints of the extremity of the layer, and
its extreme points are to be shortened by cutting the tops off with
the knife, so as to leave them only an inch and a half or two inches
in length from the joint whence they proceed.

All the layers in the pots, and also those in the open ground, are
to be thus treated or prepared before any further procedure be made ;
the surface of the earth is then to be cleared of what has fallen on
it, and should be stirred up about ftn inch deep : the pot is then to
be filled up nearly level with some light rich compost, not of too
fine a grain.

The incision immediately follows : the knife should have a small,
thin, and very sharp blade ; it is to be introduced on that side the
layer next the ground, in a sloping direction upwards, to commence
a quarter of an inch below the second or third clean joint from the
extremity, and continue through the middle of that joint, and half
or three-quarters of an inch above it, the small portion left under
and connected with the joint is to be cut off horizontally, quite close
to the bottom of the joint, but not into it, as it is from the outer
circle of the bottom of the joint that the fibres proceed, consequently,
that part should not be injured.

After the incision is made, which should be through the middle
of the joint, &c., and the lower part dressed as before directed, the
layer is to be gently forced down to the earth with great care to
avoid breaking it off, or even cracking it at the joint, which would
prevent a due communication of the juices of the old plant, so
necessary for the support of the layer, till it has formed sunicient
root to support itself; it would likewise render it more likely to
decay on the application of water.

The layer is to be held down to the surface of the earth by one of
the pegs before described, which 13 to be forced into the soil close
behind the joint where the incision was made, observing at the same
time to keep the slit a little open ; and it is to be observed that the
joint from whence the fibres are expected to proceed should be covered
about an inch deep with good compost earth, and not deeper ; for the
influence of the air is necessary to the free rooting of the layer.
The remainder of the stalk of the layer should lay, as much as
possible, upon or above the surface, but must by no means be covered
too deep.

Carnations and pinks, growing in the open ground, in beds or
borders, &c., may be propagated by laying them in like manner as
above, or either may be propagated by pipings, as follows : —

PIPING CARNATIONS AND PINKS.

For this purpose it is necessary to form a bed of fine light mould,
or old compost earth, which should be moderately moistened and
29

450 THE PLEASURE, OR [JUNE

rendered rather compact than otherwise; then take a hand or bell-
glass, and with it mark its dimensions on the surface of the soil, in
order to know where to stick in the pipings, so as to lose no room,
or endanger their being disturbed when the glass is placed over
them.

The cuttings intended to be piped are to have two complete joints,
that is to say, they are to be cut off horizontally close under the
second joint; the extremities or points of the leaves are likewise to
be shortened as for laying, which will leave the whole length of the
piping about two inches; as soon as thus prepared they may be thrown
into a basin of soft water for a few minutes to plump. They are
then to be taken out of the basin singly, and forced into the earth
in their wet state not more than an inch deep, and about two inches
asunder every way.

When a sufficient number for the glass are thus placed regularly,
they are to be very gently watered, in order that the earth may ad-
here more closely to them, and thereby keep out the air; after this
watering they are to remain open, but not exposed to the sun, till
their leaves become perfectly dry, after which the glass is to be placed
over them carefully, in the same mark that was made by it on the
surface of the soil before the insertion of the pipings.

The bottom edges of the glass, or glasses, are to be forced a little
into the earth to keep out the influence of the external air, and to
preserve a moist atmosphere about the pipings, till their young
radicles are established and begin to act; for if fully exposed to the
air before that period, it would carry off from the leaves, &c., a
greater portion of juices than the young plants could, for the present,
extract from the earth, and consequently they must perish thereby.
This is the particular reason why cuttings of every kind succeed
better when thus treated than when left exposed to the influence of
the weather.

The pipings should have a little of the morning sun, but must be
.shaded from it when the heat increases; this will easily be effected
by placing mats upon a slight frame of hoops or laths, erected over
the bed, about two feet above it.

The glasses should be occasionally taken off, for half an hour at
.a time, early in the morning, or late in the afternoon, to admit fresh
air ; if this material point is neglected, the consequence will be a
.green mossy appearance on the surface of the earth, and a universal
inouldiness amongst the plants which will destroy them.

When the fibres are formed, which the additional verdure and
growth of the plants will demonstrate, the glasses should be placed
over them very lightly, in order that more air be admitted; and
when they become tolerably well rooted, the glasses being no longer
necessary, should be entirely taken away ; continue to water them
frequently, but moderately, as they progress in growth, and for their
further treatment see the flower garden for next month.

Some sorts of carnations succeed much better by piping than
laying, and make healthier plants: This is particularly the case with
the remontants, but it requires attention and experience to distinguish

JUNE] FLOWER GARDEN. 451

such sorts in the other classes from the rest, which must depend
wholly on the discernment of the cultivator.

PLANTING CARNATION AND PINK SEEDLINGS.

The carnation and pink seedlings sown early in spring, may now
be planted into nursery beds, in rows, eight or nine inches asunder,
and plant from plant five or six inches, there to remain till September
or October, when they are to be planted at greater distances to remain
for flowering.

Persons who are fond of carnations and pinks, ought to sow some
seed of each sort every year, for it is by this means that all the fine
new varieties of these charming flowers are obtained.

When new sorts are procured in this way, they are to be increased
by layers or pipings, and will generally keep to their original colors ;
but when propagated by seed, very few will be found to possess the
same colors and properties as the mother plant.

DOUBLE SWEET-WILLIAM.

The fine kinds of double sweet-william may now be propagated,
either by slips or by laying the young shoots, as directed for carna-
tions ; in either way, they will root freely, but if the slips are planted,
they will require shade as well as occasional waterings for ten or
twelve days after.

TRANSPLANTING ANNUALS.

You may now transplant into the borders and other places where
wanted, all the different kinds of annual flowers that succeed in that
way, and that stand too close where they had been sown j such as
French and African marigolds, China asters, cocks-combs, chrysan-
themums, China pinks, China, hollyhocks, balsams, amaranthuses of
various sorts, gomphrena globosa, and many other kinds, observing
to do this in moist or cloudy weather, if possible, and to give them
shade and frequent refreshments of water till newly rooted ; let them
be taken up and transplanted with as much earth as possible about
their roots, whether into flower-pots or elsewhere.

THINNING AND SUPPORTING FLOWERING PLANTS, ETC.

Wherever you have sown annual flower seeds in patches, &c., and
they have grown too thick, you must thin them to proper distances,
according to their respective habits of growth, so as to allow them
full liberty to attain the utmost perfection.

Place sticks for the support of the various kinds that require it,
whether annual, perennial, biennial, or climbing plants, as directed
on page 411, observing the method there recommended.

Cut off, close to the ground, the decaying flower-stems of such
perennial plants as are past flowering, and clear the roots from dead
leaves ; but where intended to save seed from any of the kinds, leave
for that purpose some of the principal stems.

452 THE PLEASURE, OR [ JUNE

Trim, dress, and tie up any disorderly growing plants, pick off all
withered leaves, and cut out decayed parts.

PROPAGATING FIBROUS-ROOTED PLANTS BY CUTTINGS.

You may still continue to propagate the double scarlet-lychnis,
double-rocket, lychnideas or phloxes, with many other like kinds, by
cuttings of the flower-stalks, as directed for the scarlet-lychnis, in
May.

TRANSPLANTING SEEDLING PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS.

Transplant from the seed-beds the early sown perennial and
biennial seedling flower plants, that are grown to a sufficient size ;
such as sweet-williams, sweet scabious, Canterbury-bells, rose-cam-
pion and monk's-hood, soapwort, valerian, Chinese ixia, asclepiases,
asters and rhexias; coreopsis, hibiscuses, dracocephalums, &c., &c.,
&c.

Prepare for these three or four feet wide beds of good earth, and
plant them by line at six inches distance every way, water them im-
mediately, and if the weather be very dry, give occasional shade and
waterings till they have taken root and begin to grow. The plants
are to remain in these beds until autumn or spring, and are then to
be planted out finally into the beds or borders where they are intended
to flower the ensuing year.

STOCK- GILLYFLOWERS AND WALL-FLOWERS.

The stock-gillyflowers and wall-flowers are not sufficiently hardy to
bear the winter frosts of the middle or eastern states; therefore, it
will be necessary to plant the seedlings of these kinds in some con-
venient place where a garden frame may be placed over them in
winter, on which to lay boards or any slight covering for their pro-
tection, as directed in November. Or you may plant them now in
the open borders to grow till September, then to be taken up and
potted, and in November they are to be removed into their winter
quarters: or, they may immediately be planted into small pots, which
are to be plunged into some shady border, where you can give them
water during the season according to their necessities.

TRIM BOX EDGINGS.

Take advantage of the first moist weather that happens after the
middle of this month, in which to clip and dress your box edgings ;
for if done in dry or parching weather they are apt to turn foxy, and
consequently, lose much of their beauty.

The edgings should be cut very neat, even at top and both sides,
and ought not to be suffered to grow higher than two or three inches,
nor broader than two. When the edgings of box are kept near that
size, they look extremely neat, but if permitted to grow to the height
of four, five, or six inches, and perhaps near as much in breadth,

JUNE] FLOWER GARDEN. 453

they then assume a clumsy and heavy appearance, and deprive the
beds and borders of that apparent roundness so necessary to set them
off to advantage.

DRESSING THE FLOWER-BORDERS AND SHRUBBERIES, ETC.

The flower-borders, beds, shrubbery- clumps, and all other orna-
mental compartments, must now be kept remarkably clean and neat,
and no weeds suffered to appear, or at least to grow to any consider-
able size in any of these places. The weeds must be exterminated
immediately on their appearance either by hoe or hand, occasionally,
and this should be performed on a dry day ; if with the hoe, cutting
them up within the ground and raking them off immediately.

Examine the evergreens and flowering shrubs, and where any have
made disorderly shoots, let such be cut clean out or shortened, as you
may deem expedient, in order to preserve the heads in due form and
of an elegant appearance.

WATERING.

Occasional waterings must be given to all your late planted shrubs
and flowers, and particularly to the annual, perennial, and biennial
flower plants newly planted out into nursery beds.

Your entire stock of plants in pots and boxes, seedlings and others,
must be watered as often as the earth about them becomes dry and
unfriendly to vegetation ; and your carnation and other layers must
be duly attended to in this respect to preserve the earth about them
moderately moist, and only so.

For some useful observations in respect to watering, see page 404.

GRASS AND GRAVEL- WALKS.

The grass and gravel-walks, &c., must be treated constantly during
the summer and autumn, as directed on page 415.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

GENERAL CARE OF THE GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS.

The plants being now out and fully exposed to the air, will require
a constant supply of water; it is impossible to say how often it ought
to be administered, or how much should be given at a time, as the
state of weather, the different constitutions and habits of the plants,
and also the size of the pots or tubs as well as of the plants them-
selves, make a material difference in that respect. The only true
guide is the state of the earth in the pots or tubs, which should always
be kept moist and in a proper condition to promote and encourage
vegetation. In very hot weather, the plants that are in small pots will

454 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [JUNE

require some water both morning and evening, at other times once a
day will be sufficient; but as the plants have no other nourishment
but what they extract from the earth within the pots or tubs, it ought
to be a general rule to keep it constantly moist, but not too wet.

The best water for this purpose is such as is taken from rivers or
ponds where it is fully exposed to the sun and air, so that if you
have no other than spring or well water, it should always be exposed
in cisterns, &c., to the sun and air at least twenty-four hours before it
is used.

You may, about once a fortnight, use a weak solution of guano in
the proportion of one pound to twenty gallons, or the diluted drain-
ings from a dunghill; but care must be taken that these materials
are weak enough ; for these strongly impregnated waters, instead of
affording nourishment, cause the leaves to change to a pale sickly
color, and ultimately bring on a general debility ; they operate like
hot liquors on human bodies, which, at first taking, seem to add new
vigor, yet, after some time, leave the body weaker than before.

If mowings of short grass, or some moss, be spread on the surface
earth of the large tubs or pots of oranges, lemons, &c., it will pre-
serve the moisture and defend the upper roots from the sun and dry-
ing air.

Such of the pots with plants, as are plunged in the earth, must be
turned fully around in their seats once a week to break off such fibres
as extend through the holes at bottom into the surrounding earth ;
for the reasons of doing this see pages 416 and 417.

Some people thin what they consider the superabundant blossoms
of oranges and lemons ; this I do not approve of, as it is probable
that such as would set the best fruit might be plucked off as well as
any other ; therefore it will be the better way to suffer the whole
bloom to remain, and if too abundant a crop of fruit should happen
to set, to thin them soon after to a sufficient a number. However,
where some are wanted for making orange-flower water, the smallest
may be picked off where they appear in clusters, leaving the largest
and most promising. Any declining myrtles, or other hard-wooded
plants, may be greatly restored to strength and vigor by turning them
out of their pots, earth and all, and placing the balls in baskets made
of peeled or dried willows, and plunging these in the open borders
till September ; when they are to be taken up, the extending roots
trimmed off, the baskets cut away, and the plants with the entire
balls replanted in suitable-sized pots or tubs, after which they are to
be placed in the shade till housed.

PROPAGATING THE PLANTS.

Myrtles may be propagated abundantly towards the middle or lat-
ter end of the month by slips or cuttings of the present year's wood,
as may also hydrangeas, fuchsias, China and Otaheite roses ; coronil-
las, bupthalmum fruticosum, geraniums, jasmines, heliotropiums,
and almost every other kind of shrubby or under shrubby plants ;
observing when dressed and the under leaves taken off to plant them
three, four, or five inches deep, according to their respective lengths,

JUNE] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 455

in wide garden pans or pots filled with light rich earth, or into beds
of similar earth, where they can have occasional shade and waterings
till rooted. However, the covering of them with bell-glasses will
greatly facilitate their rooting and promote their growth, which is by
far the most eligible method, but particularly for woody plants, and
such others as are not of the succulent tribe.*

This is also a very proper time to propagate succulent plants of
most kinds, which are to be treated as directed on page 416, under
the article Propagating the Plants.

TRANSPLANTING SEEDLING EXOTICS.

You should now transplant, separately, into small pots, any ad-
vanced young seedling exotics, which were raised this year from
seed ; giving them shade and occasional waterings till newly rooted.

BUDDING.

Any time this month you may bud oranges, lemons, citrons, and
shaddocks ; the buds are not to be taken from the shoots made this
season, as they are not yet sufficiently ripe, but from those produced
last autumn, which will now take freely, and produce handsome
shoots in the present year.

In about three weeks or a month the buds will be taken, when you
are to untie the bandages, and soon after head down the stocks of
such as are plump, fresh, and well united, to within four inches of
the buds, cutting off all side branches and suffering no other buds to
grow but the inserted ones : as the shoots advance tie them to the
spurs left for that purpose to prevent their being broken off by
winds, or displaced by any other accidents.

Budding, however, should not at this time be generally practised,
for the buds now inserted will start in a few weeks, and the shoots
produced thereby will not be as ripe, nor, consequently, in as good
condition to stand the winter as those produced in the early part of
the season from the buds inserted in August. For the method of
budding see the Nursery in July.

CAPE AND OTHER GREEN-HOUSE BULBS.

The green-house bulbs and tuberous-rooted plants, natives of the
Cape of Good Hope, &c., whose leaves are now decayed, such as
gladioluses, ixias, watsonias, antholizas, ornithogalums, moreas, oxa-
lis, &c., may be taken up and immediately transplanted, or they may
be kept up till September, and if carefully wrapped in dry moss, it
will tend greatly to their preservation; but there are some kinds
which will require to be planted into pots of fresh earth immediately,

* The cuttings of geraniums (pelargonium) at this season, root the best
and soonest when placed in the ground in a situation which is only shaded
from the hottest of the mid-day sun. If put under glass and kept close
they are subject to rot.

456 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JUNE

such as cyclamens, &c., and all the autumnal flowering bulbs, such
as the Guernsey and belladonna amaryllises, must not be kept longer
out of the ground than the end of next month, as that would greatly
weaken their bloom.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

The more tender kinds of exotics, which could not with safety be
brought out into the open air the latter end of last month, should"
now be placed where intended to remain during summer.

Their subsequent treatment whilst out, being exactly similar to
that directed for the green-house plants, in this and the preceding
month, induces me, in order to avoid repetitions, to refer you to
those articles. But let it be observed, that although most of the
shrubby kinds will require abundance of water at this season, yet
that article must be administered with rather a sparing hand to the
succulent tribe.

PINE-APPLES.

The pine-apple plants must now have abundance of air night and
day, by keeping all the upright front lights slid open, and also the
roof-lights, except during heavy rains, when the roof-lights must be
kept close to preserve the bark-pit from too much wet. The plants
will likewise require frequent refreshments of water, but this should
not be given too copiously at one time.

Some of the most forward pine-apples will, about the end of the
month, be advancing towards maturity; be careful at that time to
give such plants but little water, for too much would spoil the flavor
of the fruit.

The succession pines must likewise have abundance of air and a
sufficiency of water, to keep them in a regular and constant state of
vegetation.

PROPAGATING HOT-HOUSE PLANTS.

Continue to propagate the various kinds of plants belonging to
this department, by cuttings, layers, offsets, suckers, and seeds, as
directed in the preceding months.

All the succulent tribe may now be easily propagated by suckers,
slips, cuttings, &c., laying them when taken off in a shady place for
a week or ten days, more or less, according to the degree of succu-
lency, before they are planted.

JUNE] ORCHIDEOUS HOUSES. 45 T

ORCHIDEOUS HOUSES.

These beautiful structures are now rendered highly ornamental,
and are so general among the wealthy that a gardener is expected to
understand their structure and conduct.

The London Horticultural Society Journal has published the an-
nexed drawing and account of the orchideous house of J. Dillwyn
Llewelyn, Esq., at Swansea, in Wales, whose description is as
follows : —

" I inclose with this the section of the stove, which I promised to
send. This will show the shape of the building ; the water for the
supply of the cascade is conducted to the top of the house by means
of a pipe communicating with a pond at a higher level. This pipe
is warmed by passing with a single coil through the boiler, and ter-
minates at the top of the rock-work, where it pours a constant supply
of water over three projecting irregular steps of rough stone, each of
which catches the falling stream, dividing it into many smaller rills,
and increasing the quantity of misty spray. At the bottom the
whole of the water is received into the pool which occupies the centre
of the floor of the stove, where it widens out into an aquarium orna-
mented with a little island overgrown like the rock-work with Or-
chideee, Ferns, and Lycopods.

" The disposition of the stones in the rock-work would depend
much on the geological strata you have to work with : in my case
they lay flat and evenly bedded, and thus the portions of the rock-
work are placed in more regular courses than would be necessary in
many other formations. In limestone or granite countries, designs
much more ornamental than mine might, I think, be easily con-
trived.

" The account of the splendid vegetation which borders the cata-
racts of tropical rivers, as described by Schomburgk, gave me the
first idea of trying this experiment. I read in the ' Sertum Orchida-
ceum' his graphic description of the falls of the Berbice and Esse-
quibo, on the occasion of his first discovery of Huntleya violacea. I
was delighted with the beautiful picture which his words convey, and
thought that it might be better represented than is usual in stoves.

" With this view I began to work, and added the rock-work which
I describe to a house already in use for the cultivation of Orchideous
plants. I found no difficulty in rearranging it for its new design,
and after a trial now of about two years can say that it has entirely
answered the ends I had in view.

" The moist stones were speedily covered with a thick carpet of
seedling Ferns, and the creeping stems of tropical Lycopods, among
the fronds of which many species of Orchidese delighted to root
themselves.

" Huntleya violacea was one of the first epiphytes that I planted,
and it flowered and throve in its new situation, as I hoped and ex-
pected. The East Indian genera, however, of Vanda, Saccolabium,

458

ORCHIDEOUS HOUSES.

[JUNE

Aerides, and other caulescent sorts, similar in habit and growth, were
the most vigorous of all, and many of these in a very short time only

Fig. 52.

Interior of orchideous house, "Wales.

JULY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 459

required the use of the pruning-knife to prevent their overgrowing
smaller and more delicate species.

"Plants that are grown in this manner have a wild luxuriance
about them that is unknown to the specimens cultivated in the ordi-
nary manner, and to myself they are exceedingly attractive, more
resembling what one fancies them in their native forests — true air-
plants, depending for their subsistence on the humid atmosphere
alone.

" Different species thus intermingle together in a beautiful confu-
sion, Dendrobium, and Camarotis, and Renanthera, side by side,
with wreaths of flowers and leaves interlacing one another, and send-
ing their long roots to drink from the mist of the fall, or even from
the water of the pool below.

" Many species are cultivated upon the rocks themselves, others
upon blocks of wood, or baskets suspended from the roof, and thus
sufficient room is secured for a great number of plants. At the same
time the general effect is beautiful, and the constant humidity kept
up by the stream of falling water suits the constitution of many spe-
cies in a degree that might be expected from a consideration of their
native habits ; and I would strongly recommend the adoption of this
or some similar plan to all who have the means of diverting a stream
of water from a level higher than the top of their stove.

" This, I think, in most situations might be easily contrived. Our
house lies on high ground, and the water is brought from a consider-
able distance, but yet I found very little difficulty or expense in its
construction."

JULY.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

Clean and prepare the ground where your early crops of cauli-
flowers and cabbages grow, and also any other vacant spots, in order
to receive such seeds and plants as are proper to supply the table
with good vegetable productions in autumn and winter.

MELONS AND CUCUMBERS, ETC.

Your crops of melons and cucumbers should now be kept very
clean and free from weeds, the spaces between the hills must be care-
fully hoed in dry weather without injuring the vines; also, hoe and
weed the crops of water-melons, squashes, pumpkins, &c., for unless
they are kept perfectly clean, good fruit and numerous productions
cannot be expected.

460 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JULY

SOWING MELONS FOR MANGOES.

The first week of this month is a very proper time in the middle
States to sow a principal crop of melons for mangoes ; they are to be
sown and managed as directed on pages 382 and 421. The long,
smooth musk-melon is generally sown for that purpose.

SOWING CUCUMBERS FOR PICKLING, ETC.

Sow in the first week or ten days of this month, a general crop of
cucumbers for pickling, and treat them in every respect as directed
for like crops in May and June.

The long green Turkey cucumber is preferred by many for this
purpose, but it is not very prolific; the long and short prickly, and
particularly the green cluster cucumber being great bearers, will be
more profitable, and are equally good for use. Some of the early
frame or short prickly kinds may be sown in the middle or any time
in the month for a late crop.

PLANTING CABBAGES, SAVOYS, BORECOLE, ETC.

Take advantage of moist or cloudy weather, and plant out your
late crops of cabbages, savoys, borecole, broccoli, turnip-cabbage,
Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem kale, and any other of the cabbage tribe
that you wish to cultivate ; let them be planted as directed in the
former months, and immediately watered, which must be frequently
repeated till they are newly rooted and in a free growing state. The
laying of a fresh cabbage leaf over each plant when set, will afford
protection from the sun for a few days, which will be of considerable
service. Some seed of the green curled borecole may now be sown
for a late crop.

TRANSPLANTING AND SOWING ENDIVE.

Plant out, to supply the table early in autumn, a sufficient quan-
tity of the best and stoutest endive ; it requires a good, strong, and
(at this season) moist ground ; if well dunged, it will be an addi-
tional advantage. Put in the plants a foot asunder every way, and
water them immediately, which repeat every evening till the plants
have taken root.

Sow endive seed in an open, cool, and moist situation, two or three
times this month, for the greater certainty of procuring a regular
supply ; let it be of the curled kind, and sown tolerably thin, for
when the plants grow too close in the seed-beds, they are more sub-
ject to start soon to seed than if they had been raised at moderate
distances. Give occasional waterings to the seed-beds, both before
and after the plants appear, which will greatly encourage their free
growth.

JULY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN-. 461

KIDNEY-BEANS.

You may plant kidney-beans of the dwarf kinds any time this
month; the refugee is the best for this time; or, in order to have a
regular succession, some may be planted in the beginning, middle,
and end thereof. The running kinds will also succeed well if planted
in the early part of the month. It will, however, be necessary at
this time to water the drills, or lay the beans to soak in river or pond
water about five or six hours previous to planting, or if both be done,
it will be still better.

CAULIFLOWERS.

The late sown cauliflowers intended for winter use may now be
planted out finally, if not done before.

In planting this crop, it would be of essential advantage to take
opportunity of showery or moist weather, if such should happen in
proper time; plant them in rows two feet and a half asunder, and
the same distance in the row ; let them be directly watered, and
afterwards at times, till they have taken good root.

SMALL SALADING.

Continue to sow crops of small salading every eight or ten days,
as directed in the former months ; but these must now be sown on
shady borders, or else be shaded with mats, occasionally, from the
mid-day sun, and frequently watered both before and after the plants
appear above ground.

CARROTS.

Towards the end of this month you may sow some carrot seed to
raise young roots for the table in autumn and winter. Choose an
open situation and light ground, and let the seed be sown imme-
diately while the earth is fresh after being dug. When the plants
are up an inch or two, thin them to five or six inches every way.

CELERY.

This is a proper time to plant out into trenches a full crop of
celery, for autumn and winter use; let this be performed, in every
respect, as directed on page 423, which see. Seymour's White is
extremely valuable, blanches very white, and is by most people, who
have had the opportunity of cultivating it, preferred to any other.

The following method of planting out celery may also be practised,
which for the ease of preserving the plants in winter will be found
extremely convenient ; besides, a greater quantity can be raised on
the same complement of land. Lay out the ground into four feet
wide beds, with alleys between of three feet; dig the beds a spade
deep, throwing the earth upon these alleys; when done, lay four or
five inches of good, well-rotted hot-bed or other dung all over the bot-

462 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JULY

torn of the beds, dig and incorporate it with the loose earth remaining,
and cover the whole with an inch or an inch and a half of the earth
from the alleys; plant four rows in each bed at equal distances, and
eight inches apart in the rows ; after which, give them a plentiful
watering, and stick down small branches of cedar, or of any kind of
evergreen shrubs between the rows, to shade them from the sun till
well rooted, when the branches are to be taken away. The plants
must be kept free from weeds till grown of a sufficient size for earth-
ing, which is done with the assistance of boards, by laying them along
the rows to support the leaves while you are putting in the earth
from the alleys, and removing them as you progress in the business.
For the method of preserving the plants in winter see the Kitchen
Garden in November.

Land or earth up your early crops of celery, first breaking the earth
fine with the spade, and then laying it up neatly to both sides, al-
ways preserving the tops and hearts of the plants free, that they may
continue in growth without any interruption; repeat this earthing at
intervals of eight or ten days, till the plants are sufficiently blanched
and of proper size for use.

RUTA BAGA, OR SWEDISH TURNIP.

This variety of turnip is the most important of all, and deserves
to be ranked in the first class of vegetable productions. Its quantity
of produce, richness of flavor, and extreme hardiness, render it of
great importance and give it a pre-eminence over every other kind.
The best time for sowing is from the twentieth of June to the
twentieth of July, according to the season. The ground should be
well prepared and manure scattered pretty thickly over it ; which
done, it should be laid off in ridges about three feet apart, two fur-
rows together, with the plough, and the seed sown on the top. By
this method you give a double portion of the manure for each row of
turnips, and a better opportunity of attending to their after culture.
When they are of sufficient growth thin them to the distance of
twelve inches apart in the row; they will continue growing and in-
creasing in size till late in autumn, when, if not used before, they
may be taken up and preserved through the winter, in like manner
as other turnips (or permitted to remain in the ground), than which
they are more hardy, will keep better, and be as fresh in May as at
Christmas.

The flesh of the root is yellow, sweet, and firm, being nearly twice
as heavy as a common turnip of the same size; when dressed for the
table it is by most people preferred to the garden turnip, and as well
as the tops is peculiarly grateful to most sorts of cattle. Skirving's
improved is one of the best.

LETTUCES.

Thin and transplant such lettuces as were sown last month, water
them immediately after, and repeat it as often as necessary till the
plants are well rooted.

JULY] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 463

Sow more lettuce seed in the beginning, middle, and particularly
in the last week of the month, in order to have a regular and con-
stant supply for the table. The white Silesia is the best to sow at
this time, as it is not injured by the extreme heat.

SPINAGE.

In the last week of this month a good crop of spinage may be
sown for autumn' use; it will not then be so subject to run to seed as
in the former months. The round seeded kind is always preferable
for summer and autumn service.

RADISHES.

Radishes of every kind may be sown in the last week of this
mouth with a good prospect of success ; but particularly the white
and black Spanish, or winter sorts, of which you ought to sow a full
crop for autumn use.

Sow, likewise, some of the short-top, salmon, and turnip-rooted
radishes ; should the season prove any way moist, they will succeed
tolerably well. Let all these kinds be now sown on moist loamy
ground.

SOW CABBAGE SEED.

Sow some of the early York, Battersea, and sugar loaf kinds of
cabbage for a supply of young greens during the autumn; the
hearts of these are very delicious when grown to a tolerable size,
and are, by many, very much admired; when used in that state they
are called coleworts, having totally superseded the true colewort,
which was formerly cultivated for boiled salads. Some savoy seed
may also be sown at this time for a late winter crop.

J*VjJ ARTICHOKES.

If you desire to have large artichokes you must, in the first week
of this month, if not done in June, in order to encourage the main
head, cut of all the suckers or small heads which are produced from
the sides of the stems, and these may now be dressed for the table.

The maturity of a full grown artichoke is apparent by the open-
ing of the scales ; and it should always be cut off before the flower
appears in the centre.

As soon as the head or heads are collected from any stem let it be
immediately cut down close to the ground. This practice is too often
disregarded, but such neglect is utterly wrong; for the stems, if
permitted to remain, would greatly impoverish the roots, and injure
them much more than is generally imagined.

Where cardoons are in request, and they were not planted out last
month, it should be done in the first week of this, as directed on
page 427. •

464 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [JULY

COLLECTING SEEDS.

Collect all kinds of seeds that come to good maturity, cutting off
or pulling up the stems with the seed thereon as they ripen; and
spread them in some airy place where they can receive no wet, in
order that the seeds may dry and harden gradually; observing to
turn them now and then, and not to lay such a quantity together as
might bring on a fermentation and hazard the loss of the whole.
When they are sufficiently dry, beat out and clean the seeds, and
put them by in boxes or bags till wanted.

LEEKS.

You may still continue to transplant leeks, as directed on page
424 ; by this method they will grow to a great size, and be much
better for use than if suffered to remain in the seed-beds.

HERBS.

Gather herbs for drying and distilling as they come into flower,
and dry them in the shade.

Sage, hyssop, thyme, lavender, winter savory, and many other
kinds may still be propagated by slips of the present year's growth,
giving them shade and occasional waterings till rooted. Plant them
two-thirds of their length into the earth.

Gather chamomile, marigold, and such other flowers as may be
wanted, and that are now in bloom ; spread the flowers in the shade
till sufficiently dry, and then put them up in paper bags, &c.

SOWING PEAS.

In the last week of the month, sow a crop of the early frame :
Charleston, or golden hotspur peas. Water the drills; and let the
peas be soaked in soft water five or six hours previous to sowing.
Should the season prove moist, you will have a tolerable crop from
these early in September.

EGG-PLANT, RED PEPPERS, AND -TOMATOES.

In the first week of this month, if not done before, plant out suf-
ficient crops of egg-plants, red peppers, and tomatoes, as directed
last month; if the weather be unfavorable, give them shade and
water till well taken with the ground, but on no account delay the
final planting of the egg-plants longer; the red peppers may be trans-
planted any time in the month, but the earlier the better.

ORDINARY WORK.

•

Diligently destroy weeds before they seed in every part of the
ground, and immediately carry them away out of the garden.

JULY] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 465

Give water to such plants and crops as require it, but let this be
done always in an evening, that it may have time to soak down to
the roots before the sun appears to exhale it.

Earth up your advancing crops of cabbages, and all other plants
of that tribe; likewise okra, peas, kidney beans, &c.; this will greatly
refresh them, and protect their roots and fibres from the powerful
heat of the sun.

Pull up the stalks of beans, cauliflowers, cabbages, and the haulin
of peas and other plants which have done bearing, that the ground
may be clear, for if these are suffered to remain, they will harbor
vermin to the injury of the adjoining crops.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

WALL AND ESPALIER TREES.

In the beginning of this month, you must look carefully over
your wall and espalier tress, rubbing off all fore-right shoots, and
training in all such regular growths as are designed to remain close
to the wall or espalier, at regular distances, and in their due position.
Never pull off any leaves, nor thin the branches, in order to expose
the fruit to the sun, as the sudden exposure would be extremely
injurious to them; by it their skins would be hardened and contracted,
and their growth greatly retarded. Though I am not fond of using
the knife too freely at this season, which is a very common and per-
nicious practice, yet it will be proper to cut out irregular and dis-
orderly shoots, but this must be done judiciously, and an abundant
supply of young wood left for the winter pruning, particularly on
the peaches, nectarines, figs, apricots, and morella-cherries, which
generally bear their fruit on the preceding year's wood ; the apricot
bears on fruiting-spurs likewise.

Pick off all punctured and decaying fruit, and give them to the
hogs ; also such as have fallen in that state from the trees ; for the
worms that are in these fruit, which have been the cause of their
decline, will soon arrive at their fly or winged state, and attack the
remaining fruit.

Look carefully over the fruit-trees which have been grafted last
spring, or budded in the former season, and suffer no shoots from
the stocks to remain, for these will rob the grafts of their nourish-
ment.

BUDDING OR INOCULATING.

Budding may be performed on some kinds of fruit-trees about the
middle of this month, but as that subject is fully treated of in the
nursery department, I refer you thereto for information.

30

466 THE ORCHARD. — THE VINEYARD. [JULY

DESTROY WASPS, ETC.

Hang up glass phials filled with honey or sugar water in different
parts among the wall, espalier, and standard fruit-trees, in order to
destroy wasps, ants, &c., which would otherwise infest and devour
the choice fruit; by the sweetness of the water, they are tempted
into the phials, and frequently drowned ; but these should be hung
before the fruit begins to ripen, for then the insects would be mueh
sooner tempted to the water than after having tasted the fruit : where
a sufficient number of glasses are placed in time, properly attended
to, and the water occasionally renewed, very little damage is done by
these insects.

CLEAN THE BORDERS, ETC.

Hoe and clean the ground about your espalier and wall trees, for
if weeds are permitted to grow at this season, they will rob the trees
of a great portion of their nourishment ; cut off all suckers which
arise from the roots of the trees as they are produced, for these are
robbers, and would injure them much if suffered to remain.

THE ORCHARD.

Little remains to be done during this month in the orchard, but to
feast on its delicious productions : however, it will be very proper to
pick and carry away all decayed and fallen fruit, for the reasons as-
signed in the fruit garden for this month. Should any of the trees
show canker or much gum, you may now cut out the decayed part
clean to the fresh wood, and give it a dressing of the medicated tar
prescribed on page 58, giving this medication a due consistence as
there directed, to prevent its melting away by the heat of the wea-
ther; or you may apply Mr. Forsyth's composition, for which see
page 235.

Where it can be done without injury, it would be of use to turn
pigs into the orchard at this season to eat up the fallen, decayed
fruit, and, consequently, to destroy the numerous brood of insects
contained therein.

THE VINEYARD.

In the middle States the grapes are generally set or formed about
the first week of this month ; when all the loose hanging shoots are
to be neatly tied up to the stakes, and the useless weak growths,
as well as the suckers arising from the roots and lower parts of the

JULY] THE NURSERY. 467

stems, cleared or cut away; but by no means divest any of the
branches of their leaves, as some unskilful persons too often* prac-
tise ; for these are absolutely necessary to the growth and protection
of the fruit : the small side shoots growing on the main branches
from the axillas of the leaves, should, if time permits, be nipped off
as they are produced, which will tend considerably to strengthen the
principal shoots.

When the vines are suffered for some time to hang loose, and trail
about upon the ground, all their leaves grow upward ; which, on the
shoots being afterwards bound in an upright position to the stakes,
are turned upside down ; and until these leaves resume their natural
position, which they are commonly eight or ten days in effecting, the
fruit is at a stand, and consequently loses the advantage of that
length of time in the principal season of its growth.

The -ground should be kept constantly free from weeds, either by
means of the plough and harrow or by the hoe ; for where there are
other plants suffered to grow, they not only rob the roots of the vines
of their nourishment, but also by perspiring, cause a damp in the air,
and prevent the sun and wind from exhaling and carrying away the
vapors arising from the earth, whereby the fruit would be filled with
crude nourishment, and rendered of much less value for making good
wine, as well as unpalatable.

Continue to nip out the renewed extremities of the fruit-bearing
shoots, to check the too great luxuriancy of their growth, and to af-
ford the bunches of grapes a greater portion of nourishment ; but
this ought not to be done too close to the fruit, as it would check
the free ascent of the juices into those branches, by depriving them
of the means of discharging such a portion thereof as is not con-
vertible into wood or fruit : and moreover, though the fruit might by
this means be swelled to a greater size, it would be more replete
with watery particles, and less with that refined saccharine juice so
pleasing to the palate, and so necessary for the making of good wine.

Such shoots as are intended to be cut down in the pruning season,
for next year's fruiting, are by no means to be topped, but should be
suffered to grow at full length, taking care to keep them constantly
divested of any side branches, which ought always to be rubbed off
as they appear. Were those to be topped at this season, it would
force out at an untimely period, many of the flower-buds which na-
ture had designed for the ensuing year, and, consequently, at that
time render the vines barren and unproductive.

THE NURSERY.

BUDDING OR INOCULATING.

The budding or inoculating of cherries and plums, and all such
other trees and shrubs as are subject to become bark-bound in autumn,
is generally commenced in the middle States about the fifteenth of

468 THE NURSERY. [JULY

this month, earlier or later, according to the season or the quantity
to be budded ; these and others of the like nature should now be
attended to, as they seldom work freely after the twenty-fifth of July.
But this you may always easily know by trying the buds, and when
they readily part from the wood, and also the bark of the stock rises
or separates freely, then the work may be done.

But let it be particularly remarked, that every kind of tree or
shrub that makes new autumn shoots, or that continues in a free
growth, or flow of sap, should be budded either in August or before
the twentieth of September, according as each kind is early or late
in ripening its wood, that is, to bud each sort before it becomes bark-
bound ; and likewise observe that all those kinds which are likely
to become bark-bound early in autumn ought to be budded in this
month, while the juice flows freely in the stocks and buds.

If trees or shrubs are inoculated in the early part of this month,
whose nature it is to take a second growth in autumn, the buds will
then start, and the shoots produced therefrom not having a sufficient
length of season to ripen the wood, will either be destroyed the en-
suing winter, or so much injured as never to make good trees; there-
fore, budding ought to be performed on the respective kinds at such
periods as there will be no hazard of their growing before the ensu-
ing spring, when they will have the advantage of the whole season
for perfecting their wood, and of acquiring a sufficient strength and
texture before winter.

Apricots, if worked on plum stocks, or on those of its own kind,
should be budded in this month, but if on peach or almond, August
will be a preferable period.

Pears may, likewise, be inoculated late in this month, but as to
peaches, nectarines, almonds, and apples, if done now, the inserted
buds would shoot in the course of the present season, and consequently
be of little value.

The stocks of cherries, plums and pears that were budded last
summer, or grafted in spring, and that have miscarried, may now
be inoculated with the same kinds of fruit, for those will succeed
either by grafting or budding.

Budding generally succeeds best when performed in cloudy weather,
or in the morning or evening ; for the great power of the mid-day
sun is apt to dry and shrivel the cuttings and buds, and prevent the
free union that might be expected immediately to take place in a favor-
able season; at all events let the operation be performed on the north
side of the stocks, which will give the buds every possible advantage
of the sun.

In performing this work it will be necessary to observe that where
•trees are intended for walls, espaliers, or to be trained as dwarf stand-
ards, the buds must be. inserted low in the stocks, that is, at the
height of five or six inches from the ground; but if intended for tall
standards, the stocks may be worked at the height of three, four,
five, or even six feet; or, the low inserted buds may be trained up
on single stems to a proper height for standards, or half standards,
and then be headed for the production of lateral branches.

Where there are wall or espalier trees that do not produce fruit of

JULY] THE NURSERY. 469

approved kinds, such may be budded with any favorite sorts ; this
may be performed either upon strong shoots of the present year, or
on clean young branches of two years' growth or more ; several buds
may be inserted in each tree, in different parts, by which means they
will be furnished with a sufficiency of new wood of the desired kinds ;
and in two or three years they will bear abundantly.

Should it be found necessary to immerse the cuttings from which
you take your buds in water, place therein only about an inch of
their lower ends ; the upper parts will be more congenially refreshed
by that means than if the cuttings were entirely covered ; and, more-
over, the buds which are soaked for any considerable time in water
will be so saturated with moisture as to prevent their imbibing the
more congenial sap of the stocks, so that they often miscarry. For
the proper stocks to work the various kinds upon see page 259, &c.

When the stocks are from about half an inch, or a little less, to
an inch or more in diameter in the places where the buds are to be
inserted, they are then of a proper size for working.

In order to perform the operation you must be provided with a
neat sharp budding-knife, having a flat thin haft to open the bark of
the stock for the admission of the bud, and, likewise, with a quantity
of new bass-strings, which are certainly the best of all bandages, or if
such cannot be obtained, some soft woollen yarn to tie round it when
inserted.

Observe that the head of the stock is not to be cut off as in graft-
ing; that the bud is to be inserted into the side, and the head
suffered to remain until the spring following, when it is to be cut qff
above the bud, as directed on page 269.

METHODS OP BUDDING OR INOCULATING.

1. Having your cuttings, knife, and bandages ready, fix upon a
smooth part on the side of the stock at whatever height you intend
to bud it; with your knife make a horizontal cut across the bark of
the stock quite through to the firm wood ; then from the middle of
this cut make a slit downwards, perpendiculary, about an inch and
a half long, going also quite through to the wood, so that the two
cuts together may be in the form of the letter T; then with the
point of your knife raise the bark a little at the angles formed by
the two cuts, in order to make room for the flat part of the haft to
enter and raise the bark.

This done, proceed with all expedition to take off a bud, having
immediately previous to the commencement cut off all the leaves,
leaving about an inch of the footstalk to each bud, and holding the
cutting in one hand, with the thickest end outward; then enter the
knife about half an inch, or rather more, below a bud, cutting nearly
half way into the wood of the shoot, continuing it with one clean
slanting cut about as much more above the bud, so deep as to take
off part of the wood along with it, the whole from an inch and a
quarter to an inch and a half long ; directly take out the woody part*
remaining in the bud, which is easily done by placing the point of
the knife between the bark and wood, at either end, but the upper

470 THE NURSERY. [JULY

is the more preferable, and with the assistance of the thumb, pull
off the wood from the bark, which ought, if in good condition, to part
freely; then quickly examine the inside, to see if the root of the bud
be left, and if there appears a small hole, the rudiment of the young
tree is gone with the wood, the bud is rendered useless, and another
must be prepared; but if there be no hole, the bud is good; then place
the footstalk or back part of the bud between your lips, and with the
flat haft of the knife, separate the bark from the stock on each side
of the perpendicular cut, clear to the wood for the admission of the
bud, which, directly slip down close between the wood and bark, till
the whole is inserted to within the eighth of an inch ; let this part
be cut through into the first transverse incision made in the stalk,
and the bud will fall neatly into its place ; then draw the bud up
gently so as to join the upper or cut end of it to the bark of the
stalk, where it will most generally first unite.

Let the parts be then bound with a ligature of bass, previously
immersed in water to render it pliable and tough, or, in want of this,
with woollen yarn ; beginning below the bottom of the perpendicular
slit, and proceeding upwards close around every part, except over the
eye or bud, which is to be carefully preserved, and continue it a little
above the horizontal cut, not binding it too tight, but just sufficient
to keep the parts close, exclude the air, sun, and wet, and thereby to
promote the junction of -the stalk and bud; finish by making the
ligature fast.

2. Although it is universally recommended by every author who
has written on the art of gardening to fake the woody part out of
the bud before its insertion into the stalk, as above directed, I find
such practice by no means necessary; for if the bud be taken off with
a less portion of wood than in the former method, and immediately
inserted as above directed, it will succeed full as well, if not better ;
and as to expedition, there is no comparison ; certainly double the
number can be inserted in the same period of time by this method
as by the former. It will be found particularly convenient for the
budding of lemons and oranges, and may also be practised at periods
in which the first method would be totally unsuccessful, that is, when
the buds are not sufficiently ripe to exist without the young wood, or
too much so for the bark to separate freely. This method may be
practised, when desired, at a much earlier period than the former,
and also as late in the season as the bark of the stalk will rise freely
for the admission of the bud.

In three weeks or a month after inoculation, you will see which of
them have taken, by their fresh and plump appearance, and at that
time you should loosen the bandages, for if kept on too long they
would pinch the stalks, and greatly injure, if not destroy, the buds.
Those that appear shrivelled, black, or decayed, are good for nothing.

In this dormant state the buds should remain till the March fol-
lowing, when the stalks are to be headed down, as directed in the
tnursery for that month.

Note. The cuttings should not be taken off the trees in the mid-
dle of the day, if the weather be hot and dry, for at such times they
will perspire so fast as soon to leave the buds destitute of moisture ;

JULY] THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. 471

but if you are obliged to fetch them from some distance, as it often
happens, you should be provided with a tin case about twelve inches
long, and a cover to the top, which must have five or six holes ; in
this case you should put as much water as will fill it about two inches
high, and place your cuttings therein in an upright position, so that
the parts which were cut from the tree may be set in the water, and
then fasten down the cover to keep out the air; the holes in the cover
will be sufficient to let the perspiration of these branches pass off,
which, if pent in, would be very hurtful to them } you must also be
careful to carry it upright, that the water may not reach to the buds,
which would so saturate them as to deprive them of any attractive
force to imbibe the sap of the stalk.

INOCULATE AND LAY CURIOUS TREES AND SHRUBS.

Agreeably to the preceding directions and observations, inoculate
roses, jasmines, and such other kinds as you desire to propagate in
that way. The moss rose may, in particular, be increased by this
means, as it is not very free in producing suckers; this may be
budded on stalks of any kinds of common roses that have been either
raised from seed or suckers.

The proper stalk to bud any of the more curious kinds of jasmines
on, is that of the common white jasmine.

Continue also to propagate the various kinds of trees and shrubs
by layers and cuttings, as directed last month.

ORDINARY ATTENDANCE.

Weeding, shading, and watering, must now be particularly attended
to as directed last month ; without which, much injury will be sus-
tained, especially by the seedlings, layers, and late transplanted trees
and shrubs.

You should continue to train your evergreens for the purposes they
are designed ; and when any of your forest-trees shoot too vigorously
near the roots, those branches may be pruned off, to encourage their
heads.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS ROOTS.

Take up the bulbs of such late flowers as were not sufficiently ripe
nor their leaves decayed last month, as ornithogalums, bulbous irises,
martagon, and other lilies ; transplant the roots of fritillaries, crown
imperials, dens canis, and such other bulbous and tuberous-rooted
flowers as do not endure to be kept long out of ground ; and this
being the season in which their roots are not in action, is the most
proper time for transplanting them, before they put forth new fibres ;
after which it would be very improper to remove them.

4T2 THE PLEASURE, OR [JULY

ANNUAL FLOWERS.

You may still transplant any of the late sown balsam?, cock's-
combs, ainaranthuses, China-asters, &c., into the border or flower-beds
where wanted, taking them up with balls, or with as much earth as
possible about their roots, and giving them a good watering when
planted, which is to be occasionally repeated till they are well rooted;
if some shade could be afforded them for a few days, it would the
better insure their success.

CARNATIONS.

The choice carnations now in flower should be taken care of and
assisted in their blowing, as directed last month ; you may likewise
assist those of inferior qualities and that have a tendency to burst,
by splitting the pod or calyx a little way at top, on the opposite side
to where it shows an inclination to burst in two or three different
places, so as to promote the spreading of the flower regularly each
way. This should be done just as the flower begins to break the
pod with a pair of small, narrow pointed scissors, or with a sharp
pointed knife, taking care not to cut the calyx too deep, but rather
to open it a little at each place, and to leave as much of the bottom
of the cup entire as will be sufficient to keep the petals or flower-
leaves regularly together.

Some florists take great pains in the opening of the flowers to
assist nature in spreading and displaying the petals, so as to enlarge
the circumference and dispose the flower-leaves in such a manner as
to show the stripes and variegations to the best possible advantage,
and for this purpose make use of a small pair of wire nippers, the
points of which are flattened and bound around with silk or thread
to prevent injury. With these they extract such of the petals as do
not please, and display the others so as to suit their fancy.

Continue to propagate your choice carnations and pinks by layers
and pipings, as directed on page 448, for the performance of which,
the early part of this month is a very practicable time. Give the
necessary shade and water to the plants now in flower, and see that
those layers which were laid last month are kept sufficiently moist
to promote their free rooting.

When the layers are properly rooted, which will be the case with
most sorts in a month after laying — -provided due care be taken to
keep them regularly moist, and to shade them from the heat of the
meridian sun — they are then to be taken off from the old plant with
about half an inch of the stalk which connects them to it, and be
immediately planted in small pots, one, two, three, or four in each.
The pots should be filled with the compost recommended on page 309,
previously adding thereto a little more loam and coarse sand, and
when the plants are neatly planted therein, the pots should be buried
to their rims in a convenient airy place, and arches of hoops placed
over the bed on which to lay mats to shade the plants from the sun
till well rooted and growing freely ; and these mats are to be after-

JULY] FLOWER GARDEN. 473

wards laid on occasionally as necessity may require, to protect the
plants from too powerful sunshine or heavy torrents of rain, which
are both injurious to them.*

Here they are to remain till November, when they must be re-
moved into their winter repository, as then directed; during this
time they must have a sufficiency of water as often as it may appear
necessary, to keep them in a constant growing state and good health.

The layers of the common kinds of carnations should, when taken
off, be planted in beds of rich earth, in rows about six inches asun-
der, where they are to be watered and shaded until well taken with
the ground, and growing. They may remain in these beds till Sep-
tember, October, or March, and are then to be taken up with balls
of earth and planted where intended to flower.

PINKS.

The most valuable kinds of pinks should be treated in every re-
spect as directed for carnations.

SENSITIVE PLANTS.

The sensitive plants which have been raised in hot-beds, may
about the first of this month, if not done in June, be brought out
into the open air and placed in a very warm situation, for they de-
light in much heat; but some ought to be kept constantly under
glasses, for, when fully exposed to the weather, they lose much of
their sensibility.

The species I particularly allude to, is the Mimosa pudica, or
humble and sensitive plant.

Those plants which are placed in the greatest warmth in winter,
continue vigorous, and retain their faculty of contracting on being
touched ; but those that are in a moderate warmth have little or no
motion.

TRANSPLANTING BIENNIAL AND PERENNIAL FLOWERING PLANTS.

If not done in June, you should now transplant from the seed-
beds the various kinds of perennial and biennial seedling flowering
plants, as directed on page 452.

AURICULAS AND POLYANTHUSES.

Exame your auriculas and polyanthuses ; when dead leaves at any
time appear upon the plants, let them be immediately picked off, and
suffer no weeds to grow in the pots.

Preserve those plants carefully from the mid-day sun, which at
this season would destroy them, particularly the auriculas, and keep
the earth in the pots always moderately moist.

* Pot culture of carnations is only applicable to the enthusiast. They
bloom equally well in the open ground, where they are grown with ordi-
nary care.

474 THE PLEASURE, OR [JULY

When any of them have furnished strong offsets, such may be
taken off in the last week of this month, and planted in small pots ;
for about that time these plants begin to grow afresh, and advantage
ought to be taken of that critical period. The offsets will require
shade and water till newly rooted : the latter must be sparingly ad-
ministered till the plants take and are in a growing state, before
which too much water would cause the roots to rot ; but, notwith-
standing, the earth must still be kept a little moist.

The auricula and polyanthus seedlings that were sown last autumn
or early in spring, if having grown well and of sufficient size, should
in the last week of this, or first in August, be transplanted into boxes
or pots, as directed on page 360, and placed in the shade to grow on
till the middle of October, when they may be rather more exposed
to the sun, and early in November remove the pots or boxes into a
warm situation, to remain till taken into their winter quarters.

GRASS AND GRAVEL WALKS.

The same care and attention must now be paid to the grass and
gravel walks, and lawns, as directed in the preceding months.

BOX EDGING.

Such box edgings as were not clipped in June, should now be
dressed, observing the same directions in every particular as given on
page 452.

CLIP HEDGES.

Hedges in general, of every kind, should be clipped in the early
part of this month ; for that purpose, advantage ought to be taken of
moist or cloudy weather to do the work in, as hedges always look
better after being clipped in wet weather than in dry.

Another dressing of the same kind towards the latter end of Sep-
tember will keep them in a neat condition the year round.

ORDINARY ATTENDANCE.

The principal flower-borders, beds, &c., must now have more than
ordinary attention paid to the keeping of them clean, as well as the
shrubbery-clumps and other similar compartments. Where any of
the flowering-shrubs or evergreens have grown rude or disorderly, let
such be trimmed or pruned into neat form j that is, if any have pro-
duced strong and rambling shoots, cut out, shorten, or reduce them
to a pleasing regularity.

Stake and tie up the stems of such flowering plants as stand in
need of support, to prevent their being borne down by winds or
heavy rains, &c.

Cut down the stems of such fibrous-rooted plants as are past bloom,
except a few of the best, where the seeds are wanted. Those have
always an unpleasing appearance, and ought to be removed as soon
as possible ; by which means the plants, though past flowering, will
appear more lively and decent, and the advancing bloom of others
will show to greater advantage.

JULY]

FLOWER GARDEN.

475

LAYING OUT A GARDEN.

It is one of the difficult things for a novice to arrange a small
garden so as to produce the greatest effect in a moderate space. lu
the following cuts, the house is supposed to be pleasantly situated in
a village, having its entrance towards the public road, and looking
from the garden side on a level country. In the front of the house
a garden extends itself flanked by a shrubbery on both sides, and
bounded by a piece of water. On the right is the green-house, &c.,
inconsiderately placed so close to the garden as to make it impossible
to conceal it without too much encroaching on the ground. Further
to the right stands the coach-house, and stables, &c., and beyond
these a large kitchen-garden.

Fig. 53.

ORIGINAL PLAN.

IMPROVED PLAN.

a. Pond.

6. Mass of Water Lily.

c. Large Chinese Arbor-vita).

d. Clump on turf for herba-
ceous plants and small flower-
ing shrubs, and bordered by
clipped evergreen hedges of
Cotoneaster, &c.

e. Beds on turf, with Jupiter
in centre, flowering plants
round.

/. Irish Yews.

g. Parterre on turf.

1. Blue with white mar-

gin.

2. Scarlet.

3. Light pink.

4. Brownish orange.

5. Deep violet or purple.
h. Statues on pedestals.

i. Fountain.

j. Seat on centre line.

SCALE OF TEE-

ft. Vases on pedestals.
I. House.
T/i. Porch.
n. Coach ring.
o. p. Alcoves.
q. Background for reserve,

&c.
r. Border for creepers

against house.
s. Green-house.
t. Laundry.

4? 6 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [JULY

The great faults in this case are the shutting out of the prospect,
and the complete exposure of all the walks, as though they were the
most important features of the garden. The first of these is to be
rectified by cleaning away the clumps near the piece of water, the
second by destroying the centre walk, and the third by fringing the
broad turf-plat so obtained with clumps for flowering shrubs.

In the new arrangement a centre will be obtained upon a line from
the fountain, at right angles with the building ; and to give a balance
to the basis of operations, a large projecting mass of close-clipped
evergreen was introduced, to correspond with the shape of the draw-
ing-room bow, which also served to aid in concealing the offices and
yard on the right side of the house, and the yard itself was contract-
ed, that it might be effectually planted out on both sides from the
garden. The walks in the " improved plan" are judiciously altered.
The house itself, and the laundry, are to be covered with clematis,
honeysuckles, and wistaria.

The apparent breadth of the garden, indeed its general extent,
being so much increased, the four beds e, e, e, e, are introduced, and
it is admissible to fill these with flowering plants. A juniper will have
a satisfactory effect in the centre of each. The plans almost explain
themselves.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

Orange, lemon, citron, and shaddock-trees, on which there are now
set a superabundance of young fruit, should have them thinned to a
reasonable number on each, in proportion to its strength ; after which
they may be divested of all flowers subsequently produced, especially
when wanted for domestic purposes, such as to make orange-flower
water, &c.

It would be of considerable utility to those trees to have the earth
in the top of the tubs or pots now taken out, for two or three inches
deep, and replaced with fresh compost ; this would greatly encourage
their autumn growth.

PROPAGATING THE PLANTS.

Still continue to propagate the various kinds of green-house plants
which you wish to increase, by cuttings, layers, suckers, &c., as di-
rected in the preceding months ; most kinds will yet succeed by cut-
tings of the present year's wood if carefully planted, duly shaded,
and moderately watered ; such as xeranthemums, salivias, geraniums,
pelargoniums, and erodiums, hermannias, phlomises, ericas, *cinera-
rias, camellia japonica and acuba japonica, cotyledon orbiculata, ono-
nis natrix, polygala bracteolata, lavendulas, anthyllises, proteas, &c.
&c. These kinds, with many others, will now take freely, in suit-
able earth, without the assistance of a hot- bed. Let the cuttings be
taken from healthy plants ; they should be from four to eight inches

JULY]

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

477

in length, and of a stout and robust growth. The leaves should be
stripped off more than half way up, and the cuttings planted about
two-thirds of their length into pots, garden-pans, or beds of earth,
adopting for each kind its favorite soil ; then give shade and water,
as directed on former occasions.

The ericas, anthyllises, and other kinds that do not root freely in
this way, should have bell-glasses placed over them, which will great-
ly facilitate their rooting.

Continue to propagate the various kinds of succulent plants be-
longing to this department, as directed on page 418.

PROPAGATING BY MERE LEAVES.

Several plants may be propagated from mere leaves. The wax
plant, hoya, is a common instance. Gesnera, clianthus punicens,
gloxinia speciosa, are also well known, but it is probable that most
leaves, when separated from their parent, are incapable of doing so
for reasons which we are not yet able to explain. The scales of a
bulb will, with some certainty, produce new plants under favorable
circumstances, viz : a strong bottom heat, moderate moisture, and a
rich, stimulating soil.

Leaves intended for cuttings, should be taken from about the mid-
dle of a branch. Gloxinia, bryophillum, lilies, &c., may be experi-

Fig. 54.

mented upon by the amateur. If we wish to get on very quickly,
the midrib on the lower face of the leaf may be broken in several
places, without injuring the limb, and so lightly that the broken
places can scarcely be distinguished; the lower face of the leaf is
then placed on the earth of a pot. Soon at each fracture a little cal-
lus develops itself, which gives rise to roots as seen above at c.

478 THE GREEN- HOUSE. [JULY

Some leaves, when employed as cuttings, send out roots and buds at
each incision, as in hemionitis palmata, bryophillum, &c. ; d shows
how this effect is produced. Time is required to accomplish this, and
especial attention must be paid to burying the end of the petiole, or
the base of the leaf; e represents theophrasta latifolia, with its leaf
cut in two, which struck and developed buds ; the dotted part, shown
in the upper half of the leaf, e, was removed, in order to put the leaf
into a little pot, but this did not prevent the success of the cutting.
The above is abridged from Dr. Lindley's new edition of his "Theory
of Horticulture" a indicates at what place we may cut the leaf
without hurting the plant ; the leaf being placed in the earth forms
a callus at its base, b, whence the roots, and, consequently, more
shoots, spring up.

TRANSPLANTING SEEDLINGS AND CUTTINGS.

Such seedlings of green-house plants as were raised from the
spring sowings, and that are now three inches high, or more, should
be transplanted into small pots separately, or several into large pots,
and immediately watered ; they must be kept duly shaded till well
taken with the earth, and in a growing state ; and even then it will
be proper to place them where they can avoid the mid- day sun for
the remainder of the season.

Many of the cuttings planted in spring will be well rooted by this
time, and may now be taken up with as much earth as possible about
their roots, planted separately in suitable sized pots, and shaded for
eight or ten days from the mid-day sun ; always observing to keep
the earth in the pots moderately moist. The geraniums in particular
may be taken up when too thick, and transplanted at any time after
the cuttings have grown four or five inches.

SHIFTING INTO LARGER POTS.

You may now shift such of your plants as require larger pots or
tubs ; this is the best of the summer months for that purpose, as the
greater number will have made their summer progress, and are now
rather at a stand previous to the commencement of their new au-
tumnal vegetation. This is particularly applicable to the camellia.

The operation of shifting is to be performed in every respect as
directed on page 375.

Such plants as are now shifted must be immediately watered and
removed into the shade, where they can have free air and protection
from the sun in the heat of the day j there to remain for two, three,
or four weeks, according to the time the respective kinds may take to
re-establish themselves, and get into a fresh state of growth, when
they may be replaced among the general collection.

LOOSENING AND GIVING FRESH EARTH.

It will be very proper at this time to examine the pots and tubs in
general, and where the earth is inclinable to bind let the surface be

JULY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 479

carefully loosened to a little depth, breaking the earth small with
the hands, and at the same time add thereto, if not done in any of
the preceding months, some fresh compost ; then level the surface
neatly.

This dressing will do the plants more good than many people might
imagine ; but in particular to such as are in small pots.

GATHERING AND SOWING SEEDS.

Collect all the different sorts of seeds as they ripen, spread them
upon paper in a dry shady place, and when sufficiently hardened, let
them be carefully preserved in their pods or husks, or in paper bags,
till the proper season for sowing them.

The seeds of geraniums, and of any other quick growing kinds of
green-house plants, may now be sown, and if properly attended to
will attain to a neat size before winter.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

PINE- APPLES.

The pine-apples being now arriving at maturity, it may not be un-
acceptable to give some account, of the different varieties.

Of the 'bromelia there have been many distinct species described,
viz : the B. ananas, B. pinguin, B. karatas, B. lingulata, B. humilis,
B. acanga, B. bracteata, B. nudicaulis, B. paniculigera, &c. ; but as
the first species is the only one cultivated on account of its fruit, I
shall confine myself exclusively to it, at least for the present.

From the Bromelia ananas, or pine-apple, as it is called, on
account of the resemblance of the shape of its fruit to the cones of
some species of pine-tree, particularly to that of the Pinus pinea, or
stone-pine, there arise six principal varieties which have been culti-
vated for their fruit, &c. 1. The variety ovata, or queen-pine. 2.
The pyramidalis, or sugar-loaf pine. 3. The lucida, or king pine.
4. The glabra, or smooth pine. 5. The serotina, or late pine; and
6. The viridiSj or green pine.

The queen pine is the most commonly cultivated, but seems daily
to decrease in esteem. Its flesh is of a fine yellow color, but in the
hot summer months it is very apt not to cut firm, is liable to crack
in the middle, and often contains an insipid watery juice ; but when
it ripens late in the season it is not so subject to any of these defects.

The sugar-loaf pine is easily distinguished from all the others by
its leaves having purple stripes on their inside the whole length. The
fruit is paler when ripe than the former, inclining to a straw color.
This was brought from Brazil to Jamaica, where it is esteemed far
beyond any other kind. But of this there are three varieties. 1.
The brown leaved. 2. The green leaved, with purple stripes, and
spines on the edges. 3. The green leaved, with purple stripes and

480 THE HOT- HOUSE. [JULY

smooth edges. The fruit of these is of exquisite flavor, filled with a
lively delicious juice, and the flesh of a yellow color.

The king pine has grass-green smooth leaves, and produces a
pretty large fruit ; but as its flesh is hard, stringy, and sometimes
not well flavored, it is not much cultivated.

The smooth pine is preserved by some persons for sake of variety,
but the fruit is of little value.

The late pine is not of much importance for cultivating on account
of its ripening at an untimely season, and therefore its description is
considered unnecessary.

The green pine is considered tolerably good. The fruit, if suffered
to ripen well, is of an olive color ; to have it green, it must be cut
before it is ripe, and suffered to lie by till fit for use. Plants of this
kind may be procured from Barbadoes and Montserrat ; but the fruit
of the sugar-loaf is much to be preferred to it, and indeed to any
other kind yet introduced.

There is, likewise, the Surinam, or silver-striped pine, which ex-
ceeds in beauty the whole tribe of variegated plants. The leaves are
variously striped with a dark green and delicate white; and the whole
is tinged with a lively red, which produces a contrast that gives the
plant a gay and most beautiful appearance. Nor is there less beauty
in its fruit, the protuberances of which swell large, and when ripe,
are variously marbled with red, green, yellow, and white ; which,
together with the variegated crown on the top of the fruit, add a
singularity and elegance to the whole beyond the power of descrip-
tion. The fruit is tolerably good, and therefore the plant is doubly
worthy of cultivation.

Many other varieties of this fruit have arisen from seed, such as
the black or brown Antigua; the Ripley queen pine, which is a very
good fruit ; the Grenada pine, with marbled leaves and very large
fruit; the bog-warp pine, with broad green leaves; the smooth,
long, narrow-leaved pine; the Surinam pine with gold- striped leaves,
and the Enville pine; and there are also varieties with red-fleshed
fruit.

COMPOST PROPER FOR PINE PLANTS.

You should, in the first place, twelve months previous to the time
of its being wanted for use, pare off the sward or turf of a pasture
not more than two inches deep, where the soil is a strong, rich loam,
and carry it to some convenient place to be piled together for rotting ;
observing to turn it over once a month at least, spreading it so as to
expose a considerable surface to the summer sun, as well as to the
frosts in winter; but in wet weather it will be proper to gather it up
into a high ridge to prevent its rich juices being dissolved and carried
away by water. If a quantity of sheep dung could be collected
fresh and mixed therewith, in the first instance, it would greatly im-
prove it.

1. Having the above prepared and made fine with the spade, but
not screened ; to three barrowfuls of it, add one of vegetable mould
of decayed oak leaves, and half a barrowful of coarse sand, observ-

JULY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 481

ing, however, that if the soil, from which the turf had been taken,
inclined any way to sand, that should be now omitted. This makes
a proper compost for crowns, suckers, and young plants.

2. To make a compost for fruiting plants use three barrows of the
above reduced sward, two of the vegetable mould, one of coarse sand,
and one-fourth of a barrow of soot.

The above compost should be made some months before wanted,
and very frequently turned during that time, that the different mix-
tures may get well and uniformly incorporated. As to the quantity
of sand to be added, you must be governed by the nature of the soil
from whence the turf was taken; for too great a portion of sand
would be injurious, and subject many of the young plants to go into
fruit before the proper period.

Where oak leaves are not used in hot-houses, or for hot-beds, &c.,
the vegetable mould may be made by laying a quantity of them
together, as soon as they fall from the trees, in a heap sufficiently
large to ferment. They should be covered at first for some time, to
prevent the upper leaves from being blown away ; the heap must
afterwards be frequently turned, and kept clean from weeds ; the
leaves will be two years before they are sufficiently reduced to be fit
for use.

Keep the different heaps of compost at all times free from weeds,
turn them frequently, and round them up in rainy seasons ; but they
should be spread out in continued frosts, and in fine weather.

RAISING THE PINE BY CROWNS.

The crown is perfected at the time when the pine-apple is quite
yellow ; therefore the crowns of such fruit may be planted in two or
three days after being taken off; but if the fruit be cut green, as is
practised by some persons with the queen pine, or if only the top
of the fruit be green when cut, as is the case frequently with the
sugar loaf kinds, even when the principal part is thoroughly ripened,
then it will be necessary to let the crowns of such fruit lie five,
six, or seven days, after they are taken off, in a shady part of the
hot-house, in order that the wounds should dry, and particularly to
give them that degree of maturity to which nature was not allowed
to conduct them.

The crowns may then be planted in small pots and plunged into
the tan-pit, where they will soon strike root, and get into a growing
state. But before the crowns are planted their lower or bottom leaves
should be cut off close with a knife or a pair of scissors, which will
cause them to decay much sooner, and make room for the roots to be
produced with greater ease.

The crowns will require but very little water till they have taken
root, and are in a growing state ; when it may be administered more
freely, but always with a sparing hand.

RAISING THE PINE BY SUCKERS.

As the fruit of the pine-apple is the principal object and sole
31

482 THE HOT-HOUSE. [JULY

reward of the great expense attendant on its management, few per-
sons choose to permit the suckers to remain on the plants till they
grow very large, as they would injure the fruit and prevent its
swelling ; they are, therefore, generally stopped in growth, or
taken off as soon as it can be done with safety ; but when a stock of
plants is the object, the additional advantage which might be gained
in the fruit is given up, or at least of as many as will produce
the number of suckers required, in order to encourage their growth,
and are permitted to remain on the old stocks or plants even for
some time after the fruit is cut.* In this situation the suckers
will grow very large, provided the stools are plentifully supplied with
water.

The suckers should not be taken from the plants till they are
grown to the length of about twelve inches, when their bottoms will
be hard, woody, and full of round knobs, which are the rudiments of
the roots.

In taking off each sucker, remove it two or three times backward
and forward, in a side-way direction, and it will come out with its
bottom entire, which should be cut smooth, and deprived of any
raggedness.

Place these in a shady part of the hot-house for two or three days,
and then plant them in small sized pots, just so deep as to keep
them fast in the earth ; after which they are to be treated as direct-
ed for the crowns. The proper size of the pots to plant full grown
crowns and suckers in, is six inches diameter in top, and five and a
half deep.

CARE OF THE FRUITING PINES.

The fruiting pines must now have abundance of air, which adds
much to the flavor of the fruit ; but though the heat of the day, at
this season, is very intense, yet, when northwesterly winds prevail,
the night sometimes happens, though not frequently, to be rather
cold for the fruiting plants ; in which case it may be prudent to close
the lights at night, taking care to slide them open early in the morn-
ing; this, however, must be governed by circumstances and by the
heat of the bark pit, which, if any way brisk, will render it the more
necessary to give plenty of air at all times.

As the pine-apples come to maturity, care should be taken to cut
them off when in due perfection and before they become too ripe ;
generally cutting them in a morning, each with several inches of
the stalk, and with the crown of leaves at top, till served to the
table.

When the fruit is eaten, it will be proper to preserve the crowns
and any young suckers growing round at the base,f particularly if
wanted for increase.

* Much of the expense here spoken off may be obviated by planting out
in beds in the hot-house, and having a part of the hot-water pipes sunk in
a chamber underneath for bottom heat. All potting, bark beds, and re-
peated shiftings are thus avoided.

t The brown Antigua, the king, and the sugar-loaf kinds, commonly

JULY] THE HOT-HOUSE. 483

SHIFTING THE SUCCESSION PINES.

The pine plants which are to fruit in the ensuing season, should
be shifted either in the last week of this month or the first in August,
into full sized pots, of about eleven or twelve inches diameter at
top, and ten deep ; by doing this so early in the year they will have
time to make good roots before spring, for otherwise they seldom
produce very large fruit.

Having the pots and new compost ready, take the plants out of the
bark-bed, and shift them in the following method : —

First, place a shell in the bottom of the new pot, and put in two
inches deep of fresh compost : then turn the plant out of the old
pot with the ball entire, and place it immediately into the new,
fill up around the ball with more of the compost, and let the top
thereof be covered with it an inch deep.

In this manner let the whole be shifted and immediately watered,
then plunge them again into the bark-bed.

Previous to plunging the pots, the bark-bed must first be stirred
up to the bottom to revive the declining heat, observing at the same
time to add about one-third or at least one-fourth of new tan thereto,
if the old is much wasted, become earthy, or not likely to produce a
sufficient degree of bottom heat to promote the fresh rooting and
growth of the plants.

CAEE OF THE VARIOUS HOT-HOUSE PLANTS.

The general care and propagation of the various exotics of the hot-
house department, are the same now as directed in May and June,
and therefore unnecessary to be repeated ; but it would be very pro-
per at this time to refresh the earth in the top of the pots or tubs, as
directed on page 478, and also to shift such of the plants as require
it. The hibiscus rosa sinensis, vinca rosea, plumeria rubra, allamanda
cathartica, asclepias curassavica, lantanas, begonias, &c. may now be
easily propagated by cuttings, and where an increase of the various
kinds is wanted, that business ought not to be delayed to a later pe-
riod, that the cuttings may have time to become well rooted before
winter ; nor should you despair of being able to propagate any kind
of tree or shrub by cuttings ; for with due care there are few but may
be increased that way, especially with the assistance of bell-glasses
and a suitable bottom heat.

produce suckers at the top of the stem, immediately under the fruit ; but
these are generally small, and of much less value than those produced
about the surface of the earth.

484 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. . [AUG.

AUGUST.
WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

SAVOYS, COLEWORTS, AND BORECOLE.

In the first week of this month finish planting your savoys ; they
will not, at this season, require a greater distance than two feet every
way. This plantation will be tolerably well cabbaged in November,
and may, with a little care, be preserved in fine condition all winter.

The early York, Battersea, and sugar-loaf plants, arising from seed
sown last month, should now be planted out for autumn coleworts ;
they will yet form nice heads ; and some more of the same kinds
should be sown in the first week of this month, from which you will
have delicious hearts late in October, &c. In the southern States,
where the plants can stand out all winter, this will be a very useful
practice. Plant also your last crop of borecole.

SPINAGE.

Now prepare some ground and sow a good crop of spinage ; that
sown in the first week of the month will be fit for use in September,
and what you sow in the second will be in fine condition in October.

In the last week of the month, you should sow a principal crop of
the prickly seeded spinage for early spring use ; this ought to be sown
on dry gravelly ground, for on such it will stand the winter much
better than on any other. A second sowing will, however, be neces-
sary for the same purpose in the first week of September, as it will
always be proper to have a double chance. With either or both of
these sowings, you may throw in a thin scattering of brown Dutch
or cabbage lettuce, and if the winter is any way mild, you will have
good early plants in spring, which you are then to take up and trans-
plant into beds for heading.

SOWING RADISHES.

In the early part of this month you should sow a sufficient supply
of short-top and salmon radishes ; also, some of the white Naples and
turnip-rooted kinds; these will be fit for the table in September.
About the middle of the month, you ought to sow a second crop to
come into use in October.

A full crop of the black and white Spanish or winter radishes
may be sown at either, or both of the above periods, for fall and win-
ter use.

AUG.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 485

ASPARAGUS.

The plantations of asparagus should now be kept perfectly clear
from weeds, but particularly those which were planted last spring,
and likewise the seedling beds, but this must be done by a very care-
ful hand weeding.

TURNIPS.

The first week in this month is a very principal time for sowing
your general crop of turnips for autumn and winter use, whether in
the field or garden ; you may continue in the middle States to sow as
opportunity offers, or as the season proves favorable, till the middle
of the month ; after which, it will be too late to expect any tolerable
produce. In the eastern States, the last sowing ought to be performed
in the first week of this month, and the earlier in that, the better.
If any be sown after the above periods, it ought to be of the early
six weeks kind ; this will arrive at maturity at an earlier period than
any other sort. In the southern States, turnips may be sown some-
what later. Sow very thinly in drills, one foot apart and one inch
deep. The purple-top strap leaf, and yellow stone, are two good
kinds.

CELERY.

Plant now a full crop of late celery ; let this be done as early in
the month as possible, and as directed on pages 423 and 461.

Continue to earth up your advancing crops of celery once every ten
or fourteen days, observing to do this on a dry day, and previously to
break the earth fine with the spade ; take care to gather up all the
leaves neatly, and not to bury the hearts of the plants.

ARTICHOKES.

The late spring' plantations of artichokes should be now looked over
and treated as directed for the older plants on page 463.

SMALL SALADING.

Where a constant supply of small salading is wanted, such as let-
tuce, cresses, radish, rape, and mustard, they should now be sown
every eight or ten days on a shady border, and frequently watered,
both before and after coming up.

SOWING PEAS.

You may any time between the first and fifteenth of this month, or
at each period, sow a crop of the early frame, Charlton, or Warwick
peas ; these, should the season prove favorable, will afford you tolera-
ble crops in October. If the weather be dry, soak the peas and water
the drills, as directed on page 464.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [AUG.

PLANTING KIDNEY-BEANS.

At any time before the middle of the month you may plant a crop
of the early cream-colored, early yellow, or early China dwarf kidney-
beans; they will yet succeed very well; but should the ground and
weather be dry at the time, the drills ought to be watered, and the
beans soaked in soft water four or five hours before planting.

SOWING AND TRANSPLANTING LETTUCES.

Early in the month sow a good supply of lettuces for fall use ; the
kinds proper to sow now are the brown Butch and Silesia lettuces ;
both these kinds succeed well at this season. Sow them as directed
in the former months. A succession crop should also be sown about
the middle of the month.

In the last week of the month sow some of the brown Dutch and
hardy green cabbage lettuce, to transplant into frames and on warm
borders in October, for winter and spring use; for the method of pro-
tecting them from frost, see November.

Transplant from the seed-beds such of your advancing young crops
of lettuces as are grown to a sufficient size ; let this be done as di-
rected in the preceding months, and, if possible, in moist or cloudy
weather; giving them a plentiful watering when planted, and repeat
it frequently if necessary. Be particular always to sow and plant
your lettuces in an open situation, and not to suffer them to be drawn
up, or to remain too long in the seed-beds, otherwise they will never
form good heads.

\

ENDIVE.

Tie up your endive, which is full grown, or cover them with
boards or tiles to blanch : this must be performed when the leaves
are very dry, otherwise the plants will rot. Select the large and
full-hearted plants, and with bass or other strings, or with small
osier twigs, tie them a little above the middle, not too tight, pre-
viously gathering up the leaves regularly in the hand,

Transplant, agreeably to the directions given on page 460, such
young endive as is now of a proper size, and water it immediately,
which repeat, occasionally, till the plants begin to grow freely.
These plants must be set in an open situation, and by no means near
any kind of shade whatever.

In the early part of the month sow a full crop of endive for late
autumn and winter use; the green curled sort is by much the most
preferable for this sowing, as being more hardy and keeping better
than any other kind. It would be proper to sow some more of the
same sort about the middle of the month; for these, provided they
have time to grow to a proper size, will keep better than those which
were sown earlier.

AUG.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 481

CARDOONS AND FINOCHIO.

The cardoons, which were planted in June, will now be arrived at
some considerable height, so that you may begin to tie up some for
blanching; bind the stalks round, rather loosely, as practised with
endive, and draw the earth up to the stems, as you would to celery ;
repeat this earthing from time to time, as they advance in growth,
till whitened to a sufficient height.

Earth up finochio, which is full grown, in order to blanch and
render it fit for use.

MELONS AND CUCUMBERS.

Your crops of melons "and cucumbers, whether in an advancing or
fruiting state, should be kept very clean, which will much improve
the flavor and encourage the growth of the fruit. If the weather
proves .very dry, a gentle watering, now and then, given in the
evening, will be of considerable service to the late crops, but more
particularly to the cucumbers.

CARE OF THE GENERAL CROPS.

All your crops should be kept clear from weeds, using the hoe
where it can be done with safety, and where not, they must be care-
fully hand-weeded. Earth up your advancing crops of cabbages, peas,
beans, and all others that require that treatment. Water all new
plantations, and such young advancing seedlings as may be improved
thereby. Pull up the haulm and stalks of peas, beans, and cabbages,
&c., which have done bearing, and carry them out of the garden, as
well as all weeds, hoed or picked up.

HERBS.

Cut such herbs as are now in flower to distil, or to dry for winter
use, always observing to do it when they are dry, and spread them
in a dry, shady place ; for if they are dried in the sun, they will
shrink up, turn black, and be of little value.

You may now, if omitted in spring, or in the preceding months,
plant slips of sage, rue, lavender, mastich, thyme, hyssop, and winter
savory, &c., but these will not be near so strong, nor so capable of
resisting the severity of the winter as those planted at an earlier
period.

Cut down the decayed flower-stems of any kinds that appear un-
sightly ; and at the same time it will be proper to shorten all the
straggling young branches in order to keep the plants in due compass,
which will cause them to produce fresh shoots, and make the plants
appear neat during the remainder of the season. This should be
done, if possible, in moist or cloudy weather.

488 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [AUG.

CORN- SAL AD.

The Valeriana locusta, variety olitoria, grows commonly in the
cornfields in many parts of Europe ; hence, it is called corn- salad ;
and from its being sufficiently hardy to stand the winter, and of early
growth in spring, has acquired the appellation of lamb's lettuce, from
its affording them an early pasturage.

This is an annual plant, and is cultivated as an esculent herb in
salads for winter and early spring use. It should be sown in the
middle States in the last week of this month, or first in September,
on a dry soil and open situation, and raked in; the plants will come
up soon after, and should be thinned to two or three inches asunder;
they are used during the winter and early spring months in compo-
sition with lettuce and other salad herbs, and as a substitute for these
where deficient.

WINTER CRESSES.

The Erysimum barbarea, or winter cress, is used for the same
purpose, sown at the same time, and treated in like manner as
directed above for corn-salad. This plant is, by the market-garden-
ers about Philadelphia, called scurvy-grass, to which it is by no means
allied; the latter being the Cochlearia officinalis of Linn., a good
antiscorbutic, which has rather a disagreeable smell, and a warm,
bitter taste, by no means palatable as a salad. The winter cresses,
if sown in the last week of this month, or first in September, on a
dry soil and warm exposure, will afford an early salad in spring,
very pleasing to some palates, and perfectly resembling in taste and
flavor, and somewhat in appearance, the Sisymbrium nasturtium, or
water- cress.

LIMA AND CAROLINA BEANS.

Hoe and clean between the hills or rows of Lima and Carolina
beans, and cut off any runners that are found to trail on the surface
of the ground, which only tend to rob the bearing vines.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In the southern States, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia,
this month being the commencement of their rainy season, it is com-
mon to sow cauliflowers, cabbage, carrot, parsnep, onion, leek, and
endive ; and in short, the general variety of seeds that are sown in
the middle States in the months of March and April. These kinds
arrive there at a tolerable degree of perfection before their winter
sets in, which is so very mild as scarcely to injure any of their escu-
lent crops; and such of them as do not come to maturity before
winter attain it early in spring.

AUG.] THE FRUIT GARDEN.— THE ORCHARD. 489

DUNG- HILLS AND WEED-HEAPS.

The dung-hills should, during the summer months, be kept free
from weeds, for if the seeds of such are permitted to ripen and fall,
the dung when carried into the garden will poison the whole ground.
The manure produced by the heaps of weeds taken out of the garden,
should not be introduced therein again, until it is three or four years
old, lest the seeds which happened to ripen should stock the ground
afresh.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

The care of your wall and espalier fruit-trees, &c., being the same
in this month as directed in the former, page 465, 1 refer you there-
to to avoid repetition.

Should any of the shoots be displaced by winds or other accidents,
let them be immediately made fast again in a secure and neat
manner.

FIG-TREES.

The wall and espalier fig-trees will now be ripening their fruit ;
they should be kept neatly trained, but the knife must not be used
except to the fore-right and other irregular productions, as it is from
the young shoots of this season's growth that you are to expect fruit
next year ; and these bearing principally towards their extremities,
ought not to be shortened. Lay in the shoots regularly, not across
one another, and let them be well secured, for the wind and rain
have great power over them on account of their broad leaves.

BUDDING.

For the budding necessary to be done in this month, see the
nursery department.

THE ORCHARD.

Such of your standard peach and other trees as are overburthened
with fruit, and likely to break down, should be supported with sub-
stantial stakes, to which the pending branches ought to be bound by
strong hay-bands, taking care to place part thereof between each
stake and the branch lest the bark should be injured : these supports
are to be taken away as soon as the fruit are off. See the article
Orchard, on page 466 ; what is there directed is very applicable at
this time.

490 THE VINEYARD. — THE NURSERY. [AUG.

THE VINEYAKD.

Keep your vines in neat, regular order, trained up and tied to the
poles, and suffer none to trail upon the ground; by this means the
influence of the sun and free air will be admitted to the fruit, which
are essentially necessary to its timely maturity.

You should now be very particular in keeping the ground between
the vines free from weeds ; for at this time a clean surface answers,
in a great degree, to reflect the sun's heat upon the vines and fruit,
which will cause them to ripen soon, and acquire an improved rich-
ness of taste and flavor ; and besides, neither the vines nor fruit will
be so subject to contract mildew, as if the vapors and damps were
confined round them by weeds, or by their own branches laying trail-
ing about. Some of the early sorts of grapes will begin to ripeu
about the end of this month, but the general vintage may be ex-
pected some time in September, early or late, according to the
season.

Continue to divest the main shoots of all young side productions,
but be careful not to pull off or injure the leaves. Such fruit bear-
ing branches as were topped, ought to be likewise divested of young
shoots as they are produced, at least of the greater number.

THE NURSERY.

BUDDING.

This is the proper season for budding or inoculating peaches, nec-
tarines, almonds, apples, and pears ; also apricots on peach or almond
stalks ; but when the apricot is to be worked on the plum, it ought
to be done in July.

Cherries, plums, or any other fruit-trees may also be budded in
this month, if the bark parts freely from the stalk. Pears ought to
be inoculated in the early part of the month, or while the sap flows
freely; but the peach, nectarine, almond, and apple will succeed any
time between the first of August and twentieth of September, pro-
vided that the stalks are young and vigorous.

You may now inoculate all such curious trees and shrubs as you
wish to propagate in that way ; there are very few but will succeed
at this time if worked on good and suitable stalks ; but when you
find the bark not to part or rise freely, it will be almost in vain to
attempt the work. Many kinds now take "a second growth, and when
that is perceivable it will be a very proper time to inoculate them.
For general instructions on this subject see page 467.

AUG.] THE NURSERY. 491

NEW BUDDED TREES.

You should now look carefully over the stalks which were budded
in July, and in three weeks, or at most a month after their being
worked, loosen the bandages, lest the buds should be pinched there-
by; and where there are any shoots produced below the buds, they
should be rubbed off. You ought, also, to examine the trees which
were budded in the former year, or grafted in the spring, and cut off
all the shoots that are produced beneath the inoculations or grafts ;
for if these are permitted to grow they will starve the proper shoots.

PRESERVING THE STONES OP FRUITS.

Preserve peach, plum, cherry, and apricot stones, &c., to sow for
raising stocks to bud and graft on. These may either be sown im-
mediately, or preserved till October or any of the following months,
in common garden earth or moist sand ; but it will be necessary to
embrace the first opportunity in spring, if not before, to sow them
before the stones open and the radicles begin to shoot, otherwise a
great number of these would be injured in the act of sowing. You
may mix the stones with either earth or sand, which put into garden
pots or boxes, and plunge these to their edges, and no deeper, in some
dry border, till the time of sowing. Every day that they are . kept
out of the ground is an injury to them, and if preserved in a dry
state till spring, very few will vegetate for a year after, and the far
greater number not at all.

WEED AND WATER SEEDLINGS, ETC.

The seedling trees and shrubs of all kinds must now be kept per-
fectly clean from weeds; for these, if permitted to grow among the
young plants, would totally ruin them.

In dry weather you must be careful to give frequent waterings to
the seedling plants, whether in beds, boxes, or pots, according to their
respective necessities.

Keep the ground between the rows of trees well hoed, and train
up the various sorts of forest-trees and shrubs for the several pur-
poses for which they are designed; but do not trim the stems of stand-
ard trees too close, for it is necessary to leave some small shoots to
detain the sap for the purpose of strengthening those parts.

PREPARING GROUND FOR AUTUMN PLANTING.

Towards the end of this month you should begin to clear and
trench the vacant quarters in which you intend to plant fruit-stocks,
or trees or shrubs of any kind, in October or November, &c., that
the rain may soak and mellow the ground before the season of plant-
ing ; and if the land be of a stiff nature, the laying of it up in high
sloping ridges, by exposing more surface to the sun, rain, and dews,
will greatly improve it, and it can be the more expeditiously levelled
down and rendered in a fit condition for planting, when necessary.

492 THE PLEASURE, OR [AUG.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

CARNATIONS AND PINKS.

Transplant the layers and pipings of carnations and pinks that are
sufficiently rooted, and treat them in every respect as directed on page
472, which see. You may yet lay pinks and carnations, if omitted
in June and July, taking care to keep the earth moderately moist
about them till well rooted; but it would be much better to have
done this in the beginning of July, as in that case the layers would
be strong and well established before winter. For the method, see
page 449.

AURICULAS AND POLYANTHUSES.

The first week in this month is a very proper time to shift into
fresh compost such of your choice auriculas as were not new potted
in April or May; for which compost, and the method of shifting,
see page 359, &c. You may at the same time take off any strong
slips that have fibres attached to them, and plant them as there
directed ; this fresh earth will strengthen the plants greatly, and im-
prove their flowers the following spring. All your auriculas will
require, at this season, is to be kept where they can be free from the
mid- day sun, and enjoy that of the morning till nine or ten o'clock,
and that of the afternoon after four or five.

The choice polyanthuses, under similar circumstances, should be
treated in every respect as recommended for the auriculas.

Transplant auricula and polyanthus seedlings, as directed on pages
359 and 360, observing to give them proper shade and occasional
waterings, and also to close the earth well about their roots, other-
wise the worms will draw them out of the ground.

REMOVING AND PLANTING BULBOUS ROOTS.

In the first week of this month, if not done in July, you should
plant all the autumn flowering bulbs which you have yet out of
ground ; such as crocuses, colchicums, autumnal narcissuses, amaryl-
lises, &c., and likewise any spring flowering bulbs that do not agree
with being kept too long in a dry state ; as fritillaries, crown impe-
rials, snow-drops, spring crocuses, martagons, red and white lilies,
bulbous irises, &c. Any of the latter kinds may now be taken up
and immediately transplanted ; but this should be done early in the
month, before they begin to push out new fibres ; after which they
would be considerably weakened by a removal. You may also at this
time take up, separate, and transplant the roots of paeonias, flag irises,
and any other hardy kinds of fleshy or tuberous-rooted flowers, whose
leaves are now decayed. When the roots are taken up the small
offsets should be separated and planted in beds, to increase the kinds,

AUG.] FLOWER GARDEN. 493

and the large roots replanted in any beds or borders where wanted
for flowering. Each respective kind is to be covered from two to
four inches deep, generally in proportion to the size and strength of
the roots.

TRANSPLANTING SEEDLING PERENNIALS AND BIENNIALS.

Transplant into nursery-beds the seedlings of the various kinds of
perennial and biennial flowers that are now of a proper size, as directed
on page 452 ; or such may now be planted finally where they are to
flower next season. As the wall-flower and stock-gilly flower plants
will, in the middle and eastern . States, require some protection in
winter, such should now be transplanted into pots, or into beds where
frames may be placed over them, on the approach of severe frosts.

SOWING SEEDS OF BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

The seeds of tulips, hyacinths, narcissuses, irises, crown imperials,
fritillaries and lilies, or of and other kinds of bulbs, whose seeds are
ripe, may now be sown, in order to obtain new varieties. These, if
sown as soon after being ripe as they are sufficiently dry and hardened,
will vegetate the ensuing spring; but if kept out of the ground till
that period, very few of them will come up for a full year after.
(For the method of sowing the seeds, &c., see the Flower Garden
for next month.)

PROPAGATING FIBROUS-ROOTED PERENNIAL PLANTS.

Most of the early flowering fibrous-rooted plants, whose flower-
stems have been cut down in June or July will, some time in this
month, have thrown up new suckers from the roots ; then such may
be carefully taken off and planted in nursery beds ; or the whole roots
may, towards the end of the month, be taken up and divided into
many separate parts, taking care to do it in such a manner as that
every plant or part, so separated, may be furnished with roots. Trim
or cut off from each slip, or part, any long or bruised roots ; pick off
all decayed or declining leaves, and plant the sets or divisions in a
shady border, or where they can be conveniently covered with mats
or other covering till newly rooted.

They should be watered immediately, and that repeated from time
to time, till they are well taken with the ground, and in a free grow-
ing state.

Pinks, sweet-william, rose- campion, scarlet lychnis, gentianella,
polyanthuses, primroses, double daisies, double chamomile, double
perennial catchfly, double ragged-robin, perennial cyanus, monardas,
penstemons, phloxes, violas, campanulas, dracocephalums, spiraea
trifoliata, and various other kinds, may now be propagated in this way.

494 THE PLEASURE, OE FLOWER GARDEN. [AUG.

COLLECTING FLOWERING PLANTS FROM THE WOODS, FIELDS, AND
SWAMPS.

Many beautiful ornamental plants may now be collected from the
woods, fields, and swamps, which would grace and embellish the flower
garden and pleasure grounds, if introduced thereinto : and that at a
season when the general run of cultivated flowers are out of bloom :
such as lobelias of various kinds, aletris farinosa, asclepiases in sorts,
asters, cassia marilandica, chelones, cucubalus stellatus, cypripediums,
dodecatheon meadia, dracocephalums, eupatoriums, euphorbias, and
galega virginiana ; gentianas, hardy herbaceous geraniums, gerardias,

lycines, gnaphaliums, hedysarums, helianthuses and heucheras ;

ibiscuses, hypoxises, irises, liatrises, lysimachias, melanthiums, mo-
nardas, napaeas, and ophryses ; orchises, oxalises, podalyrias, penste-
mons, phloxes, polygala senega, rhexias, rudbeckias, sarrasenias and
saxifragas ; sylphiums, sisyrinchiums, solidagoes, spigelia marilan-
dica, trilliums, veratrums, and veronicas; limadorum tuberosum,
lilium superbum and canadense, erythronium americanum, together
with an immense number of other delightful plants.

All the above, and any other kinds you meet with, that are worthy
of notice, may be taken up, whether in or out of flower, with balls
of earth, brought home, and planted immediately; on taking them
up, cut off the flower-stems, if any, and when planted give water and
shade for a few days to the fibrous-rooted kinds ; next year they will
flower luxuriantly, after which, each sort may be propagated in its
proper season. Observe in planting, to give each respective kind a
soil and situation as nearly similar as possible to that in which you
found it in its wild state.

FLOWERING PLANTS IN POTS.

Such annual and other flowering plants as are in pots must now
be carefully supplied with water, some kinds requiring it twice a day
in very dry weather, others once a day, and a few sorts not so often.
As to the consumption of water, there is an astonishing difference in
the constitutions of plants, some absorbing and discharging it so
quickly as to excite surprise, and others but very slowly ; therefore
you must supply each respective kind according to its habit and
necessity.

ORDINARY ATTENDANCE.

Give water as often as necessary to all the young plantations of
herbaceous flower-roots ; cut down the stems of such as are past
bloom; loosen the earth in the tops of all your pots containing
flowering-plants; clip hedges, if omitted in the last month; clip
box edgings, and trim the various other kinds used for that purpose
into a neat and becoming form ; but let this be done early in the
month, and if possible in moist and cloudy weather. Mow grass-
walks and lawns once a week or fortnight, according to the growth

AUG.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 495

of the grass. S.weep, dress, and roll the gravel- walks once a week ;
hoe and clean the flower-borders, beds, alleys, and shrubbery com-
partments; and let the weeds be raked up and carried away imme-
diately out of the garden, &c. Trim and tie up any loose growing
or straggling plants ; dress disorderly growing shrubs, and inoculate
such kinds as you wish to propagate in that way.

Gather flower-seeds as they ripen and preserve them till the sea-
son of sowing ; most kinds will keep better and longer in their pods
or husks than when rubbed out.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

SHIFTING AND GIVING FRESH EARTH TO THE PLANTS.

In the first week of this month, if not done before, you may shift
into larger pots, &o. young oranges, lemons, citrons, and shaddocks,
and also such other plants as are too much confined, and that have
perfected their spring or summer shoots previous to their beginning
to push their autumn growths ; such is the critical period in which
plants ought to have a summer shifting, and should be particularly
noticed in any climate or country where such practice is necessary.
Let this operation be performed as directed on page 375 ; after which
treat the plants as recommended on page 478.

Loosen the earth in the tops of such pots or tubs as it appears
hard or stiff in, and add some fresh compost thereto, if not done last
month; this and the picking off of any decayed leaves, together
with the trimming of disorderly branches, will give a fresh and
pleasing appearance to the collection, add to the beauty, and promote
the vigorous growth of the plants.

PROPAGATING THE PLANTS.

You may still continue to propagate various kinds of plants by
cuttings, layers, and suckers, as directed in the former months.

BUDDING ORANGES AND LEMONS, ETC.

Any time this month you may successfully bud oranges, lemons,
citrons, limes, and shaddocks; beginning in the first week thereof
and continuing to the end ; observing to work each tree as you per-
ceive it to put forth its fresh autumn shoots ; some trees, even of
the same species, will produce those earlier or later in the month,
and so soon as you perceive a few of them grown to two or three
inches in length, seize upon that time to perform the operation, as
then the sap being in a fresh state of circulation, the bark of the
stock will separate freely for the reception of the bud, and the ne-
cessary nourishment will be copiously supplied.

Observe at this time to take the buds from shoots produced in

496 THE HOT-HOUSE. [AUG.

the early part of the present season. The proper t stocks are those
raised from the kernels of either of the species. For the methods
of budding, and general observations on that subject, see page
467, &c.

It will be very proper on budding those, or any other kinds of
plants in pots, to place them in the shade for three or four weeks,
after the operation is performed ; or at least to turn the budded side
of each plant to the north, in order to avoid the drying influence of
the sun.

Cut off oranges, lemons, jasmins, and other exotics, which were
inarched in April or May, provided that you find them sufficiently
united. For the method of doing this, see the article grafting by
approach, or inarching, on page 267.

WATERING.

Carefully attend to the watering of all the plants, giving it to
each as often as necessary, and in proportion to its consumption, ob-
serving always to administer it sparingly to the succulent kinds.

The pouring of water, occasionally, through the rose of a watering-
pot, over the branches of the shrubby kinds would greatly refresh
them, and wash off the dust collected on the leaves, which would
give them a clean and pleasing appearance; but this should be done
late in the evening, when the sun has lost its power for the day.

Such pots as are plunged, must be turned full around in their
seats at least once a week, to prevent the roots penetrating into the
surrounding earth, through the holes in the bottoms of the pots.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

PINE-APPLES.

The care of the fruiting pines being the same in this month as in
the last, is unnecessary to be repeated; as likewise the propagation of
the plants by crowns and suckers, as well as the shifting of those
succession pines which are expected to produce fruit next season.

Let this shifting, where neglected last month, be done, if possible,
in the first or second week of this, that the plants may have time to
establish strong roots, and to be advanced in free and vigorous growth
before winter. (For the method of shifting, see page 483.)

Besides the watering of the pine plants in the common way, it
will be of great service to them in very warm weather, to water the
walks and flues of the hot-house occasionally ; this should always be
done late in the evening, and the glasses ought to be immediately
closed. The great heat of the house will exhale the moisture, and
raise a kind of artificial dew, which will soon stand in drops on the
glasses ; the leaves of the pine being succulent, they will imbibe the
watery particles and be greatly benefited thereby.

AUG.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 497

RAISING THE PINE EROM SEED.

New varieties of the pine may be obtained from seeds, and when
such is found in the fruit, which is very uncommon, even in the
West Indies, they should be carefully preserved in dry sand till
March, when they will vegetate and succeed better than if sown at
an earlier period. The pots for this purpose should be then filled to
within an inch of their rims, with light rich earth, and plunged into
a warm part of the tan-bed for a day or two before sowing the seeds,
which should be placed therein, about an inch apart, and covered not
more than a quarter of an inch deep. Cover the pots immediately
with pieces of glass that will fit the tops very close ; this, by prevent-
ing the mould from drying and giving an additional heat to it near
the surface, will soon cause the seeds to vegetate. After the plants
appear sprinkle them over with water occasionally ; as they advance
in size give them increased portions of air and water, and by the
time they have five or six leaves, they will be able to withstand the
general air of the hot-house.

By the end of August these seedlings will be grown to a proper
size for transplanting ; when they should be put into small pots, filled
with the same mould recommended for crowns and suckers on page
481 ; and from that time their treatment requires no difference from
that of those.

SHIFTING THE VARIOUS EXOTICS, ETC.

The beginning of this month is a very proper season for the shift-
ing of aloes, sedums, cactuses, mesembryanthemums, and all other
succulent exotics ; they will now take fresh root sooner than at any
other time of the year; you should at the same time take off any off-
sets that may be produced, and plant them into small pots filled with
fresh sandy earth, placing them where they may have only the morn-
ing sun for ten or twelve days, and observe to refresh them, now and
then, with a little water.

The several kinds of tender exotics that require it, should now be
shifted, in order to establish strong and fresh roots before winter ;
observing to place them in the shade immediately after, till they shall
have recovered the check occasioned by the removal. This work
should be performed early in the month; for if they are shifted too
late in the season, they do not recover before the cold comes on,
which checks their growth, prevents their free rooting, and conse-
quently renders them not so well prepared to maintain themselves in
winter, as if done at an early period; and many kinds that have
stood too long in the same pots without shifting, will have their roots
so matted, as to grow mouldy in winter and decay ; which has often
been destructive to many choice plants.

The other plants, which do not require shifting at this season, should
have some of the earth taken out of the tops of the pots, if not done
last month, and replaced with fresh compost ; this will greatly en-
courage their autumn growth, and should not be neglected.
32

498 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [SEPT.

The regular watering of the plants must now be duly attended to,
for one day's neglect, at this season, might destroy many of your
most valuable plants. Keep all the collection free from decayed
leaves, and such pots as are plunged in the earth must be turned quite
round in their seats once a week, for the reasons mentioned in the
preceding months.

Keep all the pots and tubs free from weeds, and continue to pro-
pagate the various kinds by suckers, layers, or cuttings..

LABELLING THE PLANTS.

In large collections all the plants should be labelled, having the
generic and specific name of the plant on each label. These may
be made of small slips of pine or cedar, each from six to ten inches
long, near an inch broad at top, tapering to a point at the lower
end, and about a quarter of an inch thick. "When the sticks are
ready, the parts to be written on should be rubbed lightly with
white oil paint; then with a black lead pencil, while yet wet,
write the generic and specific name of the plant thereon, which will
soon dry and become completely permanent ; the label is then to be
stuck into the pot near the rim, and so deep as to leave the writing
easy to be seen. These labels will continue good for three years, or
longer.

SEPTEMBER.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

SOME persons who write on gardening, content themselves by
simply saying that such a thing should be sown in such a month ;
this gives a latitude in the present, of thirty days, so that an inex-
perienced person may be led to think that he is within due bounds,
if he sows on the 30th of September what ought to have been sown
in the first week, perhaps about the first day thereof, whilst expe-
rienced gardeners well know that a difference of three or four days,
particularly in this month, makes a greater odds, in crops, than most
people could imagine would be consequent on the difference of as
many weeks.

I am not an advocate for sowing seeds on a particular day of the
week or month, nor in the full or wane of the moon, nor when the
wind blows from the east, west, or any particular point of the com-
pass; these ridiculous and superstitious notions have been long
since deservedly banished out of the well-informed world ; but in
this month, above all others in the year, there is an absolute neces-
sity of sowing certain crops within a few days of particular periods,
in order to insure the best possible success, so that the plants may

SEPT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 499

not become too strong before winter, and consequently be subject
to start to seed early in spring, previously to their attaining due
perfection, nor be too weakly to endure the severities of the ensuing
winter.

SPINAGE.

Hoe and clean your advancing crops of spinage, and let the plants
be thinned out to proper distances in order to afford sufficient room
for the production of large succulent leaves.

In the first week of this month prepare some good dry ground for
a full crop of spinage for winter and spring use. In the eastern
States, particularly, this work should not be delayed later, nor, in-
deed, in the middle States, if it can be well avoided ; but in a fa-
vorable season, and a warm soil and exposure, it may succeed very
well in the middle States if sown so late as the fifteenth or even the
twentieth of the month ; the more to the southward, the later it may
be sown.

The best sort to endure cold is the prickly seeded kind, which is
what most people sow at this season, it being much hardier than
the round seeded sort ; of this there are two or three varieties, dif-
fering only in the size of their leaves; but the largest and most
profitable sort is what gardeners call the burdock spinage. A thin
sprinkling of the brown Dutch and hardy green cabbage lettuces may
be sown among the spinage, and if the winter is any way favorable
you may have some good plants from these to transplant early in
spring for heading. A few of the early short-top salmon and white
turnip-rooted radishes may also be sown among the spinage for use
in October and November. Sow the seed thinly in drills about twelve
inches distant from one another, or broadcast, and tread it in, then
rake the ground effectually so as to cover the seed well; or if it be
cultivated on a large scale it may be harrowed in with a light har-
row, wrong end foremost.

When the plants are up, and have got leaves an inch broad or a
little better, they must be thinned, either by hand or hoe, to three or
four inches asunder, and the weeds effectually cleared away from
among them ; by this treatment the plants will get stalky, gather
strength, and be the better able to stand the winter frosts.

LETTUCES.

The various kinds of lettuces sown last month should be planted
out as early in this as they have attained to a proper size for that
purpose; let them be set in beds of good, well prepared ground,
about ten inches asunder, and watered immediately, which should be
frequently repeated if the weather proves dry.

In the last week of the month prepare a dry, warm, well sheltered
south border, on which to plant the lettuces sown in the latter part of
August, for standing over wkater for spring use. Take up the best
plants from the seed-bed, pick off the decayed leaves, trim the ends
of their roots, and plant them in rows six inches asunder every way ;

500 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [SEPT.

if the plants survive the winter, every other one may be taken up in
spring and planted in new beds, which will give the others abundance
of room to grow to the best perfection. They are to be protected
during winter as directed in November. Sow more lettuce seed in
the first week of this month, to plant out in the beginning of Octo-
ber, for the same purpose. The kinds proper to be sown now are
the brown Dutch and Hammersmith hardy green. Also, about the
middle of the month, sow another crop of the same kinds, to be
planted in frames in October, for their winter preservation. '

To have lettuces in good perfection in November, December, and
January, you should, about the latter end of this month, prepare
one or more beds of rich earth, in a warm part of the garden, where
the ground is dry, and lies well to the sun. Make the bed or beds
the length and width of one or more cucumber frames; plant therein
some good plants, and give them water occasionally till well rooted
and growing freely.

Towards the middle of next month, when the nights begin to
grow cold, place the frames and glasses on the beds ; keep on the
glasses every night ; but let them be kept totally off in the day time
till the November frosts commence ; after which you must be go-
verned by circumstances, always admitting as much air every day as
the safety and free growth of the plants will warrant.

SOWING RADISH SEED.

In the first week of this month you should sow a good supply of
the early short- top, white and red turnip-rooted and salmon radishes;
also, a sufficient quantity of the black and white winter, or Spanish
kinds ; the latter, on the approach of frosts, must be taken up and
preserved for winter use, as you do carrots or turnips.

ENDIVE.

As early in the month as possible, transplant a full crop of green
curled endive for late autumn and winter use; let this be done as
directed on page 460. Tie up the leaves of full grown endive for
blanching, as advised on page 486.

CELERY AND CARDOONS.

Earth up celery as it advances in growth, but be careful to avoid
covering the hearts of the plants ; this work should always be done
in a dry day; lay up the stalks neatly without injuring them, for if
bruised they will become mouldy and be subject to rot.

If your crops of celery be scanty, and you have got strong plants,
you may, about the first of this month, plant them out in trenches.
Should the season prove very favorable, this crop may succeed toler-
ably well.

The cardoons will now be considerably advanced in growth, and
consequently should be earthed up regularly for blanching ; as these
plants spread considerably, they must be tied up neatly with bass

SEPT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 501

strings, or willow twigs, &c., but not too close, so that the hearts may
freely advance in growth • then gather the earth up all around each
plant, first breaking it fine, and as you lay it up, pat it with the back
of the spade to make it keep its place and cast off the rain : as the
plants progress in growth continue earthing them still higher till well
whitened and fit for use ; on the approach of frost they may be pro-
tected as directed in November for celery, if not made use of before
that time.

WINTER CRESSES, CORN-SALAD, AND CHERVIL.

Sow corn-salad and winter cresses the beginning of this month,
if not done in August, for winter and early spring use ; let these be
sown as directed on page 488. ' Likewise, sow a supply of chervil for
soups and salads ; this may be sown in drills nine or ten inches asunder
and covered about a quarter of an inch deep, or broadcast and
raked in.

SMALL SALADING.

Continue to sow once every ten days the different kinds of small
salading as directed in the preceding months. The seeds may now
be sown in an open situation where the earth is light and rich, but
what you sow towards the end of the month should have a warm ex-
posure.

HOE TURNIPS. .

As your crop of turnips advances in growth, hoe and thin the
plants to proper distances ; let this be done in a dry day, cutting the
weeds up clean with a sharp and middle sized hoe.

SOWING CABBAGE SEED.

The proper period for sowing cabbage seed in the middle States, to
produce early summer cabbages, is between the sixth and tenth of
this month, if intended to be transplanted into frames in October
for winter protection, which is the most preferable method; but if
they are designed for remaining in the seed-beds till spring, the
period is between the fifteenth and twentieth. However, it will be
very proper to make two or three sowings within that time, as it is
impossible to say whether the fall may be favorable or otherwise, and
therefore the better way is to be prepared in either case by successive
crops.

The consequence of having plants too forward or early is, that
they are very subject to run to seed in the spring soon after being
planted out ; and if the seeds are sown too late, the plants do not
acquire sufficient strength before winter to withstand its rigor with-
out extraordinary care. But in either case there is a remedy ; that
is, if the plants are likely to become too luxuriant and strong, trans-
plant them once or twice in October, and if too backward and weakly,

502 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [SEPT.

make a slight hot-bed towards the latter end of that month, and
prick them out of the seed-bed thereon ; this will forward them con-
siderably.

At all events, I would advise, particularly in the middle States,
the first sowing to be made about the tenth or before it, the second
four days after, and the third on the eighteenth day of this month,
or at any rate within two or three days of these periods ; for the dif-
ference occasioned at this time by one or two days will in a few weeks
be very perceivable and striking. In the eastern States, the first of
the month will be a suitable period for sowing a principal crop.

The kinds proper to be sown now are the early Enfield, early Y.ork,
and early Battersea.

Sow these seeds in beds of good garden mould, and either cover
or rake them in so that they may be lodged about a quarter of an
inch deep ; if the weather should prove dry, water the beds occasion-
ally in the evening till the plants are up, and in about five weeks
they will be fit for transplanting into their winter quarters, as di-
rected in October.

SOWING CAULIFLOWER SEED.

The critical period, in the middle States, for sowing cauliflower
seed, is between the twentieth and twenty-eighth of this month ; if
sown earlier the plants would be very subject to button (as the gar-
deners term it) or flower in April or early in May, which flowers sel-
dom exceed the size of a common button, and thereby the hopes and
expectations of the cultivator are lost.

I would recommend to sow the seed at three different periods, say
the twentieth, twenty-fourth and twenty-eighth of this month ; for
each sowing let a small spot of rich ground be neatly dug, mark out
the bed three and a half feet wide, and immediately sow the seed
and rake it in carefully ; or you may first rake the bed smooth, and
with the back of the rake push the loose mould evenly off" the sur-
face for near half an inch deep into the alleys, one half to each side,
then sow the seed, and with a spade or shovel cast this shoved off
loose earth over it about a quarter of an inch deep, or a little more,
and finish by picking off the lumps or small stones with your hand,
or drawing them off neatly and lightly with the rake ; or you may
sow the seed on the smooth raked surface, and sift over it about a
quarter of an inch of light earth.

Should the weather prove dry, water the bed both before and after
the plants are up, and in a month after sowing they must be trans-
planted into beds of good rich earth, covered with garden frames, at
the distance of three inches from one another, there to remain dur-
ing winter, and to be taken care of as directed in the following
months. '

In the southern States, the most forward of these may be finally
planted out in November, as directed on page 329, and covered with
bell or hand-glasses during winter; but in the middle or eastern
States this practice will not succeed on account of the severity of the
weather at that season.

SEPT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 503

If the plants should happen to be late and of a weakly growth,
when you are planting them into frames in the latter end of Octo-
ber, let a trench be dug about ten inches deep in a dry, warm, and
well sheltered situation, the breadth of a frame and the length of
one, two, or more, according to the quantity of plants ; then fill it
in with new horse-dung to the height of eighteen inches from the
bottom, and set on the frame j earth the bed over five or six inches
deep with rich earth, and set the plants in rows three inches apart
every way, immediately give them a moderate watering and place
on the glasses ; observing to leave them open about four or five inches
at top that the steam may pass away.

It will also be proper to lay a mat over the glasses in sunny wea-
ther till the plants have taken fresh root ; after which the lights must
be totally taken off by day till the weather becomes too severe, and
every advantage must subsequently be taken to give the plants as
much air as possible, consistent with their preservation.

The plants, with the assistance of this slight bottom heat, will soon
take root and be greatly forwarded thereby, so as to acquire a due
degree of strength before the setting in of very severe weather.

Note. — Late sown cabbage plants would be greatly benefited by
treating them as directed above for cauliflowers.

LATE CAULIFLOWERS AND BROCCOLI.

If the weather should prove dry, give occasional waterings to the
crops of late cauliflowers and broccoli which you expect to flower in
October, &c., otherwise the heads will be small, especially if the ground
is naturally dry.

SOWING WELSH ONION SEED.

Sow some Welsh onion seed for early spring salad, &c. This kind
never bulbs and is very hardy ; for although the tops will sometimes
die down in winter, yet the roots will continue sound, and push up
new leaves on the eve of the first spring vegetation.

It will be necessary to sow this seed in the first week of the month
on beds of light rich ground, in a warm exposure, and afterwards to
keep the rising plants perfectly free from weeds.

MUSHROOMS.

This is a proper time to prepare for making beds, in which to cul-
tivate the Agaricus campestris, Champignon, or common mushroom.
Of two hundred and thirteen species of agaricus, enumerated by Dr.
Withering, this is the only one selected for cultivating in gardens.
The gills of this are loose, of a pinky red, changing to liver color, in
contact but not united with the stem ; very thick set, some forked
next the stem, some next the edge of the cap, some at both ends ;
and generally in that case excluding the intermediate smaller gills.
Cap, white, changing to brown when old, and becoming scurfy, fleshy,
and regularly convex, but with age flat, and liquefying in decay;

504 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [SEPT.

flesh white ; diameter commonly from one inch to three or sometimes
four or more. Stem solid, one to three inches high, and about half
an inch in diameter.

I consider the description of this species the more necessary, as
many of the others are poisonous. This is the most savory of the
genus, and is eaten fresh, either stewed or boiled; and preserved
either as a pickle or in powder. The sauce commonly called catchup
is made from its juice with salt and spices. Dr. Withering asserts
that those gathered from fresh undunged pastures are more delicate
than those which are raised in artificial beds. Mr. Miller is of a dif-
ferent opinion, probably because the cultivated ones are more sightly,
and may be collected more easily in a proper state for eating.

It will be necessary in the early part of this month to provide a
quantity of fresh horse-dung, and to throw it up in a heap, out of
the reach of rain, to ferment ; when it has lain two or three weeks,
turn it again, that all the parts may be equally dried and fermented,
and the violent heat passed away. In this state it should remain till
about the first week of October, when the bed is to be made as di-
rected in that month, or the preparation may commence in August,
and the beds be made any time this month at pleasure.

The reason for the previous preparation of the dung is to prevent
a too violent fermentation when the bed is made, which would totally
destroy the spawn; and, moreover, by this management it will pre-
serve a slow temperate warmth much longer than if put together when
quite fresh.

You must likewise provide a sufficiency of good mushroom spawn ;
this is frequently to be found in rich pasture fields, old mushroom
beds, old cucumber beds, dung-hills or dungy composts ; but that of
the true kind from the pastures or old mushroom beds is to be pre-
ferred ; it may also be found where horses are employed under sheds
in turning mills, riding-houses, livery-stable yards, &c.

The spawn is a white fibrous substance, running and spreading
itself in the rich pasture grounds and in lumps of dryish rotten dung,
and if of the true sort, has. the exact smell of the cultivated kind.*

Take up the earth or dung in which you find it in lumps, observ-
ing to preserve these entire, and lay them in a dry shady place till
wanted ; you may cover them with straw or garden mats, for much
wet would totally destroy the spawn. But if the pieces are wet or
very damp when collected, they must be spread to dry gradually j
the spawn is seldom, if ever, destroyed by drought, especially when
mixed with earth or dung. For the method of making and spawning
the bed, &c., see the Kitchen Garden for October.

* This spawn may be made artificially. Mix together equal portions of
horse and cow droppings, and turfy sods ; work all into a stiff mortar by
the addition of a little water. Form into the shape and size of common
bricks, dry in an open shed, then make a hole in each, 'on the side, one
inch cubic ; place in this a small piece of good spawn, and plaster up with
a little cow-dung ; build the whole in a heap, and cover with a layer of
fresh litter from the stable ; in three or four weeks it will be fit for use,
and will keep several years.

SEPT.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 505-

GATHER SEEDS.

Gather all kinds of seeds as they ripen, which may be necessary in
the ensuing season, and spread them to dry on mats or cloths ; when
sufficiently hardened, beat them out clean, and put them up carefully
till wanted for sowing.

PERENNIAL HERBS.

Towards the latter end of this month you may safely transplant
all kinds of hardy perennial pot, aromatic and medicinal herbs, which
will take fresh root, and be well established before winter ; but this
should be done, if possible, in moist weather.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In the southern States, particularly where the winters are mild,
you may sow at this time, carrots and onions for early spring use, as
well as all the other articles recommended to be sown in this month;
and also plant out late crops of borecole, broccoli, celery, cabbages
for winter, coleworts, endive, &c. &c.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

FRUIT-TREES.

Examine your wall and espalier trees, and where you find any long
loose branches, train them in and make them firm in their proper
places.

The early kinds of fruit-trees against the walls of your forcing-
houses should, towards the end of this month, be pruned and trained
close to the wall or trellis, that their buds may be preparing before
the season for applying artificial heat.

GATHERING RIPE FRUIT.

Gather apples and pears as they ripen, and treat them as directed
under the head Orchard, for next month.

PREPARE FOR PLANTING.

Begin towards the end of this month to prepare the borders, &c.,
in which you intend to plant fruit-trees, in October or November; it
is of consequence to add a good supply of thoroughly rotten dung,
and to trench the ground to the depth of eighteen inches or two feet,
provided that the natural good soil admits thereof.

506 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [SEPT.

STRAWBERRIES.

Of the Fragaria vesca, or esculent strawberry, there are five prin-
cipal varieties cultivated in gardens for their very delicious fruit.
1. F. virginiana, or scarlet strawberry. 2. F. vesca pratensis, of
Alton, or hautboy strawberry. 3. F. Chiloensis, or Chili straw-
berry. 4. F. Alpina, Alpine or monthly strawberry, and, 5, F.
Ananas, or pine-apple strawberry. There are besides these, the va-
rieties sylvestris, or common wood strawberry, and caroliniana, or
Carolina strawberry, with many others arising from these, differing
principally in the color of their fruit.

The first, or scarlet strawberry, has dark green leaves, and is of a
more even surface than the others ; the flowering stems are shorter,
and the fruit is frequently concealed among the leaves. It is the
earliest in ripening its fruit, for which reason it merits esteem, had
it nothing else to recommend it; but the fruit is so good as to be
generally preferred to most others.

The second, or hautboy strawberry, has larger and thicker leaves
than the scarlet, oval-lanceolate, and rough ; the fruit is of a pale
red, much larger than the scarlet, and of a musky flavor, of which there
are several varieties, differing in shape and color, but that called the
globe hautboy is the best and most approved fruit.

The third, or Chili strawberry, has oval hairy leaves, of a much
thicker substance than any sort yet known, and stands upon very
strong hairy footstalks ; the runners from the plants are very large,
hairy, and extend to a great length, putting out plants at several dis-
tances. The peduncles are very strong ; the leaves of the calyx are
long and hairy. The flowers are large and are often deformed, and
when cultivated in strong loamy land, the plants produce plenty of
large, firm, well-flavored fruit j in a light soil this kind is not gene-
rally very productive.

The fourth, or Alpine strawberry, has small oval leaves, small
flowers, and middle-sized, oblong, pointed fruit ; the plants and fruit
are considerably larger than the wood strawberry, and are parti-
cularly valuable for their continuing to bear fruit successively from
June till the autumn frosts put a stop to them, but with the help of
hot-beds, &c., they may be kept in a bearing state the whole year
round. The reason of its long continuance in fruit is, that the run-
ners which it throws out during the summer, shoot up into flowers
and fruit the same year. Of this there are four varieties, the scarlet
fruited, red fruited, white fruited, and scarlet blossomed. This is said
to be a native of the Alps, in Europe.

The fifth, or pine- apple strawberry, has leaves which much resem-
ble those of the scarlet strawberry, but are larger, of a thicker sub-
stance, and the indentures of their edges are blunter ; the runners
are much larger and hairy ; the peduncles are stronger, the flowers
much larger, and the fruit approaches in size, shape, and color, to
the Chili strawberry. As this produces a great quantity of fruit
when the plants are kept clear from runners (and the fruit is very
large) it is well worthy of cultivation. The fruit of this variety has

SEPT.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 507

somewhat of the smell and taste of the pine-apple, from whence it takes
its name.*

In the cultivation of strawberries, much depends upon the choice
of plants ; for if they are promiscuously taken from the beds with-
out care, a great number of them will become barren ; these are by
the gardeners termed blind, which is when there are plenty of flowers
but no fruit produced ; if these flowers are well examined they
will be found to want the female organs of generation, most of them
abounding with stamina, but there are few, if any, styles ; so that
it frequently happens among these barren plants that some of them
have a part of an imperfect fruit formed which will sometimes ripen.
The hautboy strawberry is more subject to this than any of the other
kinds. The plants of either sort should never be taken from old
neglected beds where the stools had been suffered to spread or run
into a confused multitude of vines, nor from any plants which are
not very fruitful, and those offsets which stand nearest to the old
plants should always be preferred.

Strawberries in general, love a strong loamy ground, in which they
will thrive and bear fruit more abundantly than in a light soil. The
ground should be somewhat moist, for if it is very dry, all the water-
ing which is given to the plants in warm dry seasons, will not be
sufficient to procure abundant crops ; nor should the ground be made
overly rich with dung, for that would cause the plants to run into
suckers, grow too luxuriant, and render them less fruitful.

Any time this month that the weather proves moist, you should
take advantage of it for making your general plantations of straw-
berries, but if dry and hot, it will be better to defer that work to the
last week thereof, or first in October, not later if possible, as the
plants will be greatly benefited by having time to form good roots
before winter. But should the weather then prove unfavorable you
should proceed to planting, after which, plentiful and frequent water-
ings must be given till the plants are well rooted.

The sets proper for planting at this time, are those produced in
the present year from the young runners, selecting them as before
noticed, or such as were taken off in June and transplanted into
nursery beds. When taken up, the roots should be trimmed, the
decayed leaves picked off, and also any small vines or runners issuing
from the plants.

The ground should be well dug and, if necessary, previously ma-
nured with a sufficiency of old well rotted dung, then laid out into
four feet wide beds with alleys between, of eighteen or twenty inches,
for the convenience, of going in occasionally to weed and water the
plants and to gather the fruit. Each bed is to contain four rows of
plants, the large kinds eighteen inches distant in the rows, and the
small sorts fifteen. Close the earth well about the roots of each plant,

* This division applies to the more primitive state of the strawberry ;
we have now got them so mixed up by cross-breeding, that we recognize
them as Pistillate and Staminate, or Hermaphrodite varieties. The Pine or
aromatic, and the Hautboys, are somewhat distinct classes, notwithstand-
ing there are many kinds of them, and also that they have partaken of the
general mixing up.

508 THE FRUIT GARDEN. — THE ORCHARD. [SEPT.

and when finished, water the whole plentifully should the weather
happen to be dry at the time.

The old strawberry beds will require to be kept clear from large
overgrown weeds, and in October are to have their autumn dressing
as there directed.

N. B. If you intend to force strawberries in the winter or early
spring months, this is the time to pot them for that purpose. The
alpine and scarlet kinds are the best for forcing ; they should be
strong plants of two years old, and in a proper state for full bearing.
Provide as many pots of about seven inches diameter at top, and made
in proportion, as you think may be sufficient, and at the same time
get some good loamy earth, made fine with 'a spade, place a few inches
thereof 'into the bottom of each pot, previously laying a shell over
each hole as directed on former occasions, then take up each plant
with a ball of earth to its roots, pare the ball neatly round with the
knife, clear the plant from decayed leaves and runners, place it in
the pot and fill up the spaces around the sides and over the surface
of the ball with fine earth. Water the whole when potted, and re-
move them to the shade for eight or ten days till newly rooted ; then
you may plunge them to their rims in any open part of the garden,
there to remain, watering them occasionally till the approach of
winter, when the pots are to be placed under the protection of frames
and glasses till taken into the forcing departments.

This practice is absolutely necessary, in the middle and eastern
States, as during winter the earth is so hard frozen as to render it
impracticable to take up the plants out of the open ground, when
wanted, without injury; moreover, when they are potted at this
season, their roots will be well established before the time of forcing
commences, and consequently the plants will be much more product-
ive of fruit.

THE ORCHARD.

COLLECTING RIPE FRUIT.

Apples and pears that attain now to full maturity, rarely keep as
well as those which ripen in the ensuing month; but when it is de-
sirable to preserve them as long as possible, they must be treated as
directed in October.

When planting of fruit-trees is intended in the months of October
or November, opportunity ought to be taken of any leisure time that
may now occur for the preparation of the ground, as directed in
March, under the head Orchard.

SEPT.] THE VINEYARD. 509

THE VINEYARD.

PROTECTING THE FRUIT.

Your early varieties of grapes will now be ripening very fast, and
will sometimes be subject to the annoyance of birds, which are more
apt to attack the fruit a little before sun rising and about the time of
its setting, than in any other part of the day ; it will be, therefore,
prudent to have boys with rattles to frighten them away, particularly
about those hours.

You should also destroy poke, wild cherries, and any other uncul-
tivated productions growing near the vineyard, the fruit of which
might invite a resort of birds. Should you observe an extraordinary
resort of wasps in any quarter, and that they are destructive to the
fruit, hang up phials of honeyed or sugared water in such places, in
which numbers of them will be caught and destroyed.

The ground between your vines must now be kept perfectly free
from weeds, and all the branches tied up neatly, in order to afford
the fruit the full advantage of air and sun for its due perfection.

THE METHOD OP MAKING WHITE WINES.

In the middle States, the general vintage will happen some time
in this month, earlier or later, according to the season; it will, there-
fore, be necessary to be provided with a sufficient number of clean,
sweet casks, new, if for white wines, to prevent their coloring the
liquor; but red wines may be put into any cask, without injury, pro-
vided they are sweet and clean. You must also be provided with a
vat for mashing the fruit in, and with a suitable contrivance for press-
ing out the juice.

Let it be observed that white wines are made from black as well
as from white grapes ; that the former generally makes the strongest
and best wines, and that it is from the skin of the black grapes, when
fermented with the juice and pidp, that the red tinge is obtained.

When you perceive the grapes to be fit for gathering, which you
may judge of by the eye and taste, for when perfectly fit for eating
they are then in the best condition for making wine ; make choice of
cloudy weather, if such should occur, and early in the morning, or
very late in the afternoon, being provided with a sufficient number of
careful people, each furnished with a basket to hold the fruit, and a
crooked pointed knife or a pair of strong scissors to cut off the bunches,
let them begin their work, collecting only such bunches as are open,
ripe, and perfectly sound, passing over all that are green, not ma-
tured, dry, rotten, or bursted. The stalk of every bunch should be
cut off close to the fruit, and the bunches laid gently into the basket
without bruising or pressing them together.

The grapes which are not sufficiently ripe must be gathered at
another time, and treated in like manner.

510 THE VINEYARD. [SEPT.

As the grapes are collected, they must be immediately carried to
the press or vat, for the sooner they are pressed after gathering the
finer and whiter the wine will be, and not only that, but it will be
more mellow, have a more exquisite flavor, and be greater in
quantity.

As your vat is filling, the grapes are to be trampled and mashed
effectually by men, having their legs and feet previously washed very
clean ; then let your machine for pressing fall down thereon, which
will force out the liquor plentifully, having a cask conveniently placed
to receive it.

When the liquor ceases to run from the press, raise it and cut up
the cake to pieces with steel shovels, and press it again, together with
all the loose grapes that happen to be scattered, and you will have
another plentiful running of good liquor.

This is called wine of the first cutting, which will be of a fine
color and flavor, little inferior to the other, having a stronger body,
and will keep longer than that of the first pressing.

The cutting and pressing is to be repeated as often as you find
the liquor to run, and that from the second and third cutting will be
still good, of a sufficient body to keep for a length of time, and with
age will acquire mellowness and an improved flavor.

The liquor which first runs from the grapes without any other
violence than the weight of the press, is called le vin de gout, and is
fine, thin, and lively; of a pleasant flavor and relish, appears spark-
ling in the glass, but has not body enough to keep a long time with-
out being mixed ; but when incorporated with that obtained from the
first, second, and third cuttings, it makes then what is called the
best champaign.

The different pressings being mixed as you think proper, should
be immediately put into clean casks or hogsheads, placed in a warm
room or dry cellar, and filled to within two inches of the bungholes,
which should be covered with pieces of cloth, laid loosely on to pre-
vent dirt from falling into the liquor.

It is to be observed that the finest wines ferment the soonest, the
rest in proportion to their goodness. The first cask that ferments,
take some of the froth which works therefrom, and put a little of it
into those casks which are backward in fermenting, which will greatly
help their working.

The fermentation may continue for eight, ten, or twelve days, or
some time longer, according to the season or quality of the must,
but at whatever time you perceive it to cease, which you will see by
the froth not rising as before, fill your casks within about an inch or
two of the top and bung them up tight, at the same time making
small vent-holes to carry off what may be thrown up by the ferment-
ations not being quite ceased.

Continue to fill up your casks every three or four days, as before,
until the fermentation completely ceases, lest the foulness which
should work through the vent-holes sink down for want of passage,
and foul the wines. When all appearance of fermentation is over,
fill the casks and stop the vent-holes; however, open the latter occa-

SEPT.] THE VINEYARD. 511

sionally whilst there is any chance of the liquor continuing to work.
Observation and discretion will best guide on these occasions.

About the middle of December, or so soon as the wines have set-
tled and become clear, draw them off into new well-bound casks,
previously well impregnated with salt and water, to extract the in-
jurious bitterness of the wood ; after which, rinse the casks with fair
water, and an infusion of peach leaves or flowers, fill them quite
full and bung them as tight as possible. Repeat this racking off in
February, and likewise in the latter end of March ; after which it
may remain so till bottled, disposed of, or used.

You must be particularly careful in racking off the wine to draw
it as clear as possible from the lees, which will render it brisk, lively,
and sparkling in the glass ; while the contrary produces a muddy
dreg, or sediment, which makes the wine thick, dull, and sometimes
ropy ; and besides, when drawn off foul, principles capable of main-
taining fermentation would be introduced into the hogshead, which
would be productive of the decomposition of the saccharine part, and
consequently, deprive the wine of its sweetness.

The lees after the wine is racked off, may be distilled for brandy,
and also the cakes of pulp and skins, after being pressed and then
properly fermented.

THE METHOD OF MAKING RED WINES.

Red wines must always be made from black grapes, for besides the
main pulp or core, which is white in these as well as the others, there
sticks to the inside of the skin a considerable body of rich pulp of a
deep red, more so in some kinds than others ; this gives the color to
the wine when extracted by a due process of fermentation. The
color of red wine is said to be heightened by gathering the grapes in
the heat of the day, but this is productive of a considerable deficiency
in the quantity, though the quality may be improved thereby.

Taking these considerations into view, your grapes are to be col-
lected with the same care as before directed in the making of white
wines. Having a sufficient quantity gathered, put them into the vat,
by degrees treading and mashing them effectually as you fill it, till
quite full, and the liquor floating above them ; then work the pulp
and the liquor effectually together, leaving all the parts as loose as
possible, and so let it remain to ferment.

You ought to be provided with a cover for the top of the vat, per-
forated with holes, and made so as to easily slip down into it and
sink a little under the superficies of the liquor, to keep the skins and
pulpy parts from coming into contact with the air during the process
of fermentation ; for when this is exposed, and it tends to swim on
the top, it very shortly becomes acid, and communicating this to the
liquor, greatly injures it. As the skins give the color to the wine,
nothing is better than the keeping of them down, without pressing,
during this process, for to believe that these and other dregs floating
on the top impede the evaporation of the spirit, is a thing improbable,
since it requires a good cork to stop it.

The moment of drawing off the wine is of great importance, but

512 THE VINEYARD. [SEPT.

generally, however, without rule. It would be impossible to pre-
scribe a certain number of days for -an operation liable to so many
vicissitudes, as much through the qualities of the grapes as other
circumstances. But as the great object of fermentation is the con-
version of the must or expressed juice into wine, no drawing should
take place until that is effected. This moment, which might ap-
pear uncertain, may be ascertained with tolerable precision by means
of a tin tube open at one end and perforated all over with holes of a
small size, that the grains or stones of the fruit may not pass through
when dipped into the vat; inside of this a small wooden cylinder
must be placed, upheld at its bottom by a cork plate that can work
up and down freely in the tube : this instrument is to be plunged
into the vat and kept there, the liquor getting in through 4ie holes
of the tube, will raise the cork to the surface, to which cork the
wooden pin or cylinder is affixed. This latter must be marked in
different heights, which will be seen to rise as the vinous fermenta-
tion increases.

With this instrument, the precise moment in which the wine is to
be drawn off, may be established with great exactness ; this is gene-
rally done when the cylinder has attained to the highest and become
stationary, the fermenting mass always swelling in bulk till the vin-
ous fermentation is completely accomplished, becoming then station-
ary previous to the commencement of an acetous fermentation, and
sinking with that, which if suffered without drawing off the liquor,
would ruin all. Berthollet and other authors recommend not to
draw off the wine till you are able to perceive the cylinder begin to
lower a little.

When the liquor is drawn off into clean sweet casks, place them in
the cellar, fill them up within an inch or two of the top, and lay a
piece of leather with a small weight on it over each bung- hole that
may yield to a second fermentation, which generaly takes place.
When the wine has settled or ceased to ferment, bung the casks as
close as possible, and the subsequent -treatment is exactly the same
as directed for white wines.

In the making of red wines it is customary to mix with the fruit a
small portion of what is called the claret grape, to heighten the color,
as the entire juice of this variety is of a deep red.

It is also customary, and even necessary, with wine of a weak body,
made from newly established vineyards, or from worn-out old ones,
to add two or three gallons of very nice brandy, and five or six of old
strong wine of the same color, and as near the intended flavor as
possible, to every hogshead of sixty or sixty-three gallons of the new
wine ; this is usually done after the fermentation is over.

In Spain and other parts of Europe, if the season proves wet, or
if they think the must or expressed juice too replete with watery par-
ticles, they boil the whole or part thereof, to evaporate the super-
abundance ; but this is done immediately after the juice is expressed
before the least fermentation takes place.

The evaporation ought not to be by an intense ebullition, and
although the fire may be ardent, the ebullition may be prevented by

SEPT.] THE VINEYARD. 513

pouring some cold must into the kettle every time you perceive it
ready to boil.

The acid contained in the must being capable of dissolving copper
and converting it into verdigris, you must, therefore, be careful not
to boil it in any kettle but such as is perfectly well tinned; and some
people, after cleaning the inside effectually, rub it all over with a
woollen rag dipped in sweet oil ; if these precautions are neglected
the dissolution of the copper will give a disagreeable brass taste to
the wine, and perhaps render it pernicious to the health of those who
drink it.

The kettle should be large, wide in the mouth and flat in the bot-
tom, which will produce a saving in the consumption of fuel and ex-
pedite the process.

The whole of the must may be boiled, or if only a part thereof be
so reduced, this should be mixed with the remainder, and if intended
for white wine, put into casks to undergo the process of vinous fer-
mentation as before noticed. But if designed for red wine it must
be poured into the vat, when of a temperate degree of heat, on the
pulp and skins, there to undergo with them the necessary degree of
fermentation to extract the color and to form the wine ; after which
it is to be treated as before directed, observing to take similar pains
in pressing the juice out of the pulp when sufficiently fermented, as
recommended under the article White Wines, but this will not be so
difficult.

GENERAL REMARKS.

Ideal, as well as intrinsic qualities, cause one kind of wine to be
preferred to another, so that one nation or country admires what
another does not like, or perhaps despises; and even this ideal fancy
is not uncommon among individuals of the same country, town, or
place ; consequently, it will be well to know how to vary the proper-
ties of wine according to fancy.

If a taste of wine slightly acid, similar to that of the Rhenish, is
desired, some tartareous acid may be added to the must.

If the wine is required sweet, the must should be drained in such
a manner that it may retain as little as possible of the lees, and let
it afterwards ferment of itself. Some sugared matter might be joined
with it.

If the wine should be wanted delicate and of a light color, the
must should not be suffered to have a long action on the lees, from
which it takes principles that augment the fermentation, and dissolve
in consequence the mucilaginous parts, together with the coloring
matter.

Should a strong wine of good body be preferred, the must ought
to be suffered to remain the longer on the dregs, in case the grapes
do not afford it of sufficient strength. Or the boiling of the must,
in the manner before observed, will accomplish this.

If besides it be desired to have a heady or intoxicating wine, add
some tartar and sugared matter to the must, which will produce a
greater portion of spirit.
33

514 THE VINEYARD, [SEPT.

If the wine be required to have a great deal of body, add, after
the ceasing of the fermentation, fresh sugared matter, such as strong
must deprived of its tartar.

It has been suggested to me, that exposing the casks of weak wine
to the winter frost till the watery particles contained in the liquor
are converted into ice, and then drawing off the pure wine, would be
the best method of giving it a sufficient body. If this answers the
end, and it is very probable it may, as pure wine requires a much
greater degree of cold to freeze it than water, the middle and eastern
States of the Union possess an advantage in that respect over most
of the wine countries of Europe, as the cold of their winters is not
sufficiently intense to answer that end.

Should the wine be required with much, little, or no color, let it
be remembered that this quality resides exclusively in the skin of
the fruit, so that you may conduct the process according to your
desire.

Different flavors and fragrancies are communicated by the different
kinds of grapes, and also from other ingredients : the odor of Mus-
catel, for example, is given with the flowers of elder and other herbs ;
some use peach flowers, and consider them to communicate an agree-
able flavor to wine.

The absolute and essential qualities in wine are to have no defect,
nor be liable easily to contract any, to be able to keep long, and bear
transportation.

An essential article in the preservation of wine is to keep the air
totally excluded out of the vessels, for which purpose Davanzati
advises to " take off the rind of a piece of dried bacon, and leave a
little fat adhering to it in the centre ; after that make use of it in the
manner of a bung, and cram it in with might, that the cask may be
well stopped up ; extend out the rind afterwards over the cask after
having done it over with ashes ; then cover it over again with very
dry ashes ; and that they may not fall off, nail a piece of stuff over
the same. The cask being then sufficiently shut up, the air will not
penetrate into it, and the wine cannot change its nature."

I mention this to show the necessity of the casks being kept air-
tight and bunged effectually, not doubting but many other methods
may be used equally effectual, perhaps much more so than that
recommended by Davanzati.

A wine cellar should be dry, and so deep under ground that the
temperature of its heat may be nearly the same winter and summer :
it should be at a distance from streets, highways, workshops, sewers,
and necessaries ; if arched over the better.

Of all other methods wine is best preserved in bottles, well corked
and sealed ; but this should not be done till it is clear and fine, and
all fermentation subsided.

Tartar and the lees of wine are the principles of its destruction,
and none but sweet wines can bear the existence of them ; by often
drawing it off in order to purge it of these, there is too great a
superficcs exposed to the action of the air, which greatly injures
the wine.

To obviate this evil, the people of Champagne and other wine

SEPT.] THE VINEYARD. 515

countries make use of the following expedient, viz : To a leather
pipe from four to six feet in length and two inches in diameter are
adapted, at each end, wooden pipes nine or ten inches in length,
which decrease in diameter towards the ends, and are fastened to the
leather pipes by means of a piece of twine. The bung of the cask
intended to be filled is taken out and one of the pipes put into it.
A good cock is fixed in the cask to be emptied, two or three inches
from the bottom, and in this is inserted the extremity of the other
pipe. A pair of bellows of two feet long, including the handles, and
ten inches in diameter, with a wooden pipe, to the extremity of which
is fixed a small leather valve to prevent the air from rushing out when
the bellows are opened, is introduced through a hole made in the bung
and fitted exactly thereto. When the bellows are worked, the pres-
sure exercised on the wine obliges it to issue from the cask and to
ascend and pass through the leather pipe into the other cask. When
the pipe is once filled, the wine will pass through without the appli-
cation of any further force till each cask is half full ; but then by
working the bellows the artificial pressure of the air on the surface
of the wine will oblige the remainder to pass off, without any agita-
tion or shaking. When a hissing is heard at the cock, it is a sign
that all the wine has passed. This operation may be performed in
another manner, without the assistance of a cock, by making one of
the wooden pipes so long as to reach within five or six inches of the
bottom, and introducing it through the bung, together with the pipe
of the bellows, which when worked, will force up the liquor as before.

CLARIFICATION OF WINES.

When wines have been racked off three or four times, in the pre-
ceding manner, they may be fined or clarified as follows : For white
wines, mix a quart of new milk and about an ounce of salt with two
or three quarts of wine and pour it into the cask; ; then with a strong
lath or flat stick, stir the wine in the cask very well, observing not
to put the stick to the bottom, lest you disturb the lees or sediment.
This will be sufficient for sixty-three gallons.

Some for this purpose use a solution of isinglass, about the quantity
of an ounce to every fifty gallons of wine; but Chaptal observes,
" the use of this substance is dreaded in warm climates, and its place
is supplied by whites of eggs : ten or twelve are sufficient for half a
muid, or seventy two gallons English. They should be well beaten
up, and mixed with a pint of new milk."

For a hogshead of red wine, beat up effectually the whites of ten
or twelve fresh eggs, and incorporate this well with three or four
quarts of wine, which pour into the cask, stirring it as above di-
rected. In five or six days after, the wines will be fit to draw off
for bottling, &c.

METHODS OF CURING RAISINS.

R. Twiss, Esq., says, in his Travels through Portugal and Spain,
page 834, "Raisins are of two sorts; those which are called sun-

516 THE VINEYARD. [SEPT.

raisins are made thus : when the grapes are almost ripe, the stalk is
half cut through, so that the sap may not penetrate farther, but yet
the bunch of grapes may remain suspended by the stalk ; the sun,
by darting on them, candies them, and when they are dry they are
packed up in boxes.

"The second sort is made after this manner : when the vines are
produced, the tendrils or claspers are preserved till the time of
vintage, a great fire is made, when the ^tendrils are burned, and in
the ley made of their ashes the newly "gathered grapes are dipped,
after which they are exposed to the sun to dry, which renders them
fit for use."

Mr. Swinburn, in his Travels through Spain, informs us that "the
raisins dried on the coast of Valencia are dipped in a ley of wine and
ashes."

PRESERVING GRAPES FRESH FOR WINTER USE.

Grapes may be" kept fresh a long time by the following method :
before the autumn frosts have killed the leaves, let the bunch, with
the shoot, be carefully cut off the vine; then let the lower end of the
shoot be put- into a bottle filled with water; which hang up with the
shoot and branch in a warm room, or in a green-house.

The bottle should be filled with fresh, clear water every ten or
twelve days, and -at the same time a thin paring should be cut off
the bottom of the shoot, whereby the pores will be made to imbibe
the water with greater facility.

By this method, grapes may be kept fresh and good till the middle
of February.

Or, let the grapes hang on the vines as long as they will continue
on with safety; the late ripening kinds will be best for this purpose,
provided they are of good flavor and have attained full maturity.
When the frosts begin to set in sharp then gather them. Where
there are several bunches on one branch, cut it off, leaving about six
inches in length, or more, of the wood, according to the distance
between the bunches, and a little on the outside of the fruit at each
end; seal both ends of the branch with some common sealing wax,
or with such as wine merchants use for sealing their bottles with ;
then hang them across a line in a dry room, which is to be kept per-
fectly free from frost, taking care to clip out with a pair of scissors
any of the berries that begin to decay or become mouldy, which if
left would taint the others. In this way grapes may be kept fresh
a long time; if they are cut before the bunches are very ripe, they
will keep longer, but their flavor will not be so fine.

Having plenty of fresh grapes in winter makes a great addition to
the table, and if properly kept they will be of a much superior flavor
to the imported grapes.

Grapes may also be kept in jars ; every bunch, when well aired
and perfectly dry, should be wrapped up loosely in soft, white paper,
laid in layers, and each layer covered with bran, which should be
perfectly well dried before it is used ; first lay a little of the dry

SEPT.] THE VINEYARD. 51 Y

bran in the bottom of the jar, then a layer of the wrapped up grapes,
and so on, a layer of bran and a layer of grapes alternately, till you
have filled the jar; then shake it gently and fill it to the top with
bran; cover the top with paper, and over this a piece of bladder
doubled, which tie firmly around to exclude the air ; then put on the
top or cover of the jar, observing that it fits as close as possible.
These jars should be kept in a room where they will not be exposed
to damps, frosts, or too umcji heat.

In order to preserve a few of your finest bunches for this purpose,
from the depredations of birds and insects, let some small bags made
of thin gauze or crape be drawn over them, or rather let the bunches
be put into the bags ; the sun and air will have free access through
the crape, and when wet it will dry very soon.

VINERIES.

Much attention is now paid to vineries for forcing grapes, and, as
an example of the combination of the ornamental vinery and green-
houses combined, Figs. 55 and 56 are given.

It exhibits a perspective view and ground-plan of one erected on
Staten Island, New York, from designs by William Charlton. It
was required to have an early and a late grapery, a large general
conservatory, and a suitable apartment for camellias, and other beau-
tiful, polished-leaved green-house plants which are subject to be
scorched by the rays of the mid-day sun. The most available spot was
on a level spot, so situated that the longitudinal extension of the
structure should be east-southeast, and west-northwest. It was also
desirable that no parts should appear as " sheds" or other nuisance;
consequently, the ordinary conveniences are provided for by a cellar,
forty feet long by nine feet wide, being sunk under the northwest
part of the building, and which contains the two boilers and sufficient
room for the winter's fuel. There are two cisterns, each fourteen
feet wide by fourteen feet deep, under ground, and beneath the stage
of the central house. Each house is furnished with a tank for tepid
water, having a hose-coupling attached, with faucets so arranged,
that one force-pump placed under the stage answers all the purposes
of drawing water from the cisterns into the tanks, or from any one of
the tanks to shower over the whole or any part of the interior, at
pleasure. The centre house is twenty-one feet wide by forty-six feet
long, and seventeen feet from the ground-level to the ridge. The
two wings are fifty feet long by twenty feet wide, and fourteen feet
to the ridges, which are on a level with the eaves where they join.
This is a good example to imitate.

•

518

THE VINEYARD.

Figs. 55, 56.

[SEPT.

SEPT,]

THE VINEYARD.

519

Fig. 57.

PRUNING THE VINE.

In addition to the rules heretofore enforced regarding pruning the
vine, we give a representation of the results of a judicious system to
induce and evenly distribute its fruitfulness. The vine here repre-
sented occupied a space four feet high and three feet wide, and pro-
duced and perfectly ripened sixty- seven bunches of fruit.

520 THE PLEASURE, OR [SEPT.

THE NURSERY.

BUDDING OR INOCULATING.

Continue to inoculate peaches, nectarines, almonds, and apples ;
the three former will succeed very well if done any time before the
middle of the month, and even later in some 'seasons, especially in
the middle and eastern States; the budding of apples should be
finished as early in the month as possible ; but these or any other
kinds may be inoculated as late as you find the bark to separate
freely from the stock.

Untie the bandages of such plants as have been budded three or
four weeks ; this must not be neglected, for the swelling growth of
the stocks would cause the bandages to sink into the bark, which
would injure both stocks and buds.

PREPARE GROUND FOR PLANTING.

If omitted in August, it will be very proper to embrace every
leisure moment at this time, to dig and prepare all vacant quarters
and borders in which you intend to plant fruit-tree stocks, or trees or
shrubs of any kind in October or November; this will forward your
business, and not only that, but the ground will be mellowed and
moistened by the rain, which will be of much advantage in exciting
the plants to produce new fibres before winter.

TRANSPLANTING.

When absolute necessity requires it, and only in that case, you
may in the last week of this month remove and transplant evergreens
and such deciduous trees and shrubs as are much declined in leaf;
but should the season prove dry, these must be carefully and fre-
quently watered for a month or five weeks after, not giving too much
at a time, nor too frequently, lest an over quantity should rot the
young fibres as they are produced.

PROPAGATING TREES AND SHRUBS BY CUTTINGS AND LAYER.S.

In the last week of this month you may begin to propagate goose-
berries, currants, honeysuckles, and several other hardy trees and
shrubs by cuttings ; but it will be necessary at this time to plant
them in a shady border; however, I would not advise this to be done
before October, except in cases of necessity ; for wood imperfectly
ripened, when cut off and planted in this .month, seldom can bear
the power of the sun in our climates, unless it is for some time after
covered and protected therefrom.

The general propagation by layers may, with great propriety, be

SEPT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 521

commenced towards the latter end of this month. (For the method
see page 300.)

FRUIT STONES.

Peach, plum, and cherry stones, &c., may now be sown as already
directed, or they may be preserved as recommended, till October,
November, or February ; but in the southern States they should be
sown in or before January if possible.

TRIMMING PINES AND FIRS, ETC.

Where firs, pines, and other resinous trees are grown so rude as to
require some of their branches to be cut off, this is the best time in
the year for so doing; now they are not subject to weep as in the
spring, and there will be time for their wounds to harden and partly
heal before winter. Walnut-trees and maples should also be trimmed
at this season where necessary, for the same reason.

GENERAL CARE OF YOUNG NURSERY PLANTS.

Thoroughly clean from weeds all the seed-beds and young planta-
tions of trees, shrubs, &c. ; this must be done occasionally by hand
and hoe, taking opportunity of dry days when you work with the
hoe; and weeding will be easier performed when the ground is moist.

Continue to give water in dry weather to all the plants in pots or
boxes, and also to new plantations of flowers, &c.

Towards the latter end of the month begin to pot off singly such
young tender plants as were raised from seed this year, and that
stand too close together where growing. ^ These should be immedi-
ately placed in the shade for about three weeks till newly rooted,
after which place them in a warm exposure till the approach of frost,
when they must be removed into the green-house or placed under the
protection of frames and glasses, &c.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

CARNATIONS AND PINKS.

Your late carnation and pink layers must now be taken off as soon
as they are well rooted, and be treated as directed in July and Au-
gust ; the earlier in the month that you can do this the better will
the plants be rooted before winter.

Towards the end of the month you may transplant from the nur-
sery-beds the seedling pinks and carnations, into such beds and bor-
ders as you intend them to flower in ; observing to take each plant
up with a ball of earth, and to give it some water when newly planted.

522 THE PLEASURE, OR [SEPT.

AURICULAS.

The auricula plants still require due attention, but particularly
those shifted last month ; they nm&t yet be kept in the shade and
moderately watered , as often as the earth appears rather dry, to pro-
mote a free growth and a good supply of new roots before winter.

If the shifting had been neglected last month it may yet be done,*
but the beginning of August is a more eligible period.

Particular care must now be taken to keep the auricula seedlings,,
as well as the old plants, free from decayed leaves and weeds of
every kind, to keep the earth about them in a moderate state of
moisture, that the plants may grow freely and obtain strength before
winter.

SOWING SEEDS OF BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

This will be a very proper time to sow the seeds of tulips, hya-
cinths, and of every other kind of bulbous rooted flowers that have
perfected seed in the preceding part of the season. These seeds
should be sown separately in boxes filled with good sound garden
mould, mixed with a small portion of sand or with hyacinth or tulip
compost; sow the seeds pretty thick and cover them about half an
inch deep. The depth of earth in each box should be at least six
inches, the bottoms of the boxes should be perforated with holes,
each about an inch in diameter, and covered with shells, in order
that any extra moisture may drain off thereby. The boxes are then
to be placed in a warm exposure, and will require no water, or any
other attention than the keeping of them perfectly free from weeds,
and slightly protecting them from frost till the spring following,
when the plants will appear. Early in May place the boxes in the
shade, but not under the dropping or shade of trees ; and in very
dry weather give the plants a small portion of water ; but this should
be administered sparingly, lest it should rot the young bulbs. In
June, when the leaves are decayed, sift half an inch of fresh earth
over that in the boxes, and on the approach of winter place them
again in a warm exposure where you can give them some slight pro-
tection from severe frost. Continue the same treatment, winter and
summer, till the month of June or July, in the third year ; the roots
may then be taken up, dried, and treated in the same manner as di-
rected for large bulbs or offsets on pages 407 and 408 ; a few of the
strongest roots will flower the fourth year, about one-half may be
expected to flower the fifth, but the sixth year every healthy root
will exhibit its bloom ; and the hopes and expectations of the culti-
vator will be realized or disappointed. He may, however, think him-
self fortunate if one-half of the plants that first appeared are in ex-
istence at this period, and if he can at last find one tulip or hyacinth
in five hundred deserving a name or a place in a good collection, he
may rest perfectly content.

The tulips raised from seed will each consist of one plain color on
a white, dark, or yellow bottom ; the period of their breaking into
different stripes is very uncertain, so much so that it is not uncora-

SEPT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 523

mon to wait ten or twenty years without the desired success, although
it sometimes happens, fortunately, to take place the first, second, or
third year after their blooming ; where the collection of breeders is
numerous (a name given to those self-colored tulips), there may be
reasonable expectations of procuring one or two valuable flowers an-
nually : a poor dry soil is most likely to produce these effects ; and
a single instance has occurred where forty breeders out of fifty be-
came broken or variegated in one season in a situation of this de-
scription.

New sorts of breeders are procured from seed, but such only as
have tall strong stems, with large well formed cups, and clear in the
bottom, are worth cultivating.

Note. — The various kinds of tender bulbous-rooted flowering plants
may be propagated as above directed, but the boxes in which the
seedlings grow must be placed in a green-house or hot-house in win-
ter, according to the respective necessities of the various kinds.

TRANSPLANT PERENNIAL AND BIENNIAL FLOWER ROOTS.

The latter end of this month is a very proper period for trans-
planting the various kinds of seedlings, perennial and biennial flow-,
ers, out of the flower-nursery into the beds, borders, and pleasure-
grounds, where they are designed to bloom. You may likewise slip
and plant out double catchfly, pinks, London pride, phlox, draco-
cephaluuis, sweet-william, thrift, scarlet-lychnis, Virginian spider-
wort, double rose-campion, double rocket, Virginian lungwort, creep-
ing Greek valerian, and every other kind or hardy fibrous-rooted per-
ennials that are past bloom.

Cut down the stalks of such flowers as are decayed, and where
they are not to be transplanted, dig the ground about them and add
some rotten dung or fresh earth to the borders, which will greatly
strengthen their roots.

This will also be a very good time to collect from the fields,
swamps, and woods, some of the favorites of the Most High, which
he has decorated with such a profusion of lustre and beauty, that
" Solomon in all his glory" was not equal to. These are to be taken
up and treated as directed on page 493.

The various kinds of tuberous-rooted flowering plants may now be
propagated by slipping or parting their roots, such as paeonias, spiraea
filipendula, flag-irises, helleborus hyemalisor winter aconite, &c. This
last should have its roots planted in small clusters ; for, small solitary
flowers scattered about the borders are scarcely seen at a distance ;
but when these, snowdrops, crocuses, and dwarf Persian irises are
alternately planted in bunches, they will have a very good effect, as
they flower at the same time and are much of a size. You may also
divide and transplant the roots of the helleborus niger, or Christmas
rose, helleborus viridis, or green hellebore, helleborus ranunculinus,
and helleborus foetidus, stinking hellebore, or bear's-foot. The hel-
leborus lividus, purple, or great three-flowered black hellebore, is a
very desirable plant ; it is usual to keep this in the green-house,

524 THE PLEASURE, OR [SEPT.

where it will flower in February and continue a long time in bloom.
It may now be propagated in like manner as the other species.

PLANTING VARIOUS KINDS OF BULBOUS ROOTS.

Spring crocuses, snowdrops, fritillaries, crown-imperials, dens-
canises, dwarf Persian, English, and Spanish bulbous irises, scarlet
martagons, white, superb, Canada, and red lilies, and all other kinds
of bulbs that do not agree with being kept long out of ground should
now be planted if possible: for although these roots may be kept up
much longer if preserved from the air, in dry sand, sawdust, dry chaff
or the like, yet they would not flower near so well next season as if
planted in due time.

Common tulips, hyacinths, narcissus, &c., may now be planted in
the borders of the pleasure grounds, in small clumps of four or five
in a place, covering the roots about four inches deep if the soil be
dry and light ; if stiff and heavy, three inches will be sufficient ; but
the latter kind of soil should not be chosen for this purpose if pos-
sible : where the borders are naturally inclined to clay, proper earth
should be brought on barrows, and holes made in the spots where you
intend planting about a foot in diameter, and at least the same in
depth, which fill with the good soil and plant the roots therein, cover-
ing as above.

Van Thol and other early tulips may now be planted in a warm
soil and exposure for an early spring bloom.

FLOWER BORDERS AND SHRUBBERIES.

Towards the latter end of this month begin to dig the vacant beds
and borders where the plants are mostly declined in their flowering,
to prepare them for the reception of any plants or roots, to kill weeds,
and to give a neat and becoming appearance to the whole ; if they
require it add some fresh earth or very rotten dung to them, and in
the planting of flowers in borders along the principal walks observe
to dispose them in such a manner as that there may be a regular suc-
cession of flowers throughout the season in the different parts, plant-
ing the low growing kinds in front and the taller more remote from
the walks.

Continue to keep the general flower borders, clumps, and other
similar districts very clean, and in neat order, and go around all the
beds, borders, and shrubbery compartments once a week to cut down
decayed flower stems, for such detract much from the beauty of the
plants in flower as well as from that of the general appearance.

Regulate disorderly growths, tie up straggling branches, and pick
off all decayed leaves; likewise prune or cut away any branches or
twigs that appear in a mouldy or declining state on any of the flower-
ing plants or shrubs.

SEPT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 525

BOX EDGINGS.

Clip box edgings where it was omitted in the two former months,
but let this be done as soon now as possible, that the box may have
time to grow a little and put on a fresh appearance before winter ;
it will be best to do this in wet or cloudy weather, if such should
happen in due time.

In the last week of this month, should the season prove moist, you
may begin to plant box edgings where wanted, as directed on page
316, but if the weather sets in dry and hot immediately after, it will
be necessary to shade them with boards, &c., for a month ; about
that period they will be newly rooted, and appear neat all winter.
However, should the weather not prove favorable in this month, it
would be more advisable to defer that work till the early part of
October.

If you have low bunches of dwarf box, that the offsets are gene-
rally rooted, you need be under no apprehension of their striking
fresh root and growing freely at this time if kept regularly watered ;
but where you form edgings of box cuttings, these will require to be
carefully shaded from the sun, at least for a month after, if planted
at this season.

CLIP HEDGES.

Such hedges as have not been trimmed in the preceding month
should be clipped in the early part of this, before the shoots get hard.

In clipping hedges, always take particular care to have the shears
in perfect good order, that you may be able to make neat and expe-
ditious work. Let the sides of the full grown hedges be always clip-
ped in nearly to the former year's cut, and as even and straight as
possible ; for it tooks awkward and not workmanlike to see the sides
of hedges, especially garden hedges, waved and uneven : and always
observe to clip a hedge in such a way as to slope in a narrow manner
upiuards, that the top may be a little narrower than the bottom, and
at the same time as even and level as possible.

In clipping young hedges under training be cautious not to cut
them too close above, but clip the top off regularly to retard the
luxuriant shoots, and cause them to branch out and thicken the
hedge, and also to give the moderate growths an equal advantage of
air and room to advance as equally as possible; cut the sides with
similar care but closer, and always sloping inwards or narrowing to-
wards the top; for by thus exposing the sides and bottom of the
hedge to the influence of the air, rain and dews, all parts are equally
encouraged in growth, and the whole becomes close and well fur-
nished ; but when the top overhangs the bottom, the lower branches,
for want of those advantages, decay, and the hedge becomes thin
below, and consequently much more unfit to answer the end than if
judiciously trained.

526 THE PLEASURE, OR [SEPT.

GRASS AND GRAVEL WALKS, AND LAWNS.

Continue to treat your grass and gravel-walks, and lawns as directed
on page 415, and let the rough edges of all grass lawns, &c., adjoin-
ing gravel-walks and principal borders, be cut close and neat with a
very sharp edging iron, &c., which will give an additional neatness
and becoming appearance to the whole.

PREPARING FOR PLANTING.

Prepare now, at all leisure hours, the different beds, borders, and
composts for your plantations of choice tulips, hyacinths, anemones,
ranunculuses, and other flower roots which are to be planted next
month; also for the various flowering shrubs, &c., that the hurry of
business may not press upon you too much at once, and that you
may be the better able to do everything in its proper season.

TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS.

In the last week of this month, should necessity require, you may
transplant such evergreens as seem to have ceased growing, provided
you can remove them with balls of earth, or that they are to be
planted in shaded places ; but in either case it will be necessary to
water them occasionally in dry weather for three or four weeks after
planting; however, if the season proves hot and dry, it will be better
to defer that work till October.

THE VALLISNERIA AMERICANA.

Some account of the Vallisneria Americana may not prove unac-
ceptable to the curious, the more especially as it tends to cast some
light on the " loves" and sexes of plants ; and it is also the best
subject to place under a microscope to exhibit the circulation of the
sap.

This extraordinary vegetable production grows in the river Dela-
ware, not far from Philadelphia, and may, with care, be introduced
by means of seeds or roots, into rivers, ponds, and canals, &c.
Another species, the Spiralis, is found in the East Indies, in Nor-
way, and various parts of Italy. The American species flowers
generally in the latter part of August or in September.

The Vallisneria belongs to the class Dioecia, and order Diandria,
bearing male and female flowers on separate plants. The female
plant produces long, tubular, purple flowers, which stand singly on
the top of a stalk, curiously twisted in the form of a screw, which is
common to both species; when the flowers are about to expand, this
screw or spiral stalk relaxes more or less according to the depth of
the water, and suffers the flowers to rise up to the surface, where
they float in expectation of a visit from their husbands.

The flowers of the male plant are very numerous, small, and of a
white color ; they are contained within a spathe or sheath, which
stands on a short footstalk that never rises to the top of the water ;

SEPT.] FLOWER GARDEN. — GREEN-HOUSE. 52t

the flowers being arrived at maturity, they burst open the spathe in
which they are contained, detach themselves from the receptacle to
which they are fixed, and rise up to the surface of the water, where
they float about as if in search of their mates, and suddenly, with a
kind of elasticity, open themselves and discharge their pollen, which
being conveyed to the female flowers growing near them, or scattered
thereon, impregnates the seeds contained within the germen.

The pollen being discharged on the stigma, the embryo seeds are
impregnated, but how this impregnation is effected it is difficult to
say; indeed, while the affair of impregnation in animals is involved
in so much obscurity, we can scarcely expect to discover more of it
in vegetables.

It has been the opinion of some of the early writers on the sexes
of plants, that the pollen in substance passed through the style, and
so impregnated the seeds in the ovary ; but this is a very irrational
supposition, for it is not probable that the pollen, which is nothing
more than a case for the true sperm, should pass through a part
which has every appearance of being impervious to it.

Whether the sperm itself be conveyed through the style is per-
haps what never will with certainty be determined.

The hint of there being different sexes in plants, seems first to
have been taken from the Dicecm class, or such as produce (male)
flowers with stamina on one plant, and (female) flowers with pistilla
on another.

" If the dust of the branch of a male palm-tree," says Aristotle,
" be suspended over the female, the fruit of the latter will quickly
ripen; and if the male dust be carried along by the wind, and dis-
persed upon the female, the same effect will follow as if a branch of
the male had been suspended over it."

"Naturalists," says Pliny, "admit of distinction of sex not only
in trees but in herbs and all plants; yet this is nowhere more ob-
servable than in palms, the females of which never propagate but
when they are fecundated by the dust of the male."

Note. — Those who wish to become scientifically acquainted with
the Linnaean, or sexual system of plants, will be greatly edified by
consulting that very valuable w,ork, the Elements of Botany, pub-
lished in 1803 by the late Benjamin Smith Barton, M. D., Professor
of Materia Medica, Natural History, and Botany in the University of
Pennsylvania. The botanist will also consult Longman and Green's
Structural Botany, Gray's Text-Book, and Lindley's School Botany.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

In the eastern States, between the fifteenth and latter end of this
month, according to local situations, the nights will be getting cold,
and consequently the more tender kinds of green-house plants must
be taken in before they change their color by too much cold, leaving

528 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [SEPT,

the hardy sorts out as long as there is no danger of their being at-
tacked by frost.

Some people are desirous to keep out their plants as long as possi-
ble ; this is very right, but it ought not to be extended to too hazard-
ous a period, for one night's frost would cause the leaves to lose
their fine green color, which perhaps might not be restored during
the whole winter, and if any way severe, serious injury might be sus-
tained.

If the windows and doors are kept open day and night, as long as
there is safety in so doing, the plants will be nearly as well off as if
in the open air, and no danger is encountered : the mere difference
of five or six days in the taking in of the plants will insure safety ;
but on the other hand, it is not right to be too precipitate in housing
them before the common appearance of the weather indicates the
necessity.

For further particulars respecting the housing of the plants, see
next month, which is the period for doing that business in the middle
States.

In the middle and other States where frosts do not frequently ap-
pear before the middle of October, the plants are to be taken care of
as directed in the preceding months ; observing to decrease the usual
supply of water in proportion to the moistness and coldness of the
weather, for the administering of it too copiously when there is not
a necessity, would be very injurious. And let it be particularly ob-
served, that as soon as the cold nights set in, which may be about
the middle of this month or sooner, the water must be given to the
plants in the morning, for if given late in the afternoon as in the
preceding months, the chill occasioned by it and the coldness of the
nights, would change the color of the foliage from a fine green to a
yellowish cast, whereby much of their beauty would be lost, as well
as the plants themselves in some degree injured.

If any are in want of larger pots or tubs, they may be shifted in
the beginning of this month, but on no account defer it later, that
the plants may have time to strike some fresh roots before winter.
And if, in consequence of a bad state of health, any had been planted
in baskets in the borders as recommended on page 454, they must,
early in this month, be taken up and re-potted ; observing to take
them up carefully, to trim off the wide extended roots, cut the bas-
kets away, and plant them with the entire balls in the pots or tubs
destined for their reception ; after which give them water and place
them in some shady warm situation, till the time for housing them.

Any young green-house plants raised this or last year from seeds,
slips, cuttings, or suckers, and that are growing too close together in
pots, &c., should, if well rooted, be transplanted in the early part of
this month into pots, singly, and be immediately watered and placed
in the shade for a week or two ; or of such as are very small, two,
three, or more may be planted in a pot, and treated in like manner.
But those that have been raised from slips or cuttings and that are
not well rooted, and consequently not much advanced in top-growth,
should be suffered to remain in their present pots till spring or au-
tumn next.

SEPT.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 529

Any green-house plants propagated in the open ground, or in beds,
during the course of the summer, should be taken up in the first
week of this month, with balls of earth, potted and treated as above.

About the middle of this month you should plant your ixias, wal-
chendorfias, oxalises, gladioluses, Watsonias, cyanellas, babianas, tri-
tonias, Massonias, melasphserulas, antholizas, moreas, Laperousias,
lachenalias, melanthiums, geissorhizas, with all the other different
kinds of the more tender bulbs, either obtained from the Cape of
Good Hope or elsewhere ; especially such of them as show the least
disposition to produce fibres from the roots ; for if kept out of the
ground much longer, after this appearance, they would be greatly
injured thereby.

The proper compost for the generality of the above kinds, is one-
hajf rich fresh loam, one-half bog earth, or earth of rotten leaves,
and a small portion of drift or river sand.

They are to be planted in pots of quart size, from one to five roots
in each, a greater number if very small, and covered about an inch
deep ; the pots are then to be placed in the green-house windows, and
to get but very little water till the foliage appear above ground, and
even after, it is to be but sparingly administered, for too much mois-
ture would infallibly rot the bulbs.

Towards the end of the month take into the green-house all your
succulent and other tender plants, such as stapelias, cactuses, aloes,
cycas revoluta, agaves, &c., and place them in front near the win-
dows, where they can have the benefit of the sun and air. Collect
your geraniums, at the same time, and all other plants that tend to
succulency, and arrange them in front of the green-house, there to
remain till it is found necessary to take them in. (See next month.')

THE HOT-HOUSE.

REPAIRING THE LIGHTS AND CLEANING THE HOUSE.

If the roof-lights had in the course of the summer been taken off
any of the hot-house departments, they should be replaced early in
the month, and all the glass-work of the entire house or houses put
in the best possible repair. Examine the wood-work and see that all
is tight and in good condition. If new painting of the timbers,
sashes, or any other part is necessary, and it has not been done in the
preceding months, it should be no longer neglected.

Indeed it would be of considerable advantage at this time, pre-
vious to the taking in of the plants, to give a complete and thorough
cleaning, painting, and white-washing to the entire house ; and if in-
fested with insects, to fumigate it effectually ; and also to wash the
entire of the inside with a very strong solution of corrosive sublimate,
and, if thought necessary, to clean away every morsel of old bark out
of the pits, carry it off to a considerable distance, and replace it with
fresh tan. Any plants remaining in this department may be removed
34

530 THE HOT-HOUSE. [SEPT.

into the green-bouse while this work is going on, and these should
be effectually washed and cleaned, if infested with these insects,
before their being replaced.

This cleansing, fumigating, &c., will destroy most, if not all, of
the lurking insects which have taken shelter in the various parts of
the house, and which, by and by, if not destroyed, would sally forth
and make a formidable and, perhaps, destructive attack upon your
plants ; every timely precaution ought to be taken to keep the house
clean and sweet, and the plants free from vermin.

TAKING IN THE PLANTS.

The more tender kinds of hot-house exotics which are arranged out
of doors should, in the middle States, be taken into the green-house
about the tenth of this month, and the others successively, according
to their respective degrees of tenderness, so that the whole collection
may be in by the eighteenth or twentieth thereof, or a few days
earlier should the weather happen to be cold. Here they are to re-
main, closing the windows at night and giving them all the air pos-
sible on warm and mild days, till towards the end of the month, or
sooner if you have the hot-house ready for their reception.

"When you have everything in readiness dress the plants by pick-
ing off all decayed leaves, and especially those which are annoyed
with insects, cut away all awkward and ill-placed branches, give each
pot a fresh top dressing of suitable compost, and place the smallest
in front and the tallest behind, on the shelves of the stage. The
succulent sorts may be set on shelves arranged over the flues, &c.

Now the plants being in order and placed in their winter quarters,
it will be of much importance to give them plenty of air every favor-
able day by sliding open the upright glasses, and also the roof-lights
if necessary, in order to prevent their being drawn up too tender
before winter, for the fresh bottom heat will give new action to the
plants, and render abundance of air the more necessary; observe,
however, to close the lights every evening when the house is tolerably
warm, and to open them as early in the morning as you find the
thermometer up to 60 degrees of Fahrenheit.

It is scarcely necessary to mention that every plant must have a
due supply of water, from time to time, according to its nature and
necessity.

PINE-APPLE.

Succession pine plants which are expected to produce fruit next
year may, in the first week of this month, if omitted in July and
August, be shifted as directed j but on no account should this be
delayed longer. Where it has been done in the preceding months,
and at that time no fresh tan added, it will now be necessary to exa-
mine the heat of the bark-bed in the succession house, wherein the
plants in general are plunged, and if you find it very weak fork up
the tan to the bottom, and plunge in the pots again immediately to
their rims.

SEPT.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 531

This will revive the heat of the bed, and continue in a due tem-
perature till next month, when the plants must be removed into the
fruiting-house, and plunged in a bed made wholly of new tan.

The younger succession pines intended to succeed those, if not
lately done, should not be shifted into larger pots, the tan forked
up, and the pots replunged immediately after having received a
little water.

CROWNS AND SUCKERS.

The crowns and suckers of this year's production will require a
brisk bottom heat to enable the plants to make good roots before
winter ; therefore examine the bed, and if it is declined in heat fork
it up and replunge the pots immediately ; but if these were placed
on a dung hot-bed it may be necessary to renew the heat by a lining
of fresh hot dung applied to the sides, or to the sides and ends ; or
if the bed is much sunk to work it up afresh, adding some new dung
thereto, laying on the top, as before, several inches of light earth or
tan in which to plunge the pots. After this it will be necessary to
give a considerable portion of air to the plants, and to raise the
glasses behind when you find the steam rising in the bed. When
the nights begin to grow cold cover the glasses carefully with mats,
and be very cautious not to keep your lights close in sunny days.

All your succession pines should have plenty of air at this season,
which, with a moderate and steady bottom heat, will keep them in a
growing and prosperous state, but by no means are they to be forced
too much nor too much confined, as by such treatment some of the
most forward might start into fruit at an untimely season, and all
would be rendered more unfit to bear the vicissitudes of the winter
season than if they were properly inured to the air and gradually
hardened ; but still there may be an excess in this as well as the
other, both of which are equally to be avoided.

PROCURING FRESH TAN.

About the latter end of this month you should procure a quantity
of fresh tan, if you employ this article, from the tan-yards, for the
purpose of making new beds in the next month for those plants
which you expect to produce fruit in the ensuing year, and also for
the succession pines. When the tan is brought home it will be pro-
per to throw it up in a heap to drain and ferment for ten or twelve
days before it is put into the pits. But if it is very wet, as is com-
monly the case when thrown up out of the tan-vats, it should be
spread thinly for two or three days, that the sun and air may draw
off or exhale the superabundant moisture; for if used too wet, it
would be a long time before it would acquire a sufficient degree of
heat.

PREPARE COMPOSTS.

The composts proper for pines are described on page 480, and if
you have not hitherto prepared such as may be wanted next season,
that business should be delayed no longer.

532 THE HOT-HOUSE. [SEPT.

For most of the shrubby tribe and herbaceous plants of the hot-
house, prepare equal parts of good light garden earth and mellow
surface loam from a rich pasture ground, with the turf; add to these
a fourth of very rotten or old hot-bed dung, and let the whole be
duly incorporated and exposed to the weather several months before
it is used, turning the heap over every five or six weeks.

A PLANT CABINET.

A " plant cabinet/' while it scarcely aspires to the dignity of a
conservatory, possesses the attractions of one, and gives the family
of the possessor as much pleasure as a more expensive arrangement.

A bay-window, in one of the most frequented rooms (Fig. 58),
suggested itself as a suitable place for bringing the plants as they
bloomed, from a small green-house too distant from the dwelling to
be visited in bad weather.

Simple glas"s sashes to fit the opening were procured ; they open
like a double door ; shelves on one side support the plants, and small
wooden brackets screwed on to the walls here and there, assist to
furnish this little jewel of beauty. In the centre is an ornamental
post, of red cedar varnished, up which climbs two different colored
Maurandia Barclayanas, and the top is ornamented with a golden
fern. In front are seen two China seats ; on these are placed orna-
mental long-stemmed climbing plants, and hanging vases assist ma-
terially in the effect. During winter the cabinet is gay with the
finest camellias and other flowers. Chrysanthemums, at the proper
season, give it their peculiar attractions. In short, there are few
plants that are not exhibited in succession; even orchideous, and
other tender varieties, are introduced with success. In extremely
cold weather the door is left a little ajar to admit the warmth of the
room, especially at night, and the thermometer has not yet fallen be-
low 45°.

The whole cost of fitting up this beautiful case, exclusive of the
flowering plants, did not exceed twenty-five dollars. It gives com-
pleteness and beauty, and an expression to the house that could be
produced in no other mode so cheaply. But it has a higher object;
it embues all connected with the mansion with a love of flowers, and
gratifies many senses. A pair of Canary birds are sometimes let out
of their cages to enjoy the liberty of the cabinet.

Cowper, in his happiest manner, has alluded thus to the love of
Nature's works : —

" The love of Nature's works
Is an ingredient in the compound, man,
Infused at the creation of the kind.
And, though th' Almighty Maker has throughout
Discriminated each from each, by strokes
And touches of his hand, with so much art
Diversified, that two were never found
Twins at all points — yet this obtains in all,
That all discern a beauty in his works,
And all can taste them."

SEPT]

THE HOT-HOUSE.

Fig. 58.

533

A Plant Cabinet.

534 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

By introducing such a cabinet into a sitting-room, the beauties of
nature are made accessible in the severest season. There would be
no necessity of having a green-house to resort to, to fill such a case ;
without leaving their comfortably warmed rooms, ladies can attend
to their pets, which by employing water in dishes for the sake of the
evaporation, will possess as healthy an atmosphere as the gardener's
case. As much light as possible should be given. The cactus tribe
would thrive here remarkably well.

OCTOBER.
WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

WINTER SPINAGE.

Weed and thin your advancing crops of spinage ; in doing this ob-
serve to leave the best plants, and at the distance of three, four, or
five inches asunder, according to the progress in growth of the suc-
cessive crops, leaving the greatest space between the most forward in
growth ; or the plants may only be moderately thinned now in order
to admit of drawing some out by degrees for use.

Some of the spinage sown in August will now be fit for the table,
and if the plants were left too thick let them be thinned out regu-
larly by pulling some up by the roots as they are wanted for use;
but if the plants were properly thinned before, gather only the out-
side large leaves, and the others will advance for culinary purposes
in regular succession.

Let it be particularly observed that spinage will rot off wherever
the weeds spread over it, and that consequently it is necessary to
keep it very clean.

LETTUCES.

In the first week of this month transplant from the seed-beds into
others, of light rich earth, in a warm exposure, and of such dimen-
sions as to be covered with your frames on the approach of frost, the
lettuce plants arising from the late August or early September sow-
ings. Plant them in rows five or six inches distant every way, so
that every second plant may be taken up either for use or future
planting, leaving the others sufficient room to grow and to head in
the greatest perfection.

Likewise plant some stout plants immediately in frames for use in
the latter end of November, December, &c., covering them only at
night till severe frosts set in.

Lettuces designed to remain where sown till spring, should be

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 535

duly thinned as they advance in growth, and always kept free from
weeds.

The various successive crops of lettuces should be transplanted
where they are to remain during winter, whether on warm borders,
in slight hot-beds, or under frames and glasses, as early in this month
as they shall have attained to two or three inches in growth ; and in-
deed a judicious gardener will always have a regular succession of
these plants to guard against every kind of disappointment, and the
better to insure a constant supply.

In the middle States, if the winter is tolerably mild, but particu-
larly in the southern States, lettuces will stand in warm south bor-
ders of light sandy ground with a very slight protection, and afford
an early supply in spring; in these beds or borders they may be
planted at the distance of three or four inches every way, and the
supernumerary plants may be taken up in March and planted either
in hot-beds for forcing, or into other beds in warm exposures for
heading in due season.

The lettuces which you plant in warm borders in the open ground
may, on the approach of winter, be protected by placing hoops over
the beds, on which to lay mats or other covering in severe weather,
or by placing a frame of boards around them, on which to lay others
slightly covered with litter when necessity requires; or by sticking
in small branches of pine or cedar between the rows, which will
yield them considerable protection, especially if some long, dry straw
be laid over these in frosty or cutting weather. Or you may stick
down forked sticks about a foot high, lay long poles from one fork
to another, and on these boughs of pine or cedar pretty thick, and
likewise around the edges of the beds; those branches being sup-
ported ten or twelve inches above the plants will admit a free circu-
lation of air and prevent mouldiness. This protection is not to be
given until the severe frosts commence, nor is it then to be taken
entirely off, especially in sunshine, until after the general thaw takes
place in spring ; on very dry, mild days, when the sun does not shine,
or when it is not powerful, you may take off the covering for a few
hours to air the plants; but you must as carefully guard against
strong sunshine, especially towards the latter end of February, as
against the most severe frosts ; for after tender plants are severely
pinched by frost, a too powerful sun literally dissolves and destroys
them ; whereas, if they were protected from such till gradually re-
covered and the commencement of free vegetation, there would not
be the least danger of their success. This is not common to lettuces
only, but to cabbage and cauliflower plants, stock-gilly flowers, wall
flowers, and every other kind that can be in the least affected by
frost.

In the beginning of this month sow some of the brown Dutch
hardy cabbage, and Hammersmith hardy green lettuces in a frame
or frames, to be kept where sown, during winter, under the protec-
tion of glasses, &c., in order to afford a supply of young plants for
forcing or planting out in the early spring months.

536 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

CABBAGE PLANTS.

The young cabbage plants arising from the seeds sown last month,
and intended for the production of early summer cabbages should, as
soon in this month as they shall have attained a sufficient size, be
planted into the beds in which they are to remain during winter.

Let a bed or beds be prepared for them in a warm, well sheltered
part of the garden, where the sun has the greater power ; for although
direct sunshine, when the plants are in a frozen state, is almost cer-
tain destruction to tnem, yet its influence will prevent that intense
frost so prevalent in colder aspects ; and when the plants at such
times are screened from the direct rays of the sun, its reflected heat
comforts without injuring them.

The beds should be made the width of your garden-frames, and
the plants set therein up to their leaves in rows about three or four
inches distant every way. When thus transplanted they will sur-
vive the winter much better than in the seed-beds, for their long
stems being buried into the earth, are protected thereby from alter-
nate freezing and thawing, and the effects of the various changes of
weather, than which there is nothing more injurious to tender
plants. The stems of these and cauliflower plants are injured before
the foliage, and it is of importance to keep those tender parts in an
equal temperature, by which they will be preserved much longer
even if in a frozen state than if they were exposed to alternate frost
and heat.

Select good plants from the seed-beds, and, when planted, give
them a gentle watering to settle the earth about their roots, observ-
ing not to apply it too hastily lest you wash the earth into their
hearts.

Put on the frames immediately, and also the lights, but the glasses
are now to be continued on only four or five days till the plants have
taken fresh root ; observing during that period to shade the plants
with mats or other protection from the mid-day sun ; but when they
have taken sufficient root the lights are to be taken totally off, and
the plants left fully exposed till the setting in of smart frosts, except
in very cold nights or during the prevalence of cold heavy rains ] for
it is of considerable moment to have the plants tolerably hardy on
the commencement of severe weather.

But if they happen to be in a backward state you should keep on
the glasses every night to encourage their growth.

When you have not the convenience of glass, you may defend the
plants sufficiently in winter by means of boards and mats.

Or, in the middle and southern States, you may plant some in a
warm border to be defended in like manner, as before directed for
lettuces ; and if the winter proves tolerably mild, they may happen
to stand it pretty well. But if at any time, particularly towards the
end of February or early in March, you expose the plants to a warm
sun, while they or the earth in which they stand are in a frozen
state, it will inevitably destroy them.

You should in mild warm weather, when the sun is not powerful,

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 537

give them an occasional airing, and the oftener this can be done, so
that they are covered up again in due time, the better.

Similar precautions are to be used with plants in frames that are
frozen, but such as are not, will be improved by exposing them occa-
sionally to as much air and sun as prudence may warrant till planted
out finally in March, &c.

By pursuing this method you will have much earlier and larger
cabbages than can be expected from plants sown in the early spring
months.

CAULIFLOWERS.

The cauliflower plants are to be treated in every respect as directed
for cabbage plants, with this difference, that as they are somewhat
more tender they will require the protection and advantage of glasses
and a good substantial covering to defend them from severe frosts,
though in mild winters they, with due care, will survive under the
protection of garden frames covered with boards and mats.

As the cauliflower plants advance in growth, it will be proper to
strew between them some dry tan, sawdust, or chaff, so as to cover
the stems completely up to the leaves ; this will afford great protec-
tion to those parts which are always found to be the most vulnerable
to frost, &c.

If you find, in consequence of an unfavorable season or of your
not sowing the cauliflower seed in due time, the plants to be rather
backward, you should prick them from the seed-bed on a slight
hot-bed to promote their growth ; but in this case you must be par-
ticularly attentive to give them plenty of air, that the plants may be
stout and hardy on the approach of severe weather.

You should carefully protect the cauliflower plants from excessive
heavy rains, especially when the nights get pretty cold, for such are
very injurious to them and frequently cause their stems to turn black,
which always proves destructive.

In the southern States, where the winters are mild, and where it
is difficult to have good cauliflowers, except they can be obtained at
an early season before the great summer heat sets in, which is very
inimical to those plants, the only sure way of obtaining them in the
best perfection is, to be provided with a sufficient number of bell or
hand-glasses, under which to plant them out finally about the latter
end of this month.

The ground for this early crop should be very rich, tolerably light,
in a warm situation, and where water is not apt to stand in winter.
The ground is to be previously well manured with old hot-bed or other
well rotted dung, and then dug one good spade deep at least, break-
ing it effectually and incorporating the dung well therewith.

Then lay it out into beds three feet wide, and allow alleys a foot
wide between them, for the convenience of going in to take off, put
on, or raise the glasses, &c., stretch your line along the middle of
the bed from one end to the other, and at every three feet and a half
mark the places for the glasses, and for each, put in three, four, or
more plants according to the size of the glasses, and within about six

538 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

inches of one another ; close the earth well about their roots and
stems, and give them a moderate watering. When the whole are
planted set on your glasses, observing to place one over every patch
of plants as above.

The glasses are to be kept close down for about eight days till the
plants have taken fresh root and begin to grow, when they are to be
raised on one side and supported with pieces of wood, stone, or brick-
bats, &c., about two or three inches thick, or they may be supported
with notched wooden pegs or forked sticks, placing them on the south
side, one prop under each glass. In this manner they are to remain
night and day until the frosts set in ; but if the plants are much
advanced in growth before that period, which will seldom be the
case, except in the more southern States, it will be proper to set the
glasses off in the middle of mild, dry days, but keep them always
over the plants at night and in wet or frosty weather ; in keeping
the glasses over the plants to defend them from excessive or inces-
sant rains, if open mild weather, they must be raised two or three
inches on the warmest side, in the manner before observed, to admit
a sufficiency of air.

When the frost sets in, close down the glasses, and keep them so
during its continuance; observing on a favorable change to give the
plants a little air occasionally, and to pick off any mouldy or decayed
leaves. As early in spring as it can be done with safety, plant out
the extra plants into other beds similarly prepared, or rather as di-
rected in April, leaving only one or two of the best under each glass ;
at the same time draw the earth up around the stems of those left,
and raise the glasses on props as the plants advance in growth till
they become too much confined ; then take off the glasses totally,
observing to earth them up occasionally, and finally to treat them as
directed in May.

In places where the winters are somewhat severe, mats or straw
should be placed over and around each glass during the prevalence
of hard frost.

This method may be practised successively in warm soils and ex-
posures in the middle States ; but it will require more than ordinary
care to preserve them in good perfection.

The late spring sown cauliflowers will now begin to show their
heads ; therefore they must . be diligently looked over two or three
times a week, to break down some of the inner leaves upon the
flowers, which will protect them from sun, frost, and wet, either of
which would change their color and cause them to be unsightly.

Early in this month give a general hoeing and earthing up to all
the late planted advancing crops of broccoli, cabbages, savoys and
borecole, in order to forward and strengthen their growth as much
as possible before winter; likewise to the late cauliflowers and every
other of the cabbage tribe.

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 539

MUSHROOMS.

Having the dung for the mushroom bed duly prepared, and the
spawn in readinesss, as advised in September, you should in the
first week, or rather about the first day of this month, begin to make
the bed.

With respect to the situation in which to make the bed, it should
be in an elevated part of the hot-bed yard, or in some dry and well
sheltered place. The bed ought to be made entirely on the surface
of the ground, rather than forming a shallow trench in which to
make the bottom part, as practised by some ; for by the former
method it can be spawned quite to the bottom, and the lower part
will not be chilled by standing water in cold or wet weather, and
particularly as the part sunk in the ground may be considered as
totally useless.

The width of the bed at bottom should be from three to four feet,
and any length you please, in proportion to the quantity of mush-
rooms required, or the quantity of spawn with which you are pro-
vided.

Being furnished with a three tined fork, begin to make the bed by
shaking some of the longest of the prepared dung evenly all along
the bottom four or five inches thick ; then take the dung in general
as it comes and work it into the bed, gradually narrowing it upwards,
shaking and mixing the dung as you proceed and beating it down
with the fork layer by layer : proceed in this manner, still drawing
in the sides of the bed till it terminates in a narrow ridge at top, so
that the bed may be formed like the roof of a house : be careful that
each end shall be sloped in like manner as the sides, and that all
parts are made full and firm by beating with a fork as you proceed,
to preserve uniformity and to prevent its settling down too much in
an unequal manner : it should be full three or three and a half feet
perpendicular height when settled.

When the bed is finished, it should be covered with long straw,
laid on neatly to keep out wet, and also to prevent its drying ; in
this state it is to remain about ten or twelve days, by which time it
will be in a fit condition to be spawned ; but to ascertain the state of
the bed with the greater certainty, put in a few long sharp-pointed
sticks into several parts thereof, pull out and feel these occasionally,
carefully attending to the progress of its fermentation, and when you
find the heat on the decline, and temperate, that is the time to put
in the spawn ; for a violent heat, as well as too much wet, would in-
evitably destroy it.

The bed being in a proper temperature, the covering of straw
should be taken off and the sides made smooth and even; then lay
all over the bed about an inch thick of light rich earth, not wet. In
this the spawn is to be planted in rows six inches asunder along the
sides and ends, making the first or lowest row six inches from the
surface of the ground, and proceeding upwards row by row to the
top, observing to place the pieces of spawn about six inches asunder,
and so far in as to touch the surface of the dung. This done, lay

540 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

on the top of the ridge part of the loose or scattered spawn, and
shake some all over the bed; then cover the whole about an inch and
a half deep with light rich earth, smooth the surface neatly, and lay
on a light covering of straw as before, just so thick as to keep out
wet and prevent the bed from drying.

As you find the bed decrease in heat and the weather grow cold,
increase the covering to a foot, eighteen inches, two feet, or, in severe
frost, to such a thickness as may be effectually sufficient to prevent
its reaching the bed.

Two or three beds may be made parallel to each other in this way,
with wide alleys between them, and if the whole were to be covered
with a shed, especially in the middle and eastern States, it would be
found of considerable advantage in effectually preserving them from
too much wet, which is as essentially necessary as their preservation
from frost.

If your bed is in a due temperature, the mushrooms will begin to
appear in about four or five weeks after its being made, and with
proper care will continue in bearing several months : when you find
it ceasing to produce, in consequence of cold, lay a covering of hot
stable dung seven or eight inches, or in hard frosts, near a foot thick
all over the bed, observing to leave under this, between it and the
bed, about three inches thick of> dry straw, covering the hot dung
over with the remainder of the straw or litter ; this will revive the
heat, give new action to the spawn, and should be repeated as often
during winter as it may be found necessary, always observing to pre-
serve the bed from wet, cold, and frost.

Sometimes it happens that the beds do not produce any mush-
rooms till they have lain five or six months, so that they should not
be destroyed though they do not at first answer the expectation ; for
such frequently produce great quantities afterwards, and continue
bearing a long time.

A good bed may continue productive for three, four, five, or even
twelve months; but by that time it is generally worn out; the dung
then makes excellent manure, and the interior part sometimes fur-
nishes very good spawn.

The great skill of managing these beds is that of keeping them in
a proper degree of warmth and moisture, never suffering them to re-
ceive much wet: during the summer season they may be uncovered
occasionally to receive gentle showers of rain, when thought neces-
sary, and in very dry seasons the beds should be now and then
opened, gently watered, and covered up soon after ; bulk the summer
covering need be no thicker than what is necessary to preserve the
bed from the drying influence of the weather.

This method of propagating mushrooms by the spawn, or the
white fibrous radicles, is the most common ; but they may also be
increased by seed. When the latter method is used, the gills are
cut out and put into the beds : or else they are infused in water and
the beds sprinkled with the infusion.

When the bed is in full bearing, it should be examined two or
three times a week, to gather the produce, turning off the straw
carefully, and collecting the mushrooms white, and of a moderate

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 541

size : taking care to detach them from the bottom by a gentle twist,
pulling the stems out clean, for if broke or cut off, the remaining
parts would become putrid and full of maggots, and consequently in-
fectious to the successional plants.

Where mushrooms are greatly admired, and expense not considered
an object, they may be had with more certainty, in greater abund-
ance, and in a regular succession, by making the beds as before di-
rected, under a range of wood framing, made in the manner of a hot-
house, or the top sloped both ways like the roof of a house ; in such
a place, they could be effectually defended from excessive wet, cold,
frost, and snow, and would consequently be very productive. Like-
wise, if in this place there are shelves fixed three feet apart, each
having a front board, a bed of dung may be made in each, raised at
top in a rounding manner, on which the spawn is placed, earthed over
near two inches thick, and then covered well with straw. Or you
may, by mixing a quantity of strong horse dung, moist stable litter,
and rich loamy earth together, have the spawn generated; by filling
a pit with this mixture, the dung predominating so as to produce a
slow and lasting fermentation, and covering the whole over with
about an inch deep of light earth and a good coat of straw, the spawn
will be produced; and from this, abundant crops of mushrooms, in
regular succession for several months.

You may likewise make beds in the common hot-bed way, place
thereon frames and glasses, and when the violent heat is abated,
spawn the top all over, cover it with an inch and a half or two inches
of earth, then thickly with straw, and lay on the glasses to protect
the beds from rain.

Mushroom beds may be made in any month, when the weather is
mild and dry, but those made in the beginning of this, are generally
most productive, and besides, they retain more heat on the approach
of winter than if made in September. However when a second bed
is to be made it would be well to make one in each month. The
most suitable temperature is between 55° and 60°, and the nearer
the mushroom house is kept to this, the better they will succeed.

ENDIVE.

Continue every week to tie up some full grown endive for blanch-
ing, as directed on page 486, tying no more at a time than in pro-
portion to the demand or consumption ; for if it is not used soon
after being sufficiently blanched, it becomes tender, and is subject
to rot, especially if the season proves wet. Some people blanch
endive by laying boards or tiles flat on the plants ; they will whiten
tolerably well by this method, but their growth during the period of
whitening is greatly checked thereby, which is certainly of some im-
portance.

Others draw earth around the endive plants after their being tied
up in the usual manner; this may do very well in dry weather, but
if rain ensues, many of the leaves will rot, and the whole be greatly
injured.

If you have stout endive plants, and neglected in September to

542 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

set out a sufficient number, that work may be done in the first week
of this month, but it ought not to be deferred longer; these late
plants will keep better, if the season should prove favorable that
they may attain a tolerable size, than those of a more forward
growth.

Or, to preserve late endive for winter use, as well from the effects
of too much wet as frost, you may in the first week of this month
prepare a sloping bank of light earth in a warm situation, the sloping
side fronting the south, and the bed raised two feet higher behind
than in front ; on this plant, tolerably close, some stout, middle sized
plants, and on the approach of severe weather place a frame and
glasses over the bed, and in hard frost fill the inside immediately
over the plants with dry straw; thus they will be protected from wet
and frost, and will whiten effectually under the covering of straw,
which should be turned occasionally to prevent that part next the
plants and earth from becoming mouldy.

For further particulars repecting the preservation of endive, see
next month.

RAISING YOUNG MINT AND TARRAGON FOR USE IN WINTER.

Where young mint and tarragon are in request at all seasons, you
may, towards the end of this month, make a slight hot-bed, and set
the plants therein, as directed on page 27; this done, put on the glasses,
and observe to raise them behind every day to admit air, and prevent
the young rising shoots from being scorched by the effects of a too
powerful sun beaming on the lights whilst close shut. The young
productions will be fit for use in about three weeks or a month, and
afford a supply for a considerable time.

WINTER DRESSING OF ARPARAGUS BEDS.

Towards the end of this month if the stalks of your asparagus turn
yellow, which is a sign of their having finished their growth for the
season, cut them down close to the earth and carry them off the
ground; clear the beds carefully from weeds, eradicating them
effectually and drawing them into the alleys.

Asparagus beds in general will be greatly benefited by an annual
dressing of good manure, and nothing is better or more suitable for
them than the dung of old hot-beds; but if that is not to be had,
well rotted stable manure will answer; let it be laid equally over the
beds, one, two, or three inches deep, according to necessity, after
which stretch a line/ and with a spade mark out the alleys from
about eighteen inches to two feet wide, agreeably to their original
dimensions.*

Then dig the alleys one spade deep, and spread a considerable part of
the earth evenly over the beds; and as you advance let the weeds which

* Asparagus, being a marine plant, is greatly benefited by an annual
dressing of salt, and there is no kitchen vegetable that is more improved
than this by the addition of guano, applied previous to commencing growth.

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 543

were raked off into the alleys be dug into the bottom of the trenches
and covered a proper depth with earth ; observe to make the edges
of the beds straight, full, and neat, and to finish your work in a be-
coming manner, giving a moderate rounding to the beds, especially
if the ground be inclined to wet.

In the southern States there may be planted in each alley a row of
early cabbage plants ; but in the middle and eastern States it would
be well to fill them up with straw or old litter, well trampled down,
which would in some measure prevent the frost from entering that
way to the asparagus roots.

The seedling asparagus which was sown last spring should also now
have a slight dressing, that is, to clear the bed from weeds, and then
to spread an inch or two in depth of dry, rotten dung over it to de-
fend the crowns of the plants from frost.

The asparagus which is intended for forcing, will likewise require
to have the stalks cut down and the weeds drawn off into the alleys,
which must be dug to bury them, and as you proceed spread a little
of the earth over the beds, after which they are to be treated as
noticed next month.

I would not advise to attempt the forcing of asparagus sooner than
November, as before that period the roots will not be completely
matured ; however, you may, about the middle or towards the latter
end of this month, begin to prepare hot-beds for the reception of the
roots early in November. (See the method on page 128.)

CELERY AND CARDOONS.

In dry weather continue to earth up celery and cardoons, to blanch
them, as directed on page 500. (For the method of preserving them
in winter, see next month.)

AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL HERBS, ETC.

Cut down all the decayed flower stems and shoots of the various
kinds of aromatic, pot, and medicinal herbs close to the heads of the
plants, or to the surface of the ground, according to the nature or
growth of the different sorts ; at the same time clear the beds very
well from weeds and litter, and carry the whole off the ground.

Lavender, thyme, hyssop, winter savory, southernwood, sage, rue,
and the like undershrubby kinds will require only their tops or
heads to be neatly dressed; but pot marjoram, baum, burnet, tarra-
gon, tansy, pennyroyal, sorrel, chamomile, fennel, marsh mallows,
horehound, mint of every kind, angelica, lovage, and every kind of
herbaceous perennial herbs should be cut down pretty close to the
ground.

After this it will be proper in beds where the plants stand distant
from one another, to lightly dig and loosen the ground between them ;
or, in old beds it would be a great advantage to spread some very
rotten dung equally over the surface, and with a small spade or
trowel to dig it in lightly between the plants ; if they are in beds

544 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

with alleys between them, dig the alleys and spread a little of the
loose earth over the beds, leaving the edges full and straight.

But the beds of close growing running plants, such as mint3 penny-
royal, and the like creeping herbs will not well admit of digging ;
therefore, after the stalks are cut down and the beds cleared from
weeds, dig the alleys and strew some of the loose earth evenly over
the beds ; and if the ground be rather poor, a light top dressing of
very rotten dung will be of considerable service.

This dressing will give proper culture and protection to the roots
of the plants, a neat appearance to the whole, and in spring the
shoots will rise with renewed vigor.

Early in the month you may plant, where wanted, well rooted
young plants of thyme, hyssop, winter savory, lavender, or the like,
into four feet wide beds, or in any warm borders, in rows a foot
asunder. You may also divide and plant roots of mint, chamomile,
horehound, and likewise any of the preceding or other herbaceous
perennial herbs that you are desirous of propagating. (For further
particulars, see former pages.)

SMALL SALADING.

Where a constant succession of small salad herbs is required, con-
tinue to sow the seeds accordingly every ten or fourteen days, par-
ticularly cresses, radish, rape, mustard and lettuce, to cut while young.
But in the middle and eastern States, these should be sown at this
season, particularly towards the latter end of the month, in very warm
borders under the protection of frames and glasses, for the greater
certainty of having a constant supply. The glasses should be kept
totally off every warm day, and only put on at night or when the
weather is very cold or excessively wet.

In the middle States, when the season is favorable, small salading
will grow free enough anytime this month in warm borders, but it
will be proper to have frames and glasses to place over them if neces-
sity should require it.

DILL, ALEXANDERS, SKIRRETS, RHUBARB, AND SEA-KALE.

The seeds of dill, alexanders, skirrets, rhubarb, and sea-kale should
now be sown, for if kept out of the ground till spring, many of them
would not vegetate for a year after ; but when sown in this or the
next month, if the seeds are fresh and perfect, good crops may be
expected to rise therefrom in March or April. (For the methods of
sowing and treating them, see the Kitchen Garden for March.)

SHALLOTS, CHIVES, GARLIC, AND ROCAMBOLE.

This is a very proper season to plant roots of shallots, chives, gar-
lic, and rocambole ; for the method of planting them, see page 206.

OCT.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 545

PLANTING LARGE ONIONS TOR PRODUCING SEED.

For this purpose make choice of a piece of good, rich, light ground,
which dig a full spade deep, breaking it fine as you proceed ; when
ready, select a number proportionate to the quantity of seed you in-
tend to save, of the firmest, largest, and best shaped onions, and of
the most desirable kinds, observing that each variety is to be planted
separately and remote from any other.

The middle of October, or any time between that and the end of
the month is the most eligible time for planting, as the bulbs will
have time to establish roots or fibres which will greatly support them
during winter, and render them less liable to injury from frost than
if planted at a later period.

Having your ground dug and the roots in readiness, lay it out into
four feet wide beds with a fourteen inch alley between each ; then
strain a line about six inches within the side of a bed, and with a
spade throw out an opening or drill about five inches deep the length
of the bed, in which lay the onions, seated handsomely on their bot-
toms, about nine inches distant one from the other ; then with a rake
draw the earth into the opening so as to cover the bulbs from three
to four inches above their crowns ; remove the line a foot farther
back, plant another row as before, and so continue till the first bed
is planted containing four rows ; after which proceed with the others
in the same way to the end ; then with a spade or shovel cast over
the beds a slight dressing from the alleys, and finish by raking them
neatly, drawing off the stones and any large lumps of earth from the
surface.

In March the leaves will appear above ground, after which they
are to be kept perfectly free from weeds ; many of the roots will pro-
duce three or four stalks each, which towards the latter part of May
will have grown to their full height, when you must be provided with
a sufficient number of stakes, about four feet long, to drive into the
ground in the rows of onions, at the distance of from six to eight
feet stake from stake in each and every row, to which are to be fas-
tened double lines of packthread, rope-yarn, or small cord, to run
on each side of the stems of the onions a little below their heads, to
support and prevent them from breaking down by wind and rain, and
if those are tied together at intervals between stake and stake, they
will the more effectually support the plants. This is the more neces-
sary, as when the seeds are formed, the heads become very heavy,
and often break down even by their own weight, where they are not
well secured, in which case there will be a considerable loss both in
the quantity and quality of the seed.

When the seed is ripe, which is very perceivable by the capsules
opening, and the seed turning black, the heads are to be cut off and
spread thinly upon coarse cloths, in the sun, till quite dry, observing
to keep them under shelter at night and in wet weather ; then beat
or rub out the seed, fan it clean, expose it to the sun for a day or two
after, and put it up in bags till wanted for sowing.

Some people plant the onions which they intend to produce seed
35

546 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [OCT.

in spring, but when planted at that season they are never so produc-
tive of seed as those planted in October, and are much more subject
to blight ; however when it is so determined, it should be done as
soon after the middle of February as it is possible to get the ground
in a fit condition to receive them, and should not be covered more
than from two to three inches over their crowns ; observing to select
for that purpose such roots as have good properties and no growths
from their tops.

A slight covering of straw or light litter laid over the October
planted beds, on the approach of hard frost, and raked clean off as
soon as the leaves begin to appear in spring, would be of use, though
it is not absolutely necessary to the preservation of the roots.

HORSERADISH AND SCURVY-GRASS.

You may now plant roots of the Coclilearia armoracia, or horse-
radish, in dry, rich ground, agreeably to the directions given on page
217, but in moist soil; March will be a preferable time.

This is a proper season to sow some seed of the Coclilearia officin-
alis or common officinal scurvy-grass; from this sowing the plants will
rise freely in spring, and generally succeed better than if sown at
that season. I do not mean what is commonly used for an early
spring salad, and generally called scurvy-grass, for the sowing of
which I have given directions on page 488, under the name of Win-
ter Cresses.

ORDINARY WORK.

Give a general hoeing and weeding to all your crops, and carry the
weeds immediately out of the garden, lest they shed their seeds and
lay the foundation of much trouble; likewise clean all vacant quar-
ters from weeds, and from the decayed stalks of peas, beans, cab-
bages, &c.

Such spaces of ground as are now vacant should be dunged and
dug, or trenched, that it may have the true advantage of fallow in
the winter season.

If the ground is of a stiff or heavy nature, throw it up into high
sloping ridges, for the reasons assigned on page 17.

TAKING UP THE ROOTS OF CARROTS, BEETS, ETC.

About the latter end of the month you may begin to take up the
roots of full grown carrots, beets, parsneps, turnips, Jerusalem arti-
chokes, &Q.J which are to be preserved as directed in November.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In Georgia, South Carolina, and the parts of North Carolina south
of the 35th degree of latitude, you may now sow the seeds of carrot,
parsnep, beet, onion, parsley, cresses, spinage, and several other kinds
of hardy garden vegetables ; plant out from the seed-beds cabbage

OCT.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 547

and cauliflower plants; sow peas, and plant early Mazagan and
Windsor beans, with every other variety of the Vicia Faba.

In North Carolina, generally, Tennessee, and the southern parts
of Virginia and Kentucky, you may sow peas, plant the above
species of bean, sow carrot, parsnep, onion, parsley, and other hardy
seeds ; plant out cabbages, and also cauliflower plants ; but the
cauliflowers, if the winter is any way severe, will require the protec-
tion of hand glasses, oiled-paper caps, frames, or the like, as directed
on page 537.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

GATHERING WINTER PEARS AND APPLES.

G-ather your winter pears and apples as they ripen ; but for par-
ticulars see the article Orchard for this month.

PRUNING.

Towards the latter end of the month, you may begin to prune
such trees as have completely shed their leaves, but by no means lay
your knife to a tree, for a general pruning, till this is the case.

In the middle States I would not recommend the pruning of peach,
nectarine, almond, and apricot-trees before the latter end of Febru-
ary, nor in the eastern States before the first week in March ; but
they should not be much longer neglected. In the southern States
they may be pruned at any time between the periods in which they
shed their leaves and the latter end of January.

Apples, pears, plums and cherries, being perfectly hardy, may be
pruned, in any part of the United States, immediately after they
drop their leaves, or in November, December, or January, &c. But
were it not on account of performing work when it can most con-
veniently be done, I would prefer early spring pruning of all kinds of
trees to any other, on account of the recent wounds healing and cover-
ing over with bark more immediately when vegetation soon follows,
than those anteriorly inflicted.

For the method of pruning the various kinds of wall and espalier
fruit-trees, &c., see page 32, &c.

PLANTING FRUIT-TREES.

Towards the latter end of this month you may safely transplant
most sorts of fruit-trees, but particularly such kinds as shall have
by that time shed their leaves. This may be done to advantage
during the entire of next month if the season continues open, pro-
vided the ground in which you plant be dry and does not lodge water
in the winter months ; and likewise that sufficient pains be taken to

548 THE FRUIT GARDEN, [OCT.

make each tree fast in its place by nailing or binding it up in such
a manner as not to be rocked about by the winds ; otherwise spring
planting, if done early in March, will be more successful, particularly
for the peach, nectarine, and almond.

JNote. — In the more southern States of the Union the planting of
the more hardy kinds of fruit and other trees should be completed
before the end of January, on account of the early vegetation in those
regions.

If the borders wherein trees are to be planted, either for the wall
or espalier be new, they should be trenched at least two feet deep if
the good soil admits thereof; but if not, they should be made of that
depth by adding thereto a sufficiency of good mellow fertile soil, such
as fresh surface loam, &c. ; this should be worked to the depth of
two feet, at least, with the soil of the border, and it would be of
great advantage to add some good rotten dung previous to the trench-
ing. But if a sufficient quantity of fresh soil cannot be conveniently
obtained for the whole, you may sink one, two, or three wheelbarrows
full, together with some rotten dung, in the place where each tree is
to be planted.

However, where the ground is already of a good quality, as that of
a common kitchen garden, &c., the above assistance will not be neces-
sary, as trees will prosper sufficiently well in any soil that is product-
ive of good garden vegetables.

As to aspect, your latest ripening fruits, particularly late peaches,
should have a warm exposure, and also some of the earliest ripening
of the various kinds of fruit, on account of having them in perfec-
tion at an early period. For the method of planting, and proper
distances, &c., see page 229.

PLANTING GOOSEBERRIES.

Towards the latter end of this month, or early in November, is the
best time in the year to plant trees of this delicious and very valuable
fruit.

You may plant them around the borders of the best quarters of
your kitchen garden about two feet and a half or three feet from the
walks, and from six to eight feet distant from one another. Or they
may be planted in continued plantations, the rows from eight to ten
feet asunder, and the plants six or seven feet apart in the rows. In
the latter case the ground between the rows may be occupied with
winter spinage, corn salad, lettuces, and winter cresses; and in spring
and summer with rows of salading of various kinds, dwarf peas and
beans, or any other low growing crops ; but it must be particularly
observed, always to keep the ground under and immediately con-
tiguous to each bush, free from weeds or crops of any kind ; for if
damps and moisture are confined about the bushes in this way, the
fruit will mildew and become useless. If mildew shows itself, dust
some sulphur amongst the bushes.

It will be in vain to expect fine fruit unless you have good kinds,
and give them the best ground possible, a plentiful supply of manure
annually, frequent culture and regular pruning.

OCT.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 549

The best time to plant them out finally is, when they have had
one or two years' growth from cuttings ; or indeed the cuttings may,
with great propriety, be planted where they are to remain for fruit-
ing. Old gooseberry bushes seldom bear large fruit after being trans-
planted, unless they are carefully removed with large balls of earth
around their roots.

Previous to planting, each young tree should be pruned up to one
clean stem of eight to ten or twelve inches before you form the head ;
for when they are suffered to branch away immediately from the bot-
tom, they, by spreading out so near the ground, will impede the
growth of any crops that grow near them, and in the occasional and
very necessary business of manuring, digging, hoeing, weeding, &c.,
will be very troublesome to work between.

For further observations on the planting of gooseberries, see pages
146 and 306.

PRUNING AND PROPAGATING GOOSEBERRIES.

The latter part of this month, and the entire of the next, will be
a very suitable season for the pruning of gooseberries. It is a prac-
tice too common in pruning these trees to let them branch out with
long naked stems, suffering them to remain in that state for many
years. When that is already the case they should be cut down, or
considerably shortened, to promote a free growth of healthy young
shoots, which will bear fruit abundantly the second year. But for
general instructions on this head, see page 42.

You may now plant cuttings of the various kinds of gooseberries
which you wish to propagate; for the necessary instructions, see
page 306.

Note. — New varieties of gooseberries may be obtained by sowing
seeds of the best kinds you are able to procure, either in this or any
of the autumn months, in beds in the open ground, or in boxes of
good earth. From these sowings the plants will rise freely in spring,
and by the autumn or spring following may be planted in nursery
rows to remain another season, after which they are to be finally
planted out for fruiting ; or they may remain where planted from the
seed-bed till they show specimens of fruit ; then those that are good
are to be taken due care of; the others, which, by the by, will be
the far greater number, may be thrown away.

If the seed is kept out of the ground till spring scarcely any of it
will vegetate till that time twelve months ; therefore it is necessary
either to sow it in autumn, or to preserve it in damp earth or sand
till February or March. If sown in autumn cover it near half an
inch deep with loose, rich earth ; but if in spring a quarter of an
inch will be sufficient.

PLANTING RASPBERRIES.

There are many varieties of the Rubus idteus, or European rasp-
berry, but the most preferable are the red Antwerp, the white Ant-

550 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [OCT.

werp, Fastolf, Victoria, Knevitt's giant, and Dr. Brinckle's seed-
ling raspberries.

The smooth cane double bearing raspberry is cultivated in some
places, as it produces one crop of fruit in June, and another in
October; but the fruit are few and small, which has occasioned its
being neglected.

Of the Rubus occidentals, or American raspberry, we have two
varieties, the black fruited, and the red fruited; the latter is prefer-
able in taste and flavor to the black variety. ,

Raspberries do not thrive well under the shade of trees, nor in
such situations are their fruit well flavored ; therefore they should be
planted in a detached airy piece of ground, naturally good, or artifi-
cially made so. As to the choice of plants and method of planting
them, I refer you to page 231.

Such as you plant between the middle and latter end of this month,
will make new roots before winter, and produce some good fruit next
season ; but in the year following they will bear plentifully.

DRESSING AND PRUNING RASPBERRIES.

When your new plantations are finished, and all the stout, strag-
gling suckers taken away for that purpose, dig the ground of the old
standing plantations carefully, clearing out by the roots the remain-
ing useless and scattered suckers, leaving an ample supply of the
best shoots for pruning.

In the middle and eastern States, I would not recommend the
pruning of raspberries before spring ; for by deferring that work to
the latter end of February or beginning of March, there will be a
greater chance of the shoots not being injured by frost; and more-
over, you can then make choice of such as received the least injury.
But in the southern States they may be pruned now with safety ; for
the method see page 146.

It is necessary to observe that the shoots which had borne fruit
last summer, must be cut down to the ground either now or in the
spring, as they will never bear again, and that it is from the shoots
of the present season, immediately rising from the roots, that you
are to expect fruit in the ensuing year.

The Antwerp raspberries being somewhat more tender and subject
to be injured by frost than the common kinds, it will be of consider-
able advantage to protect them therefrom in the manner directed next
month.

PROPAGATING FRUIT-TREES BY LAYERS AND SUCKERS.

The young shoots of mulberries, figs, filberts, codlins, vines, &c.,
may now be laid in the earth, as directed on page 300, and they will
be all well rooted by this time twelve months.

Suckers may be taken off and planted from codlins, berberries,
filberts, &c., digging them up with good roots to each, and planting
the largest at once where they are to remain, and the rest into nur-
sery-rows.

OCT.] THZ ORCHARD. 551

DRESSING THE STRAWBERRY BEDS, AND MAKING NEW PLANTA-
TIONS.

The old beds of strawberries should some time in this month have
their winter dressing, in doing of which, they should be cleaned from
weeds, and the vines or runners taken off close to the plants ; then
if there be room between the plants by having been kept to distinct
heads or single bunches, which is certainly the most preferable
method, loosen the earth to a moderate depth with a small spade or
hoe, observing not to disturb the roots. And if the plants are in
beds with alleys between, line out the alleys and let them be dug a
moderate depth, breaking the earth very fine and spreading a suffici-
ency of it over the beds between and around the roots of the plants,
being careful not to bury their tops. A slight top dressihg of well
rotted dung may sometimes be necessary. This dressing will prove
very beneficial, and promote strength and a plentiful crop the ensuing
season.

When it was omitted last month, new plantations of strawberries
may now be made, but the earlier in the month the better, that the
plants may have time to establish new roots before winter. (For full
instructions on that head see page 506.)

PRESERVING STONES AND KERNELS OF FRUITS.

Preserve in damp earth or sand, the stones of the various kinds of
fruit you intend to sow for stocks, &c., and let "apple, pear, and
quince kernels be preserved in dry sand till you wish to sow them.
Observe not to place them in the way of mice, rats, or squirrels,
which would immediately destroy them ; and when sown, every pre-
caution must be taken to preserve them from these animals.

THE ORCHARD.

Winter pears and apples should generally be gathered this month;
some will be fit for pulling in the early part, others not before the
middle or latter end thereof.

To know when the fruits have had their full growth, you should
try several of them in different parts of the trees, by turning them
gently one way or the other ; if they quit the tree easily, it is a sign
of maturity and time to gather them.

But none of the more delicate eating pears should be suffered to
remain on the trees till overtaken by frost, for if they are once
touched with it, it will occasion many of them to rot in a very short
time. Indeed, it would be needless, even wrong, to suffer either
apples or pears to remain on the trees after the least appearance of
ice upon the water, as they would be subject to much injury, and
receive no possible kind of benefit afterwards.

552 THE ORCHARD. [OCT.

Observe in gathering the principal keeping fruits, both pears and
apples, to do it when the trees and fruit are perfectly dry, otherwise
they will not keep so well j and that the sorts designed for long keep-
ing be all carefully hand pulled, one by one, and laid gently into a
basket, so as not to bruise one another.

According as the fruits are gathered carry them into the fruitery
or into some convenient dry, clean apartment, and lay them carefully
in heaps, each sort separate, for about ten days or two weeks, in order
that the watery juices may transpire, which will make them keep
longer, and render them much better for eating than if put up finally
as soon as pulled.

When they have lain in heaps that time wipe each fruit, one after
another, with a clean dry cloth, and if you have a very warm dry
cellar where frost is by no means likely to enter, nor the place sub-
ject to much dampness, lay them singly upon shelves coated with dry
straw, and cover them with a layer of the same.

Or you may wrap some of the choice sorts, separately, in white
paper, and pack them up in barrels, or in baskets, lined with the
like material. Or, after being wiped dry, lay layer about of fruit
and perfectly dry sand in barrels, and head them up as tight as pos-
sible. In default of sand you may use barley chaff, bran, or dry
saw-dust.

Another method, and a very good one, is to be provided with a
number of large earthen jars, and a quantity of moss, in a perfectly
dry state ; and when the fruits are wiped dry as before directed, your
jars being also dry, lay therein layer about of fruit and moss till the
jars are near full, then cover with a layer of moss.

Suffer them to remain in this state for eight or ten days, then ex-
amine a stratum or two at the top to see if the moss and fruits are
perfectly dry ; and if you find them in a good condition, stop the jars
up with good cork plugs, and cover them with some melted rosin to
keep out air. The pears and apples to be used this way should be of
the latest and best keeping kinds, and such as are not generally fit
for use till February, March, or April.

After the jars are sealed as above, place them in a warm, dry cel-
lar or room, on a bed of perfectly dry sand, at least one foot thick ;
and about the middle of November, or sooner if there is any danger
to be apprehended from frost, fill up between the jars with very dry
sand until it is a foot thick around and over them. Thus you may
preserve pears in the greatest perfection for eight or nine months,
and apples twelve.

Be particularly careful to examine every fruit as you wipe it, lest
it is bruised, which would cause it soon to rot and communicate the
infection, so that in a little time much injury might be sustained in
consequence of a trifling neglect in the first instance : but, above all
things place your fruit, whatever way they are put up, completely
out of the reach of frost.

The common kinds, for more immediate use, after being sweated
and wiped as before directed, may be packed in hampers or barrels,
layer about of fruit and straw, and placed where they will neither
be exposed to damps nor frost.

OCT.] THE VINEYARD. 553

PLANTING AND PRUNING FRUIT-TREES.

"What I have said under the article Fruit Garden for this month,
is perfectly applicable, inasmuch as it has relation to the planting and
pruning of orchards at this season. But for general instructions on
these heads, I refer you to the article Orchard, in January, page 57,
February, page 150, and March, page 234, &c. After a careful
perusal of what is there said, you will be perfectly able to judge (taking
into consideration .the nature of your soil and local situation of the
place), whether it is more prudent for you. to plant and prune in the
autumn, or to defer that business till the opening of spring.

If any of your fruit-trees are cracked and rough in the bark when
the fruit is pulled, scrape off the loose parts, and, with a large paint-
ing brush apply a mixture of cow-dung and urine made to the con-
sistence of a thick paint, covering the stem and any other parts so
affected carefully over therewith. This will soften the old rough
bark, which will peal off with it during the following winter and
spring, leaving after it the smooth fresh bark only. Your trees being
freed from that incumbrance and harbor for worms, insects, &c., will
thrive much more luxuriantly than before.

THE VINEYARD.

Having given ample instructions last month for the making of
wines, curing of raisins, and preserving the fruit fresh for a length
of time, &c., it is unnecessary to touch upon those subjects in this
place ; therefore, I have only to refer you to the article Vineyard, on
page 509, &c., for information respecting anything yet remaining to
be done of what was there recommended.

In the southern States vineyards may now be planted, and vines
propagated by cuttings, &c., and indeed where the winters are mild
and but little or no frost, this is the most suitable season for so doing,
particularly towards the latter end of the month. But in the middle
States the month of March, and in the eastern States the early part
of April will be the most preferable periods in which to perform this
business.

The subject of planting and propagating the vine being treated of
at full length in March, beginning at page 244, I refer you thereto
for the necessary information.

In the middle States, rooted vines may now be transplanted if
necessity requires it, but in no other case would I recommend it ;
and these should be protected by laying litter around their roots, or
some other suitable defence from the severity of the frosts. Layers,
however, may now be made with good prospects of success ; and if
you find it more convenient to procure cuttings at this season than
in spring, you may plant them ; but observe that it will be necessary
to cover them lightly with straw, fern, leaves of trees, or some other

554 THE VINEYARD. [OCT.

light covering during winter or many of them will miscarry. Though
these plants are extremely hardy when once established, they are
rather tender in their infancy, and every advantage of season ought
to be afforded them, especially in those parts of the Union where the
winters are severe.

As to the practice of pruning grape-vines in autumn, it is not
advisable, except where the winters are very mild. In the southern
States this may be done with great propriety as soon in this or the
ensuing month as the foliage shall have been shed, but by no means
before, as while the leaves remain on the vines will not have done
growing, and consequently the wood will not be sufficiently ripe
and hard.

For further observations, together with the methods of pruning,
see page 155, &c. (See also the Vineyard for next month.)

PLANTING WILLOWS FOR TYING THE GRAPE-VINES, ETC.

In the latter end of this, or the early part of next month, you
should make plantations of willows for the purpose of tying up the
vines with the small flexible twigs thereof.

Osiers or willows are also very useful in a garden for tying the
branches of espalier- trees to trellises, binding up lettuces, cabbages,
endive, &c., for blanching, tying bundles of trees or shrubs, making
garden baskets, &c., so that a small plantation or hedge- row of wil-
lows would be very useful in every garden department.

The kinds most suitable for this purpose are the Salix viminalis,
or true osier ; S. fissa, or basket osier ; and S. vltillina, or golden
willow.

Willows of those kinds particularly, delight in low moist situa-
tions (though they grow to good perfection in a strong loam), con-
sequently, soil that is generally useless or of but little value, may be
profitably occupied by them. Make choice of such ground and plough
it deep if possible for the reception of the cuttings ; if too wet for
the plough, form it with a spade and shovel into four feet wide ridges
with deep trenches between, casting up the earth out of the trenches
to form the ridges high and rounding ; in each ridge plant two rows
of cuttings, each row a foot from the edge, and the sets two feet and
a half distant from one another in the row.

The cuttings or sets should be about two feet long, made from
strong shoots of two or three years' growth, and about two-thirds
of each set planted or drove into the earth, leaving the rest out to
form the stool ; each of these will throw out several shoots, and if
kept free from weeds for the ensuing season, they will provide for
themselves afterwards.

The year old shoots being what are generally used for the various
purposes noticed, the whole produce must be cut down annually,
either in autumn or spring, to promote such growths. However, a
sufficiency may now be suffered to grow for two or three years when
sets are wanted for an additional plantation.

If the ground can be ploughed, it will be attended with less trou-
ble, and the rows may be planted three feet asunder : the distance of

OCT.] THE NURSERY. 555

the sets from one another in each row, should be about two feet and
a half.

I would advise to plant the cuttings with a dibble, in preference
to forcing them in, as by the latter method the bark would be in-
jured.

This work may be done with equal propriety, and sometimes with
more success in the early part of spring. Cuttings may also be
planted at either season in the face of moist ditches, where they will
succeed extremely well.

THE NURSERY.

TRENCHING AND DRESSING THE GROUND.

In the beginning of this month continue to trench and prepare
the several quarters in which you intend to plant stocks, to graft and
bud the several sorts of fruit upon, and also for the various other
planting and sowing that may be necessary.

Carry dung into such parts of the nursery as it is wanted, and
spread it upon the surface of the ground around the stems of young
trees ; this will contribute to the preservation of their roots from frost,
the rains will wash in the salts to the roots of the trees, and in spring
you may dig in the dung between the respective rows.

PROPAGATING TREES AND SHRUBS BY LAYERS.

Any time this month you may lay the various kinds of trees and
shrubs that you wish to propagate in that way j for the methods of
doing which, together with several useful observations, see page 300,
&c.

Towards the latter end of the month take off such layers of1 the
preceding year as are well rooted, trim their stems, and plant them in
nursery-rows, or elsewhere as may be necessary.

This is the best season to lay elms, limes, maples, and most kinds
of hardy forest-trees and flowering shrubs ; for the moisture of the
ground during winter will prepare them for pushing out roots early
in the spring.

PROPAGATING TREES AND SHRUBS BY CUTTINGS.

This is a proper time to plant cuttings of all hardy trees and
shrubs, that will grow by that method, especially in the southern
States ; but it will be necessary to plant them where water does not
lodge in winter. Poplars, willows, plane-trees, honeysuckles, &c.,
will grow freely in this way ; but for more particulars, see page 304.

Cuttings of all sorts planted a year ago, or last spring, that are
well rooted and have shot freely at top, may, towards the latter end

556 THE NURSERY. [OCT.

of this month, be transplanted, if necessary, into open nursery-rows,
to advance in growth and to have occasional training for the purposes
intended.

SOWING HAW AND HOLLY BERRIES, ETC.

In the southern States you may any time in this or the three en-
suing months, if the ground is open, sow haw, holly, yew, and meze-
reon berries, ash, hornbeam, and any other kind of seeds that require
a year's previous preparation ; but in the middle States, I would re-
commend to defer the sowing of these till the latter end of February,
or very early in March, and in the eastern States, as soon in the
latter month as possible. Indeed it would not be wrong to defer the
sowing of them, even in the southern States, till January or Febru-
ary, according to the respective climates, always endeavoring to sow
them before they begin to vegetate.

Observe that each kind has undergone a full year's preparation,
previous to sowing, as directed in the Nursery for February and
March, where you will find ample instructions for the cultivation of
these and many other kinds of trees and shrubs, and which I would
particularly recommend to your perusal at this time.

SOWING OAK ACORNS, CHESTNUTS, WALNUTS, HICKORY-NUTS, ETC.

The best season in the year for sowing the acorns of every kind
of oak, is immediately after they fall from the trees ; for when kept
up much longer, especially in a dry state, they lose their vegetative
power.

The only evils they have to encounter by sowing them at this
season are, the depredations of mice, rats, and squirrels, &c. ; if these
animals can be caught, poisoned, or kept off by any means that may
be devised, the seeds should be sown immediately j but if not, it will
be better to preserve them till the early spring months, in sand or
earth, or in moss, and although they will soon sprout, their progress
in vegetation before the opening of spring will not be such as to-do
them any material injury, provided they are placed immediately in
the coldest place possible till winter, and further, that you do not
break the small radicles when planting them in spring.

The acorns, if sown or planted at this time, should be laid within
one inch of one another in drills about two feet apart, and covered
about an inch deep ; here they may remain till they shall have had
two years' growth, when they must be taken up and planted into
nursery-rows at proper distances, there to acquire a sufficient growth
and strength for a final transplanting, which will generally be the
case in about two or three years.

Chestnuts of every kind, walnuts, and hickory-nuts may be planted
now, or immediately after being ripe ; they have the same enemies to
encounter as the acorns ; but all these kinds will keep well till spring
in dry sand, or even in bags or boxes, and if planted early in that
season will vegetate freely.

But if you find it more convenient to plant the nuts in autumn,

OCT.] THE NURSERY. 557

let that be done, if possible, when they are perfectly ripe, and in
their outward covers or husks, the extreme bitterness of which will
be a good preservative against the attacks of vermin of every kind.

When you desire to cultivate the Juglans regia, or European
walnut, for its fruit, and likewise any of the other species, make
choice of the best varieties of nuts, such as are large, thin shelled,
and have the finest flavored kernels; for although the best sorts will
vary or degenerate, when raised from seeds, yet, by planting the
mbst valuable varieties, there will be the better chance of having
good kinds continued.

For the method of planting, and the subsequent treatment of
chestnuts, walnuts, &c., see page 282.

Note. — When oaks, chestnuts, or walnuts, &c., are planted exclu-
sively on account of their timber, it will be the better way, when it
can conveniently be done, to sow or plant the acorns and nuts where
they are intended to remain for full and mature growth ; for trees
of either of these kinds seldom attain to as great magnitude after
having been transplanted, as if suffered to remain undisturbed where
the seeds were sown.

TRANSPLANTING STOCKS, TO BUD AND GRAFT UPON.

About the latter end of this month you may plant out into nur-
sery-rows all the hardy kinds of seedling stocks, to bud and graft the
different varieties of fruits upon.

Let these be planted out in rows three feet asunder, and one foot
or more distant from one another in the rows.

Plant also for the purpose of stocks, suckers from the roots of
plums, codlins, pears, quinces, &c., but seedlings are much more pre-
ferable if you are sufficiently supplied therewith.

Transplant likewise from nursery beds and layer-stools all the
well rooted cuttings and layers that were planted or laid a year ago,
or in the last spring, for the purpose of raising stocks for fruit-trees ;
particularly quinces and codlins, to bud and graft dwarf pears and
apples upon, in order to form dwarf trees for walls and espaliers,
planting them in nursery-rows as above.

PLANTING HARDY DECIDUOUS TREES AND SHRUBS.

All manner of hardy deciduous trees and shrubs may be planted
now into nursery-rows, or finally where they are to remain, imme-
diately after they have shed their leaves, or as soon as the general
foliage is turned yellow and on the decline ; but observe that plant-
ing at this season should always be done in ground that lies dry in
winter. When that is the case, the trees, shrubs, &c., will establish
new roots before they are overtaken by the heats of the ensuing
summer, and will require but very little trouble in watering.

PRUNING.

In the latter part of this month you may begin to prune and re-

558 THE NURSERY. [OCT.

duce into proper form most kinds of hardy forest and fruit-trees,
flowering shrubs, &c., clearing their stems from lateral shoots, eradi-
cating suckers, and dressing their heads in a neat and becoming
manner.

PLANTING HARDY EVERGREENS.

Between the middle and latter end of this month you may plant
pines, firs, cedars, junipers, and every other kind of hardy ever-
green trees and shrubs. However, I would not advise to plant
small seedlings of any kind at this season, especially in the middle
and eastern States, as many of them would be thrown out of the
ground by the winter frosts, and most of them so loosened in the
earth as to be subject to great injury* from the parching winds in
spring ; consequently, March will be a more eligible season for this
purpose.

SOWING STONES OP FRUIT-TREES.

If you are not apprehensive of the ravages of mice, rats, squirrels,
&c., you may now sow the stones of plums, peaches, nectarines,
apricots, &c., or you may, if you think it more prudent, preserve
them in sand, &c., as directed on former occasions, till February or
March.

These stones may now be sown pretty thick in drills, two feet
asunder, and covered from one to two inches deep, according to the
size of the respective kinds and lightness of the soil ; and at this time
twelve months such of them as shall have attained to a good growth
may be transplanted into nursery-rows.

SOWING BEECH- MAST, MAPLES, ETC.

Beech-mast, maple, and several other kinds may now be sown as
directed in March, or they may be preserved in dry sand till that
season.

Note. — Many sorts of seeds may now be sown, but as I treated on
the subject of the Nursery at considerable length in March, and there
noticed what kinds might be sown with safety in autumn, I refer you
thereto for particular information.

SOWING APPLE, CRAB, AND PEAR PUMICE.

The pumice of apples, crabs, and pears, after having been pressed
for cider or perry, may be sown, kernels and all, in four feet wide
beds, laid on very thick and covered about an inch deep with good
light earth. In spring the plants will rise freely and produce you
a good supply, either for stocks, or for making live hedges. (See
page 274.)

PRESERVATION OF FRUITS.

A fruit room much commended is now in use among many fruit
raisers, which it may be as well to describe. There is a cavity be-

OCT.]

THE PLEASURE, OE FLOWER GARDEN.

559

tween the boarding and walls, which is important, and so is the
wooden lining, because air and wood are known to be slow conductors
of heat. The ceiling is double, and the floor is wood above a ceiling,
which to a considerable extent insures a uniformity of temperature.

Fig. 59.

There is a small stove in the room, but it is only used when the
temperature is below the freezing point, or to remove damp; the
fruit is therefore kept cool. A swing window is occasionally a little
opened, but should be at all times covered with a roller blind, so that
the fruit is kept in the dark. The shelves a, a, have a layer of clean
straw laid across them; on this the fruit is laid singly. (Fig. 59.)

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

AURICULAS, POLYANTHUSES, AND PRIMROSES.

The auriculas in pots must now be kept very clean, all decayed
leaves picked off occasionally, and moderate waterings administered
as often as necessary, that the plants may attain due strength before
winter.

The choice of polyanthuses and double primroses are to be treated
in every respect as the auriculas ; the common kinds may now be
planted in beds and borders of good ground, where they will flower
early in spring in tolerable perfection, especially if they have a
slight covering of straw or light dry litter laid over them during
severe frosts.

The seedling plants of each of the above kinds must be kept free
from weeds and filth of every sort, and receive regular but gentle

560 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT.

waterings to promote their growth and strength as much as possible
before winter.

For the methods of preserving the choice kinds of auriculas,
polyanthuses, and primroses during winter, see the Flower Garden
in November.

CARNATIONS.

The carnation layers that were taken off in August or September,
and all other choice carnations in pots should now be kept clean
and duly watered, and towards the latter end of the month be placed
in a warm situation, there to remain until disposed of as directed in
November.

The seedlings and common kinds may be transplanted into beds
and borders where wanted.

PINKS.

Your choice double pinks in pots, will require the same treatment
as the carnations ; but as pinks are extremely hardy, they may be
cultivated in great perfection in the open ground.

A good fresh loamy soil trenched about two feet deep, well pul-
verized, and manured with a stratum of cow-dung two years old,
mixed with an equal portion of sound good earth ; this stratum to
be about six inches thick, and placed about four inches below the
surface, is all the preparation or compost that appears necessary for
this flower.

The bed should be raised three or four inches above the surround-
ing paths, and its sides may be supported with an edging of boards
to come up even with, or one inch higher than its surface ; this last
for the sake of neatness, more than any particular utility it will be
of to the plants.

The plants intended for the principal bloom should be planted in
it in the first week of this month or in September, as they do not
blow quite so strong if removed late in the season : they should be
planted at the distance of nine inches from each other, and the bed
should be laid rather convex or rounding, to throw off excess of rain,
but it will require no other covering than a very slight one in case
of severe frosts.

The bed should be kept free from weeds, and its surface stirred up
a little if it inclines to bind.

Carnations will prosper very well if treated in the above manner.

The more indifferent kinds of pinks may be planted in the common
borders, &c.

PLANTING SUPERB TULIP ROOTS.

The most proper season for planting tulip roots in general is from
the middle to the latter end of this month, and indeed I should prefer
the middle to any other period, for about that time you will perceive
a circle around the lower end of each bulb, disposed to swell, pre-

OCT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 561

paratory to the emission of fibres, and also a disposition at the upper
end of some to show foliage.

By keeping the roots out of ground after this predisposition to
vegetation, they would be greatly weakened thereby.

The situation for the best bed of superior tulips, should be in an
open airy part of the garden, protected at the same time from north
and west winds by some distant shelter; when that is fixed upon, the
ground should be marked out agreeably to its intended dimensions,
and the soil taken out twenty inches deep ; the bottom is then to be
filled up with sound fresh earth ten inches thick, upon which is to
be placed a stratum of two years old rotten cow-dung and earth of
the above description, one-half of each, well mixed together and laid
on twelve inches thick ; upon this is to be placed another stratum of
the same kind of earth as that of the bottom ; this latter is only to be
two inches thick at the sides, and three in the middle of the bed,
which will give it a small degree of convexity.

The bed should be thus prepared a week or ten days previous to
planting the roots, in order to give it time to settle, so as to be about
two inches higher than the circumjacent paths; but if heavy rains
intervene between this preparation of the bed and planting, it will
be proper to keep them off in order to preserve the earth from be-
coming too compact by a redundancy of moisture, for the young
fibres to pass freely through it.

On the day made choice of for planting, rake the surface of the
bed smooth, and level any inequalities, still preserving its convexity,
and mark the exact situation for every root upon it. The proper
distance between each root is seven inches every way.

A bed consisting of seven rows makes the most grand appearance
when it is of sufficient length, with a path around it about two and
a half or three feet wide ; but where the number of roots is small,
five rows may suffice, and the path in that case may either extend
quite around the bed, or only on one side, at pleasure.

If the bed consists of seven rows it should consequently be fifty
inches wide, which will allow a space of four inches between the out-
side rows and the sides of the bed; but if the bed contains only five
rows, it will only require to be three feet wide to give the roots simi-
lar distances.

Having sprinkled a little clean sand where the roots are to be setr
place them with great exactness, and add some very sandy earth, so
as to completely envelope each root in a little cone of it ; then cover
the whole very carefully with strong, sound, fresh loam, about four
inches thick or a little better, if the roots are strong, so as to allow
the covering to be from three and a half to four inches thick, after
the earth shall have settled, still observing to preserve the original
convexity of the bed.

The tallest growing kinds should be placed in the middle; and the-
lower towards the outsides. No tulip root, whatever may be its size
or strength, should be planted more than four inches deep from the
upper side of the root ; nor should any blooming root be planted less
than three inches deep, however small it may be. The soil made
use of for covering the bulbs, should be frequently turned over and
36

562 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT.

thoroughly exposed to the sun and air some time before it is made
use of, that it may be rendered perfectly sweet and free from the
acrid quality that most soils are most subject to when taken consider-
ably below the surface.

If the bed is only to contain five rows, with a path in the front
and not behind, then it will be proper to plant the smallest and
lowest growing kinds in the front next the path, and so gradually to
increase in the size to the fifth or last row, which should contain the
strongest and tallest of all. Board edgings may be placed around
the beds as high or an inch higher than the surface ; this will not
only keep the earth from crumbling down from the outside rows, but
give a degree of neatness to the whole.

When the operation of planting is concluded, in order to preserve
the bed from heavy rains or severe frosts, it should be arched over
with hoops at convenient distances, on which to lay mats or canvas
on such emergencies j but it will not be necessary to defend it from
moderate rains or slight frosts: for too frequent and long covering
will deprive the roots of the due action and influence of the air,
which ought to be avoided as much as possible : it were even better
not to cover at all than over do it to the certain detriment of the
plants.

Having procured roots of the finest sorts, and pursuing the pre-
ceding instructions, you may depend on having those incomparable
flowers in the greatest perfection possible.

The common kinds of tulips, being of little value, may be planted
in small patches of three, four, or five roots together, around the
borders of the garden or pleasure-ground, and covered the same
depth as the others.

PLANTING THE BEST HYACINTH ROOTS.

The roots of hyacinths may be planted with good expectation of
success at any time from the beginning of this month to the middle
of November ; but I would prefer the middle of the present month,
as being the best period in which these roots can be planted ; for
about that time they will show a natural inclination to vegetate,
manifested by a swelling of the circle from whence the fibres pro-
ceed, which will be soon followed by an actual appearance of their
points, together with that of the foliage at the other extremity of the
root, in the form of a small cone of a greenish color.

The bed on which the finest sorts are -to be planted should be
situated in rather a dry and airy part of the garden ; a southern as-
pect is to be preferred, sheltered on the north and northwest by walls,
trees, or buildings, at a distance from it proportionate to their eleva-
tion ; that is, the distance of the bed from either should be equal to
the height of the wall, fence, or hedge, &c.

When the situation is determined on, the dimension of the bed
should be marked out and the soil entirely taken away to the depth
of at least two feet ; the earth in the bottom should then be dug and
well pulverized for about nine inches deep, and the space above filled
with the following compost : —

OCT.]

FLOWER GARDEN.

563

One-third sea or river sand ; one-third fresh sound earth ; one-
fourth rotten cow-dung at least two years old ; and one-twelfth of
earth of decayed leaves.

The fresh sound earth of the compost should be of the best quality
that the garden or adjacent country affords, and entirely free from
noxious vermin of every description. These ingredients should be
well mixed and incorporated a considerable time before wanted, and
about ten days previous to planting, the bed should be filled up with
the compost to about three inches above the level of the path on the
south or front side, and seven inches on the north side, so as to form
a regular slope or inclination towards the sun.

On planting the roots the surface of the bed should be covered
with fresh sandy earth about one inch thick, raked perfectly smooth
and even, and have the exact situation for every bulb marked on it,
as follows : —

R B

B B W B B W B B

W R BWR BWR B W
RBWRBWRBWRB

W R B W R B W R B W
RBWRBWRBWRB

WR BWR BWR BW

This plan, on minute investigation, will appear superior to any
other that can be devised for simplicity and an elegant and advan-
tageous display of the colors ; each bulb, those of the outside rows
excepted, will be in the centre of a hexagon, and the whole at equal
distances from each other. The width of the surface of the bed is to
be four feet, the six rows along it eight inches asunder, and the out-
side rows each four inches from the sides of the bed ; consequently
the space between the centre of each bulb will be about nine inches
and a quarter. The letters R, B, W, denote the color of the flower
to be placed there, viz: Red, Blue, or White. Under these three
heads all hyacinths may be comprehended, except a few sorts of yel-
low, which may be classed with the whites.

On planting the hyacinths a little clean sand should be placed
underneath, and likewise upon the roots, to prevent the earth ad-
hering too close to them; the whole are then to be covered with
sound, fresh, sandy earth, from three to four inches deep, according
to the size of the bulbs ; when this is completed, the bed will be
about six or seven inches above the level of the walk in front, or on
the south side, and about ten or eleven inches on the north side ; it
should be supported all around with a strong frame of thick boards
or with brickwork ; this frame should be six inches or more higher
all around than the surface, and of course sloping towards the froiit

564 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT.

to support such covering as may be necessary for the preservation of
the roots from heavy rains and severe frosts. For their further
treatment see the ensuing months.

The extraordinary preparation and trouble above recommended,
are only necessary to bring the finest kinds of hyacinths to the best
possible perfection ; but the nearer you can make it convenient to
approach to said method, in the cultivation of all the other varieties,
the greater perfection you may expect to have them in ; this, how
ever, must be governed by circumstances, and you need not despair
of having very fine flowers in any good, rich kitchen garden soil that
lies dry and inclines a little to sand; and even without any kind of
protection during winter.

The common sorts of hyacinths, of every species and variety, may
be planted in open beds, or in small clumps round the borders,
three, four, or five roots in a place, and covered from three to four
inches deep, according to the strength of the roots and lightness of
the soil.

PLANTING RANUNCULUSES.

Ranunculus roots may either be planted before or after winter ; if
the soil and situation is remarkably cold and wet, it will be better to
defer planting till the first opening of spring, but then the earliest
opportunity of planting them should be embraced.

In favorable situations, and where due attention can be paid to
the protection of the roots from severe frosts, the early part of this
month is the most preferable period and should be embraced, as the
roots will have more time to vegetate, and form themselves, and will,
of consequence, bloom stronger and earlier than those planted in
spring.

The ranunculuses are originally natives of a warm climate, where
they blow in the winter, or more rainy season of the year; they are
of course partial to coolness and moisture, exempt from wet and frost,
which the more delicate sorts cannot bear, in any considerable de-
gree, without injury.*

A fresh, strong, rich, loamy soil, is preferable to all others for
ranunculuses.

The bed should be dug from eighteen inches to two feet deep, and
not raised more than four inches above the level of the walks, to
preserve a moderate degree of moisture ; at about five inches below
the surface should be placed a stratum of two years old rotten cow-
dung, mixed with earth, six or eight inches thick; but the earth
above this stratum, where the roots are to be planted, must be free
from dung, which woulji prove of more injury than benefit, if too
near them. The fibres will draw sufficient nourishment from it at
the depth above mentioned; but if the dung were placed deeper it

* The best method of growing both ranunculuses and anemones is to plant
in frames covered with glass, and treat them in the same way as Neapoli-
tan violets, or else in pots in a cool green-house ; by this treatment they
will bloom strong, and perfect their growth before the hot weather com-
mences.

OCT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 565

would not receive so much advantage from the action of the air,
which is an object of some importance.

The surface of the bed should be raked perfectly even and flat, and
the roots planted in rows at the distance of about five or six inches
from one another. It is better to plant in shallow trenches, made
nearly two inches deep, than to make holes for the reception of the
roots ; there should be a little clean sand sprinkled in the trench,
and the roots placed with their claws downwards, each distant from
the other about three or four inches according to its size and
strength ; when the roots are thus laid in, fill the trenches up level,
with the same earth that was taken out, so as to cover the roots
exactly one inch and a half deep, which is the only true depth to
produce a good bloom ; it is pointed out by nature in a singular
manner; for when these roots have been planted either too shallow
or too deep, in either case, a second root is generally formed at a
proper depth, by which the plant is weakened to such a degree that
it seldom survives a repetition of it. It will be of considerable ser-
vice to have the bed framed around with boards, or brickwork, a few
inches higher than its surface, in front, and rising gradually to the
back part, in order to make it the more convenient to protect the
roots from severe frosts, as directed in the following months.

PLANTING ANEMONES.

Anemones require nearly the same treatment as ranunculuses, are
hardier, and consequently may be planted in the autumn with more
safety; the most eligible period is between the first and fifteenth of
this month, for if the winter sets in early and proves severe, late
planted roots will not have time to vegetate before frosty weather
takes place ; in which case, there will be great danger of their perish-
ing, as they are then replete with moisture, and in a state of inac-
tivity, which renders not only them but all other roots more suscepti-
ble of injury from frost, and more subject to mouldiness, than after
vegetation has commenced. To avoid which, as much as possible, a
suitable covering or protection must be put on and taken off the beds,
as often and in such proportion, as the exigency or circumstances of
the case may require.

The beds should consist of the same kind of soil, and be prepared
in the same manner as for ranunculuses ; the roots should be at nearly
similar distances from each other, and be planted in the same man-
ner, except that they require to be covered rather deeper ; that is,
they should be planted two inches deep. It requires some care and
attention to distinguish which side of the root is to be placed upper-
most, especially if the small thread-like fibres had been entirely
cleaned off, when the roots were taken up.

The roots are in general rather flat, and their eyes, from whence
the stems and flowers proceed, are easily distinguished on one side
of the root, which of course should be planted uppermost. For their
further treatment see the ensuing months.

5 60 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT.

PLANTING VARIOUS KINDS OF BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.

A good, sound, fresh soil, either of the black or loamy kind (with
the addition of a little coarse sea or river sand placed round the roots
on planting), and manured with rotten cow-dung, two years old at
least, if the soil and situation be dry and warm, or rotten horse-dung,
if it be cold and moist, is all the compost or preparation required for
the greater part of those flowers; observing that the dung should
never come in contact with the bulbs, or be placed at so great a depth
from the surface of the soil as to lose the advantage of the due action
of the air upon it, which would render it poisonous instead of nutri-
tious : in short it should never be placed more than eight or ten
inches deep upon any occasion, where it can possibly be avoided.

The polyanthus-narcissus consists of many varieties ; each sort pro-
duces several flowers on one stalk ; the roots may be planted any time
this month, about three or four inches deep ; they succeed best in
rather a warm dry soil and situation : but if the soil happens to be
the reverse, the bed should be raised seven or eight inches above the
common level, and in either case it would be well to cover the bed
with straw in case of severe frost, for the roots of these are more
tender and subject to be injured by the severity of the winter, than
either hyacinths or tulips. The bed should be formed rather round-
ing, to cast off the wet, for which a good fall or descent should be
in some convenient direction. The roots may remain two or three
years in the ground without being disturbed ; but then it will be
necessary to take them up to separate their offsets, which by being
longer connected with the old roots, would cause them to blow small
and weak.

Double-narcissus (daffodils) consist of several varieties ; they are
hardier than the former, the Italian excepted, and may be treated in
a similar manner, but are in less danger from the effects of frost.

Jonquils, English, Spanish, and Persian bulbous iris : the three
first consist of several varieties; they may be planted from two to
three inches deep, according to the looseness of the soil and strength
of the bulbs, and treated in the same manner as the polyanthus-nar-
cissus : they are all hardy.

Crown imperials, lilies, pseonias, and the ornithogalum pyramidale,
or star of Bethlehem, should be planted now, if not done before, and
covered about four inches deep; these do not require to be taken up
oftener than once in two or three years, and then only to separate
their offsets.

Martagons (lilies with revolute petals) consist of many species and
varieties, and may be treated as other lilies; they however make the
best appearance in beds by themselves, and will grow stronger if the
ground is well manured and the roots planted from five to six inches
deep. The lilies called martagons are, the Lilium chalcedonicum,
or scarlet mart-agon lily, L. cateslaei, or Catesby's lily, L. pompo-
niuniy or pomponian lily, L. superbum, or superb lily, L. martayon,
or purple martagon lily, L. canadense, or Canada martagon lily, and
L. japonicum, or Japan white lily, with their varieties; the latter
obtained by sowing the seeds of the different species.

OCT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 567

If not done in the preceding months, you should no longer defer
the planting of spring crocuses, snowdrops, hardy gladioluses, Persian
fritillarias, erythroniums, pancratium maratinmm, orchises, liinado-
rum tuberosum, snake' s-head iris, musk, feathered, grape, and other
hyacinths; the scilla maritima, or officinal squill, scilla peruviana,
or starry hyacinth, together with all the other kinds of hardy bulbous
or tuberous-rooted flowers which you intend planting before spring.
These may be planted separately in beds, or along the borders of the
flower garden and pleasure grounds, and covered from two to three
or four inches deep over the crowns of the roots, according to their
respective size and strength, and the lightness or stiffness of the soil.

In planting any of the above or other sorts in borders, observe
that the lowest growing kinds are to be planted next the walks, and
the larger farther back, in proportion to their respective growths,
that the whole nray appear to advantage, and none be concealed from
the view. Likewise observe to diversify the kinds and colors, so as
to display, when in bloom, the greatest possible variety of shades
and contrasts.

In assemblage with other flowers in the borders, these should be
planted in small clumps of six, seven, or eight inches in diameter,
three, four, five, or more roots in each, according to size and growth,
and these at suitable distances from one another, say one, two, or
three yards. Some of the common anemones and ranunculuses may
also be planted with those roots in the borders, either in rows towards
the edges, or in small clumps or patches as above.

As much elegance of taste and fancy is necessary, and may be
displayed in setting off a border of intermixed flowers to advantage
as perhaps in any other part of gardening.

SOWING SEEDS OP BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS, ETC.

You may still continue to sow the seeds of bulbous and tuberous-
rooted flowers, as directed on page 522.

TRANSPLANT PERENNIAL AND BIENNIAL FLOWER ROOTS.

The entire of this month is a very proper time to divide and trans-
plant the various kinds of hardy perennial and biennial flower-roots,
as noticed on page 523, which see.

Observe to plant the different sorts in a diversified order, the low
growing kinds next the walks, and the largest more remote therefrom,
so that the whole may rise in a regular gradation as they advance in
growth.

Collect ornamental plants from the woods, fields, and swamps, as
directed on page 494 ; this will be a very good time to procure the
late flowering kinds, many of which are extremely beautiful.

NEAPOLITAN AND RUSSIAN VIOLETS.

These may be planted in frames having glazed sashes, at the be-
ginning of the month. Dig in a third of rotted leaves or decayed

568 THE PLEASURE, OR [OCT.

vegetable refuse ; put out single crowns six inches apart, give a good
soaking of water, and after they have taken root, give air freely in
all favorable weather ; when winter sets in cover with thick straw
mats at night. In this way they will bloom all winter, and repay
for the extra labor.

DOUBLE DAISIES, ETC.

About the middle of this month, prepare a warm border in a south
aspect, on which to plant the double daisies that you preserved in
shaded situations during summer ; the bed should be raised four or
five inches above the common level, and if surrounded with a frame
the better; take up the roots with balls of earth and plant them on
this bed in rows, five or six inches plant from plant, every way ; give
them water immediately, and if shaded from the sun for a week or
two, it would be of considerable service.

Primroses, polyanthuses, and common auriculas, may be treated in
this way. (For their further management see the ensuing months.)

STOCK-GILLYFLOWERS AND WALL-FLOWERS.

Any double stocks and wall-flowers that you have growing in beds
or borders, should be potted in the beginning of this month, if not
done in September, and placed in the shade for about three weeks,
then removed to a warm aspect, there to remain till it is found ne-
cessary to house or place them in a frame.

PLANTING BULBOUS ROOTS IN POTS AND GLASSES FOR FLOWERING

EARLY.

In the beginning of this month you should plant some of the ear-
liest kinds of tulips, hyacinths, polyanthus-narcissus, &c., in pots of
light, rich, sandy earth, one, two, or three roots in each, and of dif-
ferent colors, in order to force them into an early bloom in winter.
If the pots are large the roots may be covered one inch above their
crowns, but if small the bare covering of the crowns will be suffi-
cient, in order to give the fibres the more room to extend themselves.

Ranunculuses, anemones, crocusses, snowdrops, dwarf Persian
irises, and any other early blooming kinds, may be planted in pots
for the same purpose, covering them generally about an inch deep
over their crowns.

When the roots are planted the pots are to be sunk to their r^ms
in a good stout garden frame, on a bed of very light sandy earth,
elevated above the common level of the ground, where they are to be
kept gently moist and no more; but they must be carefully protected
from heavy torrents of rain, which would tend greatly to rot or
weaken the bulbs. The glasses are to be kept off, except in rainy
weather, till the approach of frost, after which the bed must be de-
fended therefrom as directed in the following months.

In this month you should put the bulbs of tulips, hyacinths, jon-
quils, narcissuses, &c., in bulb-glasses filled with water, to flower in

OCT.] FLOWER GARDEN. 569

rooms early in spring ; the glasses should be then placed where they
may have as much free air as possible while the weather continues
mild ; if they are placed near the windows of a green-house, where
they may have free air in favorable weather, and be protected from
cold and frost, they will produce fine, strong flowers, and at a very
acceptable season.

The water should be changed as often as it turns greenish, and the
glasses well washed inside. Particular care must be taken not to
suffer the water to be frozen in winter, which would not only injure
the roots but burst the glasses.

POTTING ROSES, ETC., FOR FORCING.

Pot roses, honeysuckles, double-flowering almonds, peaches, cher-
ries, and thorns, and any other desirable shrubs, whether evergreen
or deciduous, either for the convenience of affording them protection
in winter, decorating any compartments in spring or summer, or for
placing some of them in the forcing departments in December or
January, to force an early bloom. This must be done with care,
not injuring the roots, and taking up as much earth with them as
possible. When potted, place them in the shade for ten or twelve
days after, or until you find it necessary to house or otherwise pro-
tect them.

PRUNE FLOWERING SHRUBS.

This is a very proper season to prune roses, lilacs, honeysuckles,
and indeed all kinds of hardy trees and shrubs, whether deciduous
or evergreen. Let this be performed with a sharp knife, and not
with garden shears, as sometimes practised. But to avoid repetition
I refer you for further instructions on this head, to page 172.

All suckers which arise from the roots should now be taken clean
away, for when suffered to remain they starve the old plants and
prevent their flowering; many kinds of shrubs, for instance the lilac,
will send forth great numbers of suckers from their roots, which, if
not annually taken off, will spread over the ground to the great in-
jury of your plants. These suckers, if wanted, may be planted in
nursery rows for a year or two, and will then answer for renewing
the old or for forming new plantations.

FORMING NEW ORNAMENTAL PLANTATIONS, ETC.

This being a very proper season for laying out and planting plea-
sure-grounds, I refer you for general information on these subjects
to page 74, &c., which though given in a month not favorable for
such work, in the middle or eastern States, I considered it a period
in which there would be leisure time for contemplating the designs
and making preparations for the carrying of them into execution on
the opening of spring.

All kinds of hardy deciduous trees and shrubs may be planted as
soon in this month as they shall have shed their leaves ; the ever-

5tO THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. [OCT.

green kinds may be planted towards the latter end thereof, always,
but particularly for the latter, making choice of moist or cloudy
weather, if such should occur in due season.

In this place I think it proper to remark, that I always have had
better success in the planting of evergreens in general, when done
in the spring of the year immediately before their vegetation com-
menced, than at any other season.

The early part of next month will be an excellent time to plant
all kinds of deciduous forest-trees and flowering shrubs, &c. that
shall not have shed their foliage before that time.

For general directions respecting the best methods of planting
trees and shrubs of every kind see page 315.

PROPAGATE TREES AND SHRUBS.

„•

Various kinds of trees and shrubs growing in the pleasure ground,
borders, &c. may now be propagated by suckers, layers, and cuttings;
but having described the methods of doing this in the nursery for
March, a repetition is unnecessary in this place.

PLANTING BOX AND OTHER EDGINGS.

Box edgings may be planted any time this month with good suc-
cess, if some care be taken to give them shade and water for about
a month : for the method see page 316.*

Many other kinds may now be planted for edgings, but particu-
larly those mentioned on page 369, which see.

PLANT HEDGES.

This is a fine season to plant all sorts of live hedges, whether for
fences, shade, or ornament; especially ground hedges, or such as
are to be established on the plain surface of the earth; but having
treated on this subject at full length, in the Nursery for March, be-
ginning at page 271, to which I refer you, it is unnecessary to repeat
here what has been said before.

It may, however, be proper to observe, that evergreen hedges are,
generally, more successful when planted in spring than at this sea-
son; notwithstanding, in cases of necessity, I would not hesitate to
plant them now.

CLIPPING HEDGES AND EDGINGS.

If any hedges or box edgings want trimming, let them be clipped
early in this month, observing the directions given on page 525.

Be very particular to finish the clipping of evergreen hedges as
early in the month as possible, for if cut too late the cold will occa-
sion the cut leaves, and others suddenly exposed thereto, to change

* If box edging is planted at this time in the northern States it will
need covering during the first winter to prevent the lifting by frost.

OCT.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 511

to a rusty disagreeable color, which they will not recover before
the ensuing spring.

ORDINARY WORK.

Mow grass-walks and lawns close and even, and roll them, in
order that they should appear neat all winter; clean and roll your
gravel-walks once a week; hoe, weed, cut, rake, and carry away
clean off the ground, all weeds, decayed flower-stems, fallen leaves,
&c. ; prepare ground by trenching, laying it up in ridges, &c. for
spring planting, which will be of considerable advantage both in me-
liorating the ground and expediting your business at that season.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

Having in the preceding month, page 527, intimated the proper
time for taking in the green-house plants, in the eastern States, I
shall now notice the period for doing that business in the middle
States. In the southern States, the plants may be left out a few
days later than hereafter mentioned, say from four to ten, according
to climate, season, and local situation.

About the first day of this month, if not done before, take into
the green-house all the more hardy species of cactuses, aloes, me-
sembryanthemums, sedums, stapelias, agaves, cotyledons, cycas revo-
luta, and other succulent and tender plants; place them in front
where they can have plenty of air in mild weather, and give them
water but sparingly.

Let it be observed for the benefit and encouragement of those who
have no hot-houses, that although all the above genera or families
are commonly considered as hot-house plants, the far greater number
of species thereunto belonging, may be preserved in excellent per-
fection in a good green-house, and also many other plants hitherto
considered as too tender to be preserved therein : experience is the
true criterion, and where there are duplicates of doubtful plants, an
ingenious gardener will make an experiment with one of each. Seve-
ral kinds of plants commonly kept in hot-houses, would thrive much
better in a well constructed green-house, if kept comparatively drier
at the roots during winter.

Between the sixth and tenth of this month, according to the sea-
son, situation, and shelter of the place, you should take in your
orange, lemon, citron, lime and shaddock-trees, and also your gera-
niums, and every other sort of plant that slight frosts could injure
or discolor the leaves thereof. Myrtles and the more hardy kinds
will not be in much danger before the middle of the month, nor will
the hardiest sorts, such as prunus luscitanica, or Portugal laurel,
prunus lauro-cerasus, or Levant laurel, viburnum tinus, or laurustinus,
arbutus unedo, or strawberry-tree, lagerstroemiaindica, daphne odora,
fuchsia coccinea, cupressus sempervirens, hydrangea hortensis, &c.,

512 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [OCT.

before the twentieth or twenty-fifth thereof: indeed in warm soils
and situations, most of these would bear the winters of the middle
States, in the open ground, if sheltered with mats or straw, &c.*

Before they are taken in, pick off all decayed leaves, prune any
decayed, ill-formed, disorderly, or irregular shoots or branches, and
stir the earth a little in the tops of the tubs or pots. Such as ap-
pear weakly, should have some of the old earth taken out and the
vacancy filled up with fresh compost.

In placing the plants in the green-house, be particular to arrange
them in regular order, the tallest behind, and the others according
to their height, in regular gradation down to the lowest in front, be-
ing careful to dispose the different sorts in such varied order as that
the foliage may effect a striking contrast and variety, by intermixing
the broad and narrow leaved, the simple and compound leaved, the
light and dark green, the silvery, &c., in order that the whole col-
lection may exhibit a conspicuous and agreeable diversity.

When all are thus arranged give their heads a good watering,
which will wash off any dust they have contracted, refresh them con-
siderably, and add lustre and beauty to their foliage ; then wash clean
and wipe dry all the stage, benches, floor, &c., after which the whole
will assume a neat, gay, lively, and becoming appearance.

The plants now should have as much free air as possible during
the continuance of mild weather, for if kept too close the damps
occasioned by a copious perspiration would cause many of their leaves
to become mouldy and drop off, and, besides, they would be less
hardy on the approach of winter ; therefore, on every warm or mild
day keep the windows open ; and even on mild dry nights, during
the remainder of this month, you may slide down the upper front
lights so as to admit a little air at top. But observe to keep the
windows close shut in cold weather, frosty nights, and during the
continuance of cold rains or fogs.

It will still be necessary to water the plants frequently but mode-
rately, especially the shrubby kinds ; the succulent sorts will not re-
quire it so often.

Pick off, from time to time, all decayed leaves, and keep every
part of the house constantly clean and free from filth of any kind.

The deciduous green-house plants, such as the lagerstroemia indica,
punica granata, or double-flowering pomegranate, Croton sebiferum,
or tallow-tree, &c., may be placed on ^ platform erected at the back
of the stage, as noticed on page 103, or they may be preserved very
well during the winter in a dry warm cellar that has windows to ad-
mit light, air, &c., as necessity may require.

PRESERVING GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS IN GARDEN FRAMES.

There are but few green-house plants of a small size but may be

* It is much the best plan to keep camellias, during the summer months,
inside a well ventilated green-house, as the roots are often rotted by the
excessive rains of summer. A free use of the syringe will keep down in-
sects.

OCT.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 5T3

preserved during winter, in great perfection, in garden frames of the
following construction : —

The frame should be erected on a bed of earth, in a remarkably
dry and warm exposure ; it should be made of strong planks, four,
five, or six feet high in the back (according to the size of the plants),
eight or nine inches high in front, and four or five feet wide, with
the ends sloping accordingly. The length should be in proportion to
the number of plants you have to winter, but at every nine or ten
feet there should be partitions or stays in the inside for the support
of the back.

Around this frame you are to form another at the distance of two
feet therefrom, made of any kind of rough boards, supported by
pots, and of the same height. The vacancy between both frames is
to be filled up to the top with tanner's bark, dry litter, leaves of
trees, or any other substance that will keep the frost from penetrating
to the plants.

Your frame being thus made, plunge the pots containing the plants
to their rims in the inside, either in tan or light sandy earth, placing
the lowest in front and the tallest behind, and cover the whole with
well glazed and well fitted sashes. During the most severe winter
the generality of green-house plants may be effectually preserved in
this or the like frame by laying on, as occasion requires, a sufficient
quantity of mats over the glasses, and over these a covering of boards.

The plants are to have light and air given to them at every favor-
able opportunity, and should be treated, generally, as directed for
those in the green-house, only kept drier at the roots.

Many other similar contrivances may be made, and with the de-
sired effect, as nothing more is necessary for the preservation of these
plants than light, air, a less share of moisture, and an effectual pro-
tection from the frost.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

PINE- APPLES.

In the early part of this month the pine plants that are to produce
fruit next season should be removed out of the nursery stove, &c., into
the fruiting-house ; but previous to this you should take out of the
pit all the old bark, if you use such material, and fill it with new fresh
tan, previously prepared, as directed last month, page 530 ; observe
not to put it into the pit in too wet a state, for in that case it would
be a long time before it would come to a kindly heat, and sometimes
not at all, so as to answer the end.

Some people sift the old bark, and use the coarse part with new,
about one-half of each j but if you can conveniently procure a suffi-
ciency of new tan to fill the pit entirely, it will answer much better
for this purpose.

When the bed begins to heat, and the warmth has reached the

574 THE HOT-HOUSE. [OCT.

surface, bring in your fruiting-plants, and plunge them in the bark-
bed to their rims ; or if you are apprehensive of the new bark heat-
ing too violently at first, plunge the pots only half-way for about a
fortnight ; if, however, you plunge them wholly at first, you must
examine the bed frequently, and if you find the heat at any time
violent, then draw the pots up half-way or quite out of the tan, as
you see convenient, to prevent its burning the roots of the plants,
and plunge them again as soon as it can be done with safety.

The plants thus finally placed in the fruiting-house, are to get the
usual and necessary attendance ; air must be admitted every mild
and warm day, and gentle waterings given when necessary.

Towards the latter end of the month the nights will be growing
very cold, and sometimes it may be found necessary to kindle a small
fire in the evening; but you should never resort to this while the heat
of the house keeps up at night to fifty-two degrees of Fahrenheit,
which will generally be the case during the whole of this month if

ou take care to shut the house in the afternoon when pretty warm;

ut should cold, cloudy weather continue for a few days, it may
render a little fire necessary notwithstanding.

SUCCESSION PINES.

The succession house should now be replenished from the pits, &c.,
with the pines next in growth to the fruiting plants taken out of it;
also the younger successions in the next advancing stage should be
placed in the pits, frames, or other winter departments.

All these will now require to be renewed with a proper quantity
of new tan, one-half at least, so as to support a regular heat for a
considerable time ; the whole of the old tan must be sifted, and what
goes through the screen, may be used for covering beds wherein are
planted bulbous roots, &c., to protect them from frost: as much new
tan, previously made sufficiently dry, must be added to the coarse
part as will fill up the pits again a little above the top, mixing both
well together as you proceed in the filling. This done, plunge the
pots as directed on other occasions.

GENERAL CARE.

The pines and all the other exotics must have regular care and
attendance ; let water be given once or twice a week to some, oftener
to others, as you see necessary, being careful not, to give too much at
a time, for that would not only injure many plants, but destroy the
heat of the bark-bed.

Admit fresh air into the house every calm or warm day, especially
when the sun shines, by sliding open some of the glasses from nine
or ten o'clock till two, three, or four, always observing to close the
house in the afternoon while the air is warm, to supersede the neces-
sity of fire as long as possible ; and if you must have recourse to
it towards the latter end of the month, use it but moderately at this
season.

The advantages of keeping the house as cool as may be consistent

OCT.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 575

with the safety of the plants, during this and the next month, are
very obvious ; all the plants are gradually hardened and rendered
thereby capable of bearing the vicissitudes of the winter season
better than if they were drawn up tender and weakly by too much
heat; but the pines in particular, if forced at this season, would,
many of them, start to fruit at an untimely period, which would get
stunted and misshapen before the commencement of the free spring
vegetation, and would consequently be totally lost, or not worth their
room in the house.

When the leaves of any plants decay, they should be picked off,
and the house kept constantly clear from fallen leaves, cobwebs, or
any other filth, which not only renders the house neat, but is very
necessary to preserve the plants in health.

WINTERING HOT-HOUSE PLANTS IN GARDEN FRAMES. '

There are few tropical plants but may be preserved during winter,
while in a small state, in garden frames well constructed and attended,
so that an ingenious and careful gardener may not despair of preserv-
ing the most rare plants in winter, without the aid of a hot-house ;
and even where there is one, and the stock of plants too numerous,
such auxiliary convenience will be found of considerable utility.

A frame for this purpose should be made about nine or ten feet
long, four to five wide, three and a half high in front, and five in the
back part, with sashes well glazed and fitted as close and neat as
possible, so as to slide up and down freely. This frame should be
placed in a dry well sheltered situation, exposed fully to the south,
and where it can have the benefit of the sun during the whole day.
It should be filled with fresh well prepared tan, to the depth of three
feet when settled, and the pots plunged therein to their rims, the
smallest sized plants in front, the largest towards the back part.

The frame should be entirely surrounded with a large quantity of
the fallen leaves of trees to its full height, having still more in re-
serve to add, as the others sink and contract in bulk, in consequence
of fermentation and pressure, always keeping them full up to the top
of the frame an every side ; the leaves will soon heat and cause the
tan to ferment, and between both a fine glow of warmth will be kept
up in the frame during the whole winter ; this, with the assistance
of a suitable covering of mats, boards, &c., at night and in severe
weather, will keep the most tender plants in health and good condi-
tion.

Linings of hot horse-dung may be substituted in place of leaves,
but the latter is preferable on account of its slow, steady, and long
continued heat.

OAK LEAVES USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR TAN.

As oak leaves abound in almost every part of the United States,
it is of some importance to know that they may be used in forcing
pits of every kind, in place of tanners' bark, and with advantage,
their heat being constant, regular, and continuing for a long time,

576 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [NOV.

often for an entire year } whereas bark generally turns cold soon after
its violent heat is gone off, which obliges the gardener to fork it up
frequently in order to revive the heat.

The sooner the leaves are raked up after they fall from the trees
the better, as the quality and fermenting substance will naturally
decrease during the time they are exposed to the weather.

When raked up they should be carried immediately into some open
shed, and there thrown into a heap to settle and ferment. In this
place tread them well, and water them a little if you find they are
rather dry. The heap should be at least six or seven feet in thick-
ness, and covered with old mats, as well to promote a general fer-
mentation as to prevent the upper leaves from being blown away by
the wind. They should be suffered to remain in this state for four
or five weeks, by which time they will be properly prepared for the
pits, and will not settle down much after. In putting them into the
pits, if they appear dry, water them a little and tread them in layers,
exceedingly well, till the pits are quite full : then cover the whole
with tan to the thickness of two inches, and tread it well till the
surface becomes smooth and even. On this place your pots of pines
or other tender plants in the manner they are to stand, filling up the
spaces between them with tan as you proceed, row by row.

After this, the leaves require no further trouble the whole season
through, as they will retain a constant and regular heat for twelve
months, without either stirring or turning.

Leaves mixed with stable dung make excellent hot-beds, which
preserve their heat much longer than when made of dung only.

NOVEMBER.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

As this is a period in which much may be done towards the lay-
ing out and preparing of new kitchen gardens for the ensuing sea-
son, &c., I refer you for general instructions on that subject to page
115, &c.

SPINAGE, CORN-SALAD, AND WINTER-CRESSES.

You should now be very attentive to the keeping of your winter
spinage free from weeds, and to the thinning of the plants where
they stand too close ; otherwise they will not be sufficiently strong
and firm to endure the severity of the approaching frosts.

Corn-salad and winter-cresses should be treated as directed for
spinage, and for the same reason ; but the distance of two or three
inches, plant from plant, will be sufficient for these. This should be
done early in the month, for it is not prudent either to thin or weed

NOV.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 577

succulent plants of any kind immediately on the eve of a severe
frost, as the sudden exposure of the shaded and tender parts to it
would prove very destructive.

WINTER DRESSING OF ASPARAGUS BEDS.

Where omitted last month, dress your asparagus beds as directed
on page 542. Indeed there is no better season than the first or
second week of this month for that business.

LETTUCES.

The lettuces which were planted in frames last month, should be
still suffered to enjoy the free air every day while the weather con-
tinues mild and dry, by taking the glasses entirely off early in the
morning ; but let them be put on again in the evening, or whenever
the weather becomes cold or wet; for if these plants are kept too
close, they will draw up and become weakly, tender, and of little
value.

When the weather is very wet or cold, keep the glasses on, and
should the frost set in rather too severe towards the end of the
month, you must give the necessary covering, so as to prevent the
plants from getting frozen ; but be careful to admit air to them at
every favorable opportunity.

In the first week of this month, you should plant into the frames,
if omitted in October, such -lettuces as are designed to be wintered
therein ; this should on no account be delayed to a later period.

On the approach of severe frost protect your lettuces on warm
borders, &c., as directed on page 544.

N. B. Lettuces make a most delicious boiled salad, which, in the
estimation of most people who have tried it, is much superior to
spin age. This observation escaped my recollection while writing the
work of the summer months, where it might have been more appro-
priately inserted ; as then, thousands of heads start to seed and are
totally lost, which might be profitably used in this way. They are
generally in an excellent condition for this purpose, at any time from
the period of their having attained a sufficient size, till the hearts or
centre stems have shot towards seeding six or eight inches high, so
that when they are past use for a raw salad, they are yet good for a
boiled one.

SMALL SALADING.

Small salading of every kind will now require to be sown on a
slight hot-bed, under the protection of frames and glasses ; otherwise
disappointment will ensue, especially if the cold sets in early. In
mild weather admit plenty of air, to give strength to the plants.

5? 8 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [NOV.

GARLIC, ROCAMBOLE, AND SHALLOTS.

You may now plant garlic, rocambole, and shallots ; the earlier
in the month that this is done the better. When planted at this
season in dry, light, rich ground, the roots will be much larger than
if deferred till spring. The bulbs of the common garlic, or Allium
sativum, grow to a larger size than those of the rocambole, or Allium
scorodoprasum, but some people conceive the latter to be of a better
flavor.

The true shallot, or Allium ascalonicum, is considered to possess
the most agreeable flavor of any of that genus, and is, consequently,
highly deserving of cultivation.

For the method of planting each of the above sorts see page 206 ;
but in planting the bulbs produced on the tops of the garlic and ro-
cambole stalks, observe to cover them only about two inches deep, as
they are not so large or strong as the cloves of the roots.

CABBAGE AND CAULIFLOWER PLANTS.

During the continuance of mild weather, give your cabbage and
cauliflower plants every advantage of free air, to inure them by de-
grees to bear the cold, by taking the glasses off totally, in the warm
part of the day ; but be attentive to lay them on again at night, and
in wet or cold weather. On coldish days, except there is a cutting,
frosty wind, you may raise the glasses, a little behind for the admis-
sion of air ; however, if a severe frost should set in, in the course of
the month, you must cover the beds carefully at night, and at other
times when necessary, to protect the plants therefrom. But having
given general instructions for the methods of treating cabbage plants
on page 536, and cauliflower plants on page 537, I now refer you
thereto for further information.

Observe that the cauliflower being much more tender than the
cabbage plants, will require more care and covering to protect them
from frost; and that either will be greatly injured by being de-
prived of light or air longer than their safety or preservation re-
quires.

PRESERVING CABBAGES AND BORECOLE FOR WINTER AND
SPRING USE.

Immediately previous to the setting in of hard frost, take up your
cabbages and savoys, observing to do it on a dry day ; turn their tops
downward, and let them remain so for a few hours to drain off any
water that may be lodged between the leaves ; then make choice of
a ridge of dry earth, in a well sheltered, warm exposure, and plant
them down to their heads therein, close to one another, having pre-
viously taken off some of their loose hanging leaves. Immediately
erect over them a low temporary shed, of any kind that will keep
them perfectly free from wet, which is to be open at both ends to
admit a current of air in mild, dry weather. These ends are to be

NOV.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 579

closed with straw when the weather is very severe. In this situation
your cabbages will keep in a high state of preservation till spring ;
for, being kept perfectly free from wet as well as from the action of
the sun, the frost will have little or no effect upon them. In such a
place the heads may be cut off as wanted, and, if frozen, soak them
in spring, well, or pump water for a few hours previous to their being
cooked, which will dissolve the frost and extract any disagreeable
taste occasioned thereby.

Some plant their cabbages, after being taken up and drained as
above, in airy or well ventilated cellars, in earth or sand up to their
heads, where they will keep tolerably well ; but in close, warm, or
damp cellars they soon decay.

Others make a trench in dry sandy ground, and place the cabbages
therein, after being well drained and dry, and most of their outside
loose green leaves pulled off, roots upward, the heads contiguous to,
but not touching each other ; they then cover them with the dryest
earth or sand that can be conveniently procured, and form a ridge of
earth over them like the roof of a house : some apply dry straw im-
mediately around the heads ; but this is a bad practice, as the straw
will soon become damp and mouldy, and will of course communicate
the disorder to the cabbages.

Upon the whole, the first method is, in my opinion, the most pre-
ferable, as there is no way in which cabbages will keep better if pre-
served from wet; and, besides, they can be conveniently obtained
whenever they are wanted for use.

The green and brown curled borecole being very hardy, will re-
quire but little protection ; they may now be taken up and planted
in a ridge tolerably close together, and during severe frost covered
lightly with straw j this will preserve them sufficiently, and during
winter the heads may be cut off as they are wanted for use ; the
stems, if taken up and planted in rows, as early in March as the
weather will admit, will produce abundance of the most delicious
sprouts.

In the southern States, and even in warm soils and exposures in
the middle States, borecole will stand the winter in open beds with-
out any covering whatever.

CAULIFLOWERS AND BROCCOLI.

Your late cauliflowers and broccoli will now be producing their
heads ; therefore it will be necessary to break down some of the
largest leaves over the flowers to preserve them from the effects of
sun, rain, and frost.

Such plants of either sort as are not likely to flower before the
commencement of severe frost should be taken up and planted as
recommended in the first instance for cabbages, where, if well pro-
tected from wet and frost, they will continue to produce fine flowers
all winter.

Or, they may be planted in a dry, warm cellar, in the same man-
ner as directed for cabbages, where they will also flower in winter :

580 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [NOV.

indeed I have had tolerably good flowers from strong plants hung up
in a damp, warm cellar.

PRESERVING TURNIPS, CARROTS, PARSNEPS, BEETS, SALSAFY, ETC.

Previous to the commencement of severe frost you should take up,
with as little injury as possible, the roots of your turnips, carrots,
parsneps, beets, salsafy, scorzonera, Hamburg or large rooted parsley,
skirrets, Jerusalem artichokes, turnip- rooted celery, and a sufficiency
of horseradish for the winter consumption; cut off their tops and
expose the roots for a few hours till sufficiently dry. On the surface
of a very dry spot of ground, in a well sheltered situation, lay a
stratum of sand two inches thick, and on this a layer of roots of
either sort, covering them with another layer of sand (the drier the
better), and so continue layer about of sand and roots till all are laid
in, giving the whole on every side a roof-like slope ; then cover this
heap or ridge all over with ajbout two inches of sand, over which lay
a good coat of drawn straw up and down, as if thatching a house, in
order to carry off wet, and prevent its entering the roots ; then dig
a wide trench around the heap and cover the straw with the earth so
dug up to a depth sufficient to preserve the roots effectually from
frost. An opening may be made on the south side of this heap, and
completely covered with bundles of straw, so as to have access to the
roots at all times when wanted, either for sale or use.

Some people lay straw or hay between the layers of roots and im-
mediately on the top of them ; this I do not approve of, as the straw
or hay will become damp and mouldy, and very often occasion the
roots to rot, while the sand would preserve them sweet and sound.

All these roots may be preserved in like manner in a cellar ; but
in such a place they are subject to vegetate and become stringy
earlier in spring. The only advantage of this method is, that in the
cellar they may be had, when wanted, more conveniently during
winter, than out of the field or garden heaps.

Note. — All the above roots will preserve better in sand than in
common earth, but when the former cannot be had, the sandiest earth
you can procure must be substituted.

CELERY, ENDIVE, AND CARDOONS.

Continue during the early part of this month to blanch your
celery, endive and cardoons, as directed in the preceding months; but
when the severe frosts approach, they must be preserved therefrom,
either in the following or some other more convenient and effectual
manner.

Every third row of the celery may be suffered to stand where grow-
ing, opening. a trench on each side of every standing row, within six
or eight inches thereof, for the reception of the plants of the other
two rows, which are to be carefully taken up with as little injury as
possible either to their tops or roots, and planted in those new
trenches, in the same order as they formerly stood. The whole being
thus planted, three rows together, they are to be earthed up near the

NOV.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 581

extremities of their leaves', and as soon as the frost becomes pretty
keen, in a very dry day cover the whole with straw, and over this a
good coat of earth.

When this plan is intended, the celery should in the first instance
be planted in rows, east and west, so that when the whole is covered
for winter use as above, the south side, especially if protected a little
with straw, &c., may be easily opened to take out the plants when
wanted for use.

Or, if you have the convenience of a deep garden frame, you may
almost fill it with fresh sand, and then take up and plant ^herein, so
close as nearly to touch one another, a quantity of your best and
largest celery, and so deep as to be covered within five or six inches
of their tops ; place on your glasses immediately, and suffer neither
rain nor water to reach the plants, except a very gentle shower, oc-
casionally, in warm weather.

When severe frosts set in, lay dung, tan, leaves of trees, or other
litter around the sides and ends of the frame, and cover the glasses
with mats, &c., so as to keep out the frost. By this means you can
have celery during winter in the greatest perfection, and as conve-
nient as you could desire.

Or, celery may now be taken up when dry, well aired, and planted
in sand in a dry cellar, in the same manner as directed for planting
it in the frame ; observing, in either case, to lay up the stalks and
leaves neat and close, and to do as little injury to either as possible;
it does not keep so well, however, as by the above method.

The beds of celery which were planted as directed on page 461,
should, in the early part of this month, be earthed up to within six
or eight inches of the tops of the plants, and on the approach of hard
frost, additionally earthed to the very extremities of their leaves ;
then lay a covering of dry sandy earth on the top of each bed, the
whole length, so as to give it a rounding ; on this, place a coat of
dry straw, drawn and laid on advantageously to cast off the wet, and
of a sufficient thickness to effectually resist the frost ; after which
cut a trench around the bed to carry off and prevent any lodgement
of water. Here you can have access to your celery, and it will con-
tinue in a high state of preservation during the whole winter and
early spring months.

Endive may be preserved in a frame, or cellar, as directed for
celery, or as recommended on page 541.

Cardoons may be preserved either in sand in a cellar, or by bank-
ing up a sufficiency of earth to them where they grow, and covering
the tops, &c. with straw or long litter.

N. B. All the above work must be performed in dry weather, and
when the plants are perfectly free from wet, otherwise they will be
very subject to rot.

SOWING RHUBARB, SEA-KALE, AND OTHER SEEDS.

You should now sow the seeds of rhubarb, sea-kale, skirrets, ale-
sanders, dill, and any other kinds of seed that do not vegetate freely

THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [NOV.

if kept out of the ground till spring ; sow them as directed in March,
and be not under the least apprehension of the frost doing them any
injury.

MUSHROOMS.

The mushroom beds must be carefully protected from wet and
frost, as directed on page 539, &c.

WINTER-DRESSING OP ARTICHOKES.

The winter dressing of artichokes is an important operation, and
on it depends much of their future success. This should not be
given them as long as the weather continues mild, that they may
have all the advantage possible of growth, and be gradually inured
to the present increasing cold ; but it should not be deferred till the
setting in of hard frost, lest the entire work be prevented thereby.

In the first place, cut all the large leaves close to the ground,
leaving but the small ones which rise from the hearts of the plants ;
after this, line and mark out a trench in the middle between each
row, from fourteen to sixteen inches wide, presuming that the rows
are five feet apart, as directed under the article planting artichokes,
on page 212. Then lightly dig the surface of the beds from trench
to trench, burying the weeds, and as you proceed, gather the earth
round the crowns of the plants to the height of about six inches,
placing it in gently between the young rising leaves without burying
them entirely under it ; this done, dig the trenches one spade deep,
and cast the earth thereof equally between and on each side the
plants, so as to level the ridges, giving them at the same time, a
neat rounding form ; finish by casting up with a shovel the loose
earth out of the bottoms of the trenches evenly over the ridges, in
order that the water occasioned by heavy rains, &c., may immedi-
ately run off: on which account the trenches c^ht to have a gentle
declivity, as a lodgement of water about the roots in winter is the
greatest evil and danger they have to encounter ; even greater than
the most severe frost of our climate.

The beds are to remain so until there is an appearance of hard
frost, when they should be covered with light dry litter, straw, leaves
of trees, fern, peas-haulm or the like, the better to preserve the
crowns and roots from its rigor. In this manner the roots will re-
main in perfect safety all winter, and in March they are to have their
spring dressing as directed on page 212.

When your artichoke plantation wants manure, lay on a coat of
old rotten dung previous to the digging of the trenches, and cover
it over with the earth as you throw it up ; in the spring following
dig it in.

FORCING ASPARAGUS.

This is a very proper time to begin to force asparagus in hot-beds ;
for the method see page 128, &c.

You should now, previous to the setting in of hard frost, cover

NOV.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 583

the asparagus beds containing the plants which you intend to force
during the ensuing months, with as much straw, or light litter of
some kind, as will prevent the ground from becoming frozen, so that
you can take up the roots with convenience and without injury when
wanted. This method is preferable to taking them up and deposit-
ing them in a cellar, in sand or earth, which is practised by some
gardeners.

ONIONS.

The young crops of Welsh onion, or Allium fistulosum, should
be kept free from weeds ; some may be thinned out for use in salads,
&c., the remaining plants will stand the winter even if their foliage
decay, and produce a plentiful supply early in spring.

Dried onions should be occasionally examined, and such as show
a tendency to rot carefully picked out.

PATIENCE DOCK.

The Rumex patientia, or patience dock, being a plant that affords
an early spring salad for boiling, and being perennial in root, is de-
serving of a place in the garden. The leaves are very large, long
and succulent, and are produced in great abundance ; the plant may
be propagated by sowing the seed any time this month while the
ground continues open, and the plants will rise freely in spring; or
you may sow the seeds in March or early in April, but those sown
at this time will make stronger and earlier plants ; the seeds may be
sown pretty thick in drills eighteen inches asunder, and covered
about half an inch deep; when the plants are about two inches high,
thin them to the distance of eight inches from one another, and so
let them remain, always keeping them free from weeds. It may
also be propagated by offsets from the root taken off in the spring
or late autumn months, and planted in rows at the above distances,
and by heading it down frequently during summer, as it starts to
seed, you wiU increase the crops of foliage.

DUNG AND TRENCH GROUND.

In the beginning of this month, dung and trench the ground that
is intended for early crops, and lay it up in high narrow sloping
ridges, particularly if it be any way stiff, or of a heavy nature, to re-
ceive the benefit of the winter frosts, &c., which will enrich, mellow,
refresh, and sweeten it ; besides, by getting as much of this work
performed now as can be conveniently done, it will greatly forward
and assist your affairs in spring, when hurried by a pressure of other
business.

Should the frost set in towards the latter end of the month so aa
to bind up the ground, and prevent the operation of trenching, you
may cart or wheel manure into the different quarters where wanted,
which will help to forward your business considerably.

584 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [NOV.

SOUTHERN STATES.

Transplant finally cabbage and cauliflower plants, but where the
winter frosts are rather severe, the latter will want occasional protec-
tion of some sort ; plant early Mazagan, Windsor, and long-pod beans,
and sow a succession crop of early peas ; earth up your advancing
crop of the cabbage tribe, celery, and cardoons, blanch endive, sow
spinage, radish, lettuce, and likewise small salading of every kind on
warm borders; the latter will require the protection of a frame and
glasses in cold or frosty weather.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

PLANTING ESPALIER AND WALL TREES, ETC.

In the early part of this month, plant apple, pear, quince, plum,
cherry, peach, nectarine, almond and apricot -trees, either for espa-
liers against walls, or for half or whole standards ; observing that the
ground in which you plant at this season lies perfectly dry during
winter. (For further particulars, see the Fruit Garden for last
month, page 547, and also page 229.)

GOOSEBERRIES AND CURRANTS.

This is a very suitable and proper season for the planting and
pruning of gooseberries and currants ; but for particulars I refer you
to pages 548 and 549.

Cuttings of either kind may now be planted as directed on page
306, but they must be stout and pretty long, so as to be planted about
ten inches deep, or the frost during winter will be very apt to throw
them out of the ground.

Gooseberry seed may now be sown as directed on page 549, with
a view to obtain new varieties. Currants and raspberries may in
like manner be raised from seed, and improved sorts obtained thereby.

RASPBERRIES.

As long as the weather continues open you may transplant and
make new plantations of raspberries ; but the earlier in the month
that this can be done the better, especially if you have to transplant
the Antwerp varieties. (For further information on the subject of
planting and pruning raspberries, see page 550, &c.)

The red and white Antwerp kinds are excellent fruit, and less
hardy than the other varieties ; consequently, it will be necessary, in
the eastern and middle States, to lay down the young shoots of the
present season immediately previous to the commencement of hard
frost, first cutting off close to the ground the shoots which had borne

NOV.] THE FRUIT GARDEN. 585

fruit the preceding summer. The supernumerary weakly shoots may
also be cut off, and likewise the straggling tops of those you intend
to lay down ; or, they may now have a general and final pruning as
directed on page 146.

This done, dig the earth between the rows, clearing out all useless
suckers and weeds, previously adding some very rotten manure, if
the ground seems to need it; then, being provided with some hooked
wooden pegs and a number of long, small hoop-poles, or the like, lay
down each row of shoots gently on one side, on which lay the hoop-
poles, lengthwise the rows, pegging them down with the hooked
sticks, so as to keep the shoots close to the earth ; after which cover
all over with light litter, straw, hay, barley chaff, fern, leaves of trees,
or any other light covering that will protect the plants from the
effects of the various changes of the weather, which, and not the
frost only, are the causes of their destruction. Here they will re-
main in safe and good condition till the beginning of March, when
the litter is to be taken off, the plants raised up, and the ground
receive its spring dressing.

Some lay the shoots into, and cover them with the earth ; but
although this has a clean appearance, and sometimes will answer very
well, the buds will be more liable to receive injury in this way than
when covered with light litter as above.

FIG-TREES.

The more tender kinds of fig-trees which are planted against walls
or board fences, should now be gone over, and all fruit found there-
on, whether ripe or unripe, picked off; for these would rot in winter,
and injure the young branches intended for next year's bearing.

At the same time nail up close to the wall or fence, all the princi-
pal shoots, the better to secure them from the frost and power of the
wind ; and if bass mats are likewise nailed up so as to cover the
trees, an important protection will be afforded thereby to the young
shoots. As to pruning, that should not be done either in the middle
or eastern States till March. * (See page 225.)

Fig-trees, growing in the espalier way, may also be protected from
frost by laying bass-mats over them and making them fast, or by
laying boughs of pine or cedar up to them. It would also be pro-
per, in a severe season, to lay some long litter around the roots of the
trees.

PRUNING OF FRUIT-TREES.

Having in the Fruit Garden for October expressed my opinion
respecting the pruning of fruit-trees at this season, it is unnecessary
to repeat it in this place. (See page 547.)

586 - THE ORCHARD. — THE VINEYARD. [NOV.

THE ORCHARD.

PLANTING, ETC.

This being an eligible period for the planting of orchards on dry
ground, and indeed they never should be planted on a cold, wet, or
swampy soil, I refer you to the article Orchard in March, where
you will find ample instructions respecting the extent, aspect, situa-
tion and soil, the preparation of the ground, the choice of trees and
method of planting, &c., all of which are equally applicable in this
month as in that, and a reference thereto will, at present, supersede
the necessity of a repetition.

Apples, pears, quinces, plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apri-
cots, and almonds may now be planted ; also, walnuts, chestnuts, fil-
berts, persimmons, berberries, medlars, and every other kind of hardy
fruit-trees, agreeably to the directions given in March.

PRUNING.

As you may now commence the pruning of apple and pear-trees,
&c., I would strongly recommend to your perusal at this time, the
entire of the article Orchard in January, beginning at page 56, and
also the same article in February, page 149, &c.

Old fruit-trees having scaly, rough bark, should in this month, if
not done in the former, be brushed over with a mixture of cow-dung
and urine, as directed on page 553.

THE VINEYARD.

PRUNING OP VINES.

The pruning of grape-vines at this season, will answer extremely
well in the southern States, and ought to be duly attended to ; but
the severity of the frosts in the middle and eastern States, renders
it more prudent to defer this work to the latter end of February, or
if the season proves late, the first week in March ; but upon no ac-
count should you delay it longer : indeed, upon the whole, the late
February pruning will be the safest. In the city and neighborhood
of Philadelphia, vines that were pruned on the first and second days
of March, 1805, wept copiously a few days after, but some cold
weather ensuing, they stopped bleeding ; this shows the necessity of
pruning in February, especially in warm situations or exposures.

Those who prefer pruning their vines at this time, as well as those
who from the temperateness of their climate ought to do it, will find
the necessary instructions on page 155, &c.

NOV.] THE NURSERY. 581

WINTER DRESSING OF VINES.

You should now plough between the rows of vines in your vine-
yard where practicable, having first tied up all the trailing runners
to the stakes ; observing to lay up the earth as much as possible to
the stems of the vines : to effect this the better, the ground must be
cross-ploughed. The one and two year old plants will particularly
require this earthing ; and after the ploughing is finished, the earth
should be drawn up around them with a hoe, the better to preserve
the lower parts of the stems with the buds from alternate freezing
and thawing, which is much more injurious to them than a continued
frost. In this state they are to remain till the proper time for
pruning in spring, when the earth is to be drawn from around them,
and the plants dressed as directed on page 156.

"When the ground does not admit of this culture with the plough,
it should be given with the spade and hoe, as it is of considerable
importance, not only to protect the plants, but to destroy weeds, and
ameliorate the soil, by throwing it up loosely to the influence of the
frost and weather. A dressing of manure, where wanted, should be
given previous to the ploughing, &c.

This is a very proper period to manure, trench, or plough the
ground which you intend to plant with grape-vines next spring, as
observed on page 253, leaving it as rough and high as possible.

In the southern States, vineyards may now be planted, vines
pruned and propagated by layers and cuttings, and everything also
done in that way, as directed in March for the middle and eastern
States.

THE NURSERY.

TRANSPLANTING.

All the principal nursery transplanting should be finished as early
in this month as possible, in order that the plants may have time
to push out new fibres before the frosts set in ; for when planted at
a late period, they seldom put out fibres before spring, and have to
live principally on their own substance during winter, which greatly
weakens them. However, where that cannot be conveniently done,
and that necessity requires it, you may continue to transplant all
kinds of hardy trees and shrubs while the ground continues open.

PROTECTING SEEDLINGS AND TENDER PLANTS.

In the early part of the month you should sift some dry, fresh
earth over the seedling pines, arising from the seed sown last spring,
so as to nearly reach the foliage, in order to protect their yet tender
stems from the inclemency of the approaching season ; and imme-

588 THE NURSERY. [NOV.

diately on the setting in of hard frost, spread some dry straw, fern,
leaves of trees, or other light covering, thinly over the beds, to afford
additional protection, and in some measure to prevent the frost from
entering the ground as deep as it otherwise might; for, without the
above care, many of the plants would be spewed up by the frost, and
most of them be destroyed by the dry parching winds of the ensuing
spring. Observe that the covering must be light, or that it be sup-
ported above the plants by some means, or a serious injury may
accrue by its rotting the foliage, &c. The branches of common
cedar are good for this purpose.

The top covering is not necessary except when the winter frosts
are severe : but sifting earth between and among the plants, so as
nearly to come up to the leaves, will be of use in every climate and
country ; and not only to pine and fir seedlings, but to every other
sort that are subject from their diminutive first year's growth to be
thrown out- of the earth by frost, or injured by drought.

Any kind of seedlings that are rather tender should have hoop
arches made over the beds, and on the approach of severe frosts,
thick mats, &c. laid on these for the protection of the plants.

All hardy plants in pots should now be removed to where they
can have sufficient protection in severe weather ; for if left fully ex-
posed to the frost, the plants will not only be injured, but the pots
burst by the expansion of the earth and water.

Pots containing tolerably large and hardy exotic plants may be
plunged to their rims in a warm border, and covered six or eight
inches deep over their edges with tanners' bark, leaves of trees,
long litter, &c., which will considerably preserve the roots of the
plants. But the. more curious kinds of hardy evergreens and other
plants in pots should now be removed into the green-house, or into
garden-frames with glasses and other covering, the more effectually
to protect them.

DIGGING BETWEEN THE NURSERY ROWS.

You should now continue to dig the ground between all such trees
and shrubs as are to remain another year in the nursery rows ; this
will destroy the weeds, improve the plants, and add neatness to the
whole during winter and spring.

ETC.

Stake and tie up all new planted trees that are in open exposures,
in order to prevent their being rocked about by the winds, than
which there is nothing more injurious to them.

Lay light litter of some kind, a good thickness, over the roots of
the more tender and choice kinds of trees and shrubs, to protect
them from frost; this will be of considerable service, and encourage
them to shoot vigorously in spring.

NOV.] THE PLEASURE, OE FLOWER GARDEN. 589

PRUNING TREES AND SHRUBS.

You may now reduce to proper form any hardy forest or orna-
mental trees, flowering shrubs, &c., cutting out any disorderly or
straggling branches, and trimming up the stems of such as require
it. But the more tender sorts should not be pruned till spring.

PREPARATIONS FOR MAKING NEW PLANTATIONS.

Continue to dig and trench the ground, or to plough it extremely
deep, where you intend making new plantations in spring, by which
it will be greatly improved, and your business thus forwarded.

Where dung is wanted, it should be given previous to the digging,
&c., and advantage ought to be taken of dry weather to carry it in
and spread it on the ground. It will be much better to give it at
this season than immediately before planting, as it will have more
time to incorporate with the earth, and to be deprived of its rancid
qualities.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

PROTECTING TULIP, HYACINTH, ANEMONE, AND RANUNCULUS
ROOTS.

As it is not unfrequent in the eastern and middle States for hard
frost to set in towards the latter end of this month, you should pre-
vious thereto, lay a good lining of fresh tanners' bark, horse-dung,
leaves of trees, or dry straw, around the outsides of the beds contain-
ing your choice hyacinths, anemones and ranunculuses; this should
be quite as high as the upper parts of the surrounding frames, and
of a sufficient body to keep the frost effectually from penetrating in
at the sides, &c. Tulips will only require to lay a light covering of
any kind over and around the beds, such as straw, fern, leaves, &c.,
for although the frost will not kill the roots, yet by slightly protect-
ing them therefrom the flowers will blow much stronger and more
perfect, than they otherwise would.

Hyacinths, though very hardy, will also be greatly improved in
their flowers by protecting the bulbs in winter from severe frosts,
which may be effected by laying boards and mats over the frames in
which the finest sorts are planted; but these should be taken off every
mild day, or when the sun is so powerful as to prevent an accumu-
lation of frost in the beds. The less valuable and common sorts may
be protected as directed for tulips ; any kind of light covering will
be of use, and indeed they often flower very well without it.

Two inches deep of one or two years old tanners' bark, if laid over
your beds of tulips, hyacinths, polyanthus-narcissuses, &c., in the
open ground, will afford the roots considerable protection; but be

590 THE PLEASURE, OB [NOV.

cautious not to use for this purpose new or fresh tan from the vats, as
the astringent juice thereof would work down to the roots, and do
them much more injury than the entire omission of covering, or of
affording them any manner of protection.

Ranunculuses and anemones being much more tender than tulips
or hyacinths, will require in severe frostj a good effectual covering of
glasses, mats, and boards ; or in default of glasses, mats and boards
only, or any other suitable protection. This covering is to be sup-
ported by the frames surrounding the beds wherein the roots are
planted, and it must be taken off every mild day, while there is no
danger of the beds accumulating frost, in order to ventilate and suffi-
ciently air the plants that are up, so that they may neither be drawn
too much, the foliage turn yellow, nor the roots become mouldy.
But particular care must be taken to place the covering on again, as
soon as the day becomes cold and before the beds begin to freeze.
The ranunculuses are somewhat more tender than the anemones, and
will require a proportional protection.

PLANTING VARIOUS KINDS OP BULBOUS AND TUBEROUS FLOWER-
ROOTS.

You may still continue to plant the various kinds of bulbous and
tuberous flower-roots, as directed on page 566, but the earlier in the
month that you can get this accomplished the better.

TRANSPLANTING PERENNIAL AND BIENNIAL FLOWER-ROOTS.

Where omitted in the preceding months, you should as early in
this as possible divide (where necessary) and transplant the various
kinds of hardy perennial and biennial fibrous-rooted plants, agreeably
to the directions given on pages 523 and 567.

AURICULAS, POLYANTHUSES, CARNATIONS, PRIMROSES, ETC.

The pots containing your choice auriculas, polyanthuses, carnations
and double primroses should, immediately previous to the setting in
of hard frost, be plunged to their rims close together in a garden
frame, and there defended from heavy rains and severe frost by put-
ting on the glasses and a suitable covering of mats, &c., occasionally,
according to the necessity of the case. But observe, that as all these
kinds are of a hardy nature, they must be fully exposed to the weather
every day that is tolerably mild and dry, and even at night until the
frost becomes rather rigorous. However, it will be proper to line
the outside of the frame, as directed on page 589, for ranunculuses
and anemones, the better to keep out the most severe frosts of the
winter ; for when properly protected, and not drawn or forced too
much, they always flower better than when cut up by severe weather.

Where there is not the convenience of glasses, mats and boards
may be laid over the frame ; or, if no frame, the pots may be plunged
close together in a raised bed of dry soil or tan in a warm situation,
and low arches made of old cask hoops, or the like, erected over

FLOWER GARDEN. 591

them, on which to lay thick mats in wet or frosty weather. But in
February, and early in March, while the frost is in the ground, or
the leaves in a frozen state, and especially if they had been covered
with snow, you must be particular not to expose them to a hot sun,
which would be almost certain death to them.

DOUBLE DAISIES.

The beds wherein were planted your double daisies, &c., as directed
in October, page 568, should towards the latter end of this month,
or when the frost is likely to become severe, be protected occasionally
therefrom by a covering of mats, or when very severe, boards and
mats, but let them have the benefit of the air as long and as often as
the weather is mild ; observing always to defend them from heavy
rains and snow, either of which would have a tendency to rot and
melt them away.

Daisies will survive the winter in a warm border, covered with a
light coat of clean straw, which should be taken off and laid on occa-
sionally in mild weather to air and harden the plants ; but these
will not blow as well nor as early in spring as those taken better
care of.

The daisies which were potted in September or October with a view
to force them in winter, should be particularly attended to during
the whole of this month, in order to strengthen and encourage their
growth. But if the potting of them were omitted, it should be done
in the beginning of this month ; selecting for that purpose the largest
and best plants, and carefully removing them with good balls of earth
round their roots.

PROTECTING SEEDLING BULBS.

You should now plunge the pots or boxes in which you sowed the
seeds of bulbous-rooted flowering plants, and also those containing
the one or two year old seedling bulbs, up to their rims or edges in
a raised bank of light, dry earth, or you may set them on the bank
and fill the spaces between them with tanner's bark, or leaves of
trees well crammed in ; then on the approach of severe frosts cover
them all over with dry straw or peas-haulm, which is to be taken off
occasionally in mild dry weather, and aired, in order to prevent its
getting mouldy, and communicating the disorder to the seeds or roots.

STOCKGILLY-FLOWERS AND WALL-FLOWERS.

Your double stockgilly-flowers and wall-flowers in pots should now
be either taken into the green-house or warm close rooms, or plunged
to their rims in a dry, warm exposure, surrounded with a deep garden
frame, where they may be protected during winter. These plants
being tolerably hardy, will keep well by a very slight protection of
boards and mats, or boards covered with straw or other litter when
the frost is severe: they will seldom be injured before February, but
a warm sun about the end of that month, if suffered to shine on

592 THE PLEASURE, OR [NOV.

them whilst the leaves or stems are in a frozen state, would totally
destroy them.

It would be of additional advantage to lay three or four inches of
old tanners' bark over the surface of the pots, the better to preserve
the roots from the frost. The plants must be aired occasionally in
mild weather, for if kept too closely covered they would become
blanched, weak and tender, and lose their robust growth, so necessary
to a good bloom of flowers.

PLANTING BULBOUS ROOTS IN POTS AND GLASSES.

You may continue to plant the various kinds of early flowering
bulbs in pots, as directed on page 566, but the earlier in the month
that this is done the sooner you may expect them to flower. The
pots are then to be placed either in a warm room, where there is
plenty of light, or in garden frames, and treated as directed last
month. Some of them may be immediately placed in the hot-house,
or in a forcing frame, to be forced into an early bloom for the decora-
tion of rooms, windows, &c., and others placed in the green-house for
a succession.

The early part of this month is still a very proper time to set the
bulbs of early tulips, hyacinths, polyanthus-narcissuses, jonquils,
dwarf Persian iris, &c., in bulb-glasses filled with water, which should
never be suffered to come higher around the roots than about the
eighth of an inch, replenishing the water occasionally as it evapo-
rates, so that it may just touch the bottom of the bulbs. Some of
the glasses may be immediately placed in the hot-house for an early
bloom, the others to be treated as directed on page 568.

TAKING UP AND PRESERVING THE ROOTS OP TUBEROSES, AND
SCARLET AMARYLLISES, ETC.

As soon in this month as you observe the frost to injure the foliage
of your tuberoses and jacobsea lilies or scarlet amaryllises and other
very tender bulbs, which generally lie dormant in winter, take up the
roots and spread them in a warm room, where they will be perfectly
secure from frost — if in a stove-room the better ; in the course of eight
or ten days, divest them of the decayed foliage and root fibres, and
continue them spread as before till well dried, always taking care to
preserve them from frost ; when sufficiently dry pack them up in
small boxes, in very dry sawdust, chaff, dry moss, or the like, and
then place the boxes in some very warm room to remain during
winter, where they can be effectually secure from frost, the least
touch of which would totally destroy the roots.

DRESSING THE BEDS AND BORDERS, ETC.

The beds of young succession or other flower-bulbs which were not
disturbed in the present year, should now be carefully weeded, raked
over, and if any moss appears thereon, it ought to be picked off;
after which lay an inch or two, as may be deemed necessary, of good

NOV.] FLOWER GARDEN. 593

light compost all over the beds — this will assist in defending the roots
from frost, and add much to their health and vigor in the ensuing
spring.

Clear the beds, borders, and other compartments from fallen leaves
of trees, and the dead stalks of annual and other plants ; pulling up
the annuals by the roots, as they never flower again, and cutting
down the decayed perennials to the ground. After this, hoe and
clear the ground from all manner of weeds, and where there are no
bulbs planted, slightly dig the ground without injuring any plants
growing therein, and rake the surface smooth and even. This will
prepare the borders, &c., for the reception of other plants, and give
a neat and becoming appearance to the whole during winter.

Dig and neatly rake all the shrubbery compartments, especially
those contiguous to the principal walks, excepting such as are laid
down with grass, or wilderness plantations — this will destroy weeds,
enliven the prospect, and encourage the growth of the shrubs.

PLANTING FOREST-TREES AND ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS.

All kinds of hardy trees and shrubs, especially the deciduous
sorts, may be planted in dry soil any time this month while the
weather continues mild, but the earlier in it that this is done the
better. For an account of the sorts, see page 314; for designs in
ornamental planting, see page 74, &o., and for the method of plant-
ing, see page 314, &c.

TRANSPLANTING LARGE TREES, ETC.

It frequently happens that people are desirous of removing large
favorite trees or shrubs from one place to another, and as this is the
best time to prepare for that business, I refer you for the necessary
information to page 241, &c.

PRUNE FLOWERING- SHRUBS, ETC.

You may now prune and reduce into due form any hardy flower-
ing-shrubs and forest-trees, whether evergreen or deciduous ; but the
more tender sorts ought not to be pruned till spring. For the method
of doing which, see page 172.

PLANTING AND PLASHING HEDGES.

Ground hedges of hawthorn, beech, hornbean, honey-locust, or any
other hardy kinds of deciduous plants, may be made any time in this
month while the weather continues open. For ample instructions on
this subject, see page 270, &c.

Old hedges which are overgrown and thin, may now be plashed or
cut down, as directed on page 279.

38

594 THE GREEN-HOUSE. [NOV.

ORDINARY WORK.

Rake and carry away out of the walks, borders, and lawns, the
fallen leaves of trees and other rubbish ; stake and tie up any large
new planted trees, to prevent their being rocked about by the wind,
and lay mulch, long litter, or leaves, around the roots of such as are
rather tender, to protect them from frost.

Place small stakes and bass-mats, or evergreen branches, bound
around such plants of the hydrangea hortensis, prunus lauro-cerasus,
China and Otaheite roses, &c., as you have planted out in warm,
well-sheltered borders. Many plants that are commonly kept in
green-houses would abide during winter in the open ground if thus
protected ; but this should not be done till the keen frosts are just
commencing.

Dress gravel-walks, and mow grass-walks and lawns, after which
roll them with a heavy roller, which will render the surface firm,
smooth, and neat during winter. Observe to do this work in dry
open weather. Some people break up their gravel walks at this
season, and throw them in ridges to lie so all winter, under an idea
of destroying weeds, &c. ; but as this renders walks unserviceable at
a time when a foot can scarcely be set with pleasure on any other
part of the ground, and that a turning in spring would answer the
end proposed, this practice ought to be abandoned.

Lay roses and other shrubs for propagation, and in the early part
of the month take off well rooted layers, and dig up suckers of de-
sirable kinds, which plant immediately where wanted, or into nur-
sery-rows, to obtain age and strength.

Turn your compost heaps of every kind and spread them so thin
that the frosts may penetrate to the very bottoms of them ; let the
lumps be well broken, and all parts properly mixed.

Provide materials and make new composts, agreeably to the direc-
tions given in the preceding part of this work, in order to have them
ready for use in the ensuing year ; for the longer they are in a state
of preparation, and the more effectually incorporated, the better will
all sorts thrive which may be planted therein.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

In the beginning of this month all the hardy exotic plants which
have been permitted to remain abroad till this time, but which re-
quire protection in winter, should be removed into the green-house,
or into the other places destined for their preservation. In the
middle States, the viburnum tinus, hydrangea hortensis, prunus
lauro-cerasus, magnolia grandiflora, China and Otaheite roses, lager-
stroemia indica, daphne odora, aucuba japonica, double flowering
pomegranate, double stocks and wall-flowers, cyclamen, belladonna
and Guernsey lilies, with several other shrubby and herbaceous

NOV.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 595

kinds, will seldom suffer by being left out before the middle of this
month ; but leaving them much longer unprotected would be impru-
dent, unless your stock is so numerous that you wish to try experi-
ments on their hardness.

In mild weather your green-house plants should have plenty of
free air admitted to them every day, by opening the glasses, &c.,
always observing to close the house in due time in the afternoon,
and in wet or frosty weather; even in very severe weather, you may
happen to find an hour or two in the middle of the day in which to
slide down the upper lights, to admit fresh air and suffer the foul to
pass out ; this may be often done when it would be quite imprudent
to raise the lower sashes. But if a very rigorous frost should set in
towards the latter end of the month, it may be necessary to make a
fire in the evening, to prevent its penetrating into the house ; how-
ever, this should not be resorted to while you can keep out the frost
by means of good shutters, or by fastening mats in front of the
windows at night; for too much heat at any time, but particularly
in the early part of the season, is of serious injury to the green-
house plants, which require nothing more than merely to be kept
from frost.

Occasional, but gentle waterings, must now be given to all the
plants ; some will require to be watered three times a week, while
others, particularly the succulent kinds, will not need it more than
a little once a week ; but as the state of the weather sometimes
makes a very material difference in this, there is no saying how
often, or how much at a time, ought to be administered ; however, it
will be safer to give a little and often, than too much at a time,
which should now be administered in the forenoon of fine days, that
the damp may pass off before the windows are shut, lest the steam
occasioned thereby might create a mouldiness, and injure the plants.

Pick off all decayed leaves from the plants, and throw them out
of the house ; for if they are suffered to remain in it, they will rot
and infect the air, which foul effluvia being imbibed by the plants,
will infect them also, and bring on disease and vermin.

Examine the tubs and pots occasionally, and if the earth cakes or
binds at top, loosen it to a moderate depth; and where decayed
branches or shoots occur, prune them off as soon as observed, and
cast them out of the house.

The myrtles and other plants which are in frames, or pits, must
now be duly attended to, in like manner as those in the green-house.
The frames or pits, to the full height of the glasses, must be lined
around with horse-dung, leaves, straw, fern, or the like, to keep the
frost from penetrating in at the sides and ends ; the plants must have
plenty of fresh air at all favorable opportunities, and be effectually
protected at night and in frosty weather, by laying a sufficient cover-
ing of mats, straw, boards, &c., over the glasses, observing not to
deprive them of the benefit of light but while absolute necessity re-
quires it.

596 THE HOT-HOUSE. [NOV.

PRESERVING TENDER BULBS, ETC.

As some persons who have not the convenience of a hot-house,
may be desirous of having some tender exotic bulbous and tuberous-
rooted plants, such as crinums, pancratiums, arums, amomum, zinzi-
ber, or true ginger, &c., these and such like roots may, in the be-
ginning of this month, be taken up and carefully dried as you do
tuberoses, and then packed up in very dry sand, or in extremely dry
moss, observing to keep them during winter completely out of the
reach of frost or moisture. About the beginning or middle of April,
you may plant them in pots, which should be plunged in a temperate
hot-bed, and give the roots but very little water till they produce
foliage, and are growing freely : towards the latter end of May the
pots may be placed in the open air, to remain till the latter end of
September, when they should be taken in, and placed in the green-
house, or in the windows of some warm room till this time ; then to
be treated as above. Or, you may keep up the roots till the middle
of May, and then plant them even in the open ground ; after which
they will grow considerably before autumn, but not flower quite as
strong as if properly kept in a hot-house.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

It is to be presumed that your tan-pits have been renewed, and all
your pots containing pine and other tender plants, duly arranged in
the course of the last and preceding month, as then directed ; but
should it happen by any disappointment, that this could not have
been effected, it ought on no account to be omitted in the first week
of this month.

As the cold weather advances the fires in the stove should be in-
creased proportionably, being careful not to overheat the air, lest
thereby the plants shoot too freely, which would be a serious injury
to them at this season, by rendering them more tender, and conse-
quently less able to endure the vicissitudes of the ensuing winter ;
besides, the most forward of the pine plants might start to fruit,
which would ruin all your expectations ; nor should the air be kept
too cold — that is, the spirits in the thermometer of Fahrenheit suf-
fered to get lower in the night than 52 or 54 degrees, and in the day
than 65° or 70°, lest the pines become stunted, and many of the
curious exotics lose their leaves, and perhaps their extreme parts de-
cay for want of that degree of heat so necessary and so congenial to
their constitutions.

Give water occasionally to such plants as want it, in moderate pro-
portions, and not too much at a time, for they cannot now discharge
it so freely as in summer ; observing that it stands at least twenty-
four hours in the stove before you use it, to acquire the same degree
of heat as the air of the house.

NOV.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 597

Fresh air must be admitted into the house every mild and warm
day while the weather continues open, but especially when the ther-
mometer is above 70° ; you must be attentive, however, to close the
house immediately on any sudden unfavorable change of weather,
and always sufficiently early in the afternoon to retain a considerable
warmth in the house during the night, which will, sometimes, in the
early part of the month, supersede the necessity of fire, or at least
of but very little.

The art of managing tender exotic plants consists principally in
keeping the air of the stove or hot-house in a proper and regular
temperature of heat, in duly proportioning the quantity of water to
the different natures and necessities of the various kinds of pjants,
in judiciously admitting a sufficiency of air at suitable opportunities,
and in keeping the bark-pits, when they are used, in a proper state
of fermentation ; all which must be duly attended to, or the desired
success cannot be expected.

Pick off constantly all the decayed leaves from the plants, and
throw them out of the house ; clean their leaves and stems from
filth, which many kinds are subject to contract; wash off and destroy
all insects which infest any of them, frequently stir the surface earth
in the pots to keep it from contracting moss, &c., and keep all the
house clean, sweet, and in neat order.

CARE OF YOUNG SUCCESSION PINES AND OTHER PLANTS.

The young pines or other plants in succession houses must have
the same care as above ; and those in bark beds, under garden frames,
are to be diligently attended to ; the outside lining must be kept to
the full height of the frame all around, and in a regular and con-
stant state of warmth ; the glasses must be carefully and sufficiently
covered every night, and by day in a very severe frost, but the plants
should have as much light as possible, and air whenever it can be
given with safety : decayed leaves must constantly be picked off and
taken out of the frame, but watering will seldom be necessary at
this season, as the steam arising from the bed will occasion a moist
atmosphere about the plants. Observe that the more succulent kinds
will not keep as well in such a place as in a dry stove, or on shelves
in the hot-house.

The garden pits erected with brick and furnished with flues, in
which you have tender exotic plants, must also have a lining of hot
dung placed around them to their full height, in order to prevent
the frost from penetrating in through the wall ; moderate fires must
be made in the flues every evening, and in severe weather, to keep
up the internal heat when that of the pit is found not to be suffi-
ciently strong: the glasses must be "well covered with mats, &c.,
every night, and even by day when the weather is cloudy and the
frost very severe.

598

THE HOT-HOUSE.

[Nov.

VINE BORDERS HEATED ARTIFICIALLY.

It may be as well here to mention the following method, lately in-
troduced, of the artificial mode employed for heating vine borders.
It is described by A. L. Gower, Esq., in the Horticultural Society's
Journal. t( The bottom of the border," he says, " is gently sloped
from the houses to the extreme edge, where is built a box drain ex-
tending the whole length of the border, as shown in the accompany-
ing section, marked 1 ; this drain is one foot square, the top of it
being level with the bottom of the border, as also shown.

"Ground Plan of Houses, showing Cross -Walls beneath the Vine
Borders. Section. — When this was completed, dwarf walls, marked
3, were built across the border, three and a half feet apart, in the
pigeon-hole manner; on the top of these walls are laid rough flags ;
these, in reality, form the bottom of the border, and upon these is
placed about six inches of broken stones and bricks, marked 4 ; then
covered with turf, with the grassy side down, to prevent the soil from
mixing with the stones. There are flues or chimneys at each end of
the border and centre communicating with the drains in the bottom,
as shown in the section, marked 2. The top of these flues is nicely
made of stone ten inches square, through which is cut a hole of six

Fig. 60.

inches square, into which is inserted a plug of a wedge-like form, so
as to fit tightly, but removable at pleasure ; these flues are about an
inch above ground. At the back of the border are placed cast-iron
pipes (marked 5) perpendicularly, and also communicating with the
drains underneath ; these being higher than the flues in front, cause

DEC.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 599

a motion in the air beneath the border. After a long continuance of
rain, the plugs in the flues in front are taken out, thereby creating a
great circulation of air, and thus, to a vast extent, accelerating the
proper drying of the borders, which is deemed of much importance.
In the winter season, the borders are covered with leaves and stable
manure, to the depth of twelve inches. It is obvious that the whole
aim of the constructor of this border was to do that which experi-
ence shows to be so very important. He not only got rid of super-
fluous water, but he introduced air in abundance, and, at the same
time, the natural warmth which it carries with it. The result was,
Black Hamburg Grapes, weighing from two pounds nine ounces to
five pounds a bunch — beautiful fruit, of admirable quality, on vines
just seven years old.

The experiments with concreting vine border were all made with
the same end in view — the elevation of the temperature of the soil
in which vine roots are formed ; this is found to be of great import-
ance.

DECEMBEK.

WORK TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN.

This is very frequently one of the most severe of our winter
months, and every judicious gardener will be well provided against
its rigor by having all his frames lined around as directed in Novem-
ber, and being well supplied with the necessary mats and other cover-
ing. If this provision be neglected, he may be taken, as it were, by
surprise, and in one or two nights lose a great number of valuable
plants.

Should the weather prove mild, and the ground continue open in
the beginning of the month, which seldom happens in the middle or
eastern States, you may complete any work recommended to be done
in November, and then unavoidably omitted ; such as dressing aspa-
ragus and artichoke beds, taking up and putting into a state of pre-
servation, cabbages, turnips, parsneps, carrots, beets, celery, endive,
cardoons, salsafy, scorzonera, &c. But the many chances that are
against your being able to accomplish this work in December, ought
to induce you to double your diligence in November, and complete
everything in due season.

CAULIFLOWEE AND CABBAGE PLANTS.

Every mild day observe to uncover your cauliflower plants which
are under frames and glasses, that they may enjoy the free air, other-
wise they will draw up and become weak : constantly pick off all de-
cayed leaves, which, if suffered to remain on, would be very injurious

600 THE KITCHEN GARDEN. [DEC.

to the plants, especially if it should happen, as it frequently does in
this month, that the weather should be so severe as to render it im-
prudent to uncover the beds for several days successively; for when
these decayed leaves rot, they emit a rancid vapor, which, mixing
with the confined air of the beds, renders it very unwholesome for
the plants.

When it is not safe to take off the lights entirely, in the middle
of the day, let them be raised upon props two or three inches at the
back of the frames, to let in fresh air to the plants.

The glasses must be covered every night with mats, straw, fern,
or some other long dry litter, and even in the day-time when the
frost is very rigorous ; but no opportunity ought to be missed to ad-
mit light to the plants, and to give them air when it can be done
with safety. The frame containing them must be carefully lined all
around the outside, as directed in November, to prevent the frost
from penetrating in at the sides and ends thereof.

Some will consider this rather troublesome, but it will be found
much less so than to sow the seed in January or February, and
nurse, and once or twice transplant the young seedlings during the
remainder of the winter and spring ; besides, the autumn sown plants
when taken proper care of, will produce much larger and better
heads than those sown in winter or spring, and be earlier and more
certain.

The early York, sugar-loaf, and other tender kinds of cabbage
plants, require exactly the same treatment as the cauliflower, but
being more hardy less covering will be necessary, and more air may
with safety be admitted. There is nothing more injurious to either,
than to be kept too closely covered ; therefore no opportunity, if but
for half an hour at a time, ought to be omitted to admit light and air,
when it can be done with any tolerable degree of safety.

The Savoy, flat Dutch, drum-head, and other late kinds, will keep
when planted in warm borders with very little protection ; arches
made of old hoops, &c., should be erected over them on which to
lay mats, straw, branches of evergreen trees, or shrubs, &c. (For
further particulars, see page 536.)

CARE OF LETTUCE PLANTS.

The care of lettuce plants being the same now as in the ensuing
month, I refer you for the necessary instructions to page 26, and also
to page 534, &c.

SMALL SALADING.

Where small salading, such as cresses, rape, mustard, lettuce,
radish, &c., is required at this season, these seeds must be sown in a
hot-bed, protected with a good frame and glasses, and also sufficient
covering of mats, &c., or in the green-house; but care must be taken
not to cover the seeds deeper with earth than what is barely suffi-
cient to hide them.

Keep the glasses constantly over them, and admit air to the plants

DEC.] THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 601

every day when the weather is mild, by raising the lights a little
behind, otherwise they will be apt to become mouldy and decay. It
is almost unnecessary to say that the glasses must be kept well
covered every night, and even in the day-time during extremely
severe weather. ''•;*>

MUSHROOMS.

Particular care must now be taken to preserve fche mushroom beds
out of doors from frost or wet, either of which would destroy the
spawn, and render the beds unproductive. They must consequently
be covered with a sufficient depth of dry straw, and over this mats :
after heavy rains or snow they should be examined, and if you find
the covering next the earth of the beds wet, take it totally away and
immediately replace it with dsy straw. Where the necessary and
proper care is taken, there will be a constant supply of mushrooms
for the table even in the most rigorous seasons. Observe the gene-
ral directions given on page 539, &c. This necessity for covering
and continual renewal shows the advantage of having the beds
inside. Where there is not a suitable house erected for the purpose,
the winter beds may be made in the sheds where the heating appa-
ratus is. *

FORCING ASPARAGUS.

Hot-beds may now be made for forcing asparagus, to supply the
table about the latter end of January; for at this season it will be
full six weeks from the time of making the beds before the aspa-
ragus will be fit to cut, presuming the beds to be kept of a due
temperature of heat. (For the method of making and managing
them, see page 128, &c.)

ORDINARY WORK.

If the weather continues open, carry dung into the quarters of the
kitchen garden, spread it, and trench the ground, laying it in high
sloping ridges to be mellowed by the frost, &c.

When the ground is frozen that it cannot be dug, cart or carry in
manure, and lay it down in convenient places, to have it at hand when
the frost goes off ; repair the fences of the garden where necessary ;
if you have any seeds remaining in their pods or capsules, beat or
rub out and clean them, so as to be ready for sowing when wanted ;
prepare all tools which may be necessary in spring, that there may
be no delay when the season is favorable for commencing your early
cropping.

Provide from the woods, &c., pea sticks and bean poles of every
size ; dress and point them, that they may be in complete readiness
when wanted ; collect all your old sticks and poles which are yet fit
for use, and lay them with the new ones under the protection of some
shed, to prevent their rotting by wet, &c.

602 THE FRUIT GARDEN. [DEC.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In such of the southern States as have but very slight frosts in
winter, you may, in addition to other necessary work, sow on warm
borders- for early crops, small quantities of carrots, parsneps, onions,
beets, radish, lettuce, spinage and parsley. &c. j earth up late celery
and cardoons, tie up endive for blanching, and plant out in rows up
to their heads such of the cabbage tribe as are intended for seed, cover-
ing their heads wifh straw if found necessary, to preserve them from
frost or wet. Tak6 care to set each kind apart by itself, and at a
considerable distance from any other, for if contiguous, the farina of
the one when in blossom would impregnate the seeds in the ovaries
of the other, whereby the whole would become bastardized, and you
would have neither kind in its original purity.

Plant early Mazagan, Lisbon, long-pod, and Windsor beans, and
sow early-frame, Sangster's early, and Charleton peas ; earth up the
crops of peas and beans which were sowed in the preceding months,
as they advance in growth, and if there is any danger to be appre-
hended from frost, cover them at night and in severe weather with
long dry straw, which can be conveniently removed when a favorable
change takes place, and laid on again when found necessary.

Plant out garlic, rocambole, and shallots, likewise large onions, for
seed, and sow as directed in March, the seeds of rhubarb, sea-kale,
skerrets, alesanders, dill, and such other kinds of seeds as do not
vegetate freely when kept out of the ground till spring.

THE FRUIT GARDEN.

IMPROVING THE BORDERS, ETC.

You may now carry well-rotted old dung, rich earth, or compost,
and spread it on the borders in which are planted wall or espalier
trees — this will protect the roots during winter ; in spring, when dug
in, it will add new vigor to the trees, and the advantage will be very
evident in the ensuing crops. Standard fruit-trees of every kind
will be greatly improved by similar treatment, especially if the
ground is become poor, or any way exhausted.

PROTECTING THE ROOTS OF NEW-PLANTED TREES.

In the early part of this month, if omitted in November, you
should lay wispy dung, straw, or long litter of some kind over the
roots of those trees which were planted last spring or in the preceding
months, to prevent the frost from having too great an effect on their
young and yet tender fibres j this in very rigorous seasons often does
considerable injury to young trees, and sometimes lays the founda-
tion of diseases which ultimately destroy them.

DEC.] THE FRUIT GARDEN, 603

Figs in particular will require this attention, and besides, the tops
and stems of the tender kinds should be covered with mats, or other
suitable protection where the frosts are extremely severe.

PRUNING APPLES AND PEARS ON ESPALIERS, ETC.

Apples and pears being perfectly hardy, may now be pruned if
the weather happens to be mild, agreeably to the directions given on
page 35 ; but if this is not deemed necessary on account of dispatch-
ing business when it can conveniently be done, it will be rather
better to defer pruning till the latter end of February, unless you do
it before the severe frosts set in.

As to the pruning of stone fruit-trees, I would not recommend it
to be done in the middle or eastern States at this season, for the
reasons assigned on page 234, &c., but in the southern States it may
be now performed with the greatest safety.

Gooseberries and currants being extremely hardy, may be pruned
in any of the winter months ; but where it is intended to propagate
the best kinds from the cuttings, it will not be advisable to prune or
dress them when the ground is so frozen as to prevent your being
able to plant the good cuttings taken off in pruning.

OTHER NECESSARY WORK.

You must be careful to keep the frost out of the apartments where
the choice winter fruits are put up, for should any of them get frozen
they would certainly decay soon after, and rot the others about them.
Examine the fruit which you have on shelves in dry warm cellars,
once every ten days, and take away any that you find tainted ; con-
tinue over them near a foot thick of clean dry straw, and secure the
windows and doors from the admission of frost.

Take off all moss from your fruit-trees, and when it is gathered,
carry it quite out of the garden to prevent its multiplying by seed,
which it is very apt to do.

Nail or tie up the dangling shoots which are loose on walls or
espaliers, to prevent their being dashed about by the winds, and
consequently their bark injured.

Repair all your decayed espaliers, or prepare stakes and other
materials for so doing as soon as the frost gets out of the ground.

Make or provide and paint such new frame- work trellises as you
intend to erect next spring, and do every other work that may have
a tendency to forward your business at that season.

PREPARE FOR FORCING FRUIT-TREES/

Towards the latter end of this, or the beginning of next month,
put on the glasses or lights on your fire-heat forcing-frames, such as
are described on page 51, and immediately prune and nail up the
trees in regular order, if not done before.

By this method the trees will not be so sensible of the sudden
transition from the depth of winter to spring, when you kindle fires,

604 THE ORCHARD. [DEC.

as they would if the lights were not now put on ; and it will gradu-
ally bring your trees to a state of vegetation, for the works of nature
are performed by degrees, and not in a hurry. For general informa-
tion respecting the construction of forcing-frames and houses, of every
kind, and the methods of working them, see the Fruit Garden for
January, &c.

SOUTHERN STATES.

In such of the southern States as have not severe frost in winter,
you may now prune apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, necta-
rines, and apricots; quinces, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, and
every other kind of fruit-tree, the orange family and the fig excepted.
You may also plant all the above, and any other sorts with great
propriety at this season, excepting the orange family only. For the
methods of pruning, see January, and of planting, see March.

THE ORCHARD.

Apples and pear-trees that are in good health, may now be pruned
agreeably to the directions given on page 56, &c., to which I par-
ticularly refer you ; but it will be better to defer the pruning of
stone fruit-trees to February, and of all trees that are in a bad state
of health to the beginning of March, in which month (page 234,
&c.) you will find the best methods of treating them for the restora-
tion of their health and vigor.

Rub and scrape off moss wherever it appears on your fruit-trees,
it robs them of their nourishment, prevents their free perspiration,
and is an enemy to them in every way.

You may now cart manure into the orchard, and spread it over the
whole ground, if necessary, or over the roots of such trees as you
think are in most need of it ; this will not only be of very consider-
able service to the trees, but also to any crops of grass or grain, &c.,
that you expect off the place the ensuing seasons.

It will be of considerable advantage to new planted trees to lay-
long litter, &c. around their roots to protect them from frost, as di-
rected in the Fruit Garden for this month.

The hedges which enclose your orchard and other compartments,
and that are grown tall, straggling, and thin, may now be cut down
and plashed, as directed on page 279 ; you need be under no appre-
hension of their suffering by frost, especially the white thorns.

SOUTHERN STATES.

"When the ground continues open in winter, or so much so as not
to interrupt the operation of ploughing, you may manure your or-
chards, and plough such of them as you intend to lay down with
clover, or grass of any kind, or to raise crops of grain or potatoes in.

DEC 3 THE VINEYARD. — THE NURSERY. 605

You may likewise continue to plant and prune all manner of hardy
fruit-trees, but particularly those mentioned in the Fruit Garden for
this month. Here I would recommend to your attention, the perusal
of the article Orchard in January, page 56, February, page 149,
and March, page 234.

THE VINEYARD.

In the middle and eastern States, little remains to be done in the
vineyard at this season ; indeed it sometimes happens in the former
that the ground is open in the beginning of the month, in which
case you may plough between the young vines and earth them up,
as directed in November, if then omitted. It will be of considerable
use to lay some litter around the roots and a little way up the stems
of such tender kinds as were planted in the preceding spring and
autumn, to protect them from very severe frost, till they are once
fully established. For further particulars of what may be done in
this month, in and for the vineyard, as well as in the ensuing, see
page 60.

In the southern States you may now prune vines, as directed in
February ; and south of the thirty-fifth degree of latitude, vineyards
may be planted agreeably to the instructions given in March.

THE NURSERY.

NEW PLANTED TREES.

Continue the care of the more curious and tender sorts of new-
planted trees and shrubs j where there was no litter laid between the
rows in November, let it be no longer neglected, and bring it up
close to their stems the better to protect all the roots from frost,
should the winter prove so severe as to destroy their tops, which may
also be protected as directed on page 614. The roots and lower
parts of their stems being thus preserved they will generally shoot
out freely in the ensuing spring from the near surface of the ground.

SEEDLING TREES.

Seedlings which make but slow progress in growth the first year,
such as pines, &c., must now be taken due care of, as directed on
page 587.

The beds of acorns, and of any other tree seeds that were sown
in the preceding months, would be greatly benefited by laying peas-
straw, fern, leaves, straw, or other long litter over them during the

606 THE PLEASURE, OR [DEC.

continuance of hard frost ; but this must be removed as soon as the
frost is out of the ground in spring, otherwise it will invite a resort
of mice, &c., to destroy the seeds.

PROTECTING TREES AND SHRUBS, ETC., IN POTS.

The tall growing plants in pots which are plunged in warm bor-
bers, and the pots covered with tan as directed on page 588, may, if
the kinds are rather tender, require an awning of mats or strong
canvas over them to protect them from cutting winds, which are
always very injurious to tender plants. The other tender plants,
both shrubby and herbaceous, which you have in pots in frames,
must be duly attended to, as directed on page 595.

SOUTHERN STATES.

Where the ground is open and in good condition for worlting, this
is a very proper time to sow hawthorn, holly, yew, mezereon, red
cedar, juniper and pyracantha berries, and all other seeds that require
a year's previous preparation, such as Stewartia malacodendron, ash,
euonymus, hornbean, celastrus scandens, nyssa, and many other
sorts. (For the method of ^performing this work, see the Nursery
for February.)

Continue to dig between the rows of young trees and shrubs, and
forward the manuring and trenching of such pieces of ground as are
to be planted with young trees in the ensuing months.

You may still continue to make layers and plant cuttings of any
kinds of trees and shrubs that succeed by these means, and also dig
up and transplant suckers. Prune roses and other hardy shrubs,
also forest and young fruit-trees in training. Plant out into nursery
rows the various kinds of hardy deciduous trees and shrubs, as directed
in March ; but let it be remembered that these instructions are ex-
clusively intended for such parts of the Union as have not frost
during winter sufficient to prevent the ploughing of ground.

THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN.

TULIPS, HYACINTHS, ANEMONES, AND RANUNCULUSES.

Continue to protect your beds of choice tulips, hyacinths, anemones
and ranunculuses as directed last month ; this will be indispensable
at present, as December is generally one of the most severe and cut-
ting months in the year. It would be unnecessary in this place to
repeat all the instructions given in November for that purpose, and
therefore I refer you to page 589, &c., for information.

Some of the Van Thol and other early tulips which were planted
in pots in October, may, towards the end of this month, be placed

DEC.] FLOWER GARDEN. 601

in the hot-house, or in any other forcing department, to produce a
winter bloom of flowers. Early hyacinths, spring crocuses, snow-
drops, dwarf Persian iris, and polyanthus-narcissus may now be forced
in like manner ; but observe that you are to reserve a sufficiency of
each sort for several successions, so as to have a constant supply of
flowers until those in the open ground begin to blow.

When the plants are just beginning to flower some of them may
be taken in to decorate parlors and other rooms.

CARE OF AURICULAS AND CARNATIONS.

Your choice auriculas and carnations must now be defended from
heavy rains, frost, and snow; but large portions of air must be admit-
ted to them at every favorable opportunity, otherwise the auriculas
will start to flower at an untimely season, and the carnations will
draw, become weakly, and be good for nothing. Neither of them are
very tender, and consequently should not be kept too closely shut up.

POLYANTHUSES AND DOUBLE PRIMROSES.

The fine polyanthuses and double primroses require exactly the
same treatment as the auriculas and carnations, which need not be
repeated ; the common polyanthuses and primroses will succeed very
well in the open borders, but will be the better of a slight covering
of straw during the continuance of severe frost.

SOWING ANEMONE AND RANUNCULUS SEEDS.

The double varieties of the Anemone hortensis, or broad-leaved
garden anemone, and Anemone coronaria, or narrow-leaved, as well
as of the Ranunculus persica, or Persian ranunculus, being generally
extremely beautiful, are peculiarly deserving of attention; as all
those delightful flowers, displaying such a diversity of shades and
colors, are only seminal varieties, and as the number of them may
be annually increased, and superior varieties obtained, no good florist
will neglect to sow seeds of each sort every year.

The seeds of either kind should be procured from semi-double
flowers, for the full double seldom bear any, and those produced by
the single rarely give double flowers. Care should be taken to save
the seeds from flowers possessed of good properties, that is, such as
have tall strong stems, a considerable number of well formed petals
of rich, good and brilliant colors.

The seed of the ranunculus should remain on the plant till it has
lost its verdure and becomes brown and dry, it may then be cut off
and spread upon paper in a dry room exposed to the air ; when per-
fectly dry it should be put into a paper bag and kept free from all
dampness till the time of sowing, otherwise it would be in danger of
contracting a mouldiness that would infallibly destroy it. The ane-
mone seed must be gathered from time to time as it opens ; for, being
very downy and light, it will otherwise be blown away by the first
breezes of wind, or fall to the ground and be lost.

608 THE PLEASURE, OR [DEC.

It would be found very difficult to sow anemone seed in a regular
manner : it is united with, and enveloped in a downy substance, that,
upon being put together in quantity, adheres in such a manner as to
render it necessary to rub it between the hands for a considerable time
in dry sand previous to sowing ; otherwise the young plants would
rise in clusters, and not have space enough to form their roots. •#•*••

When you are ready to sow your ranunculus seed, take it out of
the bag, and if the weather be damp, spread it thin upon a sheet of
paper, before a moderate fire, till it is just warm, and no more; then
rub it out and clean it perfectly from any pieces of the stalk, dried
petals of the flower or other extraneous matter, which, if sown with
it, would create a mouldiness of very destructive consequence.

The last ten days of December, any time in January, or even the
first week of February, the seeds may be sown, but when convenient,
the early sowing is preferable. Each kind should be sown separately
in shallow frames (of either one, two, or three lights, according to
the quantity), provided with glasses, similar to those made use of
for cucumbers and melons ; the soil should be taken out at least two
feet deep, and replaced with good and suitable soil such as is di-
rected on page 564 ; out of which the earth-worms should be care-
fully picked, for these are extremely destructive to the young plant,
which they draw from a considerable distance into their holes for
nutriment.

When the pit is filled, so as to reach about six inches up the sides
and ends of the frame, it should be suffered to remain a few days to
settle ; then the surface should be made perfectly smooth and even,
and the seed sown upon it with the utmost regularity, in such quan-
tity as nearly to cover it, for accidents will befall many of them ; the
glasses should be placed on immediately, and the frame kept closely
covered with them for two or three days, till the seeds begin to swell,
observing to cover the glasses effectually at night and in severe wea-
ther, to keep out the frost, and also line the outside of the frame all
around to its full height with tan, leaves, or horse- dung, for a simi-
lar purpose : a little light earth should then be sifted over the seed
through a fine sieve, but not sufficient to cover it ; this should be re-
peated once or twice a week till the greater part of the seed disap-
pears. It is proper to remark in this place that such seed as happens
to be covered deeper than the thickness of a dollar will never vege-
tate, and must of course inevitably perish.

It is necessary to keep the seed moderately moist by gentle occa-
sional waterings with soft water, that has been exposed to the sun or
to fire heat till the cold chill is off; this should be given from the
rose of a small watering pot, which rose should be of a hemispheri-
cal form, and perforated with very small holes that will discharge
fine streams of water in a very distinct and regular manner ; this
should be made of copper, it being less liable to corrode than iron.

But although it is necessary to the vegetation of the seed that it
be kept moderately moist, too great a degree of moisture is never-
theless injurious, especially to the commencement of the spring heat,
and indeed at any period.

When the young plants begin to appear, which, if sown in De-

DEO.] FLOWER GARDEN. 609

cember or early in January, will generally happen about the latter
end of February, earlier or later, according to the temperature of
the weather and the care taken of the frame, refresh them occasion-
ally with gentle waterings, and give them air at every favorable op-
portunity ; but be sure to keep the glasses close in very cold weather,
and well covered at night ; observing, also, as the sun gets powerful,
to screen the plants from its mid-day influence, which sometimes
would in one hour destroy the whole.

As the spring advances, more and more air must be admitted, and
on fine days the plants totally exposed, except to a scorching sun,
so as to have them by the latter end of April, or as soon as the
smart night frosts are over, so hardened as to bear the open air night
and day ; observing to keep them regularly watered, and to give them
the advantage of fine warm showers of rain, when such happen in
due time.

This kind of management is to be continued till the roots are
matured, always taking care to protect the plants by a screen of
hurdles or thin bass-mats laid over the frame from the too powerful
influence of the sun, but never keeping this covering over them
longer than necessary. Their maturity will be known by the foliage
becoming brown, dry, and nearly consumed, which generally hap-
pens in the middle States towards the latter end of June, or early in
July.

The speediest and safest method of taking up these small roots, is
to pare off the earth three inches deep, having previously picked off
the dried leaves and any other extraneous matter that may be found
on the bed. The earth and roots thus collected are to be thrown
into a fine wire sieve that will not permit the smallest roots to pass
through it, which is to be worked in a large vessel or tub of water
nearly filled : the earthy parts will dissolve and wash away and the
roots remain in the sieve, which may be easily picked from the
stones, &c. The upper rim of the sieve must at all times be held
above the surface of the water, otherwise some of the small roots
will float over and be lost. The roots are then to be dried and pre-
served, as directed for the large roots on pages 407 and 408, till the
latter end of September or early in October, when they are to be
planted and managed as on pages 564 and 565 ; observing that they
(being small) may be planted somewhat closer than the large roots,
and will not require to be covered quite so deep.

The ensuing season several of the largest roots will flower, espe-
cially the ranunculuses, and all of them the third year, at which
time you should carefully mark such as are worthy of being pre-
served ; the others may be planted in small clumps in the warm bor-
ders of the garden and pleasure-grounds, there to take chance. The
valuable kinds must be subsequently increased by offsets.

Those who desire to raise these plants upon a small scale, may
sow the seeds in boxes, large pots, or garden pans, of good compost,
observing to have the bottoms of the boxes, previous to their being
filled, bored with several auger holes, which are to be covered with
shells or the like, to suffer any extra moisture to pass away, freely.
But the former method is much more preferable.

610 THE PLEASURE, OR [DEC.

SOWING AURICULA, POLYANTHUS, AND CYCLAMEN SEEDS.

The surest and best method to obtain fine auriculas from seed, is
as follows : In the first place the seed should be saved from young,
healthy, strong plants, of capital high-colored sorts, possessing the
first-rate properties : these, on the approach of bloom, should be' de-
tached from the rest, to some distant part of the garden, for fear of
the farina of indifferent sorts contaminating them, and there exposed
to the full air, the sun (except when too violent), and moderate rains ;
from an excess of which, the plants are to be protected by mats laid
on hoops, or by small hand-glasses. In dry weather these plants
must be regularly watered, as often as they appear to require it :
much depends on a due attention to this particular point.

The seed will commonly ripen in June ; it is advisable frequently
to visit the plants at that season, and carefully to gather such pods
or heads of seed as appear perfectly dry, brown, and begin to open ;
if -all the pods on the same stem are ripe together they may be cut
off with part of the stem to which they are connected; but if some
of the pods are not sufficiently ripe, such as are, should be carefully
picked from the rest as they become so. The seed thus collected,
should remain in the pericarpiums or seed-vessels, in a dry room, till
the season of sowing.

In the last week of December, any time in January, or in the early
part of February, the seed may be sown with every prospect of suc-
cess, provided you have the necessary conveniences. The early sown
seeds, if well managed, will vegetate better, and the plants raise more
numerously than the late : besides, it will be of serious importance
to give the plants the advantage of a long spring vegetation, that
they may be as strong as possible before the summer heat sets in,
which to seedling auriculas and polyanthuses is very destructive, and
even to the full grown plants ; but if there is not a suitable conve-
nience, and an opportunity of paying the necessary attention, it will
be better to defer the sowing till February.

A hot-bed must be prepared, as for early seedling cucumbers, and
a good frame and glass-light set thereon, with five or six inches of
fine earth laid all over the bed, to keep down the steam. Provide a
box or boxes about five or six inches deep, with several holes on the
bottom ; fill it with compost, and gently shake and strike it against
the ground, till the earth settles a little ; make the surface perfectly
smooth and even, and sow the seed with the utmost regularity; then
sift through a fine wired sieve a little compost or vegetable mould
upon it, sufficient only to just cover the seed, and place the box in
the frame on the surface of the bed ; the glass must be set on im-
mediately and the bed so managed as to preserve a moderate and
equal degree of warmth both day and night, but must be occasion-
ally opened, or the light raised up at the higher end, to admit fresh
air, and to suffer the exhalations from the bed to pass away, which is
a very essential point.

The earth must always be kept moderately moist, both before and
after the plants appear, but never wet ; the best method of watering

DEC.] FLOWER GARDEN. 611

it is by means of a hard clothes-brush dipped into soft water which
has had its chill taken off by standing for some time in the sun or in
the frame ; the hair side being quickly turned upwards, and the
hand rubbed briskly over it, will cause the water to fly off in particles
almost as fine as dew ; a sufficient watering may in this manner be
given in a few minutes. If it is found impossible to preserve a due
heat in the first bed till the seed has all vegetated, it will be proper
to prepare a second into which to remove the box ; but if there are
cucumber frames, &c., at work, the box may be removed into any of
them that supports a good temperate heat.

At the expiration of four or five weeks, if well managed, the young
plants will have all made their appearance ; it then becomes neces-
sary to give them, very gradually, more air, in order to harden and
render them fit, in due time, for an entire exposure to it. In the
month of March the plants, if forward, should be fully exposed to
the open air for a few hours in the middle of mild days, when the
sun is not too powerful, but particularly to light warm rains. As to
their subsequent treatment, see the Flower Garden for April and the
months following.

If you are apprehensive of the young seedlings being attacked by
snails, &c., which they are very subject to, place a hair band round
the box when you sow the seed, as directed on page 167.

Polyanthus seed and seedlings are to be treated exactly in the same
manner as those of Auricula.

Cyclamen seeds of every kind may be sown in boxes during any
of the autumn or winter months, even to the middle of February ;
but when kept out of ground much later, most of them will not
vegetate till the spring following : they may be treated generally as
directed on page 444, observing always to protect them from frost.
The Cyclamen indicum being a hot-house plant, its seed must be
treated accordingly : this species differs from the others in not having
the divisions of the corolla or flower reflexed or turned back, but
hanging down, and in the whole corolla being much larger than
either of the Persian or European kinds. The former kinds will
require no bottom heat, but should be carefully protected by a good
frame and glasses, well covered at night and in severe weather, so as
to prevent the earth in the inside from becoming frozen, but more par-
ticularly after the plants appear; the latter kind must be sown in
a box, which is to be placed in a good hot-bed, as directed for ane-
mone seed, and constantly treated as a hot-house plant ; or, it may be
plunged in the bark-bed of any forcing department and there taken
proper care of.

DOUBLE DAISIES.

Continue to protect and treat your double daisies as directed on
page 591. You may now place a few of the best plants which you
have in pots, in some of the forcing apartments, to promote an early
bloom.

612 THE PLEASURE, OR FLOWER GARDEN. [DEC.

PLANTING BULBOUS ROOTS.

In the early part of this month, should the weather continue open,
or that it is practicable to work the ground, you may plant hya-
cinths, jonquils, tulips, double narcissus, star of Bethlehem, cro-
cuses, snowdrops, or any other hardy kinds of bulbs that yet remain
out of ground ; but it is wrong, if it can be avoided, to defer the
planting of them to this time. However, it will be better at all
events, to plant the above kinds now, should it be practicable, than
to keep them up till spring : but it will be very proper, and indeed
I may say necessary ; to cover the newly-planted beds immediately
with straw or other light covering ; for such roots as have not pro-
duced fibres before the setting in of frost, are much more vulnerable
to it than those that have.

Polyanthus-narcissus, anemones, or ranunculuses, should not be
planted in the middle or eastern States at this season, unless they
are effectually protected afterwards from rain, snow, and frost j I
would rather advise to preserve them carefully in dry sand till the
early part of March, or even the middle of that month.

PROTECT SEEDLING BULBS, ETC.

The various kinds of seedling bulbs should now be carefully pro-
tected as directed on page 591, otherwise many of them will be in-
jured. The boxes in which were sowed, in the preceding months,
the seeds of bulbous-rooted flowers, should be treated in like manner.

PROTECTING STOCKS, WALLFLOWERS, ETC.

Your double stock-gillyflowers, wallflowers, and other plants of
similar constitutions, which are in frames, must have protection from
rain, snow, and severe frost ; and it will be necessary, during winter,
to give them the full benefit of the air for a few hours in the middle
of mild days, but by no means to expose them or any other tender
plants to a hot sun whilst in a frozen state.

NEW-PLANTED SHRUBS AND TREES.

The more tender or choice kinds of shrubs and trees which were
planted last spring, or in the preceding month, should now have
their roots well protected from frost by laying some wispy dung, or
long litter all around the plants. Some kinds may even require to
have their tops matted around, or each to be completely enveloped
in a coat of long straw, reaching from the ground to the top of the
plant, and terminating there in a point, the whole assuming the form
of a sugarloaf. The straw is to be supported by placing slender sticks
in the earth around the shrub, the tops of which are to be tied to-
gether over it; a few willow twigs should be worked in between
these sticks to prevent the straw from falling in, or lying close to
the plants, which, when laid on, is to be bound around by hay bands,
willows, or the like.

DEC.] THE GREEN-HOUSE. 613

Hydrangea hortensis, China and Otaheite roses, prunus lauro-
cerasus, and small plants of magnolia grandiflora, lagerstroemia
indica, double pomegranate, and many other valuable shrubs may be
preserved in good condition by this means, and ultimately inured to
the winter frosts without much injury ; observe that the covering is
not to be disturbed before the middle of March in the middle States,
or the beginning of April in the eastern States; and even then it is
to be taken off by piecemeal and not all at once, for too sudden an
exposure might do them considerable injury should a hard frost or
cutting winds ensue.

OTHER USEFUL WORK.

Should the weather prove open in the early part of the month,
you may continue to prune hardy shrubs and trees; spread your
compost heaps if not done last month, and prepare more if necessary;
rake off the fallen leaves of trees, and dig among your clumps and
shrubbery plantations.

In hard frosty weather, when little else can be done in the garden
than the covering and uncovering of tender plants, &c., prepare label
sticks to mark or number the various flowers and seeds when they
are planted or sown, and prepare all the tools and every other neces-
sary convenience for your spring operations.

THE GREEN-HOUSE.

It generally happens that the weather is extremely rigorous in
this month ; therefore, more than ordinary attention must be paid to
the green-house plants. In cold or frosty weather keep the windows
and doors closely shut, and close your window-shutters carefully
every night, and also in extremely rigorous frosts, except while the
sun shines on the windows.

When green-houses are so constructed as to have no window-shut-
ters, which is certainly wrong, large thick mats should be hung and
nailed, or made fast by small hooks, in front of the lights, every
cold night, and also in the daytime when the weather is very severe,
and no sun. It may sometimes be necessary, even when there are
shutters, to hang and nail up mats in front of the windows, to check
the piercing wind. If there are short roof-lights, they must be
covered with mats, or strong canvas, during the continuance of severe
weather ; these may be so contrived as to roll up, and fall down, by
means of lines and pulleys, at pleasure.

During the continuance of severe frost, accompanied by piercing
cutting winds, the windows must never be opened — that is, you must
neither slide the lights up nor down, but always keep them and the
door or doors closed ; and any plants that are too near the glass
must be removed into the interior of the house, especially at night
and in cloudy dark weather.

614 THE HOT-HOUSE. [DEC.

If you find the frost likely to reach your plants, notwithstanding
all this care, you must heat the flues by gentle fires at night, and
also in the daytime when the frost is very piercing and the weather
dark; and, indeed, without such a convenience it is almost useless
to attempt the erection or trouble of a green-house, either in the
middle or eastern States, on account of their extremely rigorous
winters. But you must be particular never to heat the air in the
night-time above 40 or 45 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer; for
all the heat that the plants require at this season is only just as much
as will preserve them effectually from frost.

However, be very particular every day, when the weather is mild
and the sun shining on the windows, to slide down the sashes, even
for but half an hour in the middle of the day, to admit fresh air and
ventilate the house ; for if the plants are kept too close they will
become tender and weak, and besides it will cause the leave's of
some kinds to turn of a yellowish sickly color, and afterwards to get
mouldy and drop off.

N. B. The plants must never be deprived of light by keeping the
shutters closed a moment longer than it is found absolutely neces-
sary for their preservation ; and though I am not an advocate for
much fire-heat in a green-house, yet I would prefer it to keeping
the plants too long in darkness, which has an extremely bad effect
upon them.

For particulars respecting watering and other information, I would
recommend to your perusal at this term the entire of the article
green-house in January, and also in February, pages 98 and 174.
The general care during each of these months is nearly the same.

The plants which you are wintering in garden-frames must now
be carefully attended, agreeably to the directions given in page 594.

THE HOT-HOUSE.

The frost generally sets in very severe in this month, and the
winds are keen and cutting ; therefore it will be necessary to keep
up your fire-heat in proportion to the severity of the weather, which
must be regulated by a thermometer, never letting the air of the
house in the night or cloudy days be colder than 52 degrees of Fah-
renheit, nor warmer at this season by fire heat than 62° or there-
abouts— with sunshine it may rise to 70° or 75° — for it is very
injudicious to force the plants now into a fresh state of vegetation.
All that they want at present is to be kept comfortably warm and
rather in an inactive state; consequently, as the heat of the day in
sunny weather increases, you must slacken your fires or put them
totally out, as the case may be, always renewing them in the after-
noon or whenever you find the due warmth on the decline.

It will be generally necessary to attend the fires till eleven or
twelve o'clock at night, when, if wanted, a sufficiency of fuel must

DEC.] THE HOT-HOUSE. 615

be added to support a proper degree of heat till morning; and in
extremely severe weather it may sometimes be necessary to sit up
all night to guard against untoward consequences. At all events,
you must be up very early in the morning to renew the fires.

If the hot-house is furnished with shutters or covering of any kind,
as noticed in January, they will now be of considerable use, both for
the preservation of the plants and the saving of fuel. It will, how-
ever, be very proper to hang thick mats every severe night in front
of the upright sashes, which will prevent the wind from rushing in
immediately on the plants through any deficiencies that may be in
the work.

If the bark bed was properly made or renewed in October, or in
the beginning of November, it will yet be in a proper state of warmth/
which is now essentially necessary; if, however, towards the end of
the month it is found to be much declined in heat, it should be
forked up to revive it, as directed in January, but more particularly
so if it contains pines for fruiting next season, which must be now
kept rather in a slow state of vegetation than dormant.

Succession pines, or other plants in pits or in the succession-house,
require the same care as above, observing not to force them by too
much heat, lest the pines start to a fruiting state at an untimely
period. They are never fit to produce handsome-sized fruit until
they are two years old, at which age they in October should be placed
in the fruiting-house for the ensuing year's bearing.

The pines and other plants in the hot-house, &c., will still require
to be watered occasionally, the former not oftener than once a week,
the shrubby kinds in small pots perhaps twice a week; but the suc-
culent sorts should at this season have but very little, and that only
when you are able to perceive that they are in absolute want of it;
and then let it be given round the edges of the pots, and not to the
plants themselves, for if it should stagnate about the stems it would
infallibly rot them. The varieties of cactus melocactus, or Turk's
cap, with many others of the most succulent kinds, should at this
season have no water given them, except in cases of great necessity.

When there happens to come a fine sunny calm day, it will be
proper to admit some fresh air into the house by sliding some of
the glasses, in the warmest part of the day, a little way open, even
if but for half an hour; but be sure to close them again in due time,
and especially if the weather changes to cold or cloudy. This is best
effected at this season by sliding open a few of the roof-lights, if it
can be done with convenience.

Pick off such decayed leaves as you perceive on the various plants,
keep them free from insects and filth of every kind, and the whole
house as sweet and clean as possible.

Sprinkle your flues and walks occasionally with water to raise a
comforting steam of moisture in the house ; especially when you are
obliged to burn fires constantly night and day. This will preserve
the plants from the bad effects produced by the parching influence
of a constant fire-heat, and also tend to prevent an increase of in-
sects.

You may, towards the latter end of this month, introduce into

616 THE HOT-HOUSE. [DEC.

the hot-house pots of strawberries and flowering plants of various
kinds; sow cucumber seed and plant kidney beans, as directed in
January, in order to force them into early perfection. Pots or tubs
of bearing grape-vines may also be now introduced for early bearing
if there are none trained in from the outside. Such vines as are
planted in front of the house, and trained in under the lights, should
have the parts of their stems which are exposed to the weather well
wrapped around with hay or straw neatly tied on ; also their roots
covered sufficiently with long litter ; for, their juices being put into
full circulation by the forcing heat, renders the exposed parts much
more vulnerable to frost than if the entire plants stood inactive in
the open air.

Having now gone through the work of the several months, and en-
deavored to adapt the whole to the seasons and local situations of the
different parts of the Union, to explain and simplify the various
operations, and to render the work of as much general utility as
possible, it is offered to the public as the result of many years' ex-
perience, solely devoted to horticultural and botanical pursuits,
without presuming to say that it is either infallible or incapable of
improvement.

A CATALOGUE

OF
KITCHEN GARDEN ESCULENT PLANTS AND HERBS.

COMMON NAMES.

ARTICHOKE, Garden

1. Green Globe. 2. White Globe.
3. French.

Artichoke, Jerusalem

Asparagus, the Garden

1. Dutch. 2. Gravesend. 3. Bat-
tersea. 4. Large Jersey.

Bean, the common Garden

1. Early Mazagan. 2. Early Lis-
bon. 3. Long Podded. 4. Com-
mon Field or Horse. 5. Dwarf
Cluster. 6. White Blossom. 7.
Red Blossom. 8. Large Windsor.
9. Large Toker. 10. Broad Span-
ish. 11. Mumford. 12. Green
Nonpareil. 13. Turkey Long Pod.
14. Green Genoa, &c.

Bean, the Dwarf Kidney

I. Early Yellow Dwarf. 2. Early
Cream-colored do. 3. Early Spec-
kled do. 4. Early White do. 6.
Early Brown-speckled do. 6. Ne-

r Dwarf. 7. Large White do.
Purple-speckled do. 9. Black-
eyed do. 10. Red-speckled do.

II. Mohawk. 12. Early China, &c.

Running Kinds.

1. Corn Beans. 2. Large White
Runners. 3. Cream-colored Run-
ners. 4. Round White Runners,
Ac.

Bean, Scarlet Runners
Lima Beans
Carolina do.

Beet, The Common

1. Red Beet

2. Long Red do.

3. Turnip-rooted Beet

4. Yellow-rooted do.

5. Green or White do.

6. Mangel-Wurtzel, or Root of

Scarcity.
Borage, Common
Borecole, Purple-curled

Green-curled

Siberian or Scotch

Brussels Sprouts

Finely Fringed

BOTANICAL NAMES.

Cynara Scolymus

Helianthus tuberosus
Asparagus qfficinalis

Vicia Faba

Phaseolus vulgaris, v. Pumilce

• v. volubilis

Phaseolus multiflorus

Phaseolus lunatus
v.

Seta vulgaris

v. mbra vulgarts

v. rubra major

v. rubra, radice rapes

v. lutea major

v. pallide virens major

Cicla

Brassica oleracea laciniata
oleracea selenicea
oleracea sabellica

618

KITCHEN GARDEN ESCULENT PLANTS, ETC.

Broccoli, Italian

1. Early Purple. 2. Early Green.
3. Large Late Purple. 4. Large
White. 5. Walcheren. 6. Early
White Cape. 7. Dwarf Russian, &c.

Cabbage, Heading

1. Early York. 2. Early Heart-
shaped. 3. Early Battersea. 4.
Early Antwerp. 5. Early Dwarf.
6. Early Sugar-loaf. 7. Large Late
Sugar-loaf. 8. Large Scotch. 9.
Large English. 10. Large Drum-
Head. 11. Flat Dutch. 12. Large
Late Battersea. 13. Red Pickling.
14. Enfield Market. 15. Early
Vanack, &c.

Cabbage, Turnip

Turnip-rooted
Jerusalem Kale

Cabbage, Savoy

1. Green. 2. Yellow. 3. Milan.

Calabash, or Bottle-gourd

Cardoon, Spanish

Carrot, Long Orange

Early Horn do.
Altringham
Long Surrey, &c.

Cauliflower, Early

Late do.

Celery, Italian upright

1. Solid-stalked. 2. North's Large.
3. Red-stalked Solid. 4. Seymour's
White Solid, Ac.

Celeriac, Turnip-rooted Celery

Chervil

Chives or Gives

Coriander

Corn, Indian. Twelve-round sweet.
Stowell's Evergreen, Ac.

Corn -salad

Cress, or Pepper-grass

1. Narrow-leaved. 2. Broad-leav-
ed. 3. Curled-leaved.

Cress, Winter, or Salad Scurvy-grass

Cress, Water

Cucumber, Common

1. Early Frame. 2. Early Prickly.
3. Early Cluster. 4. Long Prickly.
5. Long Green Turkey. 6. Long
White Turkey. 7. Long Roman.
8. White Spined. 9. Walker's Im-
proved, &c.

Cucumber, Round Prickly

Egg-Plant

1. Purple-fruited.

2. White-fruited.
Endive, Green-curled

White -curled

Broad-leaved

Batavian
Finochio

Garlic, Cultivated
Gourd-Squash. Early Bush. Bergen

Root. Boston Marrow, &c.
Ground Nut
Leek, Common

Narrow leaved

Brassica oleracea italica

Brassica oleracea capitata

Brassica oleracea Napobrassica
Nap^is sativa

Brassica oleracea sabauda

Cucurbita lagenaria
Cynara Cardiwiculus
Daucus Carota

Brassica oleracea botrytis
Apium graveolens

Apium graveolens rapaceum
Scandix Cerefolium
Allium Sckcenoprasum
Coria?idrum sativum
Zea Mays

Valeriana Locusta olitoria
Lepidium sativum

Erisymum Barbarea
Sisymbrium Nasturtium
Cucumis sativus

Cucumis Angur-ia
Solamcm Melongena

Cichorium Endivia

Anethum azoricum
Allium sativum,
Cucurbita Melopepo

Arachis hypogea
Allium Porrum

KITCHEN GARDEN ESCULENT PLANTS, ETC.

619

Leek, Broad-leaved

Lettuce, or Salad

1. White Cos. 2. Green Cos. 3.
Egyptian Cos. 4. Black Cos. 5.
Aleppo. 6. India. 7. Brown
Dutch. 8. Common Cabbage. 9.
Imperial. 10. Grand Admiral. 11.
Hammersmith Hardy-green. 12.
Tennisball. 13. Silesia. 14. Large
Royal. 15. Madeira. 16. Saxony
Cabbage, &c.

Melon, Musk

1. Early Romana. 2. Early Can-
taleupe. 3. Early Small Zatte.
4. Early Succado. 5. Black Por-
tugal. 6. Golden Rock. 7. Large
Mogul. 8. Minorca. 9. Large Afri-
can. 10. Rock Cantaleupe. 11.
Nettled Green-flesh. 12. Japan
Rock. 13. Nutmeg. 14. Mexican.

15. Beechwood, &c.
Melon, Water

1. Long Red-flesh. 2. Long Yel-
low-flesh. 3. Large Round Red-
flesh. 4. Green-flesh do. 5. Sweet
Mountain, &c.

Mushroom

Mustard, White
Black

Nasturtium, Large

Okra

Onion, Common

1. Strasburg. 2. White Spanish.
3. Silver-skinned. 4. Madeira. 5.
Long-keeping. 6. Blood-red. 7.
Welsh.
8. Tree.

Orach, or English Lamb's-quarter
Large Green-leaved
Red-leaved

Parsley, Common
Curled
Hamburg, or Large-rooted

Parsnep, Long Garden

Patience Dock

Pea, Garden

1. Early Frame. 2. Sangster's
Early. 3. Early Charleton do. 4.
Spanish Dwarf. 5. Dwarf Sugar.
6. Bishop's Dwarf. 7. Tall Sugar.
8. Woodford's Marrow. 9. Blue
Prussian. 10. Green Imperial Mar-
row. 11. Dwarf Marrowfat. 12.
Champion of England. 13. Fair-
beard's Surprise. 14. Early War-
wich. 15. Knight's Dwarf Marrow.

16. Common Field. 17. Pearl, or
Nonesuch. 18. Flack's Victory.
19. Albany. 20. Hare's Dwarf
Mammoth. 21. Large Marrowfat.
22. Ward's Incomparable

Pepper, Red or Guinea

1. Long-podded

2. Heart-shaped

3. Bell

4. Cherry, &c.
Potato, Common

Lactuca sativa

Cucumis Melo

Cticurbita Citrullus

Agaricus eampestris
Sinapis alba

nigra

Tropceohim majus
Hibiscus esculentus
Allium Cepa

canadense
Atriplex hortensis

cnspum
latifolium
Pastinaca sativa
Rumex Patientia
Pisum sativum

Capsicum annuum

v. longioribus siliqiiis

v. cordiforme

v. tetragonum

v. cerasiforme
Solanum tuberomm,

620

AROMATIC, POT, AND SWEET HERBS.

Potato, Sweet
Pumpkin, or Pompion

Many varieties.
Radish, Garden

1. Early Frame. 2. Early Purple
Short-top. 3. Salmon Short-top.

4. Common Salmon. 5. ; White
Short-top. 6. White Turnip-root-
ed. 7. Red Turnip-rooted. 8.
White Winter Radish. 9. Black
Winter do. 10. White Naples.
11. Olive shaped. 12. Wood's Early
Frame, &c.

Radish, Horse

Ruta Baga, or Swedish Turnip
Rampion, Esculent
Rape, or Cole-seed
Rocambole
Salsafy
Scorzonera
Sea-Kale, or Cabbage
Shallot
Skirret

Sorrel, Broad -leaved
Round-leaved
Spinage. 1. Prickly seeded

2. Burdock. 3. Round-leaved
Squash, Warted

Many varieties.

Tomatoes, or Love-apple, Cherry, Red
Burlington, Common Red,
Yellow, &c.
Turnip, Cultivated

1. Early Dutch. 2. Early Stone.

3. Early Six Weeks. 4. Snowball.

5. Large Red-topped. 6. White
Round. 7. Tankard. 8. Large
English Field. 9. Swedish, or Ruta
Baga. 10. Long French.

Convolvulus Batatas
Cucurbita Pepo

nus sativus

Cochlearia Armoracia
Brassica Rapa
Campanula Rapunculus
Srassica Napus
Alliivm, Scorodoprasum
Tragopogon porrifolium
Scorzonera hispanica
Crambe maritima
Alliu/m Ascalonicum
Sium sisarum
Rumex Acetosa
scutatus
Spinacia oleracea

Cucurbita verrucosa
Solanum Lycopersicum

Brassica Rapa

AROMATIC, POT, AND SWEET HERBS.

ANISE
Basil, Sweet

Bush
Caraway
Clary
Coriander
Chamomile
Dill
Fennel, Common

Sweet
Hyssop
Lavender
Lovage
Marigold, pot
Marjoram, Sweet
Pot

Winter Sweet
Mint, Spear

Pepper

Pennyroyal
Mint, Horse

Pimpinella Anisum
Ocymum Basilicum medium

•minimum,
Carum Carui
Salvia sclarea
Coriandrum satiwum
Anthemis nobilis
Anethum graveolens
Anethum Fceniculum

v. dulce

Hyssopiis qfficinalis
Lavendula Spica
Ligusticum Levisticum
Calendula officinalis
Origanum jMJajofana
Onites

heracleoticum
Mentha viridis
piperita
Pulegium
Monarda punctata

MEDICINAL PLANTS.

621

Rosemary
Sage, Common
Savory, Summer

Winter
Smallage
Tarragon
Thyme, Common

Lemon

Salvia officinalis
Satureia hortensis

montana

Apium graveolens
Artemisia Dracuncidus
Thymus vulgaris

serpylhim

PLANTS CULTIVATED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES, &c.

Ague-weed, Thoroughwort
Angelica, Garden
Betony, Wood
Bugloss

Carduus benedictus
Celandine
Comfrey, Common
Cucumber, Bitter
Elecampane
Flax, Common
Fenugreek
Feverfew
Foxglove
Gromwell
Hemlock
Horehound
Hound's-tongue
Liquorice
Madder, Dyers'
Mallow, Marsh.
Mugwort, Common
Nep, or Catmint
Nettle, Stinging
Palma Christi, or Castor-oil Nut
Pimpernel
Pink-root, Carolina
Poppy, Opium
Rue, Garden
Rhubarb, True Turkey
Common
Scurvy-grass
Snakeroot, Virginia
Southernwood
Tansy
Tobacco, Cultivated

Common English
Weld, Woad, or Dyers' -weed
Winter Cherry
Wormseed, Goosefoot
Wormwood
Yarrow

Sweet or Milfoil

Eupatorium perfoliatum
Angelica Archangelica
Betonica officinalis
Anchusa officinalis
Centaurea benedicta
Clielidonum majus
Symphytum qfficinale
Cucumis Colocynthis
Inula Helenium
Linum usitatissimum
Trigonella Fcenum Gracum
Matricaria Parthenium
Digitalis purpurea
Lithospermum officinale
Conium maculatum
Marrubium vulgare
Cynoglossom qfficinale
Glycyrrhiza glabra
Rubia tinctorum
Althcea officinalis
Artemisia vulgaris
Nepeta Cataria,
TJrtica urens
Ricinus communis
Anagalis arvensis
Spigelia marilandica
Papaver somniferum
Ruta graveolens
Rlteum palmatum

Rhaponticum
Cochlearia officinalis
Aristolochia serpentaria
Artemisia Abrotanum
Tanacetum vulgare
Nicotiana Tabacum
rusticum
Reseda Luteola
Physalis Allcekengi
Chenopodium anthelminticum
Artemisia Absinthium,
Achillea Milkfolium
Ageratum

622 GRASSES AND OTHER PLANTS USED IN FARMING, ETC.

GRASSES AND OTHER PLANTS USED IN FARMING.

The following are selected as the most important and valuable
plants used in rural economy ; the grasses and other plants cultivated
for their foliage, are particularly such as have been found to merit
attention ; a knowledge of their true names is the first step towards
obtaining them, and when obtained it is of serious importance to cul-
tivate each sort in the soil and situation best adapted to its nature,
which is carefully pointed out in the following list.

The judicious cultivation of grasses, though the least expensive
and most profitable part of husbandry (for on it every other part
may be said to depend), has hitherto been too much neglected by the
generality of our farmers, and in this they have been blind to their
best interests.

In order to be successful, a farmer should endeavor to procure and
cultivate such grasses and other vegetable productions as are pecu-
liarly adapted to the various soils of which his plantation is composed ;
so that every spot, from the dryest hill to the wettest swamp, may
be employed in yielding him profitable productions.

Those marked thus * are indigenous, or native plants of the United
States ; and such as are marked thus f, of the West Indies and
warmer parts of America.

GRASSES.

*Brome, Purging

Barnet, Field

*Blue

Canary, Reedy

Clover, Red
White
Yellow

=*Cock's-foot, Swamp

^Canadian, Reedy

Dog's-tail

Fox-tail, Meadow

Fiorin

*Fescue, Flote
*Tall
#Meadow

*Ghreen

tGhiinea(a)

*Herd

Lucern

Meadow, Rough-stalked
Soft
Water
^Creeping
^Smooth-stalked
*Five-nerved

Medic, Yellow
Hop

Bromus purgans (wet soil)
Poterium Sanguisorba (dry good soil)
Poa compressa (dry fields)
Phalaris arundinacia (wet soil)
Trifolium pratense (moderately dry)
repens (rich dry soil)
ochroleucum (dry ground)
Dactylis Cynosuroides (swamps)
Cinna arundinacea (moist soil)
Cynosurus cristatus (dry ground)
Alopecurus pratensis (moist soil)
Agrostis stolonifera (wet or 'moist soil)
Festuca Jluitans (swamps)

elatior (moderately moist)
pratensis (moderately dry)
Poa viridis (rich and tolerably 'moist)
Panicum maxirmim, (strong warm soil)
Agrostis stricta (wet or moist soil)
Medicago sativa (a rich, dry, sandy loam)
Poa trivialis (moist soil)
Holcus lanatus (moist soil)
Poa aquatica (swamp)
Poa stolonifera (wet)
Poa pratensis (dry soil)
Poa nervata (wet)
Medicago falcata (dry soil)
hipulina

(a) This grass is by much too tender to bear the winter frosts of the
middle or eastern States, but succeeds well in Georgia, and in the warmest
parts of South Carolina.

GRASSES AND OTHER PLANTS USED IN FARMING, ETC. 623

Oat, Tall Meadow

Yellow
^Orchard

fPeruvian (£)
Ray, English
Saintfoin

Sweet-scented Vernal

Timothy
Trefoil

Avena elatior (moderately dry)

flavescens (good dry ground)

Dactyhs glomerata (orchards and mode-
rately dry meadow)

Paspalium stonoliferum

Lolium perenne (rich and tolerable moist)

Hedysarum Onobrychis (dry deep soil,
but answers well on poor ground)

AntJwxanthum, odoratum (moderately
dry)

Phleum pratense (moist and iipland)

Medicago lupulina

GRAINS, ETC.

Barley, Spring
Winter

Hordeum vulgare
hexastichon

Two-rowed

distichon

Naked

v. nudum

Buckwheat
Corn, Indian

Polygonum Fagopyrum,
Zea Mays

Guinea

Holcus Sorghum

Broom

saccharatus

Millet, Large

Panicum miliaceum

German

Germanicum

Italian

Italicum

Oat, Cultivated

Avena Sativa

Varieties, 1. White. 2. Black.

3. Brown. 4. Potato. 5. Poland.

6. Friezland. 7. Siberian. 8.

Tartarian.

Oat, Naked

Avena nuda

Oriental

orientalis

Peas, Field

Pisum sativum

Rye, Spring

Secale cereale v. vernum

Winter

v. hybernum

Upland

v. montanum

Rice, Common

Oryza sativa (c)

Tares, Common

Vicia sativa

^Tobacco, Virginian

Nicotiana Tabacum

Teasel, Fuller's

Dipsachus fullonum

Wheat, Spring

Triticum czstivum

Winter

hybernum,

Egyptian

compositum

Weld, Dyer's

Reseda luteola

Woad, do.

Isatis tinctoria

Liquorice, Common

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Potatoes, Common

fSweet
Scarcity Root

ROOTS, ETC.

Solamim tuberosum
Convolvulus Batatas
Mangel wurtzel

(6) This is nearly as tender as the preceding, and therefore not answer-
able for the middle or eastern States. The Avena elatior or tall oat-grass,
is, by mistake, called Peruvian and Andes grass in the County of Delaware,
near Philadelphia, and in part of the State of Delaware, where it is culti-
vated ; it is called meadow oats about Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

(c) There is a variety of this that grows well on dry lands, which is
now cultivated near the Muskingum and in other parts of the United
States, and is likely to become of considerable importance.

624 GRASSES AND OTHER PLANTS USED IN FARMING, ETC.

Rhubarb, True Rheum Palmatum

Turnip, Common Brassica Rapa

Swedish, or Ruta Baga, \ va-
riety

*Cotton

Flax

Hemp

ARTICLES FOR MANUFACTURING.

Gossypium herbaceum
Linum usitatissimum
Cannabis sativa

INDEX.

A.

Acacia, rose, 314

Aconite, winter, 366, 523

Agaves, 375, 418, 529, 571

Alaternus, 351

Alcoves, rural, 83

Alder, 276, 305

Alexanders, or Alesanders, 214, 340,

544, 581

Aletris, 365, 366, 494
Alkekengi, 363
Allamanda cathartica, 483
Allspice, Carolina. See Calycanthus

floridus
Almond, fruit-bearing, 56, 223, 261,468,

490

double -flowering dwarf, 113, 171

Aloes, 104, 174, 187, 375, 376, 418, 529,

571
Althaea Frutex, or Hibiscus syriacus,

268, 286, 314
Alyssum, sweet,. 364
Amaranthus tricolor, 169, 311, 362, 364,

412, 451

tree, 364, 451

spike, 364, 451

globe, 364, 451

Amaryllis, scarlet, 92, 370, 412, 592

yellow, 92, 443, 492

Belladonna, 443, 456, 492, 594

: — sarniensis, 414, 443, 456, 492, 594

Amorpha fructicosa, 314

Andromedas, 287

Anemone, general care and treatment

of, 94, 168, 171, 307, 357, 410, 589

description of a fine double, 409

taking up the roots, 443

method of planting the best sorts,

565, 589

sowing seed of, 605

Angelica, garden, 215, 427, 543

tree, 314

Anise, 215

Annual flowers, tender, 169, 311, 362,

363, 412

hardy, 166, 312, 363, 412

Antirrhinum. See Snapdragon
Antholizas, 175, 455, 529
Anthyllises, 476
Apple-tree, 35, 143, 223, 224, 347, 547,

586, 603

40

Apple-tree, sowing kernels of, 165, 269,

558
gathering and preserving the

fruit of, 551

Apricot, 39, 142, 223, 468
Arbors, rural, 88, 280
Arbor Vitse, common, 283, 305, 351
Chinese, 71, 284, 305, 351

Arbutus Unedo, or Strawberry-tree, 71,

367, 374, 571
Arcades, rural, 88
Arethusa, ophioglossoides, 92
Art of improving different soils, 327
Artichokes, garden, common care of,

31, 142, 463, 485

spring dressing of, 211, 340

making new plantations of, 212,

340

sowing seed of, 213, 340

varieties of 213

• winter dressing of, 582

Artichoke, Jerusalem, 222, 340
to preserve in winter, 580

Ash, common kinds of, 283, 314, 556

manna, 299

round-leaved, 299

Asclepias, hardy herbaceous kinds, 92,
355, 452

curassavica, 483, 494

Asparagus, forcing, 27, 128, 582, 601

spring dressing of, 201, 337

making new plantations of, 201,

337

485

sowing seed of, 201, 337
method of cutting, 201
ordinary care of, 337, 393, 424,

winter dressing of, 542, 577

Asters, hardy herbaceous kinds, 92, 160,
312, 363, 452

China, 312, 363, 451

Aucuba japonica, 377, 476

Auriculas, common care of, 93, 167, 308,

357, 411, 473, 492, 522, 559

sowing seed of, 167, 308, 610

' compost suitable for, 359

new potting of, 359, 411, 492

Auriculas, slipping for propagation, 359,

411, 473, 492
preparation for winter protection

of, 590, 607
Avenues, 82

626

INDEX.

Azaleas, or upright American Honey-
suckles, 287, 314

B.

Babianas, 175, 529
Balm, common, 215, 543

Moldavian, 363

of Gilead, 377

Balsam, double striped, 169, 188, 312,

364, 451

Banqueting-house, rural, 83
Bark-stove, 104
Basil, sweet, 215, 340, 396
Bay, sweet, 73, 367

Beans, early Mazagan, Windsor, <fec.,
141, 195, 334, 387

to top when in blossom, 388

Beans, kidney, to force, 111, 131, 188,
616

in the open ground, 343, 389,

425, 461, 486

Lima and Carolina, 390, 425,

488

Bear's foot, 523
Beach-tree, 89, 274, 314, 558
Beet, red, 140, 203, 216, 337, 393, 426,

green and white, 203, 393

to preserve in winter, 580

Bignonias, 305, 441, 483
Belladonna Lilly, 443, 456, 492, 594
Belvidere, or Summer Cypress, 363
Benjamin-tree, 314
Berberries, 56, 244, 551
Blackthorn, or Sloe-tree, 277
Bladder-nut, 156, 314
Bladder-senna, 314
Bladder Ketmia, or Hibiscus trionurn,

363

Blossoms of early wall fruit-trees, to pro-
tect, 229, 348
Board-edgings, 92
Borage, 215, 396
Borecole, or Scotch Kale, 200, 331, 386,

423, 460, 484, 578
Bowers, rural, 82, 88
Box edgings, common care of, 92, 452,
474, 525, 570

planting, 316, 368, 525, 570

clip or trim, 369, 452, 474, 525,

570

Bridges, ornamental, 79, 83
Brinkle's orange raspberry, 232
Broccoli, Italian or Cauliflower, 200,
333, 387, 423

to preserve for winter use, 579,

Brawallia, 170, 364, 412

Brussels sprouts, 332, 386, 423

Buckthorn, sea, 305

Budding or Inoculating, 443, 455, 465

467, 490, 495, 520
Budding, methods of, 469
Buddleias, 376
Bulb-glasses, 96

Bulbs, planting various sorts of, 96, 308
471, 524, 566, 590, 612

Bulbs, taking up early flowering, 410,
443

treatment of seedling, 411, 591,

612

sowing seeds of, 493, 522, 567

planting in glasses and pots, 96,

568, 592

observations on the late planting

of, 25

Bupthalmum fructicosum, 454
Burnet, garden, 215, 396, 543

C.

Jabbage, care of autumn sown plants,

135, 193, 536, 578, 599
sowing seed in winter, spring,

and summer, 29, 136, 193, 331, 386,

423, 463, 484
planting out finally, 193, 331,

387, 422, 460, 484

planting large cabbages for seed,

earthing up, 387

tying up the leaves to whiten,

216

387

sowing seed in autumn to pro-
duce early summer cabbages, 501

preserving full grown heads for

winter and spring use, 578
Cabinet, a plant, 532
Cabinets, rural, 88
Cactuses, 174, 187, 375, 377, 418, 529,

571

Calceolarias, 365
Callicarpa americana, 376
Calycanthus floridus, 289, 314
Camellia japonica, 377, 476
Campanulas, in sorts, 313
nettle-leaved, 365

Candytuft, 166, 312, 363

Canker in trees, to prevent or cure, 149,

151

Canna indica, 376
Canterbury-bells, 167, 313, 452
Cape Bulbs, 175, 377, 455, 529

compost for, 529

Capparis, or Capre-shrub, 376
Capsicums, 216, 342, 395, 427, 464
Caraway, 215, 340, 344
Cardoon, Spanish, 214, 340, 397, 427,

463, 487, 500, 580
Carnations, general care and culture of,

92, 93, 167, 169, 171, 309, 313, 361,

364, 411, 446, 472, 492, 521, 560, 590,

607

description of a fine double, 447

to card or assist in blowing, 446,

447, 472

laying and piping, 448, 449

Carnations to force into early bloom, 113,

188, 326

compost for best kinds, 309

Carrots, 30, 139, 199, 216, 336, 392, 426,

461
to preserve for winter use, 580

INDEX.

627

Cascades, 80

Cassia, hardy sorts, 92

chamsecrista, 364

marilandica, 365, 494

Catalogue of Kitchen Garden esculent
plants and herbs, 617

of aromatic, pot, and sweet herbs,

620

of plants cultivated for medicinal

purposes, 621

• of grasses and other plants used

in farming, 622
Catalpa-tree, 281, 314
Catchfly, perennial, 167, 313

Lobel's, 312, 363

double, 523

Caterpillars on fruit trees, to destroy, 402
Caterpillar plant, 312, 364
Cauliflowers, care of autumn sown plants,
29, 133, 192, 537, 578, 599

sowing seed of, in winter and

spring, and subsequent treatment of
the plants, 29, 133, 134, 192, 331

early planting of, under bell or

hand-glasses, 192

time and method of planting the

principal crop, 329

sowing seed for late or winter

flowering, 331, 385

defending the flowers from sun

and wet, 385, 422

planting late, 385, 422, 461

the proper time in autumn to

sow, 502

winter preservation of full grown

plants, 579

best method of procuring good

Cauliflowers in the southern States
537.

Caves, rural, 83
Cedar, red, 157, 275, 351

of Lebanon, 71, 284, 351

white, 283, 351

Celandine, 215

Celeriac, or turnip-rooted celery, 200

580

Celery, 137, 199, 336, 393, 423, 461, 485
500

to raise early, in the open ground

336

to preserve for winter use, 580

Celsias, 376

Centaureas, 376

Chamomile, double, 167, 215, 313, 493

543

Chelone glabra, 365, 494
Cherry-tree, 36, 143, 223, 224, 547, 586

double flowering, 113, 171, 314.

Chervil, 208, 340, 396, 501

Chestnut, Spanish, or sweet, 56, 244

282, 326, 557
Chironias, 92
Chrysanthemum, 451
Chrysocoma, 376
Christmas-rose, 523
Chives, 206, 338, 544
Cineraria lanata, 476

inerias, 376

istuses, 71, 376

itron-tree, 495

lary, 215

leome, 364

lethra, 314

linopodium, 365

'lumps of trees and shrubs, 81

iock's-combs, 311, 376, 451

lodlins, 550

Colchicum, 92, 411, 444, 492
Cold pit, a, 380

ollecting seeds, 464
plants, 92, 494

Columbine, 167, 313
Colutea, 376
Composition, Forsyth'g
Barnes's 236

235

Compost for Carnations and Pinks, 309
for Auriculas and Polyanthuses,

359

for Cyclamens, 444

for Pine-apples, 480

for Tulips, 561

for Hyacinths, 563

for Ranunculuses and Anemones,

564, 565

for the generality of Green and

Hot-house plants, 531
Comptonia asplenifolia, 314
Conservatory, 97
Convolvuluses, 312, 363
Coreopsis, 92, 365, 366, 452
Coriander. 208, 340, 396
Cork-tree, 290
Corn, Indian, 384
Corn-salad, 488, 501, 576
Coronilla, 374, 376, 454
Corrosive solution, 149
Cottages, rural, 83
Cotyledons, 571

Crab and Apple-tree hedges, 278
Crassulas, 370
Crocuses, spring, 92, 171, 410, 443, 492,

524, 567

autumnal, 411, 444, 492

Crown Imperials, 92, 410, 443, 470, 493,
524, 566

sowing seed of, 493

Cucubalus stellatus, 365, 494
Cucumbers, in hot-beds, 19, 22, 124, 128,

189, 191, 329, 380

seedling beds for, 20

stopping or topping, 127

impregnating the female flowers

of, 190

in the Hot-house, 112, 188, 616

Cucumbers, under bell or hand-glasses.

192
in the open ground, 343, 382,

459

for late pickling, 460, 487

serpent, 364

squirting, 364

Curculio, to prevent the ravages of, 151
Currants, pruning, 43, 146, 230, 439
planting, 49, 230, 584

INDEX.

Currants, propagating, 73, 158, 306, 584

sowing seed of, 584

Cuttings, to propagate trees and shrubs

by, 73, 158, 304, 351, 520, 555, 570
Cyanella, 175, 529
Cyanus, 312, 363, 493
Cycas revoluta, 529, 571
Cyclamen, 376, 444, 456

propagating by seed, 445, 611

indicum, 444, 610

Cypress, deciduous, 283

evergreen, 71, 367, 571

Cypripediums, 92, 366, 494

D.

Daffodils, 566

Daisies, double, 113, 171, 311, 366, 568,

591, 611

Daphne odora, 571, 594
Dens Canis, or Erythronium Dens Canis,

410, 471, 524, 566
Dictamnus, or Fraxinella, 366
Diervilla, 304, 314
Dill, 216, 340, 544, 581
Dodecatheon Media, 366, 494
Dogwood, 314
Dolichos, purple. 364, 376

white, 364, 376

Dracocephalums, 92, 167, 366, 452, 493,

523

Draining of land, 57, 115
Drawing-frame for flowering plants, 362
Dry stove, 109

Early crops, prepare for, 17

Edging-iron, 90

Edgings, methods and time of planting,

316, 368, 570

of boards, 91

Egg-plant, or Solanum Melongena, 342,

395, 427, 464

particular account of, 342

Elder, 276, 305

Elm-tree, 82, 274, 314, 556

Endive, 343, 395, 426, 460, 486, 500,

541

to preserve for use in winter, 580

Engine, garden, for watering, 347
Ericas, or Heaths, 113, 374, 476
Erodiums,, 476
Erythronium americanum, 494, 567

Dens Canis, 410, 471, 524, 566

Espalier fruit-trees, advantage of and

method of forming, 32
to train in the Nursery while

young, 34, 68, 223, 224
Euonymus, or Spindle-tree, 314
Eupatoriums, 494

Euphorbias, 187, 375, 376, 418, 494
Evergreen trees and shrubs, planting,

315, 351, 367, 520, 526, 558

i to trim in summer, 442, 521

F.

Fastolf and red Antwerp raspberries, 232
Fennel, common, 215, 543

sweet, 215

Azorian, 216, 340, 487

Fenugreek, 215

undulata, &c., 376

Feverfew, 167, 215, 313
Fig-trees, planting and propagating, 226,
550

pruning, 225, 432

the different varieties of, 227

care of, 489, 585

Filbert-tree, 56, 244, 261, 550

to graft, 260, 261

pruning, 433

Finochio, 216, 340, 487
Fir-trees. See Pines and Firs
Flos Adonis, 166, 312, 363
Flower-de-luce. See Iris
Flower Garden, to lay out, 91

work to be done in, for January,

74. February, 166. March, 307. April,
354. May, 406. June, 443. July, 471.
August, 492. September, 521. Octo-
ber, 559. November, 589. December,
606

Flowering-shrubs, to train, 68

Forcing-frames for fruit-trees, &c., the
construction and various kinds of, with
the methods of working them, 46 to 55

for flowers, 47, 171

Forcing early fruit-trees, 47, 53, 147,
234, 326, 349, 603

flowers in the Hot-house, &c., 96,

113, 171, 326, 606, 616

flowers, in hot-beds, 97, 174, 606

Forest-trees and ornamental hardy

shrubs, sowing seeds of, 165, 305, 351

training when young, 68

planting, 71, 305, 314, 349, 366,

557, 569, 587, 593
Foss, 87

Fothergilla alnifolia, 314
Fountains, rural, 83
Fowls, barn-door, their use in Orchards,

150, 153

Foxglove, 167, 313
Framing, introduction to, 19
Framing-ground, 21
Franklinia, 289
Fraxinella, 366
French Honeysuckle, 167
Marigold, 451

Fringe-tree, 287, 314
Fritillaries, 92, 410, 443, 471, 493, 524,
567

sowing seed of, 491, 521

Fruit, thinning of, 399

to preserve for winter keeping,

551, 558

preserving the stones of, to plant,

491, 551

preserving the kernels of, 551

planting or sowing the stones of,

159, 269, 521, 558

INDEX.

629

Fruit, sowing the kernels of, 165, 269,

274, 558
Fruit -trees, newly grafted, care of, 351,

405, 443, 465, 491

fancy training of, 144 to 146

grafted or budded the preceding

year, care of, 268, 269, 405
budded in the present season,

care of, 491, 521
luxuriant and unfruitful, how to

bring to a bearing state, 150
to correct roughness in, and re-
new the bark of, 553
Fuchsia coccinea, 176, 326, 377, 454,

571
Fumigating the Hot-House, &c., 183, 529

G.

Galega virginiana, 365, 366, 494
Galleries, of hedge-work, 88
Garden, laying out a, 475
Gardenias, 377
Garlic, 206, 338, 544, 578
Geissorhiza obtusata, 175, 529
Genistas, 376
Gentianas, 366, 494
Gentianella, 167, 314, 493
Geraniums, 176, 377, 454, 476
Gerardias, 92, 365, 366, 494
Gladioluses, hardy, 96, 567

tender, 175, 455, 529

Glass most preferable for hot-bed lights,

19

Glass case for flowering plants, 363
Glycines, 494
Gnaphaliums, 494
Goat's-rue, 365
Golden-rod, 167, 313
Good and bad pruning of forest-trees,

59
Gooseberry-trees, pruning of, 43, 146,

230, 438, 549, 584

planting, 146, 230, 548, 584

propagating by cuttings, 306,

549, 584

propagating by seed, 549, 584

soil most suitable for, 306

Gordonias, 289

Gourds, 383

Graft, the impostor's, 401

Grafting, the proper time for, 259

preliminary instructions for, 259

to 264

stocks adapted for, 260

when to take off the scions for,

260

choice of scions or grafts, 261

scions not to be taken from sickly

trees, 59

tools used in, 262

clay, how to prepare, 262

the various methods of, 263 to

various kinds of trees and shrubs,

268, 302, 351, 353

Grafting, by approach or inarching,
267, 353, 376

forest-trees and ornamental

shrubs, 305

hollies, 353

Grapes, the methods of preserving them
fresh, 516

of curing them for raisins, 515

Grape-vines. See Vines.

Grass-walks and lawns, general dispo-
sition and care of, 76, 91

methods of making or laying

down, 317

Grass-slopes, 89

Gravel-walks, general disposition of, 76
to 91

methods of making 372

Green-House, to erect or construct, 98
work to be done in for January,

103. February, 174. March, 321.

April, 374. May, 415. June, 453.

July, 476. August, 495. September,

527. October, 571. November, 594,

December, 613
Green-House plants, shifting, 323, 375,

415, 478, 495

sowing seeds of, 175, 323, 376

heading down, 322, 376, 416

by cuttings, &c., 176,

324, 377, 454, 476'

when to bring out, 415

when to take in, 527, 571

to winter in garden-frames, 572

Gromwell, 215

Grottoes, rural, 77, 83

Groves, 82

Guernsey Lily, 414, 443, 455, 492, 494

Guilandinia dioica, 314

Gum in fruit-trees, to remedy, 466

n.

Ha-ha, what, 84

Hanging vases, 354

Hawk-weed, purple and yellow, 166,

364

Haws, how to prepare, for sowing, 160
Hawthorn, the various species of, best

adapted for hedges, 162
quicks or plants, how to raise,

160, 270
time of sowing in the Southern

States, 556

hedges. See Hedges.

Heading down declining fruit-trees, 237

budded stocks, 269

Heart's-ease, 363

Heaths, African, Ac., 113, 374, 476
Hedges, live, the necessity and utility
of, 270

how to make, 271, 272

plants suitable for, 162, 274, 277

time of planting and making, 271,

570, 593

observations on, 278

how to plash, 279, 593

630

INDEX.

Hedges, time of clipping, 273, 474, 525,
570

particular instructions for clip-
ping, 280, 525

Hedge-hog plant, 312, 364

Hedysarums, hardy, 365, 366, 494

Helleborus hyemalis, 523

niger, 523

virides, 523

foetidus, 523

lividus, 523

ranunculinus, 523

Helianthuses, 494

Heliotropium peruvianum, 377, 454

Hemerocallis, 366

Hepatica, 167, 313

Herbs, gathering, 215, 464, 487

Hermannias, 476

Hermitages, 83

Heuchera, 365, 494

Hibiscuses, herbaceous perennial, 365,
366, 452, 494

Hibiscus Rosa sinensis, 580

Hogs, their use in Orchards, 150, 153,
154, 466

Holly, 165, 275, 351, 556

to graft curious kinds of, 353

Hollyhock, common, 167, 312

China, 312, 364, 451

Honesty, or Satin-flower, 313

Honeysuckles, 113, 158, 171, 305, 314

French, 167, 313

Honeywort, 312, 364

Horehound, 215, 543

Hornbeam, 274, 314, 556

Horn-plant, 312, 364

Horsechestnut, 282

Horseradish, 217, 340, 546

Horseshoe plant, 312, 364

Hot-beds, method of making, 18

for seeding cucumbers, &c., 19

for sowing curious trees and

shrubs in, 165

for raising Green-House plants,

175
made of leaves, or leaves and

dung, 576
Hot-bed frames and lights, construction

of, 18

ridges, to make, 329

Hot-house or Stove, general instructions

respecting the construction of, 104 to

109
work to be done in for January,

110. February, 176. March, 324.

April, 377. May, 417. 'June, 456.

July, 479. August, 496. September,

529. October, 573. November, 596.

December, 614
Hot-house plants, to propagate, 326, 379,

418, 456

sowing seeds of, 326, 380

to bring out, 418

to take in, 530

to winter in Garden-frames, 575

Hot-walls, the construction and use of,

55

Hyacinths, planting and care of, 92, 94,
168, 171, 307, 354, 407, 443, 589

properties of a fine double, 354

best method and time of plant-

ing, 562, 589

sowing seed of, 493, 522

musk, 567

feathered, 567

starry, 567

grape, 567

Hydrangea hortensis, 176, 326, 377, 416,

454, 571, 594
Hypoxis, 494
Hyssop, 215, 427, 487, 543

I& J.

Jacobea Lily. See Amaryllis, scarlet
Jasmines, 171, 305, 374, 377, 442, 454
to bud, 471

Ice-plant, 169, 311, 412
Jerusalem Kale, 332, 423
artichoke, 222, 580

Impregnating the female flowers of early
cucumbers and melons, 190

Inarching, 267, 353, 376, 416, 496

Indigo, 376

Insects which infest the Hot-House, de-
scriptions of and methods of destroy-
ing, 176 to 184

on fruit-trees, to destroy, 347,

400, 411
Inoculating or budding, methods of,

467
time of, &c., 443, 455, 465, 467,

489, 495, 520
Jonquils, 92, 96, 308, 566
Ipomoea Quamoclit, 92, 170, 311, 412
scarlet, 364

Iris, Spanish and English bulbous, 92,
471, 492, 524, 566

dwarf Persian, 171, 471, 492, 524,

566

523

• sowing seeds of, 493
flag-leaved, in sorts, 313, 492,

snake's-head, 567

Judas-tree, 287, 314
Juniper, 165, 275, 305, 350
Justicias, 374, 377
Ixias, bulbous, 175, 455, 529
Chinese, 365, 452

K.

Kale, sea, 208, 339, 544, 581

Jerusalem, 332, 423.

Scotch. See Borecole.

Kalmias, 287, 351

Kernels of fruit-trees, to sow, 165, 269,

274, 558

Kidney-beans. See Beans.
Kidney-bean tree, Carolina, 305
Kitchen-Garden, plans or designs for,

114

INDEX.

631

Kitchen-Garden, situation, soil, water,

extent, &c., 115
fences suitable for, 117

preparing and laying out the

ground, 117

general culture and manuring

of, 115 to 123

work to be done in for January,

17. February, 123. March, 189.
April, 327. May, 381. June, 421.
July, 459. August, 484. September,
498. October, 534. November, 576.
December, 599

L.

Label sticks, to make, 68, 70

Labelling the plants, 498

Laburnum, 286

Labyrinths, 88

Lachenalias, 175, 529 • : t

Lagerstroemia indica, 377, 571, 594

Land, rationale of draining, 319

Lantanas, 483

Lapeyrousias, 175, 529

Larch-tree, 284

Large trees, how to remove, 243, 593

Larkspur, annual, 166 363

Bee, 312, 313 '

Lavatera, 166, 312, 363

Lavender, common, 215, 487, 543

Lavendulus, tender, 476

Laurel, Portugal, 71, 73, 305, 367, 377,

571
English or Levant, 71, 73, 305, 367, 377,

571, 594
Laurustinus, or Viburnum Tinus, 367,

374, 377, 416, 571, 594
Lawns. See Grass-lawns.
Layers, the several methods of making,

300

when to make, take off, plant,

Ac., 73, 158, 351, 405, 520, 555, 570

Leatherwoocl, 314

Leaves, preparation of, to make hot-
beds, Ac., 576
Leeks, to sow, 205, 337

to transplant, 424, 464

Lemon-trees, to shift, 322, 375, 478, 495

ordinary care of, 174, 321, 374,

377, 415, 474, 571

to prune or head down, 321, 376

to inoculate, 455, 495

to inarch, 416

Lettuces, 26, 138, 139, 196, 334, 389,

425, 462, 486, 499, 534, 577, 600
Liatrises, 365, 494
Lilac, common purple and white, 314

Persian, 314

Lilies, sowing seeds of, 493
Lilium superbum, 494, 524, 566

canadense, 494, 524, 566

Catesbsei, 566

chalcedonicum, 494, 524, 566

pomponium, 566

japonicuin, 566

jilium Martagon, 566

aly, white, 492, 524, 566

red, 492, 524

of the Valley, 313

ame or Linden-tree, 283, 301, 314, 555
Lime-tree, fruit-bearing, 495, 571
~ imodorum tuberosum, 92, 494, 567
Liquorice-root, its general culture, 218,

341

Lobelia?, 92, 167, 313, 365, 494
Locust-tree, common, 282

honey, or three-horned Acacia,

274, 314

London-pride, 167, 313, 523
Loveage, 215, 427, 543
Love-apple. See Tomatoes.
Love-lies-bleeding, 364
Lungwort, Virginian, 523
Lupins, 363
Lyciums, 376
Lychnadea. See Phlox.
Lychnis, dwarf, 166, 312, 363

scarlet, 166, 313, 493, 523

double scarlet, 97, 413, 452, 523

Lysimachias, 494

M.

Magnolias, methods of propagating, 287

planting, 314

Magnolia grandiflora, 71, 594
Mallow-marsh, 215, 543

oriental, 166, 363

Peruvian, 363

curled, 312, 363, 364

Mangel Wurtzel, 203

Manna, officinal, to procure, 299

Maples, of various kinds, 281, 301, 314,

555, 558
Marigold, pot, 215, 396

Cape, 364

French, 451

African, 451

Marjoram, pot, 215, 340, 396, 427, 543

sweet, or knotted, 215, 340, 396

Martagons, 471, 492, 524

what lilies are properly called,

566

Martynia, annua or probosidea, 364

Marvel of Peru, 364

Massonias, 175, 529

Mastich, 487

Medicated tar, how to prepare, 58

application and use of, 58, 149

Medlars, 244, 261

snowy, 286, 314

Melanthiums, Cape, 175, 529

• American, 494

Melasphserulas, 175, 529
Melias, 376
Melianthuses, 376

Melons, preparations for raising in hot-
beds, 19, 123

true Cantaloupe kinds described,

20

age and preparation of seed, 21

INDEX.

Melons, sowing the seed and general
care of, 22, 123, 128, 191, 328, 382

stopping or topping the plants,

127

impregnating the female flowers

of, 191

raising in hot-bed ridges, 329

sowing and care of, in the open

ground, 343, 382, 421, 459, 487

sowing for mangoes, 460

water, 343, 383, 422

Mesembryanthemums, 169, 174, 187,

375, 376, 412, 418, 571
Mezereon, 165, 575
Mignonette, 170, 188, 312, 364
Mimosas, 376. See also Sensitive Plant.
Mint, spear, forcing, 27, 542

in the open ground, 215, 543

pepper, 215, 543

cat or Nep, 215, 543

Monardas, 92, 365, 366, 493

Monk's-hood, 167, 313, 452

Moreas, 175, 455, 529

Moss, cleansing trees from, 57, 148, 603

Mulbery trees, propagation of, &c., 56,

275, 292, 301, 305, 550

paper, the method of manufac-
turing paper from the bark of, 297

Mushrooms, care of, 31, 131, 142, 582,

601
description of the cultivated kind,

503

preparations for making new

beds, 539

to collect the spawn of, 504

making and spawning the beds,

539
Myrtles, 103, 174, 176, 321, 374, 376,

377, 416, 454, 571
to prune or head down, 321, 379

N.

Napaja, 366, 494

Narcissus, common kinds of, 171, 568

polyanthus, 92, 308, 566

autumnal, 492

sowing seed of, 493

Nasturtium, or Indian Cress, 341, 396

Neapolitan and Russian violets, 567

Nectarine-trees, pruning, 38, 142, 223

budding, 467, 490, 520

Nettle-tree, 281, 314

Nettle, Roman, 364

New-Jersey Tea, 314

Newly grafted trees, care of, 351, 405,
443, 465, 491

'• budded trees, care of, 491, 520

Nigella, 166, 312, 364

Nolana prostrata, 364

Nursery, the importance and advantage
of, 61

extent, soil, and situation, 62

fencing, laying out, and prepar-
ing the ground, 63

method of arranging the plants,

65

Nursery, general care and culture of, 67
work to be done in for January,

70. February, 157. March, 259.

April, 350. May, 403. June, 441.

July, 467. August, 490. September,

520. October, 555. November, 587.

December, 605

0.

Oak-leaves used for making hot-beds,

575
Oaks, propagation of, 282, 314, 556

evergreen, 351

Obelisks, rural, 83, 89
(Enotheras, 369
Oiled-paper frames, 134
Okra, 341, 396, 427
Olea, or Olive, 376
Oleander, 374, 375, 416
Onions, sowing seed of, 204, 337

the several varieties of, 204

planting and care of, 205, 338,

394, 426

tree, 205

Welsh, 503, 583

planting large roots of, for pro-
ducing seed, 545

Ononis natrix, 476

Ophryses, 92, 494

Orach, garden, 344

Orange-trees, general care and culture
of, 174, 321, 322, 376, 416, 476, 571

pruning of, 321, 375

to shift, 322, 375, 478, 495

to inoculate, 454, 495

to inarch, 416

Orchards, the utility of, 56

extent, aspect, situation, and

soil, 238

preparation of the ground, 239

manure suitable for, 49, 150

choice of young trees, 240

times of planting, 240, 349, 547,

553, 586

method of planting, 241, 586

observations on neglecting, 57,

149

when to prune and dress, 57, 149,
234, 547, 553, 585, 604

particular methods of pruning,

56, 57, 58

when to prune or head down un-

healthy trees, 58, 234

how to prune or head down un-
healthy or old trees, 234, 238

to prevent the ravages of insects,

151

how and when to remove large

trees, 243, 593

to refresh the bark of fruit-trees,

553

to bring luxuriant and unfruitful

trees into a bearing state, 150

root-pruning of use to fruit-trees,

150

INDEX.

633

Orchards, to supply the place of decayed

trees, 243

Orchideous houses, 457
Orchises, 92, 494, 567
Ornamental planting and rural designs,

74 to 92
Ornithogalums, tender, 455

hardy, 96, 308, 471, 566

Oxalis versicolor, 175, 529
violacea, 494

P.

Paeonia, or Peony, 366, 492, 523

Palma Christi, 364

Pancratium maritimum, 567

Papaw-tree, 282, 314

Paper Mulberry-tree, 297

Paper, method of making it from the

bark of the Paper Mulberry-tree, 2^7
Paper-frames, method of making, 134
Parsley, common, 142, 207, 339, 396
Hamburg or large-rooted, 207,

339, 394, 426
Parsnep, 140, 199, 216, 336, 392, 426,

580

Parterre, 87

Passion-flower, 305, 377, 442
Patience Dock, 583
Pavilions, rural, 88
Peach-trees, pruning and training of, 39,

142, 223, 435

budding or inoculating, 467, 489,

520

double flowering, 171, 314

Pear-trees, pruning and training of, 35,
224, 348, 547, 585, 603

- grafting, 259, 260

- budding, 467, 489, 520

- gathering and preserving the
fruit of, 551

- pinching, 38

- sowing the kernels of, for stocks,
165, 269, 558

Pea-sticks, to provide and dress, 17
Peas, garden, raising in hot-beds, 140

- raising in the open ground, 140,
194, 195, 333, 388, 424, 464, 485

- sticking, best method of, 195

- Tangier, 166, 312, 364
winged, 312, 364

Pelargoniums. See Geraniums.

Pennyroyal, 215, 543

Penstemons, 493

Peppers, red. See Red Peppers.

Perennial and biennial flowers, sowing

seeds of; 312, 365, 413
- planting or transplanting, 313,

365, 414, 473, 493, 567, 590
Periploca grseca, 305
Persicaria, 312, 364
Persimmon, 281, 365, 366, 494
Phillyrea, 351
Phlomises, 476
Phloxes, 167, 365, 366, 452, 493, 523

Pine-Apples, general care and culture
of, 110, 184, 324, 377, 418, 456, 479,
496, 530, 573, 596, 615

various sorts of, 479

compost for, 480

propagation of, by crowns and

suckers, 481

propagation of, by seed, 497

Pines and Firs, how to distinguish be-
tween, 284

the various kinds of, 284, 285

propagation of, by seeds, 284,

285, 286, 351

observations on transplanting

seedlings of, in June, 442
time of trimming or pruning,

521 '
Pinks, general care of, Ac. See the

Flower Garden for the several months.
Pink, properties of a fine double, 445

method of piping, 449

best time for and manner of

planting, 310, 560

China, 312, 364, 451

Plane-tree, 281, 305, 314

Planting fruit-trees of various kinds,

229, 240, 346, 348, 547, 553, 584, 586

Fig-trees, 226

stocks to bud and graft on, 269,

557, 587

Gooseberries and Currants, 230,

548, 584

- Raspberries, 231, 348, 549, 584
all kinds of hardy deciduous trees

and shrubs, 305, 314, 351, 366, 557,
570, 587, 592

• hardy evergreen trees and shrubs,

315, 351, 367, 520, 526, 558

large grown trees, 242, 593

seedlings of hardy deciduous

trees and shrubs, 303
seedlings of hardy evergreens,

350

general observations on, 300

Pleasure-grounds, the laying out of, 74

to 93
Plum-trees, pruning and training of, 36,

223, 224

grafting, 261

budding, 467, 490

Plumeria rubra, 481
Podalyrias, 92, 365, 366, 494
Poles for Grape-vines, 60
for Lima Beans, 18

Polyanthus, 92, 167, 310, 313, 360, 411,

473, 492, 493, 559, 590, 607, 610

description of a fine, 361

to propagate by seed, 167, 308,

610
to propagate by slips, 361, 411,

474, 492

Polyanthus-Narcissus, 92, 308, 566
Polygala sanguinea, 364

bracteolata, 476

senega, 494

Pomegranate, 416, 572, 594
Poplars, 275, 305, 314

INDEX.

Poppy, 166, 312

Porticoes, of hedge-work, 88

Pot, sweet, and physical herbs, 215, 340,

397, 427
Potatoes, common, 217, 341

sweet, 384, 422

Poultry, their use in Orchards, 150, 153
Primroses, 167, 493

double, 310, 559, 590, 607

Primrose-tree, 167, 313
Prince 's-feather, 364
Privet, common, 276, 305

evergreen 351

Propagation by mere leaves, 477

Proteas, 377, 476

Protecting roots of new planted trees

and shrubs, 44, 602, 606, 611 '

• seedlings and tender plants, 587

Pruning espalier and wall, apple and

pear trees, 35, 142, 223, 348, 429, 547,

586, 603
plum and cherry trees, 36, 143,

223, 547, 585
peach, nectarine, and apricot

trees, 39, 142, 223
gooseberry and currant trees, 43,

146, 230, 549

raspberries, 45, 146, 231, 550

fig-trees, 225, 432

Orchard or standard trees, 56,

57, 58, 149, 234, 553, 586

• young fruit-trees under training,

67, 223, 224

fruit-trees, intended to be forced

the ensuing season, 505

summer pruning and dressing,

465 *

nursery young trees, 67, 159

hardy flowering shrubs, 159, 172,

569, 593

young forest-trees, 68, 159

and restoring old or declining

fruit and other trees, 236, 238

the vine, 519

Pumpkins, 383, 422
Pyracantha, 276, 351
Pyramids, rural, 89

Q.

Queen's Gilliflower, 413

Quicks, thorn, for hedges, 160, 271

other sorts of, for the same pur

pose, 274 to 277
Quince-tree, 56, 165, 223

II.

Racer or turf-cutter, 318

Radishes, 30, 137, 197, 335, 391, 425

463, 484, 500

Ragged robin, double, 313, 493
Raising plants and cuttings, 113
Raisins, methods of curing, 515

Ranunculus, Persian, general care of,
Ac., 92, 94, 168, 171, 307, 357, 409,
589

properties of a fine double, 409

taking up the roots of, 443

preserving from frost, 588

sowing seed of, 607

aconitifolius, double, 366

lape, for salad. See Small Salading.
Raspberries, planting, 231, 348, 550, 584
pruning, 146, 231, 550
protecting tender kinds of, from

frost, 44, 584
lecesses, rural, 77

Red peppers, 216, 342, 395, 427, 464
Rhexias, 92, 366, 452, 494
Ihododendrons, 287, 351
Rhubarb, the Turkey or officinal, its
general culture, 209, 340, 544, 581

English or common, 222, 340,

544, 581
Rocambole, 206, 338, 544, 578
Rock and shell work, 83, 87
Robinias, 158, 282
Rocket, garden, double, 113, 167, 313,

413, 452, 523

particularly noticed, 413

night smelling, 365

Root-houses, rural, 83

Root-pruning of trees, 150

Roses, forcing into early bloom, 171,
188

to pot, for forcing, 569

propagating by suckers, 158

propagating by budding, 443, 470

propagating by layers, 300, 442,

555

planting, 314, 316, 368, 569
used for hedges, 276
China, 416, 454, 594
Otaheite, 416, 454, 594

Rose-campion, 97, 167, '313, 452, 493,

523

Rosemary, 215
Rue, 215, 487
Rudbeckias, 377, 494
Rural seats, 77, 83
Rustic devices, 83
Russia Turnip. See Ruta Baga.
Ruta Baga, 462

S.

Saffron, bastard, 364

officinal or true. See Crocus,

autumnal.

Sage, common, 215, 487, 543
Salading, small, 28, 132, 199 335, 389,

425, 461, 485, 501, 544, 577, 600
Salsafy, 207, 338, 394, 426

to preserve for winter use, 580

Salvias, tender, 376, 476
Saponaria, 365
Sarracenias, 494
Sassafras, 313

Satin-flower, or Honesty, 313
Savin, 305

INDEX.

635

Savory, winter, 215, 340, 396, 427, 487,

543

summer, 215, 340, 396,427

Saxatile plants, 83
Saxifragas, sowing seed of, 365

collecting, 494

Saxifrage, double white, 167, 313
Scabious, sweet, 313, 452
Scilla maritima, 567

peruviana, 567

Scorzonera, 206, 338, 394, 426

preserving in winter, 580

Scotch Kale. See Borecole
Scurvy-grass, officinal, 215, 546
Sea-Kale, 208, 339, 544, 581
Sedums, 103, 174, 418, 571
Seedling trees and shrubs, summer care

of, 352, 442

winter care of, 71, 587

Sensitive plant, 169, 311, 412, 473

a particular account of, 473

Shaddocks, 455, 476, 495, 571

Shady walks, 81

Shallots 206, 338, 544, 578

Shell-work, 83

Shifting plants out of smaller into larger

pots or tubs, best method of, 322, 375
Silenes, tender, 376
Silk-worms, 292
Silphiums, 365, 366, 494
Sisyrinchiums, for edgings, <fcc., 92, 366,

494
Skirrets, 207 339, 426, 544, 581

to preserve for winter use, 580

Smallage, 215

Snail-plant, 312, 364

Snapdragon, 313, 364

Sneezewort, double, 365

Snowdrops, 92, 95, 410, 443, 492, 523,

567

Snowdrop-tree, 287, 314
Soapwort, double, 365, 452
Solan urns, hardy shrubby, 305

tender, 377

Solidagoes, 92, 365, 494

Sorrel, broad-leaved garden, 343, 396,

543
round-leaved or French, 343, 396,

543

Sour-gum or Tupelo-tree, 283, 305
Southern States, seasons and culture in,

particularly noticed, 31, 32, 56, 61,

71, 142, 157, 166, 173, 223, 488, 505,

546, 553, 556, 584, 602, 604, 606
Southernwood, 215, 543
Sowing stones and kernels of fruit. See

Fruit.
haws, for raising thorn-quicks,

160, 270, 556
Spartiums, tender, 376
Spiderwort, Virginian, 523
Spigelia marilandica, 493
Spinage, 138, 198, 335, 392, 463

winter, 484, 499, 534, 576

Spindle-tree, 156

Spiraeas, hardy herbaceous, 365

Spiraea trifoliata, 493

Spiraea, Filipendula, 523

Squash, 343, 383

St. Peter's wort, 314

Stage for auriculas, carnations, &c., 358

Staking new planted trees, best method
of, 243

Standard, half-standard, and dwarf-
standard trees, to train, 68

Star of Bethlehem, 96, 308, 471, 566

Statues, 77, 83

Stock, annual or Mediterranean, 363

Stock-gillyflowers, 97, 113, 171,313,413,
452, 568, 591, 612

Stocks, the proper kinds to bud and graft
on, 261

Stools, nursery of trees and shrubs, 64,
300, 301

Stopping, or topping young cucumber
or melon plants, 127

Stoves or Hot-houses, methods of erect-
ing, 104 to 110

Strawberries, forcing, 46, 112, 147, 188,
326, 616

spring dressing of, 232

choice of plants, 232, 506

the various kinds of, 506

times and method of planting,

232, 507, 551

making nursery plantations of,

428

to pot for forcing, 508

autumn dressing of, 551

other necessary care of, 348, 401

Strawberry -spinage, 364
Strawberry tiles, 233
Strawberry-tree. See Arbutus Unedo.
Suckers, to propagate trees and shrubs

by, 158, 351, 570
Sumach, to propagate various kinds of,

291

tanners', 291

Sun, its effects on frozen plants, 168
Sunflower, annual, 166, 312, 364
perennial, 167, 313

Sweetbrier, 276
Sweet-gum, 281, 314
Sweet-scented Peas, 166, 312
Sweet-scented shrub. See Calycanthus

floridus

Sweet-sultan, 364
Sweet-william, 97, 113, 167, 313, 451,

493, 523
Sycamore, 281
Syringas, 158

T.

Tacamahaca, 305
Tamarisk, 305

Tan, covering bulbs with, 94
procuring fresh, for making hot-
pits or beds, 531
Tansy, 27, 215, 543
Tarragon, 27, 215, 543
Temples, rural and ornamental, 77, 83
Ten-week stock, 170, 188, 312, 364
Terraces, 77, 89
Teucriums, 376, 377

636

INDEX.

Thermometer, its use in gardening, &c.,

184

Thickets in rural and ornamental plant-
ing, 82

Thorn-quicks. See Quicks.
Thorn, double flowering, 171, 314
Thrift, 92, 167, 313, 523
Thyme, 215, 396, 427, 487, 543
Tomatoes, 216, 342, 395, 427, 464
Transplanters, 371
Trees grown in pots, 419
Trees, protecting from cattle, 303
Trellises for fruit trees, to erect, 32, 33
Trenching and manuring, 17, 73, 120,

491, 546, 583, 589

Tricolors. See Amaranthus tricolor.
Trilliums, 365, 494
Tritonias, 175, 529
Trumpet-flower, 305, 442
Tuberoses, forcing, 369

open-ground culture of, 370, 412

taking up the roots, <fcc., 592

Tulip-tree (called Poplar), 281, 314
Tulips, common care of, &c., 82, 94. 95,
168, 171, 307, 356, 443, 589, 606, 612

method of supporting the flowers,

356

to take up and preserve the roots,

408

• when to take them up, 443

to propagate by seed, 493, 522

how and when to plant the valu-
able sorts, 560

to protect them in winter, 589

Turfing-iron, 317
Tupelo-tree, 283, 305
Turnips, garden culture of, 207, 216,
338, 394, 426, 485, 501

• • to preserve in winter, 580

Swedish, 462

Turnip-cabbage, 332, 387, 423
Turnip-rooted cabbage, 332, 387

V.

Valerian, Greek, 167, 313, 452, 523

red garden, 365

creeping Greek, 523

Vallisneria americana, 526

looking-glass, 166, 312, 364

navel-wort, 166, 312, 364

Veratrums, 494

Verbascums, 365

Veronicas, 365, 494

Viburnum prunifolium, 277

Villa garden, design for, 84 to 86

Vinca rosea, 412, 483

Vine borders heated artificially, 598

Vines, grape, their history 244

. descriptions and classification of

the various kinds of, 246

American species of, 252

time and methods of pruning,

155, 586
time of planting, 254, 553, 587

Vines, methods of planting and propa-
gating, 253 to 259

to protect the fruit from birds,

insects, Ac., 509

winter dressing of, 587

to make wine of the fruit, 509 to

515

to preserve the fruit of, for win-
ter use, 516

to cure the fruit for Raisins, £15

Vineries, for forcing grapes, 55, 517
Vinery, a cold, 173
Vineyards, to manure, 61, 154

to make poles for the vines, 60

soil and situation fit for, 252

preparation of the soil, 253

preparations for, and methods of

planting, 254, 258

time of planting, 253, 553, 587

time and methods of pruning,

155, 586
work to be done in for January,

60. February, 154. March, 244.

April, 349. May, 403. June, 440.

July, 466. August, 490. September,

509. October, 553. November, 586.

December, 605.
Violets, 167, 313, 493, 567
Virgin's-bower, 305? 442

W.

Walchendorfias, 175, 529
Walks, shady, 82

grass, to make, 317, 373

gravel, to make, 372

Wall-flowers, double, 97, 171, 413, 568,
591, 612 •

sowing seed of, 313

Wall-flowers, transplanting seedling, 451
Wall-trees, the general meaning of, 117
to train when young, 34, 68, 223,

224

to prune. See Pruning.

to summer prune, 465

Walnut-tree, the English, 56, 244, 282,

314, 556

Wasps, to destroy, 466, 509
Waterfalls, 80 «

Water, importance of in gardening, 344
Water-pieces, or sheets, 79
Watsonias, 175, 455, 529
Weigela amabilis, 289
Wilderness, 76
Willow, weeping or drooping, 80

hedges, 276

various kinds of, to propagate,

305, 554
Wine, the method of making white,

509

making red, 511

general remarks on the making

of, 513

how to clarify, 515

Winter-cress, 488, 501, 576
Witch-hazel, 314

INDEX.

63T

Worms in fruit-trees, to destroy, 149,

238
"Wormwood, 215

X.

Xeranthemum, hardy annual, 3£4
tender sorts of, 376, 476

T.

Yew-tree, 165, 276, 305, 351
Yuccas, tender, 376

Z.

Zennia, 364

YC i 0879

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