I

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

THE

AMERICAI HOME GAEDEN.

BEING
PRINCIPLES AND RULES FOR THE CULTURE OF

VEGETABLES, FEUITS, FLOWERS, AND SHRUBBERY.

TO WHICH ABE ADDED

BRIEF NOTES ON FARM CROPS, WITH A TABLE OF THEIR AVERAGE
PRODUCT AND CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS.

BY ALEXANDER WATSON.

"And the Lord God planted a garden."— Gen., iL, 8.

NEW YORK:

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,

FRANKLIN SQUARE.

1859.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine, by

HARPER & BROTHERS,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of

New York.

W3

DEDICATION.

To those young men and women of the Union who would
make their present or prospective homes rich with the com-
forts, bright with the beauties, and fragrant with the sweets
that a garden may be made to yield, this work is respectfully
dedicated by their sincere friend,

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

IT is related of one Eliezar, in proof of the vastness of his
knowledge, that " he made not less than three hundred consti-
tutions concerning the manner of cultivating cucumbers." The
author of the following work has no ambition to rival or to im-
itate Eliezar. He has aimed to present, in a digested and plain
form, such directions and information as will, if applied, enable
any one who has a garden to supply the home table with its
pleasant and healthful products at the least possible outlay of
labor and expense, and add choice fruits and flowers to the fam-
ily stock of rational, cheap, every-day enjoyments.

He has sought to instruct his readers by general principles
and directions rather than by extended details, believing that
the good sense of those for whom he writes will readily and
understandingly apply them, with or without modifications, as
the circumstances of soil, season, or latitude may require.
With much less labor he might have made a book twice as
large, and not half as intelligible.

The time of planting the principal corn-crop forms an iso-
thermal line throughout the various latitudes, and may there-
fore serve as a kind of equator for the cultivator in respect to
the times, earlier or later, for putting in garden crops ; and
this circumstance has been, to some extent, taken advantage of
in the directions given in this work, so that it will be found
intelligible and suitable in any latitude or locality. Adapta-
tion to this generality of use has also been consulted in the
enumeration of insects, and their remedies or preventives.

The details of the culture of fruit, flowers, and shrubbery are

VI PREFACE.

more fully elaborated than might otherwise have been deemed
necessary, with the view of inducing our youth to give some
attention to them; by their own skill and labor multiplying
around the homes of their boyhood those pleasant associations
and enjoyments, the fragrant and ever-blooming memories of
which may yield them refreshment in the dusty road of after-
life.

Additional interest might be given to such efforts by obtain-
ing the seeds, or scions, or grafts from scattered school or class-
mates. With the cheap mail facilities we now possess, there
seems to be no reason why there should not be, through this
channel, an extensive annual interchange of grafts of valuable
fruits, and flower and vegetable seeds, between the different
parts of our country.

With the still farther hope that his book may find a famil-
iar place in many a farm home, the author has added brief
notes on farm crops, with the modes of estimating their value,
etc., and a table of their chemical analyses.

In preparing the limited selections of the various fruits con-
tained in this volume, the author has been aided by the treat-
ises of Downing, Cole, Thomas, Elliott, and others. In the de-
scriptions given of particular insects he has octen availed him-
self of the reports of Dr. Asa Fitch, made to the Legislature of
New York, on the noxious and other insects of the state, and
the report on the insects of Massachusetts, made to the Legis-
lature of that state, by the late Dr. T. W. Harris ; while for
most of the illustrative drawings which form an important fea-
ture of the work he is indebted to his wife, and has pleasure
in acknowledging the obligation. His thanks are also due to
the engraver for the general truthfulness and excellence of the
illustrations, some of which presented peculiar difficulties in
their execution ; and to the publishers for the liberality and
taste with which the work is got up.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Plan. — The Garden. — Form, Aspect, Fencing, Protection, &c. — Mechanical
Preparation of various Soils, Draining, Plowing, &c Page 13

CHAPTER II.
Appendages.— Garden-house, Pit, Frame, Cold Bed, Hot Bed, &c 26

CHAPTER III.
Implements of common Culture from Plow to Dibber 38

CHAPTER IV.

Sources of Vegetation. — Elements of Vegetable and Animal Life. — Ma-
nuring and Manures, Composts, etc 59

CHAPTER V.

Reproduction in wild and cultivated Plants. — Vitality of Seeds dependent
on certain conditions 66

CHAPTER VI.

Vegetable Forms, Importance of; Original; Improvements in. — Vegeta-
bles, Color of; Deterioration of; Stock or Character of. 69

CHAPTER VII.

Fertilization, in perfect, monoecious, and dioecious Flowers. — Necessary to
the Production of perfect Seed. — Modes of natural and artificial Fertil-
ization.— Production of new Varieties of Vegetables 74

CHAPTER VIII.

Sowing, Manner of; Time of; Depth of, etc.— Combination of Vegetable
Crops. — Transplanting, Ridging, Hilling, etc 82

CHAPTER IX.

Insects; general Characteristics of ; Changes of ; Prevalence of . — Means of
Defense and Offense against them 94

Vlil CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X.

Insects injurious to Garden Vegetables, &c. — Aphides. — Larvae, or Worms.
—Moles Page 99

CHAPTER XI.

Vegetables for the Garden, &c., with Descriptions, and Directions for their
Culture. — Assortment of Seeds for a Family Garden 114

CHAPTER XII.

Fruits. — Effect of Soil, Climate. — Shape of, Color, Flavor, Specific Gravity.
— Fruit-trees; selecting Varieties, bearing Qualities, new Kinds 189

CHAPTER XIII.

Propagation of Fruit-trees by Seeds, Cuttings, Layers, &c. — Various
Stocks for Fruit-trees 195

CHAPTER XIV.
Implements for Pruning, Budding, and Grafting 207

CHAPTER XV.

Nature of Budding. — Bud Scions. — Stocks for, and Modes and Times of
Budding. — After-treatment, &c 218

CHAPTER XVI.

Grafting. — Grafting large Trees, &c. — Various Modes and Times of Graft-
ing.— After-treatment 225

CHAPTER XVII.

Setting out Trees, preparing Holes, &c. — Tables of Arrangement of Dis-
tances, Area, &c. — After-culture. — Combination of Fruits 243

CHAPTER XVIII.

Pruning; various Objects, Periods, and Modes of. — Cleaning and Scrap-
ing Fruit-trees. — Fruiting; healthful Tendency to. — The Law of prema-
ture or forced Fruiting, and various Modes of its Application 251

CHAPTER XIX.

Diseases of Fruit-trees. — Insects injurious to Fruit and Fruit-trees, with
Remedies. — Washes to destroy Insects 259

CHAPTER XX.

Fruits in alphabetical Order, in their Varieties, with Descriptions and Di-
rections for their Culture .. 286

CONTENTS. *. IX

CHAPTER XXI.

Flowers, Shrubs, &c., of various Classes. — Propagation of Flowers, &c., by
Cuttings, Layers, Budding, and Grafting. — Soils and Composts for Flow-
ers.— Select Lists of Flowers of various Classes. — Treatment of Plants in
House and Green-house, Heating Apparatus, &c. — Select Lists of hardy
Shrubs, Roses, Climbing Shrubs, Evergreens, Shade-trees, &c., with Di-
rections for their Propagation and Culture Page 434

CHAPTER XXII.

Brief Notes on Farm Crops, with Table of Quantities of Seed required per
Acre. — Crop estimated by its Money Value, and by its Capacity to support
Animal Life. — Table of average Product of various Farm Crops, and of
their chemical Constituents. — Remarks explanatory of the Table 495

ADDENDA.

Forcing Vegetables, &c. --Training Fruit-trees 507

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN,

CHAPTER I.

Plan.— The Garden.— Form, Aspect, Fencing, Protection, &c.— Mechanical
Preparation of various Soils, Draining, Plowing, &c.

PLAN OF GARDEN.
Fig. 1.

A, Garden House.

B, Pit.

C, Cold Bed.

D, Hot Bed.

E, North Border.

F, F, F, East, West, and South nar-
row Borders.

G, G, Entrances.

H, North Border Path.

I, I, I, East, West, and South Border

Paths.

J, J, Centre Path north and south.
K, K, Centre Path east and west,

temporary or permanent.

14 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. (

THE GARDEN.
FORM, ASPECT, ARRANGEMENT, &C.

THERE is, of course, no absolute rule for either the size,
shape, aspect, or arrangement of a garden ; each one may follow,
in each of these respects, the dictates of possibility, convenience,
or fancy. But, keeping in view the main purpose of this work
as a directory. for an American home garden, I have given a plan
suitable for gardens of various sizes, and such directions for
their general arrangements, as will, if adopted, economize labor,
and afford facilities for successful culture.

It is desirable that the garden spot be nearly level, and if
with a gentle descent toward the south or southeast, so much
the better.

If convenience and other considerations permit, it is very de-
sirable that your garden be located upon high and dry land,
rather than in a low and more moist spot. In moist valleys,
and even from the small dished hollows in a lot otherwise level
and dry, the greater amount and rapidity of evaporation causes
the early fall and late spring frosts, which so often injure crops.
They result from the operation of the same principle upon
which, by the rapid evaporation of ether, ice may be formed
even in the sunlight of a summer day. They " fall in the hol-
lows," as it is familiarly expressed, and are avoided by choosing
an elevated and dry spot for the garden.

Should any one, disliking the simplicity of the plan given,
desire to have his vegetable garden cut up into small beds or
fanciful forms, he will find it easy to do it, or hire it done to
his satisfaction. On the other hand, the " mechanical prepara-
tion" may be less thorough than that proposed, the " protec-
tion" omitted, and the "appendages" entirely dispensed with,
and the garden be yet made to yield an abundant return, if the
directions in regard to planting and culture are observed.

In form the garden may be square, or nearly so, an oblong
form perhaps being preferable, of which the measurement east
and west is somewhat greater than north and south.

The garden-house, if you should build one, with the other
appendages described p. 26 and onward, should occupy the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 15

northwest corner, and if the garden be not fenced on the north,
as directed p. 17, a high, close fence must be continued east-
ward from the garden-house, at least so far as may suffice to
shelter your pit (B), your cold bed (C), and your hot bed (D)
from the northerly winds.

Eastwardly from the pit, &c., along the north fence, a border
(E), ten or twelve feet wide, should be made for the raising of
early and tender vegetables, &c. ; a portion of it may also be
appropriated to early strawberries and asparagus.

To make it more suitable for these purposes, if the ground
have no natural descent to the south, it should be made to slope
by raising it gradually until the back of the border is six or
eight inches higher than the front. It must also be kept in
the highest possible condition by the application of warm, stim-
ulating manures. (See p. 60.)

Entirely across the garden, along the. front of this border,
should extend a path at least six feet wide (H), at either or
each end of which may be an entrance (Gr, G). In a small gar-
den no- other path will be found absolutely necessary ; but, if
deemed desirable or expedient, a border three or four feet wide
may be made along either side, or all the other sides of the
garden (F, F, F), with accompanying paths two or three feet
in width (I, I, I). In addition to these, a wider path may run
north and south through the centre (J). On either side of
these latter paths, and on the south side of the former, such ar-
ticles as are ordinarily sown in small beds or plots may be
raised, strawberry beds may be made, and the various fruit-trees
and bushes which properly find a place in a vegetable garden
may be planted, the whole being interspersed with such flowers
and shrubs as may suit the taste of the owner. The relative
positions and proportions of the different kinds of fruit-trees
and shrubbery introduced may be varied to suit the individual
fancy, but the aggregate should by no means be large, if we
would have a garden that will yield full crops of choice vegeta-
bles. Nothing interferes more with the free growth and con-
sequent excellence of vegetables than the roots of trees running
in the same soil, the effect of which is often but erroneously
attributed to their shade.

H> AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

If thought desirable, additional temporary paths may be
made, as at K, K in the plan, and edged with annual herbs or
flowers for the season. These are to be disregarded in the
spring plowing, and may be renewed or not, at will ; or, if the
garden is dug and not plowed in the spring, they may be made
permanent. All vegetables sown or planted in the garden,
whether in rows or hills, should, if possible, be ranged north
and south ; the making of small beds in the main divisions
should be avoided, and the rows be as few and as long as the
arrangement of the garden, and the necessity for fully cropping
the ground will permit. This will save much otherwise wasted
labor, and allow more readily of advantageously second crop-
ping those portions from which early peas, &c., &c., may have
been removed ; and with a farther view to this, crops that will
mature early should be arranged together, so that as large a
space as possible for recropping may lie in one spot, instead of
having many mere fragments ; also, all crops that are intended
to stand out over winter should be arranged in one section side
by side.

All permanent paths should be edged either with box kept
in order by an annual trimming with the dressing- shears, or
with a narrow strip of sod, carefully prevented from spreading
by the use of the grass-edger, and kept cut short with the
grass-hook, or any hardy perennial plant of dwarf growth that
will bear the necessary trimming without injury may be used
for this purpose. If box is planted, though its smell is quite
unpleasant to some persons, open a trench along the edge of the
border into the pathway as large and wide as the ordinary furrow
of a two-horse plow, the garden-line being stretched along the
edge of the border, and the back of the trench cut square down
by it, and perfectly true to the line. Old box edging, which
will be a foot or more long, must then be taken and divided by
tearing it asunder, or so spreading it that one yard will plant
three or four ; lay in the butts across the trench toward the cen-
tre of the path, so that only one or two inches of the young growth
may remain above the line. As it is laid in and held with the
left hand, put earth upon it with .the right, and either with
the knee or foot press it solid and secure to its place, so bend-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 17

ing the stems in the process as to bring the points almost or
quite upright. After the whole is planted, fill up the trench,
treading the earth lightly as it is filled in, and finish by a
firm but shuffling tread along with one foot on each side of the
newly-planted row, and close to it. It should then be dressed
with the shears to an even height, and if the season prove
very dry, water it until it is out of danger. If planted in the
fall, the dressing should be deferred until spring.

FENCING.

Having determined the size and form of your garden, inclose
it on the north and west sides with a high, close board fence,
and on the east and south sides either with close fence or
picket.

Hedges combining ornament with additional protection may
be planted along the inside of these latter fences, and, if pre-
ferred, along the west fence also. They may be of arborvitse,
cedar, cypress, cydonia japonica, privet, pepperidge, the buck-
thorn, either European or American, the Washington thorn, or
the Osage orange ; to which list may be added, for the warmer
latitudes, the sweet bay, the euonymus japonica, the pomegran-
ate, and others. The common and honey locusts, though
beautiful, grow too strongly for this purpose ; and the haw-
thorn, though effective where security is the chief object, is
excluded by its scalded and unsightly appearance in the sum-
mer and fall.

In making young hedges, the plants may be set either in a
single row at six inches apart, or a foot apart in a double row,
and alternated so that the actual intervals will still be only
six inches ; and if the plants are slightly sloped in the setting
out, the growth will probably thicken sooner.

PROTECTION.

Whether hedges are planted or not, if you would make the
thing perfect, unless hills or woods already protect it, plant a
belt consisting of a double or triple row, or more, of evergreens,
of such varieties as you may prefer, along the outside of the
fence on the east, north, and west sides. Let this belt over-

18 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

lap at the entrances, so as to exclude all winds except the
southerly. Set the trees pretty closely together, and the pro-
tection afforded when they grow up will enable you to sow and
plant with safety from one to two weeks earlier than would
otherwise be expedient, and in a majority of seasons the ma-
turing of your crops will be equally advanced. The birds, too,
your best friends in garden or orchard, will winter with you,
which friends do not always, and be ready to enter with you
upon the labors of spring.

MECHANICAL PREPARATION.

In making a new garden, it is desirable, if it be possible, to
effect whatever mechanical preparation it may require before
fencing it. If the plot selected be a deep rich soil, free from
stone, a thorough and deep plowing is sufficient. If a deep
free soil and subsoil, but not rich, manure heavily and trench-
plow it. If the soil be shallow, and the subsoil very compact,
or a hardpan, yet free from stone, manure heavily and trench-
plow as directed (page 23), running, however, a subsoil plow
-^ead of the second stroke, and following it with the same to
loosen it still deeper, if you think expedient. See SUBSOIL
PLOWING. A subsequent cross - plowing with the common
plow, followed by the subsoiler, will perfect the preparatory
work. Should the soil of your garden plot be stony, it must
be trenched at least eighteen inches deep, and all stones taken
out that are too large to be gathered by the rake in the course
of ordinary cultivation ; but if trenching is found necessary, it
may be done in sections at any time after the plot is fenced.
If the soil of your plot is a moderately light loam, when en-
riched it will become a perfect garden soil. If it be strong
loam, repeated and high manuring with stable and other stim-
ulating manure will steadily improve it. If it be heavy loam
or clay, cart on sand or road-wash as freely as you can from
time to time, and manure often and highly. If, on the con-
trary, the soil is sandy, cart on loam or clay, and mix it well
by repeated plowing and harrowing, using at the same time
cow and hog manure, leached ashes, marl, or swamp muck,
avoiding the use of barn-yard or stable manure, unless in com-
post, or when perfectly rotted.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

19

In estimating the quantity of sand or its opposite required
for changing the mechanical character of soil, it may be reck-
oned that 247 cubic yards of earth will cover an acre to the
depth of two inches.

DRAINING.

Fig. 2.

A, A. The line of ooze. F, F. Side drains.

B, B. Diagonal drains. G, G, G, G. Points of discharge on

C, Side drain. the surface.

D, D, D. Points of discharge on the H. Blind ditch.

surface. I. Covered stone drain.

E, Double pitch drain. J. Covered pipe drain.

It is sometimes found necessary or convenient to make a
garden in a wet spot. In such a case, draining, though requir-
ing considerable labor, is indispensable.

If the spot be a dead level, in which it is only necessary or
possible to sink the water from the surface, surround your gar-
den on the outside of the fence with an open ditch of such

20 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

depth and width as you may deem sufficient for the purpose,
always making the depth of your open ditch equal to its width
at the surface, and grading the sides so as to make the width
of the bottom equal to one third of the depth. If required, let
blind ditches or covered drains, as deep as the open ditch, and
discharging into it, be made to underlie the intersecting paths,
as J, J, K, K in the garden plan. Upon descending ground, the
main drains or blind ditches should not be made either parallel
with the slope or at right angles to it. In the former case
they will be of little service, and in the latter will be liable to
stoppages from want of current, which may convert them into
mere dams, forcing the water to the surface at a lower point.
If, then, the ground of your plot be sloping, and the water ooz-
ing to the surface, note carefully the upper edge of the line of
ooze (A, A, Fig. 2), which is simply the natural drainage,
whose current flows always in the direction of the ground
slope. At an average distance of twenty feet above the upper
edge of the ooze cut a blind ditch or drain three or four feet
deep (B 1, Fig. 2), running diagonally across the plot to the
side drain, C ; or if it can be done with less labor, omit the
side drains, and carry it outside of the fence, letting it dis-
charge upon the surface at D. This may either be doubled,
as B 1, B 2, D, D, or changed in form, as E, F, F, G, G, G, G,
the latter mode being especially useful when the wet spot is in
a hollow or dishing form.

BLIND DITCHES.

A blind ditch (H) should be cut in the same form as above
directed for the outside open ditch around the garden plot ;
when it is thus opened, throw in by hand small loose surface
stones, say from one to ten pounds in weight, until it is one
third or one half filled with them ; over these lay small brush,
or shavings, or straw, or sod with the grass side down, and fill
up with the earth that came out, rounding it a little directly
over the drain to prevent surface water settling into it while
the work is fresh.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 21

COVERED DRAINS.

These are formed by setting flat stones edgewise along each
side in the ditch, and fitting a covering of the same to rest
upon them. Over this hollow drain, stones, such as are suita-
ble for blind ditches, may be thrown, so far as seems conven-
ient or desirable, the whole being covered with the earth and
rounded as above directed for the blind ditch, thus combining
the advantages of both forms of draining (I). The ditch for a
covered drain need not be cut so wide at the surface as an open
or a blind ditch, but may have the sides nearly perpendicular ;
and where flat stones can not be readily obtained, the drain-
pipes or tiles made by the potters may be used (J).

PLOWING.

The plow and harrow, wherever it is practicable to use them,
are the most efiicient known instruments in the proper prepa-
ration of the soil for the reception of seeds or plants. Much
has been said and written to demonstrate the superiority of the
spade, but it has not come into general use as a substitute, and
is now less likely than ever to do so. Repeated deep, narrow-
sliced plowing and thorough harrowing are, beyond question or
comparison, the best means that we possess for thoroughly pul-
verizing the soil, and so reducing its particles as to prepare
them to enter into the composition of plants. How to plow
well must be learned. Happy the youth who, to his other
learning, willingly adds this. Plowing should be performed
when the earth will crumble as it is turned up. The old
Roman maxim, "Plow stripped, sow stripped," is a good,
though not an absolute rule. Fall plowing, either plain or
ridged, may be done without injury, even though the ground
be pretty wet and the weather cold, the frosts of winter coun-
teracting the ill effect that in other circumstances would re-
sult. But the cultivator who in spring turns up a wet, smooth,
heavy furrow-slice to the bright, strong sun, will find his sea-
son's labor largely increased or his crop a failure.

Plowing should be performed with a strong team. On all
good soils, and especially in a garden, it should be from twelve

22 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

to fifteen inches deep. What is called " cut and cover" plow-
ing must be carefully avoided. The furrow- slice should be
narrow, not much exceeding two thirds the width from the fore
end of the land-side to the outer corner of the share. It should
not be laid over quite flat, but at an angle of about forty-five
degrees, which, for the benefit of very young readers I remark,
is represented by each pair of lines radiating from the centre
of this star ^-. No care need be taken in plowing to fill any
irregular holes that may happen to remain, nor effort of any
kind made to help the plow perform its work, unless it be to
foot over an obstinate tussock or sod. Smoothness is not an
excellence in plowing. The land so plowed should be left for
a time in its rough state, open to the influence of the sun and
air ; when, after thorough harrowing, it may be re-plowed or
dug, as may be found suitable for the particular crop.

HARROWING.

Harrowing should be done after the land has lain plowed a
week or more, as it may require, and, if practicable, when the
surface soil is not dusty, but only moderately dry and perfectly
friable. The " trituration" and reduction of the soil by the
harrow will be more perfect when in this state than if quite
dry ; and if it should be wet, the harrowing must not be done
except under a pressing necessity.

The first stroke of the harrow should always be " with," or
in the same direction as the furrow ; the subsequent strokes
crossing it and each other at right angles, or obliquely, until
the work is satisfactorily done.

RIDGING.

Ridging is performed with the common plow by throwing
two furrows, together, which thus meet upon and overlap a
space about as wide as each of them ; or with the spade, by
digging the two furrows, and laying the earth up in ridge form
upon the intervening space. In very light soils, which, how-
ever, should never be ridged for winter, or in the preparation
of plowed land for crop ridging, the work is sometimes done by
the use of a large and pretty strong double-mould plow, which
seems to save half the labor, but seldom does its work well.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 23

Strong loam or clay land, which, if plowed or dug in the
fall and laid flat, might be injured rather than benefited, is
greatly improved by careful ridging for winter, particularly if
lime, ashes, or manure, or all of them, be previously applied, and
are covered up or incorporated in the process of ridging.

SUBSOIL PLOWING.

In subsoil plowing, a deep furrow turned with the common
plow is followed by another in the same track with the subsoil
plow (Fig. 17, p. 39), which, being without mouldboards, simply
loosens the subsoil without throwing it up to the surface. The
convenient and obvious mode of performing it is to have two
teams, the one with the subsoiler following the other in its
rounds.

The depth of the two furrows may easily reach eighteen
inches.

TRENCH PLOWING.

Trench plowing is performed by two teams following one an-
other, as in subsoiling, but with common mouldboard plows, the
mouldboard of the last, or trench-furrow plow, being generally
somewhat longer than the first. It may, however, be well done
with a good plow and one team, by simply plowing first to the
depth of nine or ten inches, and repeating the stroke in the
same furrow with longer gearing. It should be done with a
steady team, and the plow be driven as deeply as two strokes in
the same furrow can be made to carry it.

TRENCHING.

Trenching may be performed on a small or large plot with
equal proportionate convenience. If, therefore, it is found nec-
essary to the proper preparation of the garden plot, it may be
deferred until the fencing is completed, or even be done gradu-
ally through a series of years, after the garden is used.

It consists simply in marking off from the end or side of any
given field or piece of land of even width a strip, say two feet
wide, and digging it out, and carting it or wheeling it to the
opposite end or side, where it must be laid in a row all along,

24 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

that it may be ready to fill up the last trench at the completion
of the job, the earth that comes from the bottom layer or layers
being dumped in a separate ridge, a little beyond that taken
from the surface, so that the latter may be conveniently put first
into the bottom of the last trench.

If the depth proposed be eighteen inches, let the spade be
driven full ten inches deep in taking off the first layer ; then,
with a good sharp shovel, let the " crumbs" or loose earth be
taken out, cutting the bottom a little as you go, which will
deepen the trench another inch ; then dig another spade-length
deep, and the work is done.

If, however, the subsoil is so hard that the second layer can
not be dug out with the spade, the pick and shovel must be
used, and if the necessary depth can not be attained by one op-
eration with these implements, it must be repeated.

Having this first trench completed, another equal space is
marked off, and another, and another, to the end, the earth from
each being regularly turned over into the excavation that pre-
ceded it, by a precise repetition of the process of digging and
shoveling above described, the surface-earth being thrown into
the bottom of the trench, and the lower stratum on the top of
it, with some care to keep the side of the loose earth laid up
square, and the top of the new layer nearly level, until you
come to that which was carted back, which fills up and finishes
the whole.

By this operation the body of earth is more completely turned
upside down than is possible in plowing ; and in the process
stones can be thoroughly gathered out, and any desired quan-
tity of manure may be mixed in by spreading it upon the suc-
cessive layers after they are turned into the trench. If the
soil is really poor, this should not, on any account, be neglected.

DIGGING.

In certain circumstances we must resort to digging instead
of plowing, and in the garden, particularly, it is almost exclu-
sively used in the preparation of the ground, or in working be-
tween certain crops in wide rows. It is performed with the
spade (Fig. 37, p. 48), or a strong fork made for the purpose, and

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 25

called a spade-fork (Fig. 50, p. 54). The depth of digging, in
experienced hands, seldom exceeds ten inches, and the inexpe-
rienced will rarely go so deep. A careless digger will some-
times make the thickness of his spade-slice equal to its depth,
and, in consequence, will very imperfectly move much of the
lower portion of it. As a general rule, let the thickness of the
slice be equal to half the length of the blade you use, and the
work will probably be well done.

If the handle of the implement used be not too long (Fig. 37,
p. 48), digging affords perhaps the very perfection of bodily ex-
ercise for the convalescing invalid or the dyspeptic. It gives
exercise to the chest and abdomen, and calls almost every mus-
cle of the body into action, yet is so entirely measurable in its
degree that it may become the amusement of a child or a task
for a strong man.

, As with the plow, so with the spade, land may be properly
dug or ridged in the fall, even though it be pretty wet. But
in the spring the earth should not be dug when the surface is
wet, nor until, on being turned up, the body of the soil is found
friable. The first spring digging in the garden should be
roughly but effectually done, no care being taken to break it up
smaller than " egg coal" or " rubble." After lying in this
state till it is warmed through, it will be found an advantage
to " chop it over" as deeply as possible, either with the hoe or
potato-hook. It may then be roughly raked preparatory to the
second digging, or, if it be clear of stones and bad weed-roots,
this raking may be omitted.

When dug a second time, in preparation for the seed or
plants, let the digging be more carefully performed, and the
soil well pulverized in the process. If afterward, from the oc-
currence of sudden beating rain, or other cause, it seem desira-
ble to repeat the operation of chopping over, let it be done, and
having given it a finish with the rake, it will be ready for sow-
ing or planting.

B

26 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHAPTER H.

Appendages. — Garden-house, Pit, Frame, Cold Bed, Hot Bed, &c.

APPENDAGES.
GARDEN-HOUSE.

A SMALL garden-house, say twelve feet wide by twelve or
eighteen feet long, with earthen floor, is a convenient and de-
sirable appendage to the garden, for storing garden-pots, com-
post for choice plants, and tools when not in use. It serves
also for various purposes of in-door work, as repairing imple-
ments, potting plants, sowing in pots when desirable, preparing
cuttings, &c. If built in the garden, which it ought to be, it
should be so placed as to form the northwest corner of the in-
closure, having a shuttered window or two to the south and
north, and a door in the east end. Inside, a work-bench should
run almost or quite along the front or south side. On the
right, near the door, should be fixed a bar or slat, upon which
to hang rakes, hooks, and hoes ; also nails or pins for thrust-
hoes, spades, &c. A few shelves along the back, for such pur-
poses as they may be found to serve, will complete the internal
arrangement.

The garden-house, though convenient, is not indispensable,
if a cellar or any of the ordinary out-buildings can be used in-
stead. On the other hand, if built, it may be furnished with a
cellar for storing fruits and vegetables, and a frost-proof dark
room for choice pears, &c.

PIT.

The pit is a sunken frame-work, covered with glass,- protected
by shutters or mats, but without artificial heat, and may be of
wood, brick, or stone.

To make a pit for three sashes, such as are commonly known
as hot-bed sashes, choose a spot that will enable you to front it
to the south or southeast. Dig out the earth about six feet

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 27

wide and ten feet long to a uniform depth of eighteen inches ;
within this make a frame of thick plank, or slabs hewed to fit
close, and nailed firmly to locust or chestnut posts. These
posts should be three and a half feet long for the back, and two
and a half feet long for the front of the frame, thus allowing it
a slope of one foot, to which, of course, the ends must suit. Its
inside width, when completed, will be about five feet, and its
length about nine feet. Pack the earth lightly around it, tak-
ing care to keep the frame at right angles ; then, with a draw-
ing-knife and plane, finish the upper edges of the whole with a
smooth, even slope. Prepare two cross-bars or slides for the
sashes to run on, made of two strips of stout plank, three inches
in width, each having along its centre a thin strip of the same
width nailed firmly edgewise, to serve as a sash-guide ; nail a
corresponding strip on the outside of each end plank to serve a
similar purpose, the ends themselves serving as slides. Hav-
ing measured off the frame accurately into three divisions of
equal width in the clear, notch or dovetail the plank cross-
bars or slides into the frame flush with its back and front edges,
carefully preserving the proper width of the divisions, so that
each sash, when put on, will lie perfectly fair and snug in its
place. Immediately underneath each of the two cross-bars, and
fitting closely up to them, you may, if you please, set a rough
plank or board partition, thus dividing the pit into three sepa-
rate compartments. The packing of the earth around the frame
may now be more thoroughly done, and, as a protection against
some degree of cold, bank earth thickly around the pit up to
within an inch or two of the edge of the frame, treading or
beating it as you go to make it solid, and sloping the bank
carefully so as to shed water.- This done, fit on your sashes
properly, and cover them with board shutters or thick straw
mats (see p. 37), or both, and your pit is ready.

As the pit is calculated to be a permanent appendage to the
garden, it is plain that brick or stone is greatly to be preferred
for making it. If laid up dry with common farm stone, and
well pointed or plastered, it will last a lifetime ; but in this
case, or if built of brick, it will require a frame or plates for the
sashes, which may be made of good three or four by six inch

28 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

pine timber, well set in mortar upon the walls, and thoroughly
painted.

A pit is intended to serve as a place for wintering half hardy
and even tender plants, and for blooming roses and other flowers
earlier and later in the season than would be practicable in the
open ground. For these purposes, the pit may be partially
filled with leaves from the woods, tan, sawdust, sand, or spent
manure well pulverized. If the pit is too deep for the plants,
so much filling must be used as is needful to bring their tops
to within ten or twelve inches of the glass, the pots being
packed or set thoroughly into it. A pit thus filled should have
light, and a little air admitted about noon of every bright win-
ter day that is not too intensely cold to permit it with safety,
increasing the amount of these as the mild days of early
spring come on, until it becomes safe to uncover it entirely to
the vernal showers. It should be occasionally examined
through the winter, and defended against mice, which are apt
to nest in it.

When divided into compartments, as above suggested, the
pit may readily be put to various uses. In one of these the
spring hot bed may be made more easily and with less manure
than when made in the common mode. For this purpose the
manure should be evenly and solidly laid, as directed for hot
beds, p. 30, to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches, which
being covered with the usual depth of rich earth, will bring up
the surface sufficiently near to the glass and into the sunlight.
If two compartments are used for hot beds, the additional ad-
vantage is gained of being able to classify your plants, sowing
the hardier varieties, as cabbages, salad, &c., in the one, and in
the other the tenderer, as pepper, egg-plant, &c., which require
greater warmth and more careful treatment. (See Hot Bed.)
One or more compartments of a pit may, if found desirable, be
used as a " cold bed," requiring only to be filled up with rich
earth or compost to a little higher than the natural surface of
the ground, and then treated in all respects as directed p. 29.

GARDEN-FRAME.

The garden-frame is usually made of inch and a half plank,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 29

Fig. 3. eighteen inches deep at the back, and

nine inches at the front, the ends be-
ing gradually sloped to suit. A con-
venient width is about five and a half
feet, though this may vary. The
frame is divided by cross-bars three
inches wide, notched into the upper
edges of the back and front of the frame at say three feet one
inch apart from centre to centre, with a thin centre-board or
sash-guide standing edgewise, from an inch and a half to three
inches high, along each, the two ends of the frame having
strips nailed on to serve the purpose, as directed for pit, p. 27.
Frames are sometimes made to hold three or four sashes, but
it is more convenient to handle those made for only two, sev-
eral pairs of which can be set together, if a longer bed is re-
quired.

The frame is carefully and strongly nailed together, or each
part is cleated at the corners, and drawn closely together with
hooks or links and staples, so as to be readily taken apart.

To suit the dimensions of the frame named above, the sashes,
which should be of inch and a half stuff, require to be about
five feet nine inches long and three feet wide, having either
five rows of six-inch glass or six rows of five-inch, in either
case each sash containing about fifteen feet of glass. This
should be of good quality, flat, and strong, and in the process
of glazing the panes should overlap as little as possible, say
one fourth of an inch at the most ; or, if the glass be of superior
make, the width of the lap need not exceed the thickness of
the pane.

The garden-frame so made and sashed is used to form of
itself a cold bed, or to place upon a hot bed for the purpose of
raising early plants, &c.

COLD BED.

A cold bed is made by simply setting a garden-frame (Fig.
3, above) in a favorable spot for your purpose, whetner you
desire sun or shade ; or it may be stationary, and provision
made for shading it at will. For winter protection it should

30 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

be banked around as directed for the pit (page 27), and is used
for the same general purposes where depth is not required.

HOT BED.

Take fresh stable manure that is ready to heat or already
4. heating, and spread a thin

layer of it upon the ground,
of the size and form of the
bed you wish to make, cal-
culating this always full one
foot longer and wider than
the frame you intend to set
upon it. On this spread
other layers, mixing the
long and short manure to-
gether, and shaking it perfectly out of all large lumps or bunch-
es in the process. Keep it equally packed and level by beating
it over regularly, but not heavily, with the back of your four-
pronged fork at about every third layer, filling up any soft
spots or hollows you find.

Keep the edges true and the corners firm, and when it at-
tains the desired height, shovel up the loose fine manure around,
and spread it evenly over the top. Set on your garden-frame
with care, and fill in with rich earth, not throwing it in heav-
ily or in heaps, but spreading it lightly and evenly to the depth
of four or five inches. Rake the surface, sow your seeds in
drills about four inches apart, and put on the sashes. Some
defer sowing until the bed heats, but it may be safely sown at
once ; and when the heat rises give plenty of air, not by sliding
your sashes down, but by raising them at the back, having a
longish triangular block or piece of plank to tilt them upon, so
that you can open them with it two inches or five.

In sowing your hot bed, let peppers, egg-plant, and other
tender plants be sown together or under the same sashes, and
cabbages, lettuces, &c., under others, so that they can receive
more or less airing as they may require ; or set a thin board, as
a temporary partition, between them, under the cross-bar of the
frame. Shade the bed until the plants are well up, and water

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 31

regularly, but not heavily, toward evening, with water that has
been warmed in the sun or by the fire — say to the temperature
of fresh-drawn milk — and cover the sashes at night with shut-
ters, and bass or straw mats, or other sufficient covering.

Give air abundantly, but never suddenly, throughout the time
your plants remain in the bed, uncovering them entirely during
the day and in mild nights for a week or ten days before they
are set out. If you pot your plants, or transfer them to a sec-
ond hot bed, the treatment should be the same. The ordinary
time for making hot beds near New York is from the middle
of February to the middle of March ; but the proper time can
be calculated any where by making the hot bed from six to
eight weeks before the plants are needed to set out.

CISTERN.

Wherever it is found necessary or desirable to have the ap-
pendages to the garden complete within itself, a cistern of such
size as may be deemed suitable should be constructed in the
ordinary manner, to receive the water from the garden-house
or any neighboring out-building. Its dimensions may be six
feet deep and five feet diameter, or nearly 900 gallons capacity ;
or eight feet deep and six feet diameter, which will hold about
1600 gallons ; or larger if preferred. A cheap and yet durable
cistern may be made with the aid of an ordinary workman by
digging a hole of the necessary size, covering the whole bottom
with a thick layer of small stones, filled in, or rather mixed,
with hydraulic mortar, prepared for use in the ordinary man-
ner— that is, allowing two barrels of sand to each barrel of
first-rate cement, and packing them solidly with a rammer.
Upon the floor thus prepared set a rough plank frame, such as
is often used in well-digging to prevent caving in, but leaving
a space sufficient for the cistern- walls between the frame and
the surrounding earth, and brace the frame thoroughly on the
inside.

Having provided a supply of rough stone, such as are com-
monly gathered by hand from the lots or road sides, proceed to
fill up the wall -space around the frame with them in regular
layers, mixed, like the bottom, with hydraulic mortar, and

32 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

rammed moderately, but so as to make it solid. Each layer
should be carried entirely around the frame before ramming,
care being taken to ram evenly, that the pressure on the frame
may be kept equal ; and the whole work should be done as rap-
idly as possible, mixing the mortar in small quantities as want-
ed, that the settling and drying may be uniform. In the
course of ten days remove the frame- work, plaster the whole
thoroughly with cement mortar, made with one third sand and
two thirds cement, and finish the whole by putting on the top.
Should leaks occur subsequently, they may be stopped by a
coat of thin cement, laid on with a whitewash-brush.

ICE-HOUSE.

An ice-house for family supply may be made of the same
size and in the same manner as a cistern, having a draining-
floor formed of rough joists or plank, under or between which
a few inches open space is left at the bottom when the ice is
put in, with a waste-pipe leading from it, having a plug by
which it may be closed at its outer end. Or it may be built
in a dry soil as a small cellar, with the above provision for
drainage, and be closely covered by setting a roof or building
over it. Or it may, if preferred, be built entirely above ground,
with double siding of boards or slabs, the space between being
packed as directed for green-house, which see.

It should be substantially braced, and provided with an in-
ner and outer door ; the space between these, together with the
whole roof or floor covering it, in whatever manner it is built,
should also be packed as directed for the sides. The draining-
floor being first thickly covered with straw, the ice may be set
in snugly in blocks, the spaces between them being filled with
the fragments rammed solidly in ; or, if thin ice is used, the
whole may be broken up and rammed, water being added from
time to time to fill the crevices by its freezing ; the mass must
be kept a little raised in the middle as the filling progresses,
and the sides should be lined with straw set upright. When
it is completed, the whole must be thickly covered with the
same, or with sawdust, or salt hay, and kept securely closed
until the ice is wanted. Not less than from forty to fifty

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 33

loads or cubic yards of ice should be relied on to keep well in
a house built entirely above ground. In the cellar or cistern
form a much smaller quantity may be preserved ; but in all
cases, the larger the aggregate mass, the better it will keep.

TANK.

A tank sufficient for the purposes of a small garden may be
made by sinking a water-tight tierce or hogshead into the
ground, and covering it safely, having first pitched it within
and without. For larger gardens, or where a more permanent
tank is desired, it should be built in the same manner as a
small, shallow cistern, having a sufficient opening to allow of
stirring the contents or adding to them, but which ordinarily
must be closely covered.

For the purposed stirring, it will be found very convenient,
and not expensive, to set in the centre of the tank a shaft fur-
nished within the tank with two or three pairs of arms nearly
equal to its diameter. The upper end of the shaft should pro-
ject four or five feet above the cover, and having a two-inch
hole through it near the top, the contents of the tank may be
easily stirred by turning it with a small bar. Into this tank
the soap-suds and other waste water from the house should be
conveyed, for the preparation of liquid manure, if needful. See
page 64.

WHEELBARROWS.
Fig. 5. Fig. 6.

Canal Wheelbarrow. Box Wheelbarrow.

The common canal wheelbarrow, Fig. 5, is very much to be
preferred for general purposes, though in most gardens the box
form, with loose sides, Fig. 6, or something nearly similar, is
still generally used.

B2

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

GARDEN ENGINE, WATERING-POT, AND SYRINGE.
Fig. 7. Fig. 8.

Garden Engine.

Watering-pot.

Fig. 9.

Syringe.

The garden engine, Fig. 7, is a small force-pump, with a pipe
or hose of any desired and suitable length, placed in a barrel or
water-tight box} and fitted upon a wheeled frame for the con-
venience of removal at will to any part of the garden. It is
used instead of watering-pot and syringe.

The watering-pot, Fig. 8, requires no description. It is
used with or without the rose, and a convenient size for use
will hold about twelve quarts.

The syringe, Fig. 9, is commonly of brass, having a small,
delicately perforated rose (a), without which it is seldom or
never used. It is calculated chiefly for syringing plants in the
green-house, &c., which would otherwise suffer from the dry heat.

HAND AND BELL GLASSES.

Hand glasses, Fig. 10, A, B, are made of various dimen-
sions, from six to eighteen inches in diameter, or larger, and
of divers forms, being square or many angled, conical or flat,
deep or shallow. The frames are usually lead, sometimes
strengthened by an iron bottom band, and the glass and glaz-
ing are ordinarily of the first quality. A small hinged venti-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

35

Fig. 11.

Bell-glass.
Hand Glasses.— A, square ; 13, octagon.

lator (e, c) is sometimes made in the top, which, with a slight
tilting of the lower edge, permits of airing the plants without
uncovering them. They are used for covering newly- sown and
delicate seeds, and newly-made cuttings, to prevent too rapid
evaporation, or for protecting tender hilled crops, as early mel-
ons, cucumbers, egg-plants, &c.

Their general purposes, particularly for hilled crops, may be
answered by an oblong or square wooden box, with a slight
pitch to its upper end, over or into which a single large pane of
glass is made to slide in small side grooves, so that it may be
opened at pleasure, forming, in fact, a miniature garden-frame.

Bell-glasses, Fig. 11, are used for the same general purposes
as small hand-glasses, viz., to hasten and secure the vegetation
of seeds of special character, and, in case of certain cuttings
which do not root readily, to prevent exhaustion before they
become prepared to obtain new supplies. They are not glazed,
but blown, and sometimes need^watching and shading, lest their
concave surface become a burning-glass to the young plants
they cover.

SIEVES.

Sieves are distin-
guished by the number
of meshes woven to the
inch.

The opposite figures
represent Numbers 1
and 2, or inch and half-inch mesh, which are the only sizes
needed in the garden or green-house ; and even these may be
well dispensed with, unless in extraordinary cases, as where

A, i inch mesh sieve ; B, 1 inch mesh sieve.

36 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

stones abound in flower compost, or for the purpose of reducing
and mixing guano or other powerful manures.

In the preparation of compost in general, it is much better
to mix and reduce the materials with the spade or shovel than
with the sieve, which takes out the small lumps that, to most
plants, are the very " tit-bits" upon which their roots fasten.

For the purpose of cleaning flower-seeds, &c., at least two
small sieves, of about a foot diameter, will be found useful ;
one should be No. 12, and the other No. 16, to which others,
coarser or finer, may be added, if desired.

FLOWER-POTS.

Flower-pots are designated by their capacity, as half pints
(a), pints (6), quarts (c), &c.

They are sometimes
made too deep for their
diameter, or too tapering
toward the bottom.

The proportion of their
diameter to their depth
should be at the top as one to one, and at the bottom as two to
three.

These proportions are nearly represented in Fig, d.
They should never be glazed or over-burned, by which plants
in them are injured, probably frpm exclusion of air, but should
have the ordinary porous texture of sound brick, through which
air passes, and evaporation and absorption proceed naturally.
The drainage-holes in the bottom should range from a full
half- inch diameter in the " quarts" to a full quarter inch in
the very smallest size. In rooms or on fancy stands they are
placed in saucers (as Fig. c), which catch the drainage, but
the water should not be allowed to remain in them.

STRAW MATS.

Straw mats (Fig. 14) are convenient and valuable for frame
sashes, whether used for winter covering of pit or cold bed, or
upon the green-house or spring hot bed. They are easily and
quickly made, even by a boy, and may be rather wider and Ion-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 37

ger than a single sash, so that
they may overlap, if need be.
For a mat intended to be four
feet wide, take strong, well-
twisted hempen string, about
the thickness of a straw, and
stretch five strings at ten or
eleven inches apart, or six at
eight inches, from a bar near the floor upward to another
bar or beam six or seven feet above ; strain them tight, and
fasten them securely to nails or pins driven for the purpose.
Knot firmly on to each of them, just above the lower bar, a
second string of the same size, or a little smaller, and only
three or four feet long, for lacing- strings, which you can add
to as you find necessary in the progress of the work : these are
left hanging loosely on the floor. Next provide a quantity
of pretty long straw ; place it upon your left hand as you seat
yourself like a basket-maker in front of the stretched strings.
Take about a boy's handful of the straw, and place it with the
butts projecting a few inches outside of the outer string, and
lace it to its place by the second or third lacer, passing this
around the stretcher, and fastening it with a half-hitch knot ;
take another handful for the other side, and lay it in with the
heads inward, so overlapping the former as to make the whole
layer even ; fasten it in place, and proceed to lace clear across
the mat. Take other equal quantities of straw, and lace them
in in the same manner- until you attain a height equal to the
desired length of your mat. Having fastened your last lacing,
cut the stretchers, and tie the ends securely ; then lay the mat
at length upon the floor, and, with a board or slat for a straight-
edge, cut the projecting ends so as to make your mat of the
desired width, leaving the ends of the straw not more than
three inches beyond the outer stretchers (Fig. 14). Such
mats will last for several years if kept dried and under cover
when not in use. Special care should be taken not to roll
them up for summer storing while they are damp.

If it is found convenient to make a frame, upon which the
stretchers can be extended horizontally, the work may be still

38 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

more easily performed. An old bedstead would answer the
purpose well. In this case the straw being at first placed
on both hands, the operator, standing between the stretchers,
works backward, and, as soon as there is room for it, the straw
is laid immediately before him upon the finished portion of
the mat. Care should be taken to lace uniformly, and only
moderately tight, otherwise the mat will be rigid, as a too
closely-knit sock is harsh.

Common bass mats, or loose straw, mulch, or salt hay, are
often used for covering frames, &c., but the straw mats made
as above directed are better and more convenient.

CHAPTER HI.

Implements of common Culture from Plow to Dibber.

IMPLEMENTS OF COMMON CULTURE.

ANXIOUS to restrict the size of this book, the author would
willingly have omitted descriptions of implements, &c., but it
was perceived that such a course would leave it very incom-
plete. The advancement of civilization is strikingly marked
by the improvements in instruments in aid of labor, whether
physical or mental. I have, however, limited the number of
implements figured, yet giving all that the most successful
cultivator really needs. Those who desire to try more will
find it easy to make large additions.

All implements, whether large or small, should be kept clean
when not in use, the handles and other wood- work being oiled
or painted once a year.

PLOWS.

There is no end to
the nominal varieties
of plows, but Fig. 15,
intended to represent
the old - fashioned
"2^ D" of Wood,
common two-horse riow. who was the original

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 39

patentee of plows made with pieced castings, which is a favorite
with the farmers along the Hudson, is a fair specimen of the
most useful and handy plow for common purposes, to be work-
ed in all soils with a single pair of oxen or horses, with or
without the forward gauge- wheel and coulter.

Fig. 16 is a longer-fashioned and more wedge-like plow,

Fig. 16.

Longer-fashioned two-horse Plow.

often preferred for land that is smooth and free from stones, as
upon our Western prairies ; but tjie shorter the gearing of the
plow, the closer will it run to the ends, and be turned and oth-
erwise managed the more easily.

The subsoiler (Fig. 17) is simply a heavy, strongly-made

Fig. 17.

Subsoiler.

plow-frame and share, without mouldboard, calculated for fol-
lowing in the wake of the common plow to loosen thoroughly
the deeper soil.

Small plows should never be made with double handles ;
why they ever were so made I am at a loss to divine, unless in

40

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

mere imitation of the larger plows, which require them. In
small plows, the second handle is a useless and very inconven-
ient encumbrance ; but at the Fair of the American Institute
for 1857 not a single-handled plow was exhibited.

The small one-horse plow (Fig. 18) should be of the same gen-
eral fashion as Fig. 15, but with a single and rather more upright

Fig. 18.

Small one-horse Plow.

handle, from which a brace extends to the outer extremity of
the mouldboard. It may often be used in the second plowing
of patches in the garden, where a larger plow and double team
could not work, but it is chiefly used for furrowing and hilling.
The half mouldboard plow (Fig. 19), when properly made,

Fig. 19.

Half mouldboard Plow.

is a rather narrower and fuller-breasted, but lighter plow than
Fig. 18, of the same general style, but with the hinder end or

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

41

wing of the mouldboard left off, so that it is calculated for stir-
ring the earth without turning the furrow-slice over. It may
therefore he driven deeply between growing crops without risk
of covering them, though it suffices in general to form hills of
the most desirable kind. See HILLING. It is often called
the " Potato Plow," from its very common use in that crop.
The best double mouldboard plow (Fig. 20) is a small sin-
rig. 20. gle-handled plow, with
two movable mould-
boards (a), the fore
edges of which fit into
grooves in the stand-
ard, and are kept firm-
ly in place by a wood-
en wedge at the beam,
each being braced out-
ward by a small wood-
en pin (c) near the
heel. The share is of
a triangular or duck-
bill form (6), fitting on
to the point of the sole,
and secured to it by a
Double mouldboard Plow. wedge on its under
side. It is used for hilling potatoes, &c., after the earth has
been first plowed from them.

In light, clear soils it may be useful, but in ordinary land
must be run shallow and scooping, and works unsteadily, and
on various accounts can seldom be made to save labor without
corresponding loss to the crop. Larger and stronger ones are
made, which, except possibly for ridging, are still less valua-
ble.

The skeleton plow (Fig. 21) is, in fact, a small subsoiler,
made by taking off the double mouldboards from Fig. 20. It
closely resembles the old Roman plow, without its wings or
triangular followers. This plow is invaluable in the opera-
tions of the farm gardener, particularly for giving the last deep
movement to the earth between the rows of growing vegeta-

42

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Skeleton Plow and Horse Driller.

rig. 21. bles, such as cab-

bages, carrots, beets,
&c. It may also be
used for ordinary
furrowing by fasten-
ing an old shoe or
something equiva-
lent in front of the
curved standard or
shaft, so as to give
width to the opened
furrow ; or, if it be
used with an 'old
share having the corners broken off, it serves a good purpose
as a horse-driller in making drills for wide-rowed crops, where
a proper drill or corn-planter is not used.

This and the half mouldboard plow (Fig. 19) are the most
marked and valuable improvements among the lighter forms
which have been adopted since patent plows came into use.

A small hand-plow is found in our agricultural stores, with
a long, straight, stout handle, into which it is fastened by an
iron shank, upon which the plow proper moves, so that its
depth may be regulated by a screw. In light soils such" an
implement may often be found useful in garden culture. Its
present construction, however, is ridiculously wrong, since it is
made to draw as a common hoe, requiring the workman to walk
backward as he labors, making its use a task for a convict rath-
er than a pleasant labor for the amateur.

Any country blacksmith can set the shank the other way in
a few minutes, and when thus changed to thrust instead of
draw, and gauged to a proper depth, the workman, by throwing
his weight a little forward upon the handle, and moving stead-
ily, will be able to make it perform satisfactorily without much
waste of muscle.

HARROWS.

The harrow, whether triangular or square, is commonly made
without being jointed or hinged for folding ; but the improve-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 22. Fig. 23.

k

43

i I n i rr

Triangular folding Harrow, single.

Triangular folding Harrow, double.

ment is so obviously valuable on various accounts, that it should
be universally adopted. The square or oblong harrow, made
with three bars in each leaf, will be found more convenient to
cany on an ordinary stone-boat or sled than if larger.

Fig. 24

Square or oblong folding Harrow , with either six or eight bars.

The corn harrow (Fig. 25) is a small triangular harrow,
about four feet in length, made with clamp hinges in front,
and movable rack or gauge-bars near the back, by means of
which it may be spread in width to thirty inches, or closed to
about sixteen, at pleasure.

It has a single handle set into the centre-bar, just back of

44

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 25.

Corn Harrow.

the gauge-bars, which is braced securely from near the outer

end of the bar, hav-
ing sufficient slope
.backward to enable
the holder to walk
freely behind it, and
lift it readily by the
hand-pin when nec-
essary.

It is usually made
with two or three
teeth in the centre-
bar, and four in each
of the wing bars. Sometimes a short beam is attached, as in
the cultivator, rising ten inches or a foot above the bar, so that,
if desired, the power may be increased by the pressure of the
draft in front and the hand of the holder behind ; or, instead
of the beam, a well-braced iron rack-bar may be used, upon
which a loose link is raised or lowered by a short wooden pin,
as in the above figure (25), or both this and the cultivator may
have the semicircular rack and gauge-wheel (Fig. 26 a) at-
tached to the centre-bar.

A smaller and very light harrow of the same construction,
with teeth of f or \ inch iron, is especially useful to follow the
skeleton plow among root crops while young.

CULTIVATOR.

The cultivator (Fig. 26) is framed precisely like the corn
rig. 26. harrow, but with a

double handle, and
each tooth has a small
doubl e - mould share
attached, or the entire
tooth is cast in one
piece, with double-

cuitivator. mould share points;

it is by some called a " Horse Hoe," and by others the Hoe
Harrow.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 45

Sometimes the two outer back teeth have only single-mould
shares, which, by changing from side to side, may be set so as
to turn their little furrows either to or from the rows between
which they may be running. The beam may be dispensed
with if the rack and gauge- wheel described below is preferred.
The cultivator is a mere surface implement, and unless, pos-
sibly, in very light soils, will not save much labor, except at
cost of crop. The single-horse plow, or the half mouldboard,
followed by the corn harrow, does greatly superior work.

The semicircular rack,&c. (Fig. 26 a) consists of two perfora-
Fig. 26 «. ted and matched cast-iron bands, with brace-

bands across the diameter. The brace-
bands have at the forward end projecting
sockets, in which the arms of the gauge-
wheel axle work. They have also a single
cast-iron semicircular hole at the centre, by which they are se-

Rack and Gauge-wheel. cure(J to fae Jjar With a bolt that fomiS the

axle of the rack. Upon this it is moved at pleasure, and set to
the desired depth by means of a loose pin or bolt passed through
the rack-holes above or below the bar ; the draught is by a
movable link, which can be fixed at any point in the semi-
circle.

The rack is made to suit a bar of about four inches width,
and can be fitted in a few minutes to any harrow or cultivator
having its centre-bar of sufficient length beyond the hinges.

SEED-SOWERS.

The corn-planter, Fig. 27, p. 46, is a skeleton plow, with a
hopper, sowing-tube, and covering apparatus attached, con-
nected with a contrivance which, by a spring, or circular brush,
or otherwise, passes the requisite amount of seed from the hop-
per into the tube for planting, at the proper distances. There
are several good ones patented ; the figure represents Emery's.

The hand seed-sower, or " barrow drill," Fig. 28, p. 46, is a
smaller machine, but of the same general description as the
corn-planter. In well-prepared soil it makes the drill, sows
the seed, either continuously or at given distances, covers, and
gently presses it. Sometimes the arrangement for covering is

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 28.

ward covered by raking,
one who is rheumatic.

Hand seed-sower.

such as to throw the small
lumps first upon the seed
rather than the finer soil.
This is undesirable, and
should be obviated by gear-
ing a small spring-governed
| rake after the coverer, or by
,1 some other device.
g The sowing-tube, Fig. 29,
^ is a tin tube, about four feet
I long and an inch in diame-
\1 ter, with a small bend or lip
^ at the lower end, and at the

upper a funnel mouth. The
sower, holding the tube in
his left hand, draws its low-
er end after him in a previ-
ously-prepared drill, drop-
ping the seed as he goes, in
due proportion, into the fun-
nel, whence it passes to the
prepared drill, being after-
It is suited to the mere amateur, or

Fig. 29.

Sowing-tube.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 47

PICKAXE, STUB-HOE, &C.

The crowbar, Fig. 30, is too well known, with its uses, to re-
quire description. To be handy for its various common pur-
poses, it should be about five feet long, weighing at the most

Fig. 30.
Crowbar.

twenty pounds, rounded and tapering toward the top, squared
and heavier toward its steel-tipped point ; or the whole may
be a little lighter, and entirely of cast steel.

Fig. 31. Fig. 32.

Pickaxe.

The pickaxe, Fig. 31, should have its two stub-hoe.

steel-pointed arms of equal length, weight,
and curve ; its eye oval, strong, larger outward than inward,
and rather heavy in proportion to the arms, to add force to the
stroke, but for common purposes the whole should not weigh
more than ten pounds ; with an ash or hickory handle, about
three feet long, perfectly ^fitting the eye.

The stub-hoe, Fig. 32, is simply a strong, rough adze, not
quite so much incurved as that used by shipwrights, and serves
well for cutting up by the roots bushes that are found too
strong for the plow.

The mattock, Fig. 33, is a combination of the stub-hoe with

48

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 33.

Mattock.

a rough root-axe, in-
tended for the same
general purposes as
the former; but, as
commonly made, with
its blades too long and
awkward, it is a clum-
sy tool, to which the
stub - hoe, aided, if
needful, by a common
axe, is greatly prefer-
able.

SHOVELS AND SPADE.
Fig. 36.

Fig. 37.

Garden-shoveL

Spade.

Stable-shovel.

The shape of shovels differs
with the purposes for which they are in-
tended. Some, for special uses, are large
and scoop-like, as Fig. 34 ; others more mod-
erate" in size, and fashioned less with a view

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

49

to carrying their load than to facility in its discharge, as Fig. 35.
Such are our canal and rail-road shovels, which, being also of
sufficient capacity, serve well for the varied purposes of the gar-
den. Perhaps the best size for common use is that known as
No. 2, of Ames's manufacture, with a handle about twenty-six
inches long, including the eye, and a flattish, bright steel blade,
cropped at the corners to aid its balance and general efficiency
in excavating, its blade inclined slightly inward or upward by
the shortening of the front strap and the bend of the handle.

Long-handled shovels and spades occasionally serve a pur-
pose, as in removing matter which it is unpleasant to approach ;
but, except as prys, there is a great loss of power in using
them, and in general they are suited only to the lame or the
lazy.

The sheet-iron scoop-shovel, Fig. 36, is every where known
as an instrument perfectly adapted to its ordinary uses.

The spade, Fig. 37, should be of stout and polished steel,
generally of the size known as No. 2, of which the blade is us-
ually twelve inches long, running from seven and a half inches
wide at the insertion of the handle to seven inches at the edge,
strengthened by a very slight curvature, and having strong
bands laid up a sound ashen handle, properly curved to give a
forward set to the blade.. The ordinary length of the handle
should be twenty-six inches, including the eye ; but this may
vary a little to advantage for persons of different height and
flexibility.

HOES.

Fig. 38.

Steel-blade Hilling-hoe.

The hilling-hoe, Fig.
38, is a thin, flat plate
of steel, perforated, and
having its eye or socket
formed by inserting a
solid band of jjretty stout
sheet iron, the outer rim
of which is turned down
upon the back of the
blade, and riveted to it,

c

50 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

as shown in the figure. The smaller end of this slightly-ta-
pering eye-band stands inward, with a very slight inclination
toward the edge, or downward, to give set to the blade. This
hoe has almost no capacity for ordinary work, where force upon
the edge is required. Its advantages are that it may be pre-
pared for use in a moment by slipping it downward to the butt
of a tapering handle, or smoothly-dressed light bean-pole, and
that its peculiar lightness, size, &c., enables an ambidextrous
workman to hill more rapidly than with any other hoe in all
loose soils tolerably free from stones. Inferior iron-bladed hoes
of this description are worthless.

Fig. 39.

Goose-necked steel Garden-hoe.

The goose-necked steel garden-hoe, Fig. 39, long and exten-
sively known as Tuttle's patent, is probably perfect for its pur-
poses, no essential change having been found desirable in its
material or form from the first, though of late attempts have
been made to improve it as a hilling-hoe by welding the goose-
bill more nearly upon the back edge of the blade, and lessen-
ing the curve; but it loses value as a garden-hoe by the
change. In its original and proper shape, it has a forged and
polished steel blade, slightly incurved, welded to an iron goose-
necked shank, which is firmly keyed into a rather light han-
dle about four feet long, the tapered end of which is sheathed
and secured by a sufficient iron ferule. The blade is lessened
a little in width from the edge backward, and by beating out
portions of the back part of the blade toward the ends, two
wings are formed, rising slightly above the neck of the shank,
between which, thus spread, the goose-bill is welded to the
blade, being set in a little toward its centre. By this ar-
rangement the direction of the force in using it is so balanced
that, whether the stroke be made with the centre or corner of

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

51

rig. 40.

the edge, there is about equal power,
and no " wring" upon the hand of the
workman.

The goose-necked crane's-bill hoe,
Fig. 40, is a light, long, tapering hoe,
with a socket for the handle, which
may sometimes be found useful for
loosening the earth among flowers, or
when taking out strong weeds, or
around young vegetable plants after
beating rains. .

The thrust-hoe (Fig. 41 a) is a thin
steel blade, about two inches deep and
of any desired width, welded or riveted to a nearly semicir-
cular frame attached to a socket, into which a pretty long and
stout handle is inserted, and the hoe is thrust instead of being
drawn in the various uses to which it is put.

Fig. 41. ,, Fig. 42.

Goose-necked crane's-bill Hoe, or
Weeding-hoe.

Missionary Hoe.

Fig. 41 b is a somewhat
improved form, in which
improved Thrust Hoe. the socket and frame are
of malleable iron, and the ends of the frame, or arms, are riv-
eted near the middle of the blade, which should be about three
inches wide, and so set that it can 'be used either in thrusting
or drawing.

Hoes of this kind are calculated for shallow hoeing upon a
level surface, as among very young vegetable or other crops, or
for cleaning paths, &c. Their proper management requires
some experience, and their width should not exceed eight inch-
es, which is exactly enough to pass safely between rows that
were sown a foot apart. Any larger size than this becomes
unwieldy even for a strong man.

52

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The missionary hoe (Fig. 42) is simply the thrust hoe with
a square frame, and a wooden roller geared ahead of the blade
for the purpose of " breaking the crust" among young seedling
crops.

It also gauges the cut of the hoe to a uniform depth, thus
rendering it an excellent path hoe. In soils clear of stones it
will do a great deal more work in the same time than either
the common garden hoe or the thrust hoe. In fact, if the soil
be clear and light, an experienced hand will pass it through
foot-rows of young plants, cleaning them thoroughly, at a rate
very little slower than an ordinary walk.

However naturally the special object of this humble instru-
ment might have suggested its name, it was not, in fact, so de-
rived ; but the hoe itself was invented by a missionary connect-
ed with a company sent to the Osages of Arkansas Territory by
the American Board nearly forty years ago.

TROWELS AND TRANSPLANTER.
GARDEN TROWELS.

Garden trowels (Figures 43 a, 6) are tapering, half round

Fig. 43.

Fig. 44.

a. Smaller Garden Trowel. 6. Larger Garden Trowel.

trowels, of different sizes, which are used where
special care is required in removing small
plants. The blades should always be of pol-
ished steel, and ought not to be suffered to be-
come rusty.

The flower transplanter (Fig. 44) may be re-
garded as a pair of trowels loosely hinged to-
gether at the edges by a single rivet, so that
when thrust down, one on either side of a plant,
their points can be braced together, and the
whole root and earth be lifted and transferred
to a new and previously prepared hole or pot.
Flower Transplanter. The same end may be accomplished with a pair

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 53

of loose trowels and an iron ring of suitable size, which, being
passed over the head of the plant, and the trowels thrust per-
pendicularly down within it, will afford the necessary fulcrum
to each when strained upon.

GRASS AND BUSH SCYTHES, &C.

The scythe (Fig. 45), not being intended for ordinary mow-
ing, but for cutting grass while short upon lawns, and plots,

Fig. 45.

Grass-scythe.

and paths, if such are made, and in odd corners, ought to have,
as represented in the figure, a pretty short blade, with a " sneath"
so bent as to lay the edge almost perfectly level with the sur-
face ; and instead of the old-fashioned wedged " knebs" and
"heel-ring," let it be fitted with the screw knebs and the
screw or clamp heel-ring of Lamson's patent, or some other
equally convenient and stanch.

The bush-scythe (Fig. 46), which is often found useful for
rig. 46. cutting coarse weeds, has a very short blade,

strongly, even rather heavily made, and
should have a short strong sneath, not
Bush-scythe. much bent, and hung with extra strong

clamp heel-ring, or with the heel-ring doubled.

rig. 47. The bush-hook (Fig.

47) is a powerful in-
strument for cutting
brush at arms' length,
Bush-hook. but is less efficient

than the bush- scythe, which will generally supersede it.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Grass-hook.

The grass-hook (Fig. 48) resembles the old sickle, or reap-
Fig- 48- ing-hook, except in being some-

what shorter, and having a plain
instead of a toothed edge. It
is used for cutting the grass
from edgings or other limited
spaces where the scythe can not
be worked.

The grass-edger (Fig. 49) is
a strong, cresqent-formed steel plate, with a socket for the han-
Fig. 49. die extending from its inner centre. It is used
fir for cutting the edges of grass-paths, plots, or

edgings, either with a stretched line or by the
Ik. I' .A eye, the handle being of sufficient length to ena-
j ble the operator to throw his weight on to it as
he presses it before him. A slight change is
Grass-edger. sometimes made in the form of the knife, and a
small wheel geared to run ahead of it, which has the advan-
tages of giving it gauge and steadiness.

FORKS.

All pronged and toothed implements for working in the earth,
rig. 50. rig. 51. Fig. 52. &c.? should have their prongs or

teeth of steel, and neither round
nor flat, but either oval or four-
sided, the thickness or depth of
the prong or tooth being made
greater than its width, so that its
greatest strength may always be
opposed to the greatest strain.

This is of special importance in
the implements figured above and
in the potato-hook. In rakes it
is desirable, though not essential.
The spade-fork (Fig. 50) is simply a
strongly-made, square-headed, four-prong-
ed steel fork, of which the prongs should
spade-fork. Manure-fork, be about ten inches long, from one half to

Hand-fork.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 55

three eighths of an inch wide, and full half an inch deep or
thick, standing almost perfectly straight, tapering but very
slightly, if at all, and being dubbed off rather than pointed.
It should have a heavy shank, secured by a strong ferule and
riveted straps into the handle, and so bent as to give the
prongs a little set forward. The whole should be of the length
of an ordinary spade, or a little longer — say rather more than
three and a half feet. It is used to great advantage in the fall
or spring for stirring and cleaning the ground around and among
herbaceous plants and shrubs, and for the proper spring clean-
ing and loosening of asparagus, strawberry-beds, &c. ; and, in
general, for all light digging, whether deep or shallow.

The manure-fork (Fig. 51) should be of steel, with prongs
of the same general form, square-headed or semicircular, rath-
er wider than the spade-fork, but lighter, keenly tapered, well
curved, and polished. It may either be braced with strong
bands to the handle, or, if the additional strength be less desir-
able than lightness, it may be simply keyed into the handle
through a strong end-band or ferule, extending about the same
length upon the handle as the shank or tang within it. It is
used for moving manure, weeds, rubbish, &c., and is often found
convenient in heaping hay.

The hand-fork (Fig. 52) is a miniature spade-fork, with a
handle twelve or fifteen inches long, useful for the light work
of ladies in flower-plots and borders.

POTATO-HOOK.
Fig. 53.

The potato-hook (Fig. 53) is a steel hook, which should be
strongly made, with four prongs shaped like those of the spade-
fork, but proportionably smaller, set well forward, and very
slightly curved, having a pretty stout shank securely keyed
into a strongly-feruled ordinary hoe-handle. In general the
prongs are made of other forms, and often give trouble, and the
mode of securing them in the handle is not yet perfected by

56

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

u U

n\f

the manufacturers ; in heavy work they are apt to become loose.
Besides their common use as potato-diggers, they are also val-
uable for loosening the earth among young crops, around plants,
and in narrow borders where it is desirable to avoid treading
upon the newly-loosened soil ; for removing grass that has be-
come sodded among edging or near the roots of plants ; also for
" chopping over" ground that has become dry, before sowing
it ; for covering seeds sown in drills, and for many of the gen-
eral purposes of a small rake.

RAKES.

The wood-headed rake (Figures 54, 55) is a familiar garden
Fig. 54. Fig. 55. tool. The head of a rake is

3 the bar, into which the teeth
are fastened, or to which
they are attached. When
this is of wood, the end of
the handle is tapered and
inserted at the centre of the
, bar. having two or more

Smaller wood-headed * &

Rake. side-braces of tough wood or

pretty strong wire. They have eight, or
ten, or twelve teeth, at about an inch apart,

Larger wood-headed Rake. whlch afe either clinched, Or, mOTO neatly,

riveted in with small burrs. Such rakes are
to be found, of excellent make, in almost every country storer
their single general defect being that the handles are from six
inches to a foot too short. It is not force, but reach, that is
required in a rake ; and the handle of a garden-rake should be
but little, if any, shorter than that of the ordinary hay-rake.
Cast-steel rakes of various sizes (Fig. 56), with heads to

Fig, se. which the teeth are welded, not riveted, having
| it I! 1 1! j\vii II iTil either shank or socket for the handle, though,

Ivflffl v! I in general, the former is preferable, are also
cast-steel Rake, with found in company with the former, the handles

shank. having the same defect ; but in other respects
they are all that can be desired, except where, for special rea-
sons, the wood head may be preferred.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

57

MISCELLANEOUS IMPLEMENTS, &c.
The line-reel and its pin may be of iron, as shown in the fig-
ure (57), or a couple of wooden pins, of an
inch diameter and fifteen inches length,
may be substituted, upon each of which
one half the line may be wound, as boys
wind kite-cord.

The line itself should be of tarred
cord, twisted pretty hard, such as ship-
chandlers and boatmen call "marlin,"
a hundred yards' length of which will
not cost above a dollar, and with care
will last for twenty years. Paths, beds,
plots, &c., are laid out by the aid of the
garden-line. It is also used as a guide
in setting out rows of plants, or in the
preparation of drills for sowing, which are usually cut along it
with the hoe, or merely marked along with the end of the han-
dle, or with a stick.

The marker (Fig. 58) is a home-made implement, devised

Fig. 53.

Line and Line-reel.

Marker.

to obviate the necessity of repeatedly setting a line, and draw-
ing single drills by it. To make it, take a piece of any com-

C2

58 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

mon joist that is not too light, five feet and a half long, and
with an inch and a half auger bore six holes through it at a
foot apart, leaving three inches solid on each end. Insert the
handle, five or six feet long, in the centre, almost horizontally,
and brace it well. Next take six pieces of common pointed
picket, about eighteen inches long ; shoulder them uniformly
on both edges at a foot from the point end, forming a shank to
each of six inches long, dressed so as to pass the auger holes
(Fig. 58 a). Having set them all in, nail a light strip along
the upper and under sides of the bar, back of the teeth, to set
them in proper range and keep them from turning, and finish
by wedging them carefully and firmly to their places from the
upper side.

Where a large piece or bed is to be .sown or planted, it is
used in the following manner : The line, being tightly stretch-
ed in the desired direction upon one side, forms a guide to the
outer tooth of the marker in the first draft ; subsequently the
outer mark of each draft forms the guide, the tooth being run
in it at each repetition of the stroke, as the operator, walking
backward, draws the marker carefully after him. With this,
six marks are made at the first draft, and five at each repeti-
Fig.59. tion.

Lighter or heavier ones, with narrower or wider spaces,
II II can of course be made.

\^fj r^Q dibber or planting-stick (Fig. 59) is best made
from an old spade-handle, which is usually of the prop-
er thickness for the purpose. It should be about fifteen
inches long, including the hand-hold or eye. The
point should not be shod with iron, nor sharpened as
if for piercing, but formed rather obtusely, as nearly
of an egg form as possible. It is used in setting out
Dibber, small plants.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 59

CHAPTER IV.

Sources of Vegetation.— Elements of Vegetable and Animal Life.— Ma-
nuring and Manures, Composts, etc.

SOURCES OF VEGETATION.

As all plants sprang originally from the earth, were watered
by the rain, and surrounded by the air, we may properly ex-
pect to find in these, or some of them, all the elements of which
plants consist ; and such Chemistry shows us is the fact.
Plants receive from continually renewed, and therefore ex-
haustless sources in the earth and air, through the water which
dissolves or absorbs them, those elements which each variety
of plant secretes and appropriates according to its particular
nature and wants, aided or modified by the influence of light
and heat. These same elements, the constituents of vegeta-
bles, form also, with certain peculiar modifications, the com-
plete circle of the elements of animal life. Milk is the only
perfect and entire compound of the essential elements of ani-
mal support and growth ; but those elements already existed
in the grasses from which the milk was secreted, and are de-
rived even still more richly from certain other vegetables and
grains, receiving from them in the process of secretion their
own peculiar taste or odor, or that of other things mixed with
them, as the wild onion, etc. "All flesh is grass" in some-
thing more than a merely figurative or poetical sense.

Animal digestion and partial decomposition by fermenta-
tion are the common means by which the various elements, orig-
inally derived from their natural sources through the action of
the vegetable world, are prepared to be returned to it, that they
may be gathered in new forms, to be again consumed, and again
returned ; and again regathered, in the incessant circle of
changes which shall end only with time.

60 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

MANURING AND MANURES.

Manuring, then, is to furnish to the plant, in a fit state and
under suitable conditions, those elements which are essential
to its healthful growth ; in other words, to feed it, accompa-
nied with such stimulants as will induce more vigorous action
in the appropriation or assimilation of the food we offer. Some-
times, indeed, we modify the form, or withhold the stimulants,
having rather in view permanent than immediate benefit, as
when we apply alone crushed bones, lime, unrotted manure,
muck, etc., all of which we use with more or less calculation
of benefit to future crops, or to the composition of the substance
of the soil. There is, however, much yet to be. learned as to
the precise modes of operation of divers manures, and the pe-
culiar secretions of different vegetables. As an illustration,
we may instance the fact that white bush-beans, which con*
tain some sixty or more per cent, of largely nitrogenous nutri-
ment, are so commonly raised upon poor land that it has be-
come proverbial to say of soil absolutely impoverished, it is
" too poor to raise white beans."

CLASSES OP MANURES.

Manures are sometimes conveniently classified as, 1st. Ani-
mal manures. These are either decaying animal matter, fish,
etc., or they are certain natural or prepared manures, in which,
with the other ingredients, animal matter, or the product of its
putrefaction, in the form of ammonia, fixed or free, may to some
extent abound, as ta-feu, guano, poudrette, etc.

They are regarded as powerful stimulants to vegetation.

2d. Vegetable manures. These are stable and barn-yard
manures, green crops, swamp-muck, etc., in all of which vege-
table matter predominates, though they are neither destitute
of animal matter nor free from admixture of earthy matter and
salts. They are especially calculated to favor and promote the
growth of vegetables as distinguished from seeds or grain.

3d. Earthy or saline, sometimes called specific manures, be-
cause containing only one, or, at most, a few of the necessary el-
ements of vegetable growth. These are lime, gypsum, or sul-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 61

phate of lime, ashes, etc., in which earths and salts are almost
exclusively present ; and with these may be reckoned charcoal
(including coal-cinders or coke), though perhaps, chemically
considered, it does not class with them, its chief value being
supposed to consist in its capacity to absorb or " fix" ammonia.

These, with those of the first class, are regarded as peculiar-
ly useful in the production of the seed or grain.

Another classification sometimes adopted, which has some
special importance in garden culture, is that which rates ma-
nures according to their power of absorbing moisture. Those
which are highly absorbent, as the manure of hogs, oxen, cows,
etc., are called cooling ; and those which are less, or very slight-
ly so, as horse manure, are called heating. 'Of those classed
above as earthy or saline manures, gypsum and charcoal are
the most powerful absorbents, and these are also distinguished
by their capacity to fix ammonia. Perhaps we may conclude
that their power in the one case is a gauge or indicator of their
value in the other.

MANURES SUITED TO VARIOUS SOILS.

Manures, particularly for the garden, should be carefully
adapted to the soils they are intended to enrich. If the soil
be sandy and hot, especially if it be sand lying upon gravel,
the cold and moist manures above named are greatly to be pre-
ferred, and stable manure should be entirely decomposed, and
reduced almost to the state of vegetable mould before it is ap-
plied. The applications of manure to such soil should be fre-
quent rather than heavy ; and ash compost and liquid manure
applied to growing crops through the season will be found of
especial benefit.

On loamy soils there is a wider range for choice. All kinds
of manure will be found suitable, their application being reg-
ulated by the necessities of the particular crop or season.

On cold soils, as strong loam or clay, stable manure and city
street-manure should be almost exclusively used, wi% dress-
ings of ashes, guano, etc., and, if possible, the soil should be
mechanically improved by the frequent addition of sand or
road-wash. See page 18.

62 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

APPLICATION OF MANURES.

As a general rule, barn-yard manure, including that from
the stable, will be found suitable for all garden purposes. If
well rotted, it may be applied unmixed to the soil ; or it may
be formed into compost, for doing which directions will be found
under the appropriate head, p. 63. If applied in an uncomposted
but half-rotted state, it should be laid on the garden at the
rate of from forty to a hundred loads to the acre, at the earli-
est possible moment after spring opens, and must be imme-
diately dug or plowed in. The subsequent preparation of the
ground for the reception of crops will mix it sufficiently with
the soil. If compost be used, it may be in smaller or still
larger quantity per acre, and may be applied to the land as the
crops are about to be put in, being then carefully and thor-
oughly mixed with the soil in the process of its preparation for
the seeds or plants intended to occupy it.

Animal matter, with " ta-feu," guano, hen manure, poudrette,
lime, ashes, and the other earthy and saline manures, possess
the very great advantage for garden use of being free from weed-
seeds, and on this account are desirable as far as they can prop-
erly be made available ; but it must not be imagined that they
can permanently become substitutes for ordinary manure.

Guano and hen manure that has been kept dry are safest
when used in compost or as liquid manure. They may also be
sown broadcast upon a fresh, rough surface, and chopped, raked,
or harrowed in.

Bone-dust, lime, leached ashes, home-made or from the soap-
makers, may be used freely — say from twenty to sixty bushels
to the acre — either lightly plowed in, or sown upon the rough,
freshly-plowed surface, and mixed in by a thorough harrowing.

Unleashed ashes may be used in the same manner at half the
rate per acre, or applied as ash compost. See p. 64.

Ta-feu and poudrette, the former being about double the
strengtji of the latter, should be sown broadcast, and well mixed
with tne soil in the final harrowing or raking previous to sow-
ing or setting out ; or they may be mixed in hills prepared for
sowing or setting plants, one or two good handfuls to a hill ;

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 63

or they may be safely sown in drills, with or upon the seed, at
the rate of one light handful of the former or two such hand-
fuls of the latter per foot.

When sown broadcast, ta-feu may be used at a rate varying
from one to five barrels, and poudrette from ten to forty barrels
per acre. They prove efficient aids to almost every variety of
vegetable crop ; but they are by no means so useful if their ap-
plication be deferred until the crop is growing, unless when
mixed in hills prepared for setting out, though the disadvan-
tage may be partially overcome by carefully mixing and cov-
ering them in the earth around the young plants.

MANURE HEAP.

.Every homestead, however small, should have upon it a cor-
ner or hollow where refuse matters of all kinds may be thrown
together as they accumulate, upon which slops may be thrown,
and ashes sifted, &c., &c. In the course of the year a pretty
large heap of valuable manure, or, rather, compost, will be pre-
pared, which should be occasionally turned and mixed with
good earth.

GARDEN COMPOSTS.

Ordinary compost for garden use may be made by mixing the
manure of spent hot beds with equal quantities of fresh barn-
yard or stable manure and swamp muck, or sods pared from
alongside fences, or from any spot where water often settles. To
these add air-slaked lime equal to one twentieth of the whole
bulk, and an equal quantity of unleached ashes, or double this
quantity of leached, and throw in and cover any decaying animal
matter or drainage of the slaughter-house. Watch the heap,
keeping a stick thrust into its centre to serve as a thermome-
ter. Whenever, on withdrawing the stick, you find it getting
hot, turn the heap over, and inside out ; reinsert the stick, turn-
ing the whole again when the heat begins to rise, and at each
time, after turning, sow plaster (gypsum) pretty thickly over it.
In a few weeks, if the weather be moderate or warm, it will
be ready for use.

It is proper to observe that lime should be mixed with stable

64 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

or barn-yard manure while it is yet cool, and not after ferment-
ation has made much progress, or while the process is going
on, otherwise it drives off instead of preserving the ammonia.

ASH COMPOST.

Ash compost may be made with equal parts of unleached
ashes and gypsum, carefully mixed or sifted together. The
mixture should be kept dry, and applied to crops for which it
is suitable before rain, either full-handed, broadcast, or a good
handful to each hill spread over it.

GUANO COMPOST, &C.

Guano or unleached hen manure, mixed with one half the
bulk of ground gypsum and four or five times the bulk of light,
rich loam, the whole being thoroughly mixed and sifted to-
gether, and allowed to lie for a few weeks in a dry place, being
turned once or twice in that time, will become thoroughly in-
corporated, and may be applied, even by inexperienced hands,
without the risk which often attends their use in an unmixed
state. When applied, this compost should be covered, and not
merely spread upon the hill like ash compost.

For top-dressing grain, for grass, or fruit-trees, guano should
always be well sifted and powdered, and mixed with at least so
much common earth as may serve to keep down its unpleasant
dust in sowing, as well as to prevent loss by wind. In this
state it may be used at the rate of two, three, or four hundred
pounds to. the acre.

For flower composts, see directions under that head, p. 443.

LIQUID MANURE..

Ordinary liquid manure is the drainage of the stable or the
barn-yard, preserved in a tank or pond-hole, and applied by
means of a sprinkling-cart or watering-pot. Of the drainage
from the stable, each forty gallons may be reckoned worth as
much as an ordinary carman's load of manure. The value of
barn-yard drainings is very variable, depending on the form
and soil of the yard bottom, amount of exposure, and quantity
of rain.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 65

For special uses, it has long been a practice in " the rural
districts" to prepare liquid manure artificially by putting wa-
ter upon hen manure or other material in a barrel, stirring it
once in a while, and using it when it has settled for various
crops, particularly onions, for the raising of which in a superior
manner it has had for fifty years a sort of farmers' patent. It
may, however, be made useful to almost all crops, particularly
upon poor land, and where light manuring has been unavoid-
able. In a tank, such as that described p. 33, it is easy to pre-
pare it in quantity by adding as may be found necessary ma-
nure from the hen-roost, or poudrette, or guano, either of which,
or a mixture of them, may be used in the proportion of- about
one barrel of either of the two former or twenty pounds of the
latter to a hundred gallons of water. On each occasion for its
use, after the quantity required has been taken out, it should
be thoroughly stirred, adding water or manure, if necessary.

It may be made in a barrel at discretion, with one pound of
guano, or ta - feu, to from three to five gallons of water, or-
with a mixture of bone-dust and sheep manure, or with pou--
drette and hen manure, without special regard to proportions,
but applying it carefully to the earth around the plant, and not
to its foliage. With this view, whenever it is applied to grow-
ing crops, a watering-pot without the rose should be used ; but
in applying it to ground that is not sown, or in which the seed
has not yet sprouted, the rose should be upon the watering-pot.
The repeated and moderate use of it is better than an excessive
supply at once, and evening will be found the best time for its
application.

66 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHAPTER V.

Eeproduction in wild and cultivated Plants. — Vitality of Seeds dependent
on certain conditions.

REPRODUCTION.

No clearer statement can be made of the general objects of
the vast vegetable growth covering and beautifying our earth
than that furnished by the pen of inspiration, "He causeth
grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man,
that he may bring forth fruit out of the earth." But in rela-
tion to each separate species or variety of plant, an inherent
tendency or disposition to reproduction is its special and most
marked peculiarity, as if simple self-perpetuation and multipli-
cation in its offspring were the sole ends of its existence,
though it is also apparent that through this tendency or dis-
position the general and ultimate objects proposed are effectu-
ally and directly reached.

It is interesting also to observe that this tendency or dispo-
sition to reproduction is in general put forth freely only in a
single channel ; it may be by offshoots or by seeds, but com-
monly, if freely by seeds, then not largely by offshoots ; and if
by offshoots, whether naturally or as a result of cultivation,
then not freely by seeds.

This latter result is not uniformly accompanied by a destruc-
tion or disappearance of those organs of the plant which are
necessary to the production of seed, for a few seeds are often
produced ; but, if the expression may be allowed, it seems to
arise from a change in the direction of the virile force.

Striking illustrations of this are found in those varieties of
onion which are. cultivated chiefly for their offsets, and in the
giant seedless pie-plant ; and among flowers, by the tiger lily
(lilium tigrinum), in which, although the floral organs of repro-
duction are full and prominent, yet no seed is yielded by them,
the plant being increased moderately by offshoots or dividings

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 67

of the old root, and largely by the production upon the stem,
at the bases of the leaves, of minute but perfect bulbs, which at
first appear like small black buds. These are gradually loosen-
ed from the stem, and in due time, by throwing out a single
root, cant themselves over on one side, and are shaken out of
their parent leaf-cup by the slightest wind'. This dislodgment
being effected, the second or companion-root is pushed forth
to effect the self- planting of the young bulb.

This tendency to mere increase, in whatever way it may be
manifested, is satisfied, as we ought carefully to observe, by
the most scanty growth in the plant, and in the grain with the
very thinnest coating of flesh, or even, as in most seeds, by the
production of the mere germ with its skin covering.

But the meagre growth of the wild plant, and the scanty
covering of the seed, however abundantly sufficient for the ab-
solute necessities of simple reproduction, fail utterly to meet
the demands which are made upon them for support and com-
fort by the increased and increasing millions of mankind.

To obviate this difficulty, the efforts of cultivation are direct-
ed to the increase of the growth of the plant, or the enlarge-
ment of the fleshy substance of the seed. This effort, in the
various grain-bearing plants, has resulted generally in an in-
crease both of the plant-growth and of the grain, without any
special drawback ; but in many garden-plants the improved
growth of the vegetable is attained at the expense of a partial
or total loss of the power of seed production.

Thus a large, finely-headed cabbage or lettuce, or an im-
proved melon, or pumpkin, or cucumber, will be likely to yield
a much scantier crop of seed than one which is inferior.

The same law holds among flowers. Almost all wild flow-
ers are single, and these, as well as the inferior single flowers
of cultivated varieties, seed freely ; but from those fine double
flowers which cultivation has produced, it is often very difficult
to obtain seed at all, as is often experienced in the case of su-
perior balsams, pinks, &c.

VITALITY OF SEEDS.

The vital principle of a seed resides in its germ, which is a

08 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

perfectly-formed but minute plant of its specific variety. It
seems probable that under suitable conditions the vitality of
most small seeds might be retained for an indefinite period, ex-
tending even to many centuries, as in the " mummy wheat,""
the seeds thrown up from far below the earth's surface, or those
which, being largely diffused through the surface soil, vegetate
where they had been unknown for ages, when opened to the
sun's influence and supplied with appropriate stimulus, or when
the long-flooded upland produces swamp plants.

The strength and continuance of this vital principle in seeds
depends on a great variety of circumstances in their production
and storing. Seeds imperfectly ripened or insufficiently dried,
as is not unfrequently the case with imported European seeds
and grains, even after they have passed through the process of
a moderate kiln-drying, though they may be of fine, plump ap-
pearance, yet will not, in general, bear keeping. Seeds that
have in any manner become damp and heated, or musty, are
risky or worthless ; or if kept in a very hot place in vessels or
packages through which evaporation goes on freely, or contin-
ued in it so long that the heat itself induces a change in the
chemical condition of the seed, they may lose the vital power.
Tables professing to give the various ages to which different
seeds may be kept are therefore of little value ; but, assuming
that seeds are well ripened and stored with ordinary care, most
kinds may be safely sown at five, and many at ten years old.

As in trees checking the exuberance of growth induces dis-
position to fruitfulness, so it has come to be regarded as a
general rule that plants, particularly of the more luxuriant
kinds, if raised from seeds which have been kept a year or
two, run less to mere plant growth, and are more productive in
fruit or seed than those raised from new seeds. Upon this
theory cucumber and melon seeds intended for planting in
frames are carefully kept for many years by persons curious in
such matters, and sometimes, when for any reason it is desired
to use them prematurely, artificial drying is resorted to as an
equivalent.

In most seeds, however, age seems only, or at least chiefly,
to affect the length of the period required for their germina-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 69

tion ; as, for illustration, turnip seed sown fresh from the pod
in August may vegetate in forty-eight hours, while that which
is two years old, sown at the same time, will require four or
six days, or more. But peas two years old not only require
longer time to vegetate ; they are also expected to grow with
shorter vines, and yield an earlier and more abundant crop of
seed.

CHAPTER VI.

Vegetable Forms, Importance of; Original; Improvements in. — Vegeta-
bles, Color of; Deterioration of; Stock or Character of.

VEGETABLE FORMS.

THE form of certain vegetables is of importance on various
accounts. It affects the cost of production and the weight of
crop. It sometimes indicates quality, and often settles at
once the desirableness or undesirableness of a particular varie-
ty, either for the cook or the cultivator, or for both.

Excepting the small wild bulb from which the onion has
been obtained, and not forgetting that the parsnep and carrot,
in their wild state, are somewhat fleshy, we may assume that
all swelling, fleshy rooting or heading vegetables originally
threw downward a single hard, wiry root, as the burdock, or
upward a single and almost naked stem, as the wild lettuce.

In all these, cultivation, working sometimes blindly, and at
others with precalculation of results, has produced various
striking changes. The leaf of the well -cultivated cabbage has
become thick and marrowy, and it has acquired a habit of head-
ing before throwing up its seed-stalk.

In the beet, turnip, etc., we find a habit of fleshy enlarge-
ment or swelling. So great is the change thus induced that,
instead of a naked, hard root or stem, we have vegetable forms
advancing from this by various gradations, until the root
spreads itself horizontally to a thin, flat form. The change
has, in fact, proceeded beyond this, and shown us forms, as in
some varieties of the turnip, concave on one or both sides, of
which latter the yellow Malta is an illustration. Figure 80 1,
page 186.

70 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

But the form of any rooting or heading vegetable may, by
neglect of proper treatment, reapproximate to the natural form
of the plant in its uncultivated state, becoming branched and
fibrous in its roots, as figures 80 c, d, page 186, or thin and
wiry, as Fig. 76 c, p. 131, Fig. 78 a, p. 161, and in danger of
losing character entirely as a fleshy vegetable, and running to
a mere tap or brush root. The cabbage or lettuce, on the other
hand, when its head assumes the form of a cone, is approxi-
mating to a loose, headless growth, like that of the kale, or the
rape, or the wild lettuce.

For the purposes of this work, it may suffice to note the in-
termediate stages between the wild form and that which we
have designated as the flat (Fig. 80 h, p. 186) ; and it will per-
haps be convenient if, for the present, we assume this to be the
maximum of the change which cultivation has effected.

The advantages of this form are that it matures quickly,
scarcely ever fails to yield a crop, and, in root crops, is easily
gathered, even after some other forms may have been frozen in ;
that it measures well, i. e., seems to yield largely ; and that,
whether in the lot or in the market, it " shows for all it is
worth." Its disadvantages are, that it really yields but light-
ly or moderately, and that it is " unprofitable" in the hands of
our cooks. Some of them would peel it to semi-transparency.

The shape intermediate between the flat and the globe, the
cheese form, as it is sometimes called, or, in the language of
Geometry, the flattened spheroid (Fig. 80 g, p. 186), has about
all the advantages we have enumerated for the flat, without
any drawback upon them farther than that, in general, it may
be expected to mature a little later.

The round or globe form (Fig. 80/), it would seem, should be
regarded as the standard of excellence, since it affords a larger
amount of solid contents in proportion to its surface than any
other ; but, notwithstanding, this might be taken to imply
that it would also yield largely ; such is not generally the fact.
Roots that .take this form have almost always, too, a habit of
underground growth, looking as if they were moulded by the
equal pressure of the earth upon them, and this renders them
comparatively difficult to gather, especially in frosty weather ;

AMEEICAN HOME GARDEN. 71

while a globe that grows above ground is seldom of first-rate
quality. It is a good form, but not the standard.

Receding from the globe, we find the " heart" form, the
lower portion of the globe elongated, and tapering to a strong,
deep root, Fig. 80 e, p. 186. The heaviest croppers are mostly
of this form ; but its usually large top and coarse habit, togeth-
er with the difficulty of gathering, in respect to which it is as
bad or worse than the globe, render it undesirable.

The egg form is desirable as an improvement upon the heart-
shaped in roots that have not yet been brought to better forms.
In ruta-baga the obtuse egg form, Fig. 80 &, p. 186, is at present
perhaps the best that is found in general cultivation, although
occasionally very superior single roots are met with which are
nearly globular in form, and without the habit of wholly bury-
ing themselves in the earth during growth.

There are uncouth, or fancy forms, such, for instance, as
Dale's hybrid, Fig. 80 a, p. 186, which, while they serve as a
distinctive mark of certain kinds, have little or nothing else to
recommend them above others. Originators of new varieties
and others interested directly or indirectly are apt to favor
such, and generally claim for them some peculiar merit ; but
the aim of the true cultivator should be to combine superiority
of quality with excellence of form, and this experience has
shown to be readily attainable.

In heading vegetables the same changes and varieties of form
are found. The cabbage, and lettuce, &c., are either loose col-
lections of leaves, or screw form, or conical, or heart-shaped, or
globular, or cheese-shaped, or flat. Of these the heart-shaped
for early, and the cheese form or the globular for winter cab-
bages, and among lettuces the screw and the globe forms, may
be regarded as the best, and no plant of them which does not
come near or up to this standard should be used in the produc-
tion of seed.

COLOR OF VEGETABLES.

Although in rooting vegetables color as well as form may
seem to be of secondary importance, yet the practical cultivator
is aware that it is so commonly associated with certain quali-

72 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ties or characteristics that he seldom or never omits it as an
item in his estimate of the value of any given variety. Thus,
if a carrot be of a light or lemon color, he infers that it lacks
richness of flavor ; if a beet be streaked with white, he con-
cludes that, however valuable it may be for early use, on ac-
count of its free growth, it will prove strong, or, at best, want-
ing in sweetness when kept for winter use ; and in respect to
turnips, he is. familiar with the fact that, other things being
equal, the yellow varieties are uniformly richer and sweeter
than the white.

DETERIORATION.

There is an ever-recurring tendency in improved seeding
vegetables backward to their primitive condition as mere self-
reproducers ; and here, as in the matter of vegetable forms, the
constant effort of the cultivator is required to counteract this
tendency, with this difference, however, in the mere business
view of it, that while it is almost always the interest of the
cultivator to improve vegetable forms to the utmost, the dimin-
ished average product of seed from such improved varieties con-
stitutes a standing and strong temptation to the mere seed-
raiser to permit this natural deterioration to occur, quantity in
the yield being generally the measure of his business profits.

This retrograde tendency may be suddenly stimulated and
strengthened by various causes in the different kinds of vegeta-
bles. In peas, beans, and the various running vines, it often
becomes apparent in a single season, when the seed is saved
from the later portions of the crop, the earlier product having
been eaten while comparatively rare, or sold before the market
became glutted. Such seeds produce what may properly be
termed new and debased varieties, " early peas" that are late
and unprolific, or " six-week beans" that in sixteen weeks may
possibly ripen a scattering and scanty crop.

A similar effect, though not always equal in degree, is pro-
duced when plants which, being properly biennial, ought to
" bottom," as the turnip, or " head," as the cabbage, are sown
at unsuitable seasons, and in consequence are driven up to seed
without these important preliminary processes. Thus very

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 73

late-sown turnips are often found to stand the winter unharmed,
and at the opening of spring to run immediately up to seed.
Early cabbage-plants that have been wintered also exhibit this
tendency. Very early-sown beets and carrots often throw up
seed-stems in the course of the first summer. Such seeds ac-
quire an obstinate impulse in the wrong direction, which years
of careful cultivation will scarcely suffice to overcome.

Climate has also an important influence in this respect.
Heavy oats are not commonly raised in a hot, dry climate. In
such a climate, fleshy, thick-leaved summer cabbages, of which
the seed is saved through consecutive seasons, are not perpetu-
ated, but, losing their improved cabbage habit, become leathery
and worthless ; and radishes are apt to become mere sticks ;
though, in regard to the latter, it is probable that, if it were
deemed worth while, this climatic injury might be counteracted
by wintering the seed-roots, or by a vigorous system of trans-
planting them with care and frequency. The refusal of lettuces
to- head finely when sown so late as to carry the period of ma-
turing beyond the warmth of spring into the strong heat of
summer, is due to the same cause.

STOCK OR CHARACTER.

When, in speaking generally, we say that certain vegetables
are of " good stock," we mean that they are of good quality for
consumption, and, with ordinary care, productive. But when
we use this expression in reference to a particular variety, we
may or may not include the idea of its intrinsic character ; but
we always mean that it has the true form, and the quality,
whether good or bad, of its proper variety, and is in all respects
free from intermixture. We sometimes in this connection call
it, perhaps more accurately, " pure" or " genuine stock." In
this work the terms " good stock" are intended to express both
excellence of character and purity of kind.

From what has been remarked, it becomes plain that it is
even more important to obtain seeds of good stock than seeds
that will be certain to grow. It is also plain that there is some
extra risk of injury to seeds raised in private or market gar-
dens, from which vegetables are gathered for use or sale ; so

D

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

that, on the whole, it will be found wiser to obtain them from
seedsmen of reliable character, whose interests are also promoted
by the sale of really good seeds, and who may be assumed to
understand and apply to their production those principles upon
which their excellence depends.

CHAPTER VH.

Fertilization, in perfect, monoecious, and dioecious Flowers. — Necessary to
the Production of perfect Seed. — Modes of natural and artificial Fertil-
ization.— Production of new Varieties of Vegetables.

FERTILIZATION.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

75

or, The Apple Blossom, a common perfect or bisexual Flower.
&, Cucumber Blossoms, a monoecious Plant.

1, The Fertilizer, or false Blossom.

2, The fertile Blossom attached to the young Fruit.

c, The Fertilizer, or false Hop-vine, with its blossoms, \

d, The fertile Hop-vine, its blossoms being hid between the >

scales of the " Hop," )

a dioecious
Plant.

The following figures present the arrangement of the various
floral organs without their petals, and are inserted for farther
and clearer illustration.

Fig. 61.

1, A perfect or bisexual Blossom.

2, Monoecious Blossoms, on the same Root.

3, 4, Dioecious Blossoms, on separate Roots.

a, a, a, Fertilizing Organs, or Stamens.
&, &, &, Fertile Organs, or Pistils.

All flowers have a sexual character, that is, they are fur-
nished with fertilizing or fertile organs, or both, known in bot-
any as stamens and pistils. For the most part, these organs
grow together in each individual blossom, as in the apple and
all our common fruit-trees, the flowers of which are perfect or
bisexual. Flowers of this class are distinguished in botany by
the number and peculiar character of these organs, which vary
in the different Linnaean orders from a single stamen and pistil
to an indefinite number of each (Figs. 60 a, 61, 1).

In some cases they reside in separate blossoms, though upon
the same root, as in corn, melons, cucumbers, &c., Figs. 60 Z>,
61, 2 ; the topgallant in corn, what are called false blossoms
in cucumbers, and melons, the catkins of the birch and hazel,
&c., being only the fertilizers, which of themselves bear no
fruit. These plants are called in botany " monoecious," or of
one house. In others they are borne upon separate roots, as in

76'

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

the hop, &c., Figs. 60 c, d, 61, 3, 4 ; asparagus, spinach, the
papaw also, and persimmon, often the sassafras, and some vari-
eties of our wild grape-vines, are of this character. These are
known as " dioecious," or of two houses, the whole plant bear-
ing the fertilizers being fruitless.

In mere seed or grain-bearing plants, the fertilization of the
fruit-bearing flower or its equivalent organs — for some plants
do not produce flowers, properly so called — is absolutely neces-
sary to obtaining product. Thus, where single spears or hills
of corn stand far apart from others, the ears never fill, because,
whichever way the wind may draw, the fertilizing powder,
as it falls from the topgallant, is carried away, and but little
of it settles upon and fertilizes the silk, each thread of which
connects with an incipient grain, and hence the failure.

In the various fruit-bearing plants, the fertilization of the
fruit-bearing flower is equally essential to the production of
perfect seed, and generally it may be regarded as important to
the formation of fruit, inasmuch as the latter, being a mere ap-
pendage or covering for the former, may be supposed likely to
fail with it ; and such, in general, is the fact. The first drop-
ping of young fruit, which, even after an abundant show of
blossoms, sometimes extends to the whole orchard crop, is, I
believe, mainly due to the imperfection or total failure of the
fertilization, whether this arises from drought and glaring sun-
shine, from unseasonable cold, an inopportune storm, or from
other less manifest causes ; all such dropped fruit is seedless
or germless. But at least a partial crop of fruit may be ob-
tained where this fertilization has not been effected, as we
sometimes find apples without seeds in the core ; and in the
larger vegetable fruits, as melons, &c., which are mainly re-
sults of cultivation, it is easily conceivable that, without fer-
tilization of the flower, fruit may be produced, yielding, how-
ever, only shriveled and abortive seeds, or such as, if appa-
rently full formed, yet actually lack the essential germ, and
are, of course, without vitality. The " fig-apple," as it is called
by Duhamel, which has only pistils, being destitute of stamens,
as well as without petals, bears fair and tolerable fruit, but never
yields seeds. In these exceptional cases of fruitful nonfertil-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 77

ization it commonly happens that the fruit loses size, though
it does not entirely perish. Of this the white Corinth or Kis-
mishi grape, from which the seedless Sultana raisins are made,
furnishes an interesting illustration. Its flowers are perfect or
bisexual, yet, from some cause as yet undiscovered, it never
produces seed, and, although its clusters are of fair size, the
fruit upon them is not much larger than common currants ; but,
as we might expect in connection with this defective reproduc-
tion in the ordinary channel, the luxuriance and vigor of its
plant-growth is prodigious.

INTERMIXTURE.

From this sexual character in flowers arises the possibility
and danger of intermixture of kinds. This, however, is limited
to species that are kindred to one another, which is generally
indicated by a certain similarity in the appearance or construc-
tion of their flowers. Thus the varieties of cabbage, turnip,
rape, and probably radish, all bearing cruciform flowers, read-
ily intermix, when blossoming at the same time in close prox-
imity, as in small private gardens, or whenever planted care-
lessly near to each other for seeding. Cucumbers, melons,
pumpkins, &c., are equally liable to intermixture in similar
circumstances. The product of seeds so raised becomes a mon-
grel and usually worthless combination ; but cabbages and
beets, or cucumbers and onions, &c., &c., never intermix, there
being no congruity or affiliation between them. Certain plants
also, which seem to possess this congruity, are not known to
intermix, as the apple and pear, the currant and gooseberry,
&c. The reason of this it does not seem easy to find.

In many flowers the organs of fertility are comparatively ob-
scure or hidden by their peculiar arrangement ; yet intermix-
ture occurs readily among them, as in the various kinds of peas,
and bush-beans, many new varieties of which have originated
incidentally through careless planting or the sowing of min-
gled seed.

Sometimes the intermixture of kinds, whether by natural or
artificial fertilization, is imperfect, and the new variety contin-
ues for years to be unsettled in character ; or, instead of one

78 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

new variety, we obtain two, or even three, by easy selection, as
in the case of the black, and white, and common mercer pota-
toes, which, though differing in appearance, are nearly similar
in character, and all from one stock.

MODES OF NATURAL FERTILIZATION.
Natural fertilization is effected in flowers containing both
the fertilizing and fertile organs by such an arrangement of
the parts as secures the deposition of the pollen or fructifying
powder shed by the former upon the latter, sometimes as it de-
scends, and at others as it ascends, and in some flowers it is
scattered upon them by an explosive force or bursting. In
monoecious and dioecious plants the pollen is shed usually in
great abundance by the fertilizer, and, floating in the air, or
borne by the wind, aided perhaps by magnetic or chemical at-
traction, finds its appropriate place. This may be seen at once
in any corn-lot when the ears are in full silk, the exposed end
of each fibre of which is then dusted with the powder from the
topgallant. Bees and other insects also carry the pollen upon
them from flower to flower as they seek their food, and thus
accomplish the same end.

MODES OF ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZATION.

Flowers of vegetables and of fruits are artificially fertilized
by precisely similar processes, which may be described as fol-
lows:

In all perfect flowers — that is, those in which the fertilizing
and the fertile organs reside in the same blossom — watch care-
fully the time of the natural opening of the flower you wish to
fertilize, and just as, or before it fully opens, insert the points
of a very small pair of scissors, and clip off and carry away all
the stamens, leaving the pistils alone, entire, and uninjured.
When this is accomplished, take a newly-opened but full flow-
er of the kind with which you desire to fertilize ; cut off, if nec-
essary, all the petals or flower-leaves, and place it within the
blossom to be fertilized ; or, without removing its petals, place
it as a cap over the former in such a manner that its stamens
may surround, or at least be near to the pistil.

,
AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 79

This fertilizing flower, if it withers, may be repeatedly renew-
ed, or rather replaced by fresh flowers, until the flower-leaves
of the other begin to fade or fall. It is plain that erect blos-
soms, especially on fruit-trees, should be chosen for this opera-
tion, so that the fertilizing flower may rest securely in its
place.

There is a more scientific mode of fertilization, in which this
latter precaution is not essential. It is to prepare the blossom
you intend to fertilize as above directed, and, taking care to
mark the time of its maturing, which will be about the fore-
noon of the day in which the blossom becomes naturally full-
blown, take one or more of the fertilizing flowers in the ripe
state — that is, when the stamens willingly shed their pollen
or dust, and, gathering this upon a fine camel-hair pencil, ap-
ply it lightly but freely to the top of the pistil or stigma.

A very little observation and practice will enable one to
adopt this mode successfully. The general security for the
result will also be increased by fertilizing several blossoms in
a bunch, and removing the rest, or even all the bunches upon
a small branch, reducing the number of the blossoms in each.
To prevent the intrusion of insects, fix over, but not in contact
with them, a gauze net, spread upon a wooden frame, of any nec-
essary form and size, which should be securely braced to the
tree or branch so as to bear the wind, which may be left in its
place until the fruit sets.

In plants that are monoecious, as melons, cucumbers, etc., or
dioecious, as some grape-vines, it is only necessary to set the
plants, to be fertilized by themselves, at least a hundred yards
distance from any others of the same kind, and, taking off and
carrying away all the mere fertilizers, or false blossoms, as they
are commonly called, bring flowers from other plants and fer-
tilize them by either of the processes described above, and with
similar precautions against insects.

PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF VEGETABLES.

The tendency of seeds to deterioration and intermixture,
whether arising from their necessary proximity in small gar-
dens, or from the interest, the ignorance, or the carelessness of

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

cultivators, gives importance to the production of improved va-
rietie*s.

This is most commonly effected by careful and long-contin-
ued SELECTION, to which high culture should be superadded,
in which we continually choose the most perfect or earliest
plant, or fruit, or pod from which to obtain our seed.

Upon this latter principle rests the old familiar rule of tak-
ing for seed the cucumber or melon growing nearest to the
root, etc. This rule, however, is seldom rigidly adhered to, and,
if it were, would naturally tend to produce an earlier but small-
er-fruited variety than the original.

Perhaps the most promising course for improvement is to
choose the second, and generally finer fruit for seed ; or, if the
object be simply to avoid depreciating the variety, the whole
crop, being left ungathered from the first, will yield satisfac-
tory seed. Unless, indeed, it should happen that from pecul-
iar circumstances the plant makes a very extended or a sec-
ond growth, in which case the earlier product alone should be
permitted to seed.

New and improved varieties are also sometimes obtained by
careful and intelligent INTERMIXTURE, in which we aim to
combine the. desirable qualities of both the old varieties in the
new one we expect as the product. This valuable result is
also sometimes effected accidentally. In such intermixture the
general rule is that the product will have the form and ap-
pearance of the fertilizer, with the character or peculiarities
of the fruit-bearing plant. To illustrate this : Very early peas
are generally small. Suppose we desire to produce a variety
in which the seed should be larger, but the crop not materially
later. Then, on the general rule given, we may fertilize the
cedo nulli with the Spanish dwarf, and expect to accomplish
our purpose ; but if we fertilize the latter with the former we
ought not to expect success, though it is not inconceivable that
we might succeed, from the accidental concurrence of certain
occult causes or combinations connected with the previous proc-
esses through which these varieties may have passed in ar-
riving at their present state.

Intermixture is effected only between kinds that blossom at

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 81

the same time ; and it is probably from blooming a little out
of the ordinary season that certain kinds of peaches, and per-
haps also apples, often or constantly reproduce seedlings like
themselves. The several sub-varieties of the Newtown pippin
apple, -and other valuable fruits, sometimes attributed to soil,
etc., are probably the results of exclusive and perfect self-fer-
tilization in isolated blossoms.

New varieties are not unfrequently obtained by TRANSFER
to a different climate. In a period more or less prolonged, the
plant becomes acclimated, and its habit fixed in conformity
with its new circumstances, and on being returned to its for-
mer latitude it can not be identified as one with the variety
from which it sprang. The early Canada pea is an instance
of this, being the early frame pea raised for a series of years
in Canada.

The effect is precisely analogous to that induced without
change of climate by taking only the very first formed pods
for seed. The maturing of the crop is hastened, but its size
and yield somewhat reduced.

Transfer to a southern climate tends, of course, in the oppo-
site direction. All this, however, would be greatly affected by
the absolute natural fitness or unfitness of the climate to pro-
duce the crop which it is sought to change.

New varieties are occasionally produced by DISEASE, which
becomes hereditary, but of these it is not worth while to speak.

They are also often INTRODUCED from foreign countries,
either by scientific research or under the stimulus of interest.
The cocoanut squash (noted in its place) was introduced from
Valparaiso by the late Commodore Porter ; and the common
large white kidney bush-bean, which now abounds in our
stores and markets, was brought into New York from Madeira
some thirty years ago, when dumpling beans were scarce. At
that time it furnished the text for a free-trade article in the
New York Journal of Commerce, which indicated clearly that
the writer " knew beans."

D2

82 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHAPTER Vin.

Sowing, Manner of; Time of; Depth of, etc. — Combination of Vegetable
Crops. — Transplanting, Ridging, Hilling, etc.

SOWING.
MANNER OP SOWING.

IN broadcast sowing the land is generally laid off, either by
furrows or sight-poles, into spaces of suitable width for two
casts of the seed, which meet and slightly overlap as the sower
throws the return cast ; but in small lots the eye is often de-
pended on to gauge these distances.

To perform the operation rightly, a basket or sheet contain-
ing the seed is slung upon the right shoulder and across the
breast, so as to be partially under the left arm and governed
by the left hand. The sower beats time as he steps, dipping
a handful of seed with his right hand at each advance of the
left foot, and casting it with a steady sweep as he steps for-
ward with the right. A good sower does not cast the seed
from his hand at once, and right before him, as in feeding
chickens, which would cause it to fall in streaks, but, by adroit
management with his thumb, and an upward cast, spreads it
as it issues, causing it to fall in a broad, scattering shower,
like the spreading jet of water drops from an engine-pipe when
thrown into a showering semicircle by the finger of the en-
gineer.

In broadcasting small beds or plots in the garden a pinch
of seed is taken instead of a handful, but the same skill is
used to spread it evenly as it is thrown.

In drill sowing, also, a large pinch of seed only is taken,
which, in the process of sowing, is strickled along the drill by
just such a motion of the thumb upon the fore and middle
fingers as a skillful housewife uses in carefully salting a steak.
A smart boy accustomed to the work will sow evenly, and of
any desired thickness, at the rate of a fast walk, or faster in
an emergency.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 83

TIME OF SOWING.

The proper time for sowing varies not only with the various
kinds of seeds, but often also with the same kind, according to
the period at which the crop is expected to mature, or the use
for which it may be wanted. Vegetables intended for spring
or summer use, if hardy, should be sown in the fall or at the
very earliest opening of spring ; if tender, the seeds should be
sown and the plants prepared in hot beds, and be set out at the
time of the principal corn-planting, or a little earlier if the ob-
ject is deemed worth the risk. Unless the soil and location
of your garden is very favorable, do not plant or sow your full
crops, even of early vegetables, until the ground becomes warm-
ed and free ; let a border, at most, suffice for extra early ex-
periments.

By this practice you will often excel in the quality and
yield of your crops, and sometimes in the earliness of their
products. " On time, but not ahead of time," is as good a rule
for the garden as for the rail-road.

For all tender vegetables, the planting time of the main
corn-crop constitutes a fixed point at which, in all latitudes, it
will be found safe to sow or set. The time of leisure between
planting and first hoeing is the good time for farmers to make
garden, the ground being plowed or dug a month or so before.

Those vegetable crops intended for winter feeding to cattle,
and those of the same kind intended for the table, should not
be sown at the same time, a large crop being a main object in
raising the former, and excellence of quality chiefly desirable
in the latter.

All crops for winter use should be sown late enough to avoid
the summer heat upon the half-matured crop ; those intended
for feeding to cattle as early as possible consistently with this
indispensable rule ; while those for table use should be defer-
r^d.to as late a period as may in any way consist with the
probability of their maturing before winter. Through the cool
weather of autumn all vegetables that have not been checked
in consequence of too early sowing, or by some other cause, if
properly cultivated, grow with great rapidity, and furnish prod-

84 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ucts very superior in quality to those raised even from the
same stock, but sown before the proper time.

Whenever root vegetables, having attained to from one fourth
to one half or more of their ordinary growth, experience a check
from any cause, it is almost impossible to start them anew so
as to obtain either handsome or well-tasted roots ; they will, in
general, be either hollow, or stringy and necked, or have an al-
kaline taste, or all of these may combine to render them worth-
less for the table, and of but little value for any purpose. Even
if the check occur while they are quite small they are scarcely
ever recoverable. The judicious cultivator will, therefore, so
time the sowing of his winter root crops as to carry them clear
of the summer heats and into fall weather, with its cool nights
and heavy dews, while they are yet in the first or second stages
of their growth. If this be done, and their after cultivation be
faithfully attended to, he may reasonably expect a crop abun-
dant in yield and excellent in quality.

North of latitude 40° the spring sowing of general crops
may ordinarily be performed in April and May. Root crops
intended for cattle may generally be sown with safety about
/the middle or latter end of June, and those intended for win-
ter table-use from early in July to mid-August, according to
the kinds ; but in southern latitudes, earlier and later sowing,
with a longer summer intermission, becomes necessary. In a
well-cultivated garden it will be found safe to allow about
twelve weeks for the growth of fall-sown, vegetables, counting
from the time that their third leaves attain the size of a
" squirrel's foot," though some of them, as turnips, or bush-
beans for salting, will be ready for use in shorter time.

DEPTH OP SOWING.

It is sometimes imagined that the seeds of tap-rooted plants,
as radishes, beets, &c., should be sown at a depth proportioned
to the expected length of the product. Men otherwise intel-
ligent occasionally entertain this puerile notion, and lay the
blame of failure upon seeds which, in fact, they themselves
have buried beyond hope of germination. The oaks that clothe
our mountains sprang from acorns that were never buried ; all

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 85

self-sown seeds are cast upon the surface, and those which are
covered deeply in plowing seldom trouble the cultivator until
again brought near to it.

The following are general rules :

1st. Except in special cases, shallow sowing is to be prefer-
red to deep.

2d. In dry, hot summer weather, seeds should invariably be
sown in soil freshly dug or plowed, and should then be sown
rather deeper than in the more moist and cool seasons of spring
and fall.

3d. The depth at which seeds should be sown may generally
be inferred from their size. If seed be very small, it should
be sown on the surface, previously well pulverized, and be
lightly and carefully raked in ; or when in small plots, simply
stirring the earth with the hand or with a small stick will
cover the seed sufficiently ; but seeds thus sown upon the sur-
face, unless the weather be moist, should have a gentle water-
ing for two or three evenings with the ordinary rose watering-
pot, and be shaded from the strong sun. Seeds not very small,
as radish, &c., may be sown in drills half an inch or an inch
deep, or upon a surface left somewhat rough, and must then be
pretty thoroughly raked in.

The larger seeds, as beets, beans, &c., may be covered from
one to two inches deep, the latter depth being sufficient for the
largest seeds in the hottest weather, if the second general rule
be regarded.

COMBINATION OF CROPS.

This is a system of arrangement by which various crops are
raised in the same season, and partly at the same time, upon
the same ground. The planting of pumpkins with corn is a
familiar instance among farm crops, and an increase of about
one fourth has been supposed to result from alternating the
rows of corn with potatoes. In the neighborhood of cities,
where land becomes very valuable, it is common to sow in the
fall upon the same ground alternate rows of lettuce and spin-
ach or corn salad. The spinach or corn salad being cut very
early in the spring, the lettuce may be cultivated for early
head salad.

86 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

In the spring radishes are often sown broadcast upon land,
and afterward beets or parsneps are -sown in rows, or early
cabbage-plants are set out at the proper distances for those
crops. In due time the radishes are pulled, and the land left
to the remaining crop, which then receives the ordinary cul-
ture. See also EARLY POTATOES and POLE BEANS, page 171.

Other combinations occur, as fancy or the variety of crops to
be raised may dictate. In raising root-crops on a large scale,
combination may sometimes be wise and profitable, as where
either carrots, or beets, or parsneps are raised together with
onions. The onions being sown at the very opening of spring
in drills three feet apart, after they have been weeded and
thinned — say early in June — the spaces are plowed, and two
rows of either of the other articles named are sown at eight-
een inches apart in the intervals ; and the onions being gath-
ered in August, the roots last sown are cultivated in the usual
manner, and may yield from two to four hundred bushels per
acre.

In any combination of crops, it must not be forgotten that
the labor is generally increased, and, unless in land of extraor-
dinary richness, and with special care in the cultivation, each
crop will afford much less than a medium yield.

TRANSPLANTING.

Transplanting of fibrous-rooted vegetables is one of the most
important operations of the garden.

It is sometimes assumed by writers on the subject of culture
that it is highly expedient, if it be practicable, to sow all seeds
where the plants are intended to mature, and that to transplant
is not only additional labor, but a disadvantage to the crop.
This may be true of tap-rooted plants, as beets, carrots, &c.,
because they can not well be removed entire and replanted in
their natural position ; but in reference to those which are
fibrous-rooted, the very opposite of these conclusions will be
found correct in practice. The labor of keeping in order an
acre of cabbages sown in the hills for the first month after sow-
ing will be found much greater than its thorough preparation
for the crop while the plants are left for that period in the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 87

seed-bed, being then, immediately after a final and thorough
plowing of the land, transplanted to their appropriate places.

Transplanting, too, is an essential process in the superior
cultivation of almost every variety of vegetable crop. Check-
ing in some measure the natural tendency to wildness in the
growth, it in the same degree tends to secure and hasten the
perfecting of the product. A transplanted vegetable, whether
plant or tree, other things being equal, will mature sooner than
one left standing where the seed was sown.

It is indeed probable that repeated transplanting, accompa-
nied by the stimulus of high nutrition, either experimental or
accidental, were the chief processes by which our heading and
fleshy-rooting vegetables have been obtained from their wild
and worthless originals.

The reader will infer from what has been said that in all
heading vegetables, if he would have superior products, he must
cultivate highly, and transplant once or oftener while his plants
are in the young growing state.

PREPARATORY STEPS.

By transplanting we generally, though not always, mean the
final setting out of plants where they are intended to mature,
and for this process there are preparatory steps of more or less
importance according to circumstances.

1st. Plants, while very small, are often transplanted from
the seed-bed, and set from one to three inches apart, or at such
distances as will prevent their being " drawn up" and weaken-
ed by crowding one another, as well as to afford them room to
form good roots. This is technically called " bedding" and,
though not essential, will always prove an important aid to the
cultivator, affording him strong, well-rooted plants, and ena-
bling him to carry a little earth with each root in the final set-
ting out of his crop, thus not merely securing the life of all,
but, which in late planting is often equally important, their
uninterrupted growth.

2d. This end is still more effectually attained in the case of
the egg-plant, tomato, &c., by a second removal, technically term-
ed "potting" in which such a number of plants, usually three,

88 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

as are calculated for each hill, are put into a small pot of rich
earth, and placed in a slight hot bed two or three weeks before
the final setting out9 in which case, at planting-time, after a
plentiful watering, they are carefully removed from the pot by
turning it upside down upon the hand, with the plants hanging
between the fingers, and starting the whole out unbroken by
striking the edge of the pot gently upon any thing solid ; the
whole ball of earth is then placed, with the plants it may con-
tain, in the hill prepared for it. See HILLING.

3d. Grouting. — Immediately before young seedling plants
of vegetables are pulled for any purpose, the bed, or at least that
part of it from which the plants are to be drawn, should be
thoroughly soaked with water, and, if needful, a small stick
may be used to pry up the roots, so that they may retain some
of the earth with them in transplanting. If from any cause
they fail to hold the earth, it will be found of special import-
ance that they be submitted to the process of grouting.

This is performed by mixing rich earth, to which cow-dung
may be added, with water, to the consistence of soft mud, and
dabbling the roots of the plants in it, not by thrusting them
into it, but rather by drawing them through it, or, as it were,
striking them upon it until each root is loaded. A dozen
plants may be grouted at once ; and as they are held in the
hand preparatory to this process, an inch or two of the root-
ends may be cut off.

In the final transplanting, it is the general rule to set the
plants of cabbages, peppers, and other plants that form a stem
one or two inches deeper than they have previously stood ; but
plants that do not form a stem, as celery, lettuce, &c., at the
same depth as before. If the stems of young plants of the for-
mer class are very long, or, technically speaking, if the plants
be " long-legged," they may be planted a little deeper than
above directed ; but, whether the leg be long or short, the plant
should never be put in so deeply that the earth reaches the
leaves ; let these always remain above ground, and free to the
wind.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 89

MODE OP FINAL TRANSPLANTING.

The process of transplanting is a simple one, although re-
quiring care and skill to perform it well and rapidly. Let us
describe the operation. Having plants, stem-plants, of suita-
ble size — that is, from four to ten inches' growth — either drop
them at the proper distances, with their heads to the left hand,
or place them in a small box or basket on your left hand, or
sling them in an apron or pouch before you ; take your dibber
(see Fig. 59, p. 58) in your right hand, and half a dozen or so
of plants in your left ; separate one of them, as if slipping it
out of the hand, but still holding it with the thumb and fore-
finger ; make a perpendicular hole with your dibber of such
depth as you judge the root of the particular plant you hold to
require ; rack your dibber quickly from side to side before you
withdraw it from the earth, to enlarge somewhat the hole and
prevent the surface sides filling it in ; then put the root of
your plant into* the hole just made, an inch or two deeper than
it stood in the seed-bed, holding it steadily with your left
hand. The moment it is in position, force your dibber down
about two inches to the right of it, not quite perpendicularly,
but pointing inward, as if to pass under the root of the plant.
As soon as the proper depth is attained, which should be about
the same as that of the hole first made, bring your dibber up-
right to the side of the plant by a sudden motion of your right
hand toward the left, thus pressing the earth against it from
the bottom upward ; having set it firmly in its place by this
movement, withdraw the dibber, and a single stroke with its
point across the side-hole will fill it in and complete the opera-
tion. In this manner a rapid planter will set from five to ten
plants per minute.

If the distances for your plants are not marked, measure
them with the eye as you plant, and proceed in the same man-
ner to the end.

All transplanted crops should be lightly and carefully hoed
within two or three days of the time they were set out, to start
them at once and healthfully on their growth, and for the first
two weeks at least should be daily watched, to catch the cut-
worm, which may otherwise destroy them. See INSECTS.

UO AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CROP RIDGING.

Ridging for crop is performed in the preparation of the land
for sowing or planting by first opening a furrow with the plow
or spade, in which the manure intended for the crop is spread
thickly, whereupon the two furrows, as in ordinary ridging,
are thrown over it ; the ridges being then partially flattened
by running a rake or hook along each, or passing over them
the back of a wide, light harrow, or a mere bar, or a roller, if
the nature of the manure seem to require it, the seed is sown
or planted along the centre, and covered in one of the ordinary
modes. In ridging potatoes the seed is usually laid immedi-
ately upon the manure, and then covered and finished as above
directed. Ridging for crop is often found economical and ad-
vantageous in mild, moist climates or on wet soils, but under
all ordinary circumstances " flat culture" is preferable.

HILLING.

In agriculture, hilling is, like ridging, opposed to flat cul-
ture, but difiers from ridging in that the hill is formed by
throwing furrows together both ways by cross plowing.

When the crop is to be manured in the hill, deep furrows
are run each way at suitable distances, and the manure, being
carted on, is dropped into the furrow at the point of intersec-
tion. The planting of the crop is then completed either by
dropping the seed directly upon the manure, as for potatoes,
or by first hoeing over the manure a slight coat of earth, upon
which the seed, as in corn or pole beans, is dropped, and the
covering of both seed and manure completed with the hoe ; or
the manure, if coarse, is first covered by throwing together two
furrows over it, as in ridging, and then planting the crop upon
it with the hoe or other implement, the hills proper being
formed in the after cultivation of the crop.

In gardening, and to some extent in farming also, the term
" hilling" has become so far modified in its meaning as not
necessarily to imply that the earth is materially gathered
around the plants, but simply that the plants themselves are
set, or the seeds planted in small clumps of three, or four, or

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 91

five, with spaces between the so-called hills greater than would
be left if the plants stood in single line. " Hilling," there-
fore, in gardening, is opposed to " rowing," and may or may
not involve the idea of a raised mound of earth.

The advantages of hilling are various.

1st. Crops set or sown in hills, even when the earth is not
materially raised around the plants, are more easily tended
than in rows.

2d. They are still more easily tended if the earth be so
raised ; the hilling-up from time to time enabling us to cover
and thus stifle the young weeds which must otherwise be re-
moved by hand.

3d. In crops requiring poles, hilling has the great advan-
tage of one pole serving for several plants ; and in corn-crops,
the raised surface meets the strong stay-roots which are thrown
out from the lower joint of the stalk and braces it against the
wind, which in flat culture would be likely to prostrate the
crop.

4th. All crops are probably benefited by some additions of
fresh earth around the plants during growth, supplying new
food to the young roots, which push rapidly into it, especially
after the growing crop begins to shade the, surface.

Hills, however, should always be made broad and somewhat
flat rather than high and conical. The latter form throws off
the water from the plant, the former retains it, thus co-oper-
ating with and seconding the natural arrangement by which
each leaf of corn is made a groove or channel to convey moist-
ure to the stem and plant ; and each large leaf of the giant
pie-plant, being slightly incurved, is set to catch the falling
dew and rain, its stem forming the gutter by which it is car-
ried to the root ; and so of many other plants, with varied
adaptation to the same end.

CROP PLOWING.

In large or farm-garden operations, where the rows are wide,
much of the labor of cultivating crops in the progress of their
growth is performed with the small single or the half mould-
board plow, which are used in the ordinary manner of careful

92 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

corn and potato plowing, and generally should be followed by a
light corn-harrow.

In certain crops, however, it is important to loosen the soil
more deeply than can be safely done by either of these, and the
skeleton plow is used, which, with a single narrow-stepping
horse or mule, can be put beam deep, sometimes at the first
stroke, and almost always at the second ; and though it throws
scarcely any furrow, yet it is well to follow it with a single
stroke of the corn-harrow. The use of some one or more of
these small plows, aided by a light corn-harrow, is of great
value to growing crops. If frequently and faithfully used,
scarcely any crop that is seasonably sown will be found to suf-
fer from any ordinary continuance of drought.

HOEING.

The directions so often repeated in this work, to " hoe fre-
quently and deeply," may seem to the inexperienced superflu-
ous ; it may be thought that hoeing is useful only for the pur-
pose of killing weeds. The cultivator of a garden could scarce-
ly make a greater mistake. It is admitted as a demonstrated
fact in vegetable physiology that plants receive their food
principally, if not entirely, by the spongioles, or extreme ves-
sels of their root-fibres. Now in the deep hoeing of crops, the
extending roots of the plant are cut, and every tender growing
root thus cut will in a few hours throw out several new ones,
pushing in various directions, and some of these being cut by
subsequent hoeings, the ramifications of the roots are greatly
increased, and in an equal, or perhaps even in a greater ratio,
their spongioles or mouths are multiplied.

Again : modern science has shown that ammonia is the great
quickener and an essential supporter of vegetable life, and that
the atmosphere is the reservoir or chief source for supplying
it. By deep hoeing the soil is most thoroughly pulverized ;
it is so loosened that the young roots can seek their food with
facility ; it is opened to the air and dews of night, which bring
with them at once the ammonia which furnishes the material
of their food, and the moisture, combination with which is prob-
ably essential to its reception by the plant. (See Manures, p.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 93

60.) This, however, like all other garden operations, may be
performed wisely or unwisely. No set of rules will allow the
cultivator to lay aside his judgment and common sense, and go
on blindly to success ; but the following suggestions will be
found useful in practice.

1st. In the early stages of their growth, all garden crops
should be frequently and deeply hoed ; that is, in fruit or seed-
bearing plants, as cucumbers, beans, &c., until the blossoms are
about to appear ; in heading vegetables, until the heads . are
about to form ; and in root crops, until they are about to swell,
or until they attain from half to three quarters of an inch di-
ameter. Most crops, too, will be greatly benefited by being
plowed or dug through between the rows, wherever this is prac-
ticable, at least once during their growth.

2d. Crops, when nearing maturity, if hoed at all, should be
hoed shallow, unless it be at such a distance as will leave the
larger roots entirely undisturbed. For this purpose, the thrust
hoe may be used to advantage.

WATERING.

As a common practice or system, watering crops is not de-
sirable ; but occasionally it may become necessary for a brief
period, either upon newly-sown seeds in very dry weather, or
young plants but recently set out. It should be done in the
evening if at all, but generally it will be found better to de-
pend on timing your crops well, sowing or setting them in
ground freshly prepared, and cultivating them deeply, than on
the laborious and often futile practice of watering, unless, in-
deed, as in rainless Egypt, the peculiarities of your climate
necessitate systematic irrigation.

94 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHAPTER IX.

Insects; general Characteristics of ; Changes of ; Prevalence of. — Means of
Defense and Offense against them.

INSECTS.

INSECTS, in general, complete the round of their life, or rath-
er lives, in one year. Jhere are some exceptions, however, as
the well-known seventeen-year locust, and also some three and
four year insects, as the saperda, the May-bug, and the spring
beetle or snapper, parents of the apple-tree borer, the corn-
grub, and the wire- worm. But, whether the period in which
their changes occur be short or long, they are all definitely ef-
fected. The young are hatched, or the insect wakes from its
torpor at the time of the opening of the leaves or flowers upon
which they have to feed ; and if, from any cause, they hatch
before their food is ready, they die, although this rarely, if ever,
happens.

They are air-breathers, with varied apparatus for this pur-
pose suited to their condition, and changing with it. In the
larva, or worm state, they are commonly furnished with spir-
acles or breathing-holes along their sides.

Their digestive apparatus consists, as in the snipe or wood-
cock, of a single uniform tube. In its passage through this
simple opening, their food is elaborated, and the colorless blood
formed. This, in their system of circulation, is carried with
regularity from tail to head, and back again, passing in its re-
turn through the respiratory tubes. While in the larva or worm
state, they are voracious and generally injurious. They eat,
and digest, and spin through their allotted time, all the indi-
viduals of the same kind having equal life, however varied the
limit of life in this condition may be in the different species.
At the close of this definite period they take the chrysalis form,
changing their appearance, structure, and mode of existence.

Having completed their organization and growth in the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 95

chrysales, they become, by a curious metamorphosis, moths or
butterflies ; they are entirely harmless to vegetation, not chew-
ing, but sucking their food ; and after living a few days to per-
fect and deposit their eggs, they perish. Of those species
which assume the form of beetles, having cutting or biting ap-
paratus, some are injurious both in the state of larvae and when
winged. These do not spin cocoons, but the naked worm or
grub passes through a state of torpor and change in the earth.

Most kinds of insects have periods, recurring at longer or
shorter intervals, in which they are unusually abundant and
destructive, becoming in a single season a scourge to neighbor-
hoods or nations, and again declining to their ordinary num-
bers. They also vary greatly with climate, locality, and crop,
each of these having its peculiar general classes or species.
The soft, slimy insects, as the slug and snail, which are the
pests of the garden in moist and foggy island climates, are
scarcely known under our bright summer sun, except in pecul-
iarly wet seasons ; and many of the insects of hot southerly
latitudes disappear as we go north or rise high above the level
of the ocean, or are found, like summer visitors, only in the
heart of the season. In swampy lands, or by rivers, we find
insects that do not frequent the dry uplands ; in sandy locali-
ties, those from which clay soils are exempt.

The pea-bug is not found in corn, nor the wheat-fly in Lima
beans, nor the parsley- worm upon the cabbage, but each ad-
heres to its appropriate plant or class of plants. Some, how-
ever, take a wider range in their depredations. The rose-bug
attacks indiscriminately the blossoms of the rose, the peony,
or the grape-vine, the leaves of the oak, the elm, or the linden,
and the fruit of the cherry, &c.

Insects that infest or injure garden vegetables, however, do
not materially differ south and north, but are found in all. lati-
tudes in their specific seasons. In general, they belong to the
crop and the season rather than to the particular latitude, a
single wet, cool season producing multitudes of the softer slimy
insects, which a bright hot summer prevents or destroys. Most
species of winged insects, on the contrary, are born and rejoice
in the sunlight, and many larvae, as the nest-worm and others

96 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

of the caterpillar tribes, are stimulated to their most lively vo-
racity by the bright heat.

The remedies prescribed in this work will be found, in gen-
eral, to apply to classes of insects rather than merely to single
species, and may therefore be made available in any locality.

The first care of the cultivator should be to make himself
accurately acquainted with the formation, character, and habits
of those varieties of insects which his climate or locality may
produce, or which his crops invite, particularly their times of
first appearance and subsequent changes. Upon such knowl-
edge, well applied, he may often find the profits of his labor-
depending. It is as necessary to him as the diagnosis of dis-
ease to the physician.

The known and reliable means of defense from the ravages
of insects are very limited. The field of patient and intelli-
gent observation and experiment in this department remains
comparatively unexplored, and may be entered with abundant
prospect of reward by any one of my readers.

There are, however, a few points which it may be useful to
mention.

1st. Insects have natural enemies in the parasites, or ich-
neumons, that deposit their eggs in the body of the insect or
its larva, or in the chrysalis. In these living nests the young
interloper is hatched, and lives upon the substance and de-
stroys the life of his victim. These hidden foes, of which it is
probable each variety of insect has at least one, are always
present, always active, and can not be eluded. Others war open-
ly, as the short yellow worm, the larva of the syrphus, that
lives upon the cabbage aphis, blind, but always following his
prey ; also the numerous aphis-eaters, as the larvae of the spot-
ted or " lace-winged" and " golden-eyed" flies, and the lady-
bug, both in the larva and perfect state. These natural ene-
mies we can transfer from plant to plant when necessary, thus
putting them upon the track of their prey.

Among larger insects, their foes are the dragon-fly or darn-
ing-needle, and especially a smaller blackish fly, looking like a
cross between a dragon-fly and wasp, which hunts for his food
with the activity and intelligence of a terrier. The birds, also,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 97

and the bat live largely upon insects, which they consume both
in the -larva and the winged state, and the toad, though not a
spry hunter, can often and expertly catch a fly.

Moles, also, and some ground-beetles destroy the various
grubs that are hatched or harbored in the earth.

Some insects have protectors. Ants are said to guard the
aphides, and, by a peculiar process, milk them, or, perhaps more
truly, by a startling threat, to rob them of the sweet juices they
suck from plants.

2d. We have also opportunities for escaping their depreda-
tions by changing a little the period of sowing or planting,
though this also may sometimes expose us to other inconven-
iences.

Late-sown wheat has been found to escape, at least in part,
the depredations of the fly or the weevil. Late-sown peas are
not so liable to be punctured by the pea-bug, but they are pe-
culiarly exposed to check and mildew from the heat, which by
early sowing they would have escaped. But late-planted win-
ter cabbages not only escape the cut-worm, but, if driven into
rapid growth by careful after-cultivation, are improved in qual-
,ity by the delay.

3d. Insects have tastes and distastes, of which we may per-
haps avail ourselves in self-defense. As they carefully avoid
certain plants, we may mix these with those which they attack,
and try thus to shield them. Onion, hemp, tobacco, and tomato
have been suggested and recommended for the protection of
cucumbers, melons, &c., on this principle. There is, however,
a difficulty in the application of it. A single plant of either
of the three last named in each hill, left to grow unchecked,
will monopolize possession arid destroy the crop ; whether if
kept closely trimmed they would effect the end, or whether, if
they would, the labor could not be better applied, are questions
to be answered. The onion, as well as several small herbs with
strong odors, may be well worthy of trial. We have also some
other means of offending them, which will be mentioned in con-
nection with the several insects.

4th. We possess various means of injuring or destroying
them. There are certain points in the history of insect life

E

98 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

when we may successfully assail it, viz. : a. In the eggs, which,
in nests of from ten to a hundred, we may gather by hand, or
scrape from the trees on which they are deposited, b. In the
chrysales or cocoons, which are often more easily found and
gathered than the eggs. c. In the perfect or winged state, by
means of fires in their season, d. For those kinds which make
nests, the period of weakness immediately succeeding the hatch-
ing of the young colony, when they may be crushed at once. We
possess also various other means of injuring or destroying them.
Upon some we may sow lime or plaster with effect ; others are
destroyed by drenching with fatty or soapy matter, which kills
them by stopping their breathing-tubes, or with water, which
simply drowns them, as the palmer- worm has been found to be
destroyed by violent rain. We may gather them by hand, or
entrap them with sweets, and in various other ways. But to
all this labor there is a limit of wisdom, which it is not worth
while to pass. The general principle may be confidently
adopted, that only those insects which attack healthy crops and
cause disease will repay the trouble of cure or catching. The
sole remedy, or rather preventive, for those induced or invited
by disease, as the root-worm, the cabbage aphis, the cucumber
striped bug, &c., is the preservation of vigor in the crop by
timely and suitable culture. In more than thirty years' expe-
rience and observation, I have never known a healthy crop of
cucumbers materially injured by the striped bug, nor a diseased
or checked crop that escaped the bug, or that was restored by
the destruction of its supposed destroyer.

In the following list of insects, all that are injurious to gar-
den vegetables in every locality may not be included, but the
number inadvertently omitted must be small, and such descrip-
tions, and directions, and hints are given in regard to those
enumerated as will perhaps furnish aid in reference to others
that may have been left out.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 99

CHAPTER X.

Insects injurious to Garden Vegetables, &c. — Aphides. — Larvae, or Worms.

— Moles.

WINGED INSECTS.

Aphides, or " Green Flies," &c.

Fig. 62.

a, natural size ; &, £>, magnified.

Cabbage Aphis, Aphis Brasicae,

Corn " " Maidis, , _.

Hop « Humuli, >FlS-62-

Lettuce " " LactucgeJ

The cabbage, corn, hop, and lettuce aphides, though distin-
guished by entomologists, need not be distinguished here.
Their names indicate the particular plants they infest, the rem-
edies are the same for all, and each, we may be sure, is pursued
by its destroyers.

The first is found on all unhealthy and ill-cultivated cab-
bages, and the only remedy, or rather preventive, is good cul-
ture, successful in producing unchecked growth.

The second appears only occasionally, and usually or always
upon the green ear-set of the corn, at the extremity of the
husk.

The third is sometimes troublesome upon the hop, where it
is cultivated as a farm crop Showering with pretty strong
tobacco- water, or sowing dry ashes, or lime, or plaster upon
them in the dew, are worthy of trial with a view to their pre-
vention or destruction.

100 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The fourth is found only on the seed-stalk branches of the
lettuce, and the applications above named for the hop may be
used for this, if found needful.

CUCUMBER BUG. (Striped.)
GALERUCA VITTATA.

The striped cucumber bug is an active black and yellow
Fig. es. striped beetle, about one fourth of an inch long,

which attacks the cucumber, melon, and other
kindred plants, especially when from any cause
those plants become diseased or checked in
growth. It eats the leaf tissue until the veins
only are left as a net-work, and fastens upon

a, natural size ; , * . , - „ „ , ,±,

6, magnified. the stem just at the surface ot the ground, and
eats into its substance. Fortunately, well-cultivated and
healthly plants escape it almost entirely, or easily outgrow its
injuries ; but plants in poor or cold soil, or where the seed is
sown or planted while spring is yet only coming, or too direct-
ly upon heating manure put into the hills, or in a continuous
drouth in hot sand or gravel, will either perish quickly under
its attacks, or linger along and fail at last in spite of effort to
restore them.

Various preventives, some of which may be worthy of far-
ther trial, have been suggested, such as planting an onion, or
a tomato, etc., in each hill. Numerous remedies have also
been proposed, as soot, lime, ashes, plaster, snuff, etc., to which
may be added, as equally efficient, sand. They are all mere
temporary disturbers of the insect, which, from its timidity,
retreats instantly upon the slightest annoyance, either hiding
quickly under leaves, or in the earth, or at once flying away.
They may apparently be almost driven in a flock by a liberal
broadcast of any powder, but for the rest, even if it be Scotch
snuff, it may be presumed they only sneeze.

Let your ground, then, for these crops be thoroughly pre-
pared, wait for warm weather to plant in, and when the young
plants appear, let them have prompt and continued care, and,
if need be, stimulus, as liquid manure, until they are beyond

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 101

the reach, of the bug. (See also Squash Bug.) Besides these,
cucumbers are sometimes troubled with a small jumping bee-
tle, like the turnip bug, the Haltica cucumeris, for which the
proposed remedies for the striped bug may be found really use-
ful, particularly soot, ashes, or snuff.

PEA BUG OR WEEVIL.
BRUCHUS PISI.

This is the small brown bug sometimes so abundant in
dried peas, and is produced from an
egg which generally is deposited in
each of the young peas by puncturing
them through the pod while it is yet
tender. Occasionally, however, in very
large peas, two or even three punctures *

will be found on the same side, the «> natural *ize ; &, magnified,
operator having mismeasured distance ; and sometimes they
are punctured on both sides, probably by different individuals,
the last one unaware that the dwelling was already tenanted.

Nearly on the opposite side from the round hole by which
the bug finds its outlet from the ripe seed a small brown spot
will usually, if not always, be found upon the pea, which is the
healed puncture where the egg was deposited.

The insect makes these punctures along the side of the pod,
and the general course taken by the young worm being more
or less directly to the opposite side, it becomes apparent that
the eye of the pea, which is at the point of attachment to the '
pod at its inner or front edge, will seldom be injured ; but,
notwithstanding this, peas which the bug has eaten should not
be used for seed, especially in a cold spring, when, not vegetat-
ing quickly, they are apt to water-soak and rot.

The pea bug belongs to warm weather and localities. It is
unknown in high northern latitudes, and any where north of
40° it is avoided by selecting an elevated region, or by put-
ting off sowing until the latter end of May.

The crow blackbird and the Baltimore oriole are said to
seek the young worms, but are of no practical importance as
destroyers.

102 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

In small quantities seed-peas may be scalded, while stirred,
before sowing, which is said to destroy the bug ; more confi-
dence may perhaps be placed in soaking until the peas begin
to vegetate, and this may be safely done if they are then roil-
ed in plaster (gypsum), quickly sown upon fresh-plowed land,
and covered without being suffered to lie exposed to the sun.
Or we may sow only two-year-old seed-peas, keeping them in
tight barrels, and sifting out and destroying the weevils in the
spring or summer of the first season. It is presumed that the
insect deposits eggs only in the pea, and if so, it would seem
to be dependent upon our care of the offspring for perpetuation.

SQUASH BUG.
COREUS TRISTIS.

The squash bug, sometimes erroneously called turtle bug, is
Fig. 65. generally a dark brown or blackish bug,

rather quick in its movements, ridged
across above the shoulders, the whole
having an angular or lined appearance,
somewThat resembling a shield with its
quartering s. It is a foul, fetid bug, the
companion of the striped cucumber bug
in its ravages among vegetable vines.
It is less numerous and less lively, but
larger and more destructive in propor-
nearly twice the tion to its numbers, eating the leaf more
natural size. voraciously, and more completely de-

stroying the stem. Its eggs are laid in June and July. It is
timid and quick to hide, but may be caught by hand in the cool
of the morning from any crop which it infests, and crushed.
It often enters the house in the fall of the year.

TURNIP BUG OR FLY.
BALTIC A NEMORUM.

A little black bug or beetle, about one tenth of an inch in
length, which springs when disturbed, and on this account is
by some called Jumping Jack. In certain seasons the various
species of this insect become very numerous upon the young

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

103

plants of turnips and cabbages, sometimes eating them entirely
Fig. 66. off before the third leaf is formed. When
prevailing, they destroy with equal prompt-
itude the plants in a small seed bed or a
breadth of acres.

Soaking and stirring the seed in sulphur
water, and rolling the surface after sowing,
have been recommended as preventives, as
a, natural size ; 6, magni- well as the sowing of ashes and plaster upon
the young plants ; and where the turnip crop
is esteemed, they are sometimes caught in the throat of a light
bag, made with a pronged frame in the fashion of a shrimp-
net, which is carried steadily over the surface of ,the land in
precisely the same manner as the shrimp-net is carried over
the flats. But as it is a short-lived pest, it is generally better
to dig or plow the ground a second time, and resow the crop,
taking care to give it a vigorous start.

For this purpose, few things will be found more efficient than
coating the seed thoroughly with common whale oil, and dry-
ing it off with plaster immediately before sowing, taking care
to cover it completely but lightly, and gently roll the ground,
or beat it moderately with the back of the rake.

GRASSHOPPER.
ACRYDIUM FLAYOVITTATUM.

Fig. 67.

Natural size.

Once in a series of years, particularly in certain localities,
grasshoppers become a resistless scourge, consuming every young
green crop ; but in ordinary seasons the garden may be defend-

104

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ed against them by incessantly driving them with sand thrown
broadcast over crops as often as they are attacked, aided by
fowls, particularly broods of young turkeys, which thrive finely
upon them.

LARVAE OR WORMS.

CABBAGE WORMS.
Fig. 68.

LARGER CABBAGK WOBM, WITH ITS PABENT BUTTERFLY.

a, Larva ; ft, Colias Philodice.
Fig. 69.

SMALLER CABBAGE WORM, WITH ITS SUPPOSED PARENT BOTTERFLY.

a, Larva ; b, Pontea Oleracea.

These are pale green or yellow worms, from an inch to an
inch and a half long, with some dark spots, which are found
more or less every season upon cabbages and some other plants.
Individually they are fast feeders, but their number is limited,
and of course so is the injury they do. Birds also destroy
them. They should be hand-picked and crushed. These
worms are the progeny of the common large and small white
and spotted butterflies.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

105

There is another pretty spotted worm that coils itself up on
the cabbage ; it is the painted caterpillar, larva of the Mamestra
picta. It is rather rare, and its appetite not very voracious.

The larva of the Cerostoma brasicella is a yellowish green
worm, described by Fitch as about one third (0.35) of an inch
long, and of the thickness of a coarse knitting-needle, tapering
somewhat to both ends, with sixteen -legs, and very active, hav-
ing sometimes a dark head. The moth which produces it is
about the same length, and of an ash-gray color.

The worm, in certain localities, appears upon the cabbage in
October, particularly in dry seasons, and feeds chiefly upon the
loose outer leaves, thoroughly riddling them. At length it
spins a thin gauze-like cocoon, which it attaches to the eaten
leaf.

It is not extensively injurious, but simply disagreeable upon
a vegetable intended for food. It has its parasitic foe, the
smaller brown cocoons of which will be found near by.

CORN GRUB.

Fig. TO.

LARV.E. WITH THEIR PARENT BUGS.

a, a, Larvae.

6, Melolontha vulgaris, or May-beetle^ r, Melolontha copris, or Tumble-bug.

The corn grub is a whitish, fat, disgusting grub, from one
to two inches long, which is often found greatly to injure corn

E2

106 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

as well as grass by eating the roots, sometimes destroying them
so completely in sod-land that the grass may be rolled from the
surface like a sheared fleece. It especially prevails among
corn or potatoes planted in newly-plowed sod-land. Plowing
in the fall has been thought to expose the grub to destruction
by the frost, the birds, &c. On spring-plowed sod lime sown
at the rate of forty bushels per acre, or salt at the rate of five
or six bushels, before the last harrowing, will be found of ad-
vantage. The fall plowing is probably to be preferred, and, if
convenient, the lime also may be applied after the spring plow-
ing. Crows, jays, and some other birds seek the grubs eager-
ly, and destroy large numbers of them every season.

Their changes are completed in the ground, and in due time
the MAY-BUG makes its appearance. This is the rather large,
short, light brown beetle, with rough, or ridged and slightly-
punctured wings, and feet that feel like claws, which abounds
in cherry-trees in the spring evenings, flying with a humming
sound, and often striking with some force against an object in
its track, when in general it quietly settles and folds its large
gauze inner wings entirely under the hard cases which cover
and shield them. In the day it lies quietly among the leaves,
or returns to its hiding-place in the sod. Its eggs are de-
posited in the earth, and in two weeks the small grubs are
hatched.

The European variety of May-bug, which ours closely resem-
bles, becomes a scourge at times, stripping whole forests of their
foliage ; and it is generally said that ours eats the leaves of
cherry and other trees. Fitch reports a single instance of its
serious depredations, but I have never known it to do noticea-
ble injury to any thing, and mention it among injurious insects
only on account of its connection with my subject as parent of
the corn-grub. As the May-bugs are, in general, much more
easily caught than the grub, it is desirable to destroy them as
far as possible. They may be caught in numbers at midday,
and more freely toward evening, by being shaken from the trees
into a sheet, and destroyed by crushing, or scalding, or fire.

The grub of the tumble-bug or dung beetle, Melolontha co-
pris, is supposed to have similar bad habits with the former,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 107

but it is comparatively scarce and of little consequence, and the
same natural enemies repress its increase.

CUCUMBER BORER.
LARVA OF .EGERIA CUCURBITS.

The winged insect is orange-colored, with some black spots
on the body, and black and orange -colored hairs fringing its
legs. The eggs are deposited near the roots of the plants in
July and August.

The larva is a small worm that sometimes destroys cucum-
ber arid squash vines after they are well grown, or even in
fruit, by eating off the skin of the main root, and boring it,
when, of course, the whole vine wilts and dies. It is not very
common, but in some seasons makes naked spots in the squash
or cucumber patch. All vines found wilting from this cause
should be immediately carried away, and the stems and roots be
burned, or boiled, or macerated for some hours in water poured
hot upon them, thus preventing the perpetuation and increase
of the insect.

CUT WORM.

Fig. 71.

LAEVA, WITH PARENT MOTH.

a, Larva

&, Agrotis devastator.

This moth, says Fitch, is of a grayish brown, and, when
spread, measures from an inch and a quarter to an inch and a
half across. Extending from the base of the wing along the
inside of the inner stripe is a broad black or dark-brown streak,
crossed by two slender pale bars, not parallel, whence it is
named the dart moth ; this is its distinctive mark.

108 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

The moths that become the parent of the cut worm are not
certainly known, but are supposed by Dr. Fitch to be the dart
moth above referred to, and other evening or owlet moths of
similar character.

The eggs are dropped upon the ground in the latter part of
summer ; they soon hatch, and the young worm crawls into
the ground and feeds upon the roots and young shoots of her-
baceous plants. When cold weather comes it descends a few
inches below the surface, and remains torpid till spring. Late
in the summer it becomes a chrysalis, which resembles a long,
thin egg, of a chestnut-brown color, having several impressed
rings or joints toward its pointed or tail end. From this, in
three or four weeks, the miller or moth comes forth, the parent
of another generation.

The cut worm is of various shades, from light drab to black,
and of different varieties, which are not clearly distinguished
by writers on insects. Most of them have the habit, whence
their name is derived, of cutting off the young leaves or ten-
der stems of plants just above the ground, and drawing them
into the mouth of their hole, furnishing, like some other thieves,
a clew to discovery by the effort to hide.

The red-headed cut worms, or tiger worms, found south of
New York, cut under ground. Their depredations are contin-
ued throughout the summer upon the young corn, beans, pep-
pers, etc., but they are most numerous in June and July, at
which time they are so destructive to the young, freshly-set
cabbage-plants that it is common for market-gardeners to de-
fer planting until they disappear, which they generally do near
New York before the first of August, going deeper into the
ground, and assuming the chrysalis form.

The crow, with some other birds, and a species of dragon-fly,
are inveterate enemies of the cut worm, and Fitch recom-
mends the making of deep holes with a stick about their places
of resort, into which they fall, and, it is supposed, can not get
out. This, however, would appear not only doubtful, but also
as involving, perhaps, more labor than the ordinary and direct
course, which is simply to glance along the rows of your crop
early in the day. and, wherever the presence of the marauder is

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 109

detected, either by a cut leaf or a wilted plant, search for him
just below the surface and crush him.

HEART WORM.
Called also Top Worm. Spindle Worm.

LARVA OF THE GORTYNIA ZEA.

The moth is of a rust-red color, somewhat mottled with gray,
and having a few black dots.

The larva is a rather slender and active yellowish-green
worm, with dark head, and spots and rings. It is from half
an inch to an inch long. Hatched in, or entering the side of
the corn-plant, it eats into it when from three to nine inches
high, consuming the heart or spindle of the young spear, and
where it abounds the crop of corn is greatly lessened or de-
stroyed. It infests also the dahlia and some other plants.
Remedy : catch and crush him, or stop his hole, and pour into
the plant a little weak ley. Perhaps, if attended to early, he
might be crushed, without injuring the growth, by carefully
compressing the young spear between the thumb and finger,
or a fine wire passed into his hole might pierce him.

The "corn-borer" or bill-bug of the South is of similar
habit, though operating upon the crop at a later period of its
growth. The same remedies may be used for both as far as
practicable. For the latter the annual fall burning of the
corn- stumps, in which the chry sales are formed and pass the
winter, has been found an effectual check.

HOP WORM.
LARVA OP THE HYPENA HUMULI.

The hop worm is about an inch long when full grown, of a
greenish- white color, watery-looking or semi-transparent, and
slightly striped and dotted, having fourteen legs. The mouth
is yellowish, and the tips of the jaws black.

The moth is about an inch long, and varies in color from
quite dark to a dull white. The worms appear early in June,
and continue until late in August, feeding upon and nearly
consuming the tissue of the leaves.

110

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The common remedy of syringing or showering the vines
with strong soap-suds, or with a solution of whale-oil soap, is
prescribed for this and some other insects which commonly or
occasionally infest hop-vines.

PARSLEY WORM.

Fig. 72.

LABVA, WITH PAEENT BUTTEBFLY.

a, Larva ; &, Papilio Troilus.

This is a yellowish-green worm, wTith black streaks and spots,
and a pair of hidden yellowish fleshy horns, united at the base,
which it throws up when disturbed, and from which an offensive
and sickening odor is emitted. It is from an inch to two inch-
es long, not very numerous, but rather voracious. It feeds upon
the parsley, parsnep, and some other plants. The only known
remedy is to catch and crush him.

ROOT WORMS.
TURNIP ROOT WORM.

LARVA OF ANTHOMYIA CANICCTLAEIS. .

RADISH ROOT WORM.

LAKVA OF ANTHOMYIA RAPHANI, OB RADICPM OF EUROPE.

ONION ROOT WORM.

LARVA OF ANTHOMYIA CEPARUM.

The anthomyise, which, according to Harris, are the parents
of these various root worms, are the small " flower flies," which

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. Ill

appear and swarm like certain kinds of gnats, or like the small
flies that frequent foul spo^s and ordure.

The worms are white, and usually from a quarter to half an
inch long. They are found only in diseased vegetables, as
stunted radishes, cabbages, or turnips. The true remedy is to
pull and burn or boil the crop as soon as it is discovered to be
infested, and endeavor to avoid such necessity in future by
timely sowing and good culture.

WIRE WORM, OR RED WORM.

Fig. 73.

LAEVA WITH PAEENT ^ reddish-brown worm, produced by the
click-bug, about an inch long, with a very
tough, smooth skin, slightly hinged or joint-
ed. It enters the root or under-ground por-
tion of the stem of plants, and eats its way
up through the heart, causing death.

Larva; &, K later se- ,->, n .1 • i

or ciick-bug. Generally these insects are rather scarce
and shy, but at certain periods, and in different and limited sec-
tions, a sudden and large increase takes place, and they become
very destructive to corn and other crops. Among garden veg-
etables they sometimes attack lettuce, and the pink tribe among
flowers. They can scarcely be crushed in the earth ; to catch
them by hand, and either cut or pull them in two, or crush them
upon a stone, seems the only promising mode of open warfare ;
but they are sometimes baited with slices of turnip or potato
laid upon or just under the ground, which they enter, and are
gathered daily and destroyed.

BEE WORM.

Fig. 74.

LAEVA, WITH PAEENT MOTHS.
\

o, Larva ; &, Galleria cereana (male).

The bee worm is a yellowish- white worm, with brownish

« 112 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig 74 dots, having sixteen legs. When

first hatched, it is not much thicker
than a thread, but attains its full
size in about three weeks. The
moth is about three fourths of an
inch long, of a dusty gray color,

c, Galleria cereana (female). 111 •,! TII ,t

dashed with purplish brown, the

female being somewhat darker and larger than the male. The
wings, which slope back flatly, are notched, and turned up a lit-
tle at the end. The moth lays her eggs in the dirt or crevices
near the mouth of the hive, or enters at night and deposits
them in the chinks inside. In about two weeks the small
thread-like worm is hatched, which soon becomes covered with
a silky tube, spun from the wax on which it feeds. Keeping
itself always incased in this, where the bees' stings can not
penetrate, or masked by a thick coating of wax, which prevents
their approach, it labors incessantly to destroy the cells which
the bees have so industriously and skillfully built. Two broods
are hatched in a season, and if neglected through the summer,
the strong silken cocoons or webs become, by the beginning of
fall, very numerous in the infested hives, and almost the whole
of the comb broken and defiled, so that at length the bees are
wearied and driven out. In hot and dry seasons they are
most troublesome, especially to weak swarms.

The presence of the bee worm in a hive may be known by
the wax-dust and black castings of the worm lying upon the
floor. If the quantity of these is small, a careful examination
of the upper parts of the hive, destroying the worms as you go,
may suffice ; but if large, showing that the enemy is in consid-
erable force, you had better drive the bees, that is, provide a
hive of the same size, put in plenty of rests or cross-sticks,
and wash the inside with hop tea sweetened to a sirup ; early
in the evening, before the bees get very sleepy, having closed
the mouths of both hives, turn the old one bottom upward, and
quickly fit the new one over it ; drum upon the outside of the
former, and the bees will leave it. Before morning, place the
new hive upon a new, clean stand, with food upon it sufficient
for a week ; shut in the bees for that time, and for the second

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 113

week keep them fed, and let them out only in the edge of the
evening, affording them no time to wander. If found neces-
sary to strengthen them in their new home, feed the contents
of the old hive to them, or supply them freely otherwise.

The following arrangement might perhaps prevent the depre-
dations of the enemy. Place the stand for your hive upon a
single centre pillar, and take care that it is no larger than the
hive, except a small projection in front of the entrance ; put an
apron of tin entirely around it, extending an inch or two be-
low the edge ; let it spread upon and cover the small " door-
step" of the hive. Close even the minutest crevices all around
with grafting composition No. 3, and whenever there is pecul-
iar risk of injury from the insects, fit to the door of the hive a
slide of woven wire, to be closed every evening during the moth
season.

MOLES.

Much injury sometimes results from the running of moles in
a garden, particularly in light soils, but they also do good in
the destruction of various insects inhabiting the soil, often more
than counterbalancing their injuries. If they become too nu-
merous, they may be caught with a hoe or hook, if watched for
at their ordinary meal-times, morning, noon, and evening.
Sometimes they are caught in a small twitch-up trap. There
are also various patent traps for the purpose, which are more or
less efficient. A clergyman in New Jersey has recently in-
vented a spiked dead-fall trap, which is said to be unusually
effective.

It is stated that pieces of salt codfish put into their runs, or
castor-beans planted here and there in the garden, will drive
them away. Any of these expedients may be tried, if thought
worth while.

114 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHAPTER XL

VEGETABLES FOR THE GARDEN.

Vegetables for the Garden, etc., with Descriptions and Directions for their
Culture. — Assortment of Seeds for a Family Garden.

ARTICHOKE.

French, Artichaut. — German, Artischoke. — Spanish, Cinauco. Aleachofa.

PURPLE, GREEN, ETC.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow thinly, or drop single seeds at a distance of three or
four inches in drills one inch deep and twelve inches apart.
Keep them perfectly clear of weeds, and hoe them often through-
out the season.

The following spring transplant them into very rich soil, in
hills four feet apart each way, setting one, two, or three plants
in a hill. Keep them clean and cultivated as before.

Cover them well with earth or litter for winter.

Time : sow or transplant in early spring, say April at New
York.

The purple (flowered) or green-globe artichoke resembles a
huge thistle-head, formed with broad, thick scales. The heads
are cut when of full size, just before blossoming, and being well
boiled, are served up with drawn butter.

The eatable part consists of a thin layer of soft marrowy sub-
stance upon the inside of each scale, and the thick, tender,
tabular base or bottom upon which the scales and down of the
blossom are set. It may be cultivated as a tit-bit for an epi-
cure, but would not form a very substantial contribution to a
farmer's table.

It may be raised from seed sown at the opening of spring or
from young suckers ; it requires deep rich soil, and the plants
or hills should stand at least four feet apart each way. A
good winter protection of earth or litter is advisable, to be re-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 115

moved at the opening of spring, when the earth should also be
lightly dug about them, and the hills dressed.

The time to cut the heads for use is immediately before the
appearance of the blossom, just when the centre of the head be-
gins to open.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, HELIANTHUS TUBEROSUS.

French, Poire de Terre. — German, Erde Apfel. — Spanish, Girasol.

This is a tuberous-rooted species of sunflower, which affords
tolerable food for hogs when planted in a low rich spot, of which
it can have full possession until the swine are turned in to
root it up ; it needs only to be once planted in the manner of
potatoes to insure a large crop every year, if the hogs are kept
out until fall, when they will leave enough seed in the ground
for the next year's crop.

This root is sometimes used for pickling, or eaten cut up in
vinegar as cucumbers, and still more rarely boiled for use by
those who happen to fancy a sweetish, watery potato, which,
when cooked, it nearly resembles. It has been used to some
extent for sheep, and even the tops cured for winter fodder, but
it is probably comparatively valueless for these purposes.

ASPARAGUS.

French, Asperge. — German, SpargeL-^- Spanish, Esparrago.

GIANT, WHITE, GREEN, ETC.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow thinly in shallow drills twelve inches apart. Hoe
often, and keep perfectly clear of weeds. At one year old the
plants may be transplanted into permanent beds, at one foot
apart each way. Time : sow in the fall or as early in spring
as practicable. Transplant in spring.

Asparagus is a well-known and delicious vegetable ; it is
raised from seed, which may be sown in fall or early spring.
The plants at one or two years old are transplanted into beds
at one foot apart each way, or, if cultivated upon a large scale,
into rows at three feet distance, so as to admit the plow, the

116 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

plants being set one foot apart in the rows. It is absolutely
necessary to give asparagus a warm, rich soil, and, if it is in-
tended to make a permanent bed for a private garden, it would
be well to dig out the whole space, and underlay the bed with
six inches or more of well -rotted manure, or trench the ground
at least eighteen inches deep, mixing it thoroughly and plenti-
fully with such manure in the process, adding sand or road-
wash if the soil be heavy.

Let the bed be so prepared in the fall, and in spring, having
dug it over, raked it smoothly, and with your marker laid it
out in one-foot squares, put in your plants exactly at the points
where the lines intersect, covering the crowns about three
inches deep. Keep it perfectly clear of weeds, and, if a drought
comes on, give attention to watering it.

One year from the time of planting you may expect a light
cutting for the table ; but you had much better not cut any
the first year after planting than risk the injury to your suc-
ceeding crops by cutting too much.

Top-dress your bed with well -rotted manure every fall, dig
the surface lightly over in the spring, and water it with the
old brine from your pork-barrel, or strew salt over the bed.

By this process you will have asparagus sufficiently gigan-
tic ; and, if you desire it white, cover your bed six or eight
inches deep with road-wash or beach sand, and cut the aspar-
agus at that depth with a long knife whenever it shows itself
an inch or less above this covering.

In cultivating asparagus upon a large scale, let your land be
most thoroughly manured ; set the plants four inches deep, in
rows three feet apart, and one foot between the plants in the
row ; keep it clean with the plow and corn-harrow, or cultivator,
manuring it every fall if possible ; and, if you choose to plow
in the manure lightly across the rows, as if the ground were
uncropped, it will bear the operation carefully performed with-
out injury to the next year's product, and with great advan-
tage in keeping it clean with little labor.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 117

BEANS (English).

French, Feve de Marais, — German, Grosse Bokne. — Spanish, Haba.
BROAD WINDSOR, LONG POD, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Drop the seed at about three inches distance, in drills two
inches deep and two feet apart.

Hoe often, drawing the earth to them a little from time to
time until they are in full bloom : then nip the end of each
stem an inch or two, and wait for the crop.

Time : the earliest possible in spring both South and North,
or through the winter months in the former.

These beans, if raised at all, should be planted in strong
moist soil at the times and in the manner above directed.

They are used as shelled beans, being gathered when the
pods attain their full size, but while still green and tender.

Though a favorite vegetable with some, they are rather a
coarse delicacy, and are not likely to be generally esteemed.
Commonly, too, they do not bear well with us, and if but a
slight drought come upon them in their growth, the black
aphis will eat them up.

The horse bean is a small variety of this species, which in
Europe is raised extensively as a farm crop. It is commonly
mixed with oats in feeding horses, being considered very strong
food, and from its heating quality requiring to be used in mod-
erate quantities.

BUSH BEANS.
French, Haricots nains. — German, Stambohnen. — Spanish, Frijoles.

BUSH BEANS. DWARF BEANS. KIDNEY BEANS. CRANBERRY
BEANS. SNAPS.

Early Mohawk. Early China. Union. Rob Roy. Valentine.
Large White Kidney. Marrowfat. Refugee, etc., etc.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow thinly in rows from eighteen inches to two feet wide,
and about an inch deep ; hoe often, drawing the earth a little

118 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

to them, and sow plaster upon them at least once before they
blossom.

Time : corn-planting time for spring. July to October, ac-
cording to latitude, for fall use or salting for winter.

At New York, May to August.

Bush beans are sometimes called kidney beans from the form
of many of the varieties, and cranberry for the same reason ;
snaps from their being used while the pods are sufficiently ten-
der to snap without showing fibres, and dwarfs or bush beans
from their habit of growth, not requiring poles, but being self-
supporters.

These beans may be planted from the very earliest corn-
planting time to the last month of summer at the North, and
at the South on into September. In favorable weather six
weeks for the earlier kinds, and eight weeks for the later, will
be found long enough to allow for the production of the green
crop. They should be thinly sown in rows about eighteen
inches or two feet apart, and covered about an inch. Hoe
them well as soon as they come up, earth them up a little as
they grow, sowing plaster lightly over them from time to time,
and there is scarcely a fear of failure.

For early kinds, the Mohawk, the China, and the Valentine
may be sown. To succeed these, the Union, the Rob Roy, the
marrowfat, the large white kidney, and the refugee.

The China, the white kidney, the marrowfat, the Valentine,
the Union, are all superior to the common white or dumpling
bean for winter use in the dry state, and on this account are
preferable to the darker colored beans, which, when dry, arc
unfit for cooking, dark-colored beans being both strong and un-
sightly. The refugee is perhaps the best bean to plant late for
pickles, or for salting green for winter use as a table vegetable.

For this latter purpose the beans are prepared as for cooking,
many persons splitting the pods in the process, especially if
they are pretty large or old. They are then slightly scalded,
and when cool are packed closely into a keg or barrel, each lay-
er being carefully but moderately salted, and a few sprigs of
summer savory or other aromatic herb added. When required

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 119

for cooking, they are soaked a while to remove the excess of salt,
and then boiled in the ordinary manner. With proper care
they will keep good until spring.

In raising beans in large quantities the land should be fur-
rowed with a horse-marker or light plow, about two feet apart,
and the beans sown by hand, and covered with the potato-
hook ; or any good corn-planter may be used, which will com-
plete the operation at once.

The after-culture should be performed with the skeleton
plow and light harrow, or the cultivator, to keep them clean,
and either a single or a double mould-plow to slightly earth
them up, after which but little finishing off by the hand-hoe
will be required.

For analysis of bush beans and their value, see page 500.

POLE BEANS.

French, Haricots a rames. — German, Stangbohnen. — Spanish, Judias.
LARGE LIMA. SMALL LIMA OR CAROLINA. HORTICULTURAL.
DUTCH CASE-KNIFE. ASPARAGUS. SCARLET RUNNERS,
&C., &C.

Time : throughout corn-planting time both North and South.
At New York in all May.

Pole beans require to be planted in hills from two to four
feet apart, in which poles should be first set securely by the
aid of a crow-bar.

Plant four or five beans an inch and a half deep around each
pole, and from four to six inches from it. When well up, hoe
and thin them, leaving three or four of the strongest and most
healthful plants ; keep the earth well hoed and loosened about
them ; and when they begin to run, guide them to the pole if
they do not find it readily, being careful to wind them in the
natural direction.* Continue to keep the earth loose and clean

* Vegetables and woody plants that wind in their growth do not all
wind in one direction, but each kind winds uniformly in its natural course,
and no other. The honeysuckle and the hop wind "with the sun" —
that is, the point of the vine in its progress passes from the south by the
west, and north and east to the south again ; but the bitter sweet, the
wistaria, the morning-glory, the cypress vine, and the bean, wind against
the sun — that is, the point grows from the south to the east, and by the
north and west again to the south.

120 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

about them, hilling them up a little from time to time, and
sowing plaster lightly upon them until the blossoming. You
may then wait confidently for your crop. Those which are un-
ripe at the approach of severe frost should be shelled and dried
in the sun or oven for after use, and light-colored ones are to
be preferred for the reasons given in the former article in refer-
ence to bush beans.

The Dutch case-knife, the cranberry, the asparagus, and some
others, may be used as snaps while very young ; the Carolina,
the white Dutch runner, the horticultural, and, above all, the
large Lima for shelling. The scarlet runners are pretty flow-
ering beans, but are not worth raising for the table.

The large Lima and the Carolina, unless in very warm soil,
should not be planted earlier than between the first and second
corn-hoeing, and in the richest and warmest spot ; but the oth-
er kinds may be planted as early as it is safe to plant corn,
which of course will vary with latitude, soil, and elevation.

BEET.

French, Betterave. — German, Rotke Rube. — Spanish, Remolacha.
EARLY BLOOD TURNIP. LONG BLOOD. WHITE SUGAR OR
EARLY WHITE SCARCITY. MANGEL WURTZEL OR EARLY
RED SCARCITY. YELLOW SUGAR, &C., &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in deep rich soil, in drills twelve or fifteen inches apart,
and about an inch deep. Thin the plants to from eight to
twelve inches apart, and hoe often till the tops cover the
ground.

Time for spring or summer use : at the South, through
the winter months or at the earliest moment of spring ; at the
North, either in very late fall or very early spring.

For winter use, from the middle of June to the middle of
July at the North, and at the South from the last of July to
the middle or last of August.

Beets, in general, prefer a light, rich, and deep soil, although
the turnip, sugar, and mangel wurtzel beets, growing mostly
above ground, may be well raised upon any soil that is rich.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

121

FORMS OF BEETS.
Fig. T5.

a. Inferior Turnip Beet.
6. Fair

c. Better "

d. Best "

e. Worthless long Beet.
/. Inferior "

g. Fair «

h. Best "

122 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

For early use, the seed of blood turnip beet may be sown in
fall or winter, or at the very first opening of spring, on extra
rich ground, in rows twelve inches apart, between which early
salad or radishes may be sown if saving of space be an object,
these coming off before the beets require the whole ground, and
the beets can be thinned by pulling the young plants for greens.

For winter, both the blood turnip and the long blood are
now extensively used, the former being valued not only for its
intrinsic excellence when raised properly, but also for its keep-
ing qualities. It may be preserved in good order until June.

Long blood beets for winter use should not be sown at the
North until from the middle to the end of June, and blood tur-
nip from the first to the middle of July, and still later to the
South, so timing them as to allow between three and four
months for them to attain their full size. As soon as they
are well up they should be thinned, the former to a foot apart
each way, or fifteen inches by nine, and the latter to one foot
by six inches. Keep them well hoed and the earth loose until
they cover the ground with their leaves ; sow a little ash com-
post over them once or twice during their growth, if possible
just before rain ; and whenever the frost even but lightly
touches the tops, gather your crop immediately, or you will lose
a considerable portion of its sweetness. The tops having been
carefully and closely trimmed off, the roots, slightly dried, may
be kept through the winter by being buried or holed, as here-
after directed ; or in an ordinary cellar, if laid up dry, not
wilted, and covered with sand or earth.

To this article a few general remarks may perhaps be profit-
ably added.

1st. If long beets are raised for a series of years in ground
that is not deeply plowed and well pulverized, and the seed
saved from them is annually resown, they will become short-
ened in growth, or form a habit of growing much above
ground, and, in consequence of the latter peculiarity, deterio-
rate in quality for the table.

2d. The kinds named above are the only kinds really worth
raising, and, if good stock is obtained, supply all that can be
desired. The color of the first two should be dark blood, but

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 123

not black, for extremely dark beets will rarely grow freely
enough to possess the sweetness desirable. A dark-rooted
beet with a rather light top is generally the best ; when cooked,
it will be of a bright blood-color.

The mangel wurtzel, or red scarcity, is a red-skinned beet,
but white inside, growing much out of the ground, and, although
chiefly used for feeding cattle, makes a tolerable early beet.
The white sugar, or scarcity, rather shorter, but of somewhat
similar habit, having sometimes a very slight tinge of pink
upon the skin, also makes a good early beet. These varieties
are 'unfit for winter use. Of the two, the white sugar is the
more desirable, being of rather better quality, and having a fine
appearance when served up mixed with the blood-colored vari-
eties.

As to yellow beets and the thousand mingled varieties that
may be met with, their dull, dirty appearance when cooked is a
sufficient objection to them, not one of them possessing any pe-
culiar excellence to counterbalance this defect. No sweeter or
more tender beets can be raised than of the kinds above men-
tioned, but no beet can be raised of fine quality unless rapidly
grown. For this end, rich soil, sufficient room, and frequent
hoeing are indispensable. If from any cause it grow slowly,
or receive a check, as not ^infrequently happens in drought and
from early frosts, the taste of potash, and not sugar, will be
found when it is eaten.

I have not named those beets which are raised expressly for
the tops, because it appears absurd to cultivate them. One
beet- top is almost as good as another, when grown luxuriantly,
and if tops are wanted, they can be plucked from the rooted
varieties. As a farm crop, or on a large scale for marketing,
beets should be sown in rows at least two feet apart, and thinned
to from six to fifteen inches in the rows, according to the kinds
and the object proposed in raising them. If raised for feed,
being planted early and kept well plowed and harrowed, two
feet by fifteen inches will probably yield as much per acre
as if left closer, and it is manifest that, other things being
equal, the fewer in number the roots may be the less will be
the labor of gathering them. For analysis of beets, and their
value as a crop for feed, see p. 500.

124 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Beets may be well kept through the winter by piling them
carefully on a level or slightly raised surface, and covering them
about a foot thick with earth, packed and sloped so as to shed
rain, adding other covering in winter, if found necessary. This
is called " holing." Or they may be kept in bins in the cellar ;
but when in small quantity, they may be packed in ordinary
barrels, and either headed or covered thinly with earth, in any
place where the frost does not reach.

BENE PLANT.

This is the Sesamum Orientale of botanists, and has, so far
as I know, no other designation than bene in the French, Ger-
man, and Spanish languages. Sow in a drill an inch deep ;
thin the plants to six or eight inches apart, and keep clean.

Time : corn-planting time. May at New York.

The bene plant is rather a medicinal herb than a garden
vegetable, but its value as a palliative or remedy in summer
complaint among children has given it a claim to a place in
the home garden.

It is prepared by infusing the leaves or seeds for a short
time in water. It thus yields a tasteless mucilaginous drink,
which is said to be very useful in the complaint referred to.

BROCOLL

French, Brocoli. — German, Kohl Italianische. — Spanish, Broculi.

EARLY PURPLE CAPE. EARLY WHITE CAPE. LATE WHITE,

&C., &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants twenty inches apart, in rows two feet wide, in
rich soil, and hoe often.

Time at the South : sow from August to January, and set
out as soon as the plants are large enough.

New York and the North generally : sow in September, and
set out in April or early in May for summer use. For fall
crop, sow in the first half of May ; set out in July.

There are more than forty varieties of brocoli, but the best,
and perhaps the only desirable kind for us, is the " early pur-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 125

pie cape." The early white may be worth trying, and some-
times the cauliflower is sold by this name ; but the labor be-
stowed upon the late white is generally wasted. It is a large-
growing but profitless variety.

The early purple cape is a somewhat surer crop than cauli-
flower, and seed of good stock is more readily obtained, but it
is so far inferior that, where cauliflower can be successfully
raised, it is sheer folly to plant the brocoli.

The full directions given for raising cauliflower are equally
suitable for brocoli ; or, for the fall planting, the latter may be
treated precisely as directed for winter cabbages.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS.

French, Chou de Bruxelles. — German, Sprossen Kohl. — Spanish, Col de tallo

de Bruselas.

If raised at all, sow and treat in all respects as directed for
Savoy cabbage (which see), observing that in heeling in Brus-
sels sprouts for winter the earth must not cover that part of the
stems from which the sprouts grow.

Brussels sprouts is a species of cabbage about as hardy as
the curled Savoy, which in growth it somewhat resembles. It
does not form a main head, but grows up with a considerable
stem, bearing at the top a pretty large bunch of leaves, of which
the outer ones are quite long, declining, and coarse ; the inner
or crown leaves, which are much stronger flavored than the Sa-
voy, become fit for use as greens only after the most thorough
freezing.

The only valuable product of this plant consists in the
mass of " sprouts," or small button-like heads, with which, in
plants of good stock, the stem is thickly set, and which, being
covered by the overhanging leaves, become white, and form a
tender and pleasant dish when cut from under their slight cov-
ering in mid- winter, and carefully boiled in a net.

The objection on account of lack of quantity in the product,
mentioned in the case of Savoy, holds still more strongly against
the Brussels sprouts ; neither has it any peculiar excellence to
balance this and its other defects.

126 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CABBAGE (Early, or Summer).
French, Choupomme. — German, Kopfskohl. — Spanish, Col.

EARLY YORK. WAKEFIELD. KNIGHT'S EARLY. LARGE YORK.
OX-HEART. EMPEROR, ETC., ETC.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants twelve or fifteen inches apart, in rows eight-
een inches to two feet wide, in rich soil, and hoe often and
deeply.

Time : at the North sow in September, or in hot bed last of
February or first of March ; set out in the last half of April.

In New York, in ordinary seasons, set out a little earlier,
particularly fall- sown plants. At the South sow and set out
from November to March.

It would not bfc worth while to enumerate the varieties of
cabbage : their names are very indefinite ; new varieties or sub-
varieties being so readily obtained that there seems no limit to
the possible number ; and, as new names sometimes sell old
books, so old varieties of vegetables are sometimes found under
new designations for the same end, or novelty is attained by a
very slight variation. But, by whatever names they may be
called, four or five kinds will fill up the season's course, and
complete the necessary supply of this vegetable for a family.

1. Early York, or any early cabbage, "Wakefield, Knight's,
etc., should be sown in September or October, and when about
two inches high transplanted into a pit or cold bed about two
inches apart for wintering ; or they may be sown in a hot bed
in the latter half of February or former part of March, and,
after being hardened by gradual exposure in the beginning of
April, may be set out at any time after the middle of that
month in rows eighteen inches to two feet wide, at a distance
of twelve or fifteen inches in the rows. Plants that have been
wintered may be set out rather earlier than hot-bed plants, and
will usually come off in time to sow turnips for winter use
upon the ground they occupied.

2. The large York, or ox-heart, or any second cabbage, may

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 127

be sown and set out at the same time or a few days later than
the former, giving them also a little more room — say sixteen
inches apart by twenty-four. These will succeed the early
kinds, and continue your supply until the flat Dutch, Bergen,
etc., mature, whether at the North or South.

South of latitude 40° north, cabbages of the earlier or later
kinds, for spring and summer use, may be set out in the fall as
soon as the plants attain sufficient size, and where this is done,
if it seem necessary, they should be set qn one side of a small
ridge or furrow, running the rows in such a direction that the
ridge of earth will afford some protection to the plants from
prevailing winter winds ; strew over them a very thin covering
of litter or evergreen brush, and give prompt attention to the
culture of the crop at the first opening of spring.

In certain localities this process may be found desirable, but
in general it is best to set out plants at such time as that they
will start immediately and grow right on to their maturity.

CABBAGE (Late, or Winter).

BERGEN. FLAT DUTCH. DRUM-HEAD. RED (OR PURPLE). SA-
YOY, ETC., ETC.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants twenty inches apart, in rows two feet or more
wide, in strong rich soil. Hoe or dig among them till the
leaves touch.

Time : sow in May. Set out in July in New York and the
North generally, and later as you proceed south. See also di-
rections given above under early cabbages. The Bergen, flat
Dutch, drum-head, or any late cabbage, if sown and set out
late, and grown rapidly by the aid of rich soil and thorough
culture, will prove equal in quality to the earlier kinds.

If the red or purple cabbage is desired, it should be sown and
set out a little earlier than the Bergen, etc., but at the same
distances. It is valued, chiefly on account of its color and
thick fleshy texture, for pickling and cole-slaw. Unless very
good stock is obtained it is liable to yield only small and com-
paratively worthless heads, or to fail to head at all.

128 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The Savoy is a curled cabbage, liable, as the former, to fail
in heading if the stock be not good, and generally yielding a
much less weight of crop than the other winter varieties, but,
on account of its hardiness and marrowy excellence after being
well frozen, it is worthy of more attention than it receives. It
should be treated precisely as the red in respect to times of
sowing, transplanting, and distances. Its form may be either
globular or heart-shaped.

North of latitud^ 40°, late cabbages may be sown in all
May, and set out in July and the first half of August. In
more southern latitudes they should be sown and set out at
later periods, but so' as to afford them from twelve to eighteen
weeks from the time of setting out to perfect their heads,
which, with good culture, will be found sufficient, unless the
stock be inferior.

The ground for cabbages should be rich, and, if naturally a
rather moist and strong loam, the addition of sufficient manure
will render ft perfectly suitable for them. They will grow,
however, in any deep rich soil.

Within three or four days after the plants are set out they
should be carefully hoed, and every morning, until they attain
strength, the cut worm should be sought and destroyed. Its
hiding places may be known by the fresh-cut leaves or plants
sticking out from its retreat ; stir the earth a little just below
the surface, near the plant, and you will find the marauder.
Crush him. See also page 108.

Throughout the period of their growth keep the ground
clean and loose, either with the spade and hoe or the plow and
corn-harrow, and if, after each hoeing, a little poudrette or ash-
compost is applied, it will materially aid the growth and im-
prove the quality of the crop.

As a farm crop or for feed, the larger late varieties of cab-
bage may be planted at a distance of thirty inches each way,
the ground being previously well prepared with the plow and
harrow, and lightly cross-furrowed with the skeleton plow, the
plant being set at the crossing. See Analysis and Value, p. 500.

Cabbages are liable to a disease called anbury or club-root,
in which large swellings form upon the roots. These are sup-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 129

posed to proceed from the wound of certain weevils depositing
their eggs, as the gall is formed upon the oak, but I suppose
the insect seeks only unhealthy or checked plants, diseased,
morbid juices being probably agreeable to it. I have found it
in the portion of a patch reached by the roots of neighboring
trees ; and in a seed-row sown down a slope, the plants on the
lower or wet part were almost all clubbed, and the others free.
For insects infesting the cabbage, see pages 99 and 104.

It is often found difficult in northern latitudes to preserve
cabbages through the winter without loss by rotting, or, if this
be avoided by hanging them up singly, they are apt to become
tough and almost tasteless from drying or self-exhaustion.

The best known mode of wintering them is to pull them up
by the roots immediately on the appearance of hard frosts, and,
having made a deep clean furrow upon a gentle slope, begin at
the upper end of it, and place the cabbages, with the heads
downward, not quite perpendicularly, but sloping, so as effect-
ually to discharge or shed water from the heads. Having
thus arranged your heads, with the roots uppermost, through-
out the length of your furrow, proceed either with the plow or
spade to cover them with earth, forming a ridge over them a
few inches thick ; still farther to secure them against water,
make the crown of the ridge as solid as possible by beating or
treading along it, and finish it up sharply. Whatever may be
needed for winter use can be broken out, beginning at the low-
er end, while those which remain will come out in the spring,
even as late as May, as fresh and almost as sound as when
put in.

The red cabbage and the Savoy, being hardier, do not require
this covering, but may be " heeled in" at the approach of win-
ter by setting the roots in an opened furrow or trench, and
placing the heads close together, but above the ground, and
carefully settling the earth around the necks ; cover them
lightly with straw or evergreen brush, and cut them out as re-
quired for use.

Merely for winter cooking, the other varieties may be kept
in the same manner ; but if you desire them for spring use the
former mode is preferable. The " sauer-kraut," of which Ger-

F2

130 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

mans are so fond, is made by halving fine solid cabbage-heads
lengthwise, cutting out the stem, and shredding them as for
" cole-slaw," but perhaps still finer. This is usually done by
means of a gang of from three to six knives arranged obliquely
across a wooden frame, the best and freest cutters being grooved
lengthwise like scythe-blades. Within this frame a small
open box for the half cabbage-head runs, the operator pressing
the cabbage upon the knives as he drives the box. The shred-
ded cabbage is then packed as closely as possible, by the aid of
a wooden " pounder," into a keg or barrel, with a moderate salt-
ing, and spicing with caraway or other aromatic seeds, &c.
When finished, a cloth is laid over it, and the head or other
cover laid upon it, with a weight, until it has fermented and
all impurities are cleared off It is then ready for use, and
may be headed up for winter, keeping it carefully covered with
its brine, as in preserving pickles or butter, &c.

CARDOON.

French, Cardon. — German, Kardoner. — Spanish, Cardon.

If raised at all, sow in a single %w where they may stand to
mature, having plenty of room, at least two feet on each side,
and when well up, thin the plants to fifteen inches apart.

Time : March or April.

The cardoon resembles the artichoke (see p. 114), but the
heads are not used, the scales being fleshless and bitter. When
the plants are full grown, before the flower-stem starts, the
leaves, being gathered upright and bound together, are earthed
up, like celery, to blanch, and when this is effected, the leaf-
stems are used by those who fancy them in stews, &c.

CARROT.

French, Carrotte. ^-German, Mo hre. — Spanish, Zanahoria.

EARLY HORN. LONG ORANGE. ALTRINGHAM. LONG PUR-
PLE, OR BLOOD. LONG WHITE, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills fifteen inches apart ; cover lightly, and

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

131

if dry give water. Thin the plants to three or four inches
distance, and keep clear of weeds.

Time : for winter use in families, the first half of June is
the best time to sow carrots in New York and the North gen-
erally, and still later in the South.

FORMS OF CARROTS.
Fig. 16.

a. Inferior early Carrot.

b. Good early Carrot.

c. Inferior long Carrot.

d. Better long Carrot.

e. Best long Carrot.

/. White long field Carrot, of poor quality,
but easily gathered.

The two first named above are the only kinds desirable for
garden culture. The early horn is a short root, calculated for

132 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

the very earliest summer use. It should be sown at the first
opening of the spring, in rows half an inch deep, about one
foot apart, and, if the weather prove dry, water lightly until the
plants come up. Hoe and keep clean, thinning to two or three
inches, and drawing out for use as fast as they swell.

The long orange, when of a very dark orange color (see Col-
or, p. 71), is the best of all carrots, and though not perhaps
always yielding so heavy crops as some of the coarser varieties,
it may fairly be doubted if its superior quality does not render
it, upon the whole, more desirable than those varieties, even for
farm culture.

It may be sown about the last of May or in the first half of
June, in the same manner as the former, the yourig plants be-
ing thinned to four inches apart.

Among market-gardeners around New York and south of it,
carrots are also sown later and wintered out, being lightly cov-
ered with straw, or salt hay, or evergreens. In this state they
remain uninjured through the winter, and, starting to grow
early, afford carrots that can be bunched in May, and really fur-
nish fresher-flavored roots than those which have been stored.

A light, warm, and not very rich soil is suitable for carrots,
but good crops may be raised upon any soil deepened by good
culture and moderately manured.

In the vicinity of large cities land is sometimes made too
rich for this crop, and it fails entirely.

If raised as a farm crop, carrots should be sown in rows two
feet wide,. being thinned to four inches apart in the row, and
kept free from weeds. Plow often and deeply until they are
about half grown, then run the skeleton plow once beam-deep
between the rows ; follow it with the light corn-harrow, and
the culture of your crop is completed.

Carrot-seed imported from Europe is generally very trouble-
some to sow, unless thoroughly rubbed with earth, or ashes, or
plaster. It is very woolly, and can scarcely be separated.
American seed, if properly managed, is clean and free as other
ordinary seeds. See Analysis and Value of Carrots, p. 500.

In addition to the common uses of carrots, they, make excel-
lent " pumpkin pies." For this purpose they should be passed

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 133

through a fine grater, either in their raw state or stewed, and
then be used precisely as veritable pumpkin.

CAULIFLOWER.

French, Chou-fleur. — German, Blumenkokl. — Spanish, Coliflor.

EARLY, LATE, ETC.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants twenty inches apart, in rows two feet wide,
in very rich soil, and hoe often.

Time : for spring and summer heading, sow in September ;
pot and protect the plants carefully through winter, and set
out in April or May at the North ;. but at the South sow a
month or more later, and either pot and protect them thus, or
set out the plants, when four or six inches high, where they
are to stand through winter, and protect them if necessary.

For the fall crop at New York and the North generally, sow
in the first half of May, and set out last of June or first week
of July. Proceeding southward, sow and transplant still later,
allowing the crop full sixteen weeks from the setting out, with
good culture, to mature for use before winter.

The cauliflower, like the brocoli, is of the cabbage tribe,
having long, narrowish leaves, which grow upon the stem
rather in the fashion of a tuft, somewhat as the palm-tree
bears its leaves ; and, instead of having a head like the cab-
bage, formed of the young leaves compacted by the closing of
those above and the growth of those within, it is composed of
the incipient blossom-head, which, appearing at first as a mere
button in the centre of the crown of leaves, gradually enlarges
to a diameter of from six to twelve inches or more. When in
perfection it has the appearance of a compact curd-white
mass of an irregular convex form, and is the most choice and
delicate of garden vegetables.

The early cauliflower is on many accounts preferable to the
other varieties, and perhaps is the only one that will prove to
be really worth raising. Between the early and late varieties
of cabbages, peas, etc., their time of maturing affords a pretty

134 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

clear distinction ; but it is scarcely so with cauliflower, which
is rather finer and coarser, good and inferior, and by the in-
itiated the terms early and late are used in reference to the
period of the expected crop, as summer or fall, rather than to
designate different varieties. Disappointments would be still
more frequent to the cultivator if the seed for both were not
often furnished from the same stock by the seedsman.

If desired for summer use at the North, the seed should be
sown about the middle of September, and the plants, when
about three inches high, transplanted into quart garden-pots,
three plants in a pot, and placed i»a pit for wintering. They
should be kept well covered in the severest weather, but when
a moderate temperature prevails light and air should be given.

In the latter half of April the plants may be set out in very
rich, strong soil, at the distance of twenty inches by two feet,
or two feet each way. Let them be often and deeply hoed,
and dig or plow deeply between them at least once before they
attain their growth ; use ash compost or liquid manure about
them from time to time, and if the season is favorable you may
cut fine heads for summer use ; if, however, the season prove
hot and dry, the heads will probably be small and of only me-
dium quality,, or you may be entirely disappointed of a crop.

In milder latitudes they will bear the winter with little or
no,£overing, and may be set out in late fall.

The fall crop is far more certain, and more easily raised.

For this, sow the seed in the spring, at the times above di-
rected; transplant when two inches high into a second bed,
two or three inches apart. In about six or seven weeks from
the sowing, set them out at the distance named for the summer
crop, treat them as directed for the same, and, unless the seed
sown was of inferior stock, you may ordinarily calculate on a
full and valuable crop.

If, on the approach of winter, any part of them have not per-
fected their heads, let them be taken up carefully, with plenty
of earth to them, and heeled in closely, either under the bench
of a green-house or in a warm dirt cellar, and they will con-
tinue to head almost as well as in the open ground.

The proper time for cutting cauliflower is when the head has

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 135

attained its largest diameter, but before it gives any indica-
tions of becoming loose or open.

For the benefit of the cook and the consumer, I remark that
it should never be boiled with other vegetables or with meat,
but in fair water, or milk and water, with a little salt, being
careful not to overcook it — say boiling it twenty minutes or
less. A bag-net, which is useful in boiling all green vegeta-
bles, will be found especially so in cooking cauliflower. It
may be eaten with drawn butter or gravy, as fancy dictates.

The imperfect heads of both cauliflower and brocoli, or the
full heads divided for the purpose, make handsome and pleas-
ant pickles. See page 167.

It is often difficult to obtain cauliflower seed of good stock,
and upon this almost every thing depends ; but where good
stock can be obtained, and the soil is favorable, there are few
garden crops more profitable.

CELERY.

French, Celeri. — German, Selkrie. — Spanish, Apia.

WHITE SOLID. RED GIANT.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow upon the surface of very light, rich soil, and rake light-
ly in. Keep watered and shaded from the strong sunshine.
When the plants are three or four inches high, prepare trenches
two to four feet apart, a foot wide, and a foot deep ; dig into
the bottom plenty of rotten manure, and set the plants six to
eight inches apart, a single row in each trench. Continue to
shade them until started, and gradually earth them up as
they grow.

Time : sow from March to May. Set out from May to July
in New York and the North generally.

At the South, sow in June and July. Set out in August
and September.

There are various kinds of fancy celery, and diversities of
opinion as to their merits, but the continued general cultiva-
tion of the white solid would seem to prove that, on the whole,

136 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

it is the best. The term solid as applied to celery refers to
the leaf-stem or eatable part, which, in inferior varieties, is
more or less hollow, or " piped." Celery should be sown upon
the surface of fine, light soil. The seed, being raked in very
lightly, should be shaded for a few days, and watered moder-
ately each evening until it comes up, if the weather be dry.
When about two inches high, the plants should be transplanted
into a second bed at one or two inches apart. In May and
later, prepare for their final planting by digging trenches about
a foot wide and ten or twelve inches deep at a distance of three
or four feet apart. Strew along the bottom a thick layer of
thoroughly rotted manure, and dig it in, mixing it well with
the soil in the process. After it has lain a week or two, dig
it again, and mix and pulverize it. If your plants are ready,
or you desire something a little earlier than your main crop,
you may begin to plant ; if not, then dig again when your
plants are ready, and, having grouted the roots (see p. 88),
set them out at six or eight inches apart, in a single row along
the trench, and shade them until they take root. Keep them
perfectly clean, and the earth loose around them, applying
liquid manure after each hoeing until they are large enough
to earth up for blanching.*

This process should be performed about every ten days after
the plants in the trenches have attained a height of ten or
twelve inches.

To do this properly, choose a fine day for the operation, gath-
er the leaves carefully up, place a board on each side of the
row, and draw the earth against them ; then raise the boards
gradually, and carefully settle the earth to the plants.

At the approach of winter take up your celery, which should
now be from eighteen inches to three feet high, remove any
waste leaves, and especially such as may be decaying or touch-
ed by frost, and pack it away in earth or sand in a cool cellar

* Blanching is effected by the exclusion of light, which seems, in gen-
eral, essential to the development of color. The law, however, is not ab-
solute, for seed-leaves are often found in the common field-pumpkin and
in ripe cucumbers which have grown nearly to their natural size and of a
fine deep green color.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 137

or out-house where frost will not reach it, or set it upright in
a narrrow bed out of doors, packing it closely, yet so as to ad-
mit the earth through it, and, having ridged it over somewhat
carefully, to prevent water settling into it, cover the whole
with straw or mulch of any kind sufficient to prevent the frost
from closing it against you during winter. Like all green veg-
etables for winter use, celery will keep better in the open air
than housed, if proper precautions are used for its protection
against frost.

It is not uncommon to plant celery in very moist ground for
the sake of a luxuriant growth, but in this there is danger of
partial decay in wet seasons, and always loss of quality. Cel-
ery of the finest flavor, though not of the largest size, is raised
in light, dry soil.

CELERIAC is a turnip-rooted variety of celery used in soups,
and but of little value. It is raised as turnip-beets. See
page 120.

CHERVIL.

French, Cerfeuil. — German, Gartenkerbel. — Spanish, Perifolio.

Sown and treated as parsley, which see, page 160. It is an
aromatic herb, sometimes used in soups and salads.

CITRON.

French, Citronne. — German, Citron Wasser Melone. — Spanish, Melon de
agua de Cidra.

See WATERMELON, page 152.

GIVES OR CHIVES.

French, Civette or Ciboulette. — German, Binsenlauch. Schnidtlauch. — Span-
ish, Cebollinos.

Gives should be set out in August or September at the North,
or November or December at the South, at about six inches
apart, and two or three inches deep, either in a single row, or
small bed, if beds are preferred, where they can remain perma-
nently ; or they may be set as edging to paths.

They are a very small species of onion, increasing from the
root, with leaves not thicker than straws, starting up very ear-
ly in the spring, when the young tops are cut and eaten.

138 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CORN.
French, Mais. — German, Korn. — Spanish, Maiz.

1. CANADA. 2. SUGAR. 3. TUSCARORA.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in rich, warm soil, in hills three feet apart, five grains
in a hill, an inch deep. When well up, thin to the three or
four best plants. Hoe often, and dress with ashes and plaster.

Time : from March to July, according to latitude, and the
earlier or later period at which the crop is desired for use.

All the varieties of corn may be raised in the garden for
roasting ears or green corn. I have placed the kinds named
above in the usual order of their ripening, though this varies
with stock, but remark that the Canada, as is common with
extra early vegetables, is small. The sugar, with high manur-
ing, may be raised of fair size, and is of superior sweetness.
It may also be kept for winter cooking, either by being hung
up in bunches by the tips of the husks, or husked and shelled
while soft, and gradually dried in an oven at a moderate heat.

The Tuscarora has no flint, being what is called a flour corn.
It yields a fine large ear with a red cob, which slightly discol-
ors it in boiling. Perhaps the first two may be esteemed the
very best for family use, or we may add the common eight-
rowed white.

, Corn ^hould be planted in very rich soil at various times
along through the season, in hills three feet apart each way,
carefully thinning it at the first hoeing to the three or four
strongest plants. Use ash compost from time to time upon
them, and gradually but moderately hill up.

In its farm culture corn should be planted at about the dis-
tances named, and in the course of its early growth should be
plowed at least three times each way, giving it two careful
hoeings, each followed with a top-dressing of plaster or ash
compost, and a final " hilling" after the third plowing.

For analysis and value, see page 500.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 139

CORN SALAD OR FETTICUS.

French, Mdche. — German, Ackersalat. — Spanish, Mdche.

Sown and treated precisely as spinach, except that thinning
the plants is not essential (see SPINACH, page 179).

It is a soft, mild salad plant, of no great account, but used
with or instead of other salads in the early spring, when al-
most any thing green finds a welcome. " Lamb's lettuce" is
its most appropriate synonym.

CUCUMBER.

French, Concombre. — German, Gurke. — Spanish, Pepino. Cohambro.
1. EARLY CLUSTER. 2. SHORT GREEN. 3. LONG GREEN

(white spined). 4. EARLY FRAME. 5. EXTRA LONG.

6. WHITE TURKEY.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in very rich, warm soil, in hills four to six feet apart,
six or eight seeds in a hill, an inch deep.. When well up, thin
to the three best plants. Hoe often till the vines touch.

Time : from February to August, according to latitude and
the object for which the crop is raised. The main crop every
where may be planted at the time of principal corn-planting, or
a little later. The pickle crop in June and July at the North ;
at the South, in August or September.

The varieties of cucumber, like those of cabbage, are so nu-
merous, and often so similar, that none but a professional gar-
dener or a curious amateur would be able to distinguish them
from one another, or even think it worth while to keep the rec-
ord of their names.

The first three given above may be considered as including
the useful varieties, and the three last as chiefly fanciful.

The early cluster is a small, short, dumpy variety, with
which most persons are familiar, from its abundance in our
markets in the fall. It is of pleasant flavor, but seedy, and is
valuable chiefly on account of its earliness, and, to those who
raise pickles for sale, from its great capacity for bearing.

The short green is a common table cucumber, also sometimes

140 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

raised for pickles, rather longer than the cluster, and of about
the same quality, but not so profuse a bearer.

The white- spined long green supplies a desideratum among
cultivators, being of very handsome form and deep green col-
or, free from bitterness, and an abundant bearer. It is some-
times called simply the white-spined cucumber, but its varie-
ties are increasing, and are easily distinguishable. Its quality
can not be fairly judged of by those purchased in our markets,
as it may be cut too late or kept for a week without materially
changing its color.

The early frame is of no particular variety, but the name
covers a number of slightly differing sub-varieties, which are
used for planting in frames in winter for the production of cu-
cumbers at unseasonable times.

The extra long is, on various accounts, not worth cultivation.
Very long cucumbers are more solid in texture than is desira-
ble, and the stem end is generally bitter for two or three inches.
If the peeling be performed from that end, the bitterness is
more or less communicated to the whole, and hence probably
the old rule, always to peel a cucumber from the blossom end.
They are also, in general, poor bearers ; but their fine appear-
ance, either for pickles or the table, has given them considera-
ble favor in certain quarters.

The " white Turkey" is a curious but valueless variety.

Small cucumbers of any kind, when pickled, are properly
called " gherkins," but this name has been also given to a very
small, seedy, worthless, burr-like West Indian cucumber, of
which poor pickles are sometimes made.

Cucumbers should be planted in the richest soil, in hills from
four to six feet apart, six or eight seeds in a hill, at about an
inch in depth, and at the first or second hoeing only the three
strongest and healthiest plants should be left. Frequent and
deep hoeings, continued until prevented by the interlocking
vines, and gradual hilling up of the plants to the seed-leaves,
with the application of ash compost to the hills from time to
time after hoeing, will suffice in ordinary seasons to secure a
satisfactory crop. If planted in large patches, the ground, hav-
ing been prepared by thorough manuring and repeated plow-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 141

ings, should be furrowed both ways at four feet distance, the
seeds being dropped at the crossing and carefully covered.
They should be well plowed both ways at least twice during
their growth, and treated in other respects as above directed
for their garden culture.

DOCK, COMMON YELLOW.

French, Rumex. — German, Ampferkraut. — Spanish, Bardana.

A row or two of the common lance-leaved or yellow dock,
sown on very rich soil, at the same time as parsley or par-
snep, will yield early greens in abundance for those who esteem
them.

When rapidly grown, they are as tender and pleasant as any
others, and probably still more decidedly healthful for spring
use. When the season for their use as greens is past, the root
may be dried for the purposes of domestic medicine, or for sale
to the manufacturers of " extract of sarsaparilla," into which it
is said to enter largely.

The English Patience dock, a native of Italy, known among
the French as Rhubarbe des Moines, is in no respect materially
better than the above.

EGG-PLANT.

French, Mebngene. — German, Tottapfel. — Spanish, Berenjena.

1. LARGE PURPLE. 2. WHITE.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set out in a very rich, warm soil, in hills three feet by two
apart, two or three plants in a hill. Hoe often, and hill up
gradually until they blossom.

Time : sow in hot. bed six or eight weeks before corn-plant-
ing time. In about four weeks thin them carefully, or trans-
plant the whole into a second bed or into pots (see p. 87).
Set them out just before the time for first corn-hoeing.

If practicable, let the whole of your plants be transplanted
into a second bed at two inches apart, or into small pots, three
plants in a pot. At the proper time turn them carefully out

142 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

of the pots, without breaking the ball of earth, or, if not potted,
transplant into hills three feet by two, in very rich, warm soil.
Hoe them often, and apply liquid manure from time to time.

When the fruit seems to have attained about three fourths
of its size, and before it begins to lose its deep purple color, it
is ready for use.

The purple egg-plant is a rich and valuable esculent, often
growing to the size of an ordinary muskmelon, and when thinly
sliced and well cooked by frying in good butter, or lard, in
which it cooks more readily, deserves even a better name than
that of " beefsteak plant." It is also called by some " Guinea
squash." The white is merely ornamental, or, rather, simply
curious.

ENDIVE.

French, Chicoree. — German, Endivie. — Spanish, Chicoria.

GREEN CURLED, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Time : sow from February to April for summer use, and from
June to August for fell and winter, and set out and cultivate
as lettuce. See p. 148.

At the South it may be sown and set out still later.

The endive is a handsomely curled plant, resembling the Si-
lesian lettuce in its habit, but of a strong and bitter flavor. It
is chiefly used as a fall and winter salad, but also for garnish-
ing, and sometimes in stews.

It is rendered milder by blanching, which is effected by gath-
ering the whole of the leaves upright, and tying them closely
together near the point, two or three weeks before it is cut for
use, or by placing over the heads earthen pans or saucers, which
are made by the potters for this purpose, like dish-covers, with
a small knob upon them. The broad-leaved or Batavian en-
dive is a plainer-leaved and coarser variety than the curled.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 143

GARLIC.

French, Ail. — German, Knoblauch. — Spanish, Ajo.

Garlic sets should be planted in the fall or spring, at the
same time and in the same manner as onion sets, at a depth of
two or three inches. Keep them clean until the changing
color of the tops shows the roots are ripening, then take them
up and dry them for use. The sets are obtained by dividing
the clustered roots which are sold in our stores and markets.

Garlic is a bulb of the onion tribe, very strong, and to many
persons very offensive, but often used medicinally and in French
cookery.

Rocambole, or Spanish garlic, is a milder variety, cultivated
in the same manner and for the same uses.

GREENS.

Greens are either young plants raised in the fall, and win-
tered expressly for early cutting, as spinach, German kale, &c.,
or they are similar young plants raised in the spring for the
same purpose, as spinach, cabbage, mustard, &c., or they are the
first young spring growth of roots or stems wintered for the
purpose of producing them, as kale, cabbage, dock, &c. Though
very unsubstantial, they are eagerly sought in the early spring.
What they lack as food they perhaps make up as physic, many
of them being, in medical parlance, " laxative and detergent."
A little saleratus added to the water in boiling them renders
them in general safer and better for use. It should not be
omitted, especially in cooking poke- weed and others of doubt-
ful reputation.

Most of them will be found in their alphabetical order, but,
for convenient reference, a list is given below from which selec-
tions may be made.

1. BEETS. The part used is the young plant entire, pulled
and washed ; or the leaves may be pulled from older plants.

2. BRUSSELS SPROUTS. The young fall and spring growth.

3. CABBAGES. Young or non-heading plants of the early
kinds called " coleworts" or " collards."

4. DOCK. The young spring growth.

144 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

5. HORSERADISH. The young leaves.

6. KALE, or BORECOLE. The fall and spring growth.

7. KALE, GERMAN. The young fall-sown plants cut in
spring.

8. MUSTARD. The young plants raised and cut in spring.

9. POKE-WEED. The young shoots in spring, before any
redness appears on them ; though some use them until the
leaves become large.

10. PURSLANE. The young plants cut in spring and sum-
mer.

11. RADISHES. The young plants, or tops, cut in spring.

12. RAPE, or COLEWORT. The young plants cut in spring.

13. SALSAFY. The young growth in spring, cut when four
or five inches high.

14. SPINACH. The young plants of fall or spring growth, cut.

15. TURNIP-TOPS. The young spring growth from last
year's roots.

HERBS.

The following list of herbs comprises some that are not very
valuable, but is given in order that selections may be readily
made. Some are omitted because universally known, or found
wild, or worthless. Those marked with a * are inserted, with
directions for their culture, in their alphabetical order in this
work.

1. BURNET. French, Petite Pimpernelle • German, Pirn-
pernelle ; Spanish, Pimpernelan.

An aromatic herb, of pretty foliage, occasionally used in sal-
ads. Formerly it was infused in drinks which some good-
wives mingled for their husbands. It may be sown and treat-
ed as parsley. Page 160.

2. CARAWAY. French, Carvi; German, Kummd; Span-
ish, Alcaravea.

3. CORIANDER. French, Coriandre; German, Koriander /
Spanish, Celantro.

These are herbs bearing aromatic seeds, which are used in
sweet-cake, etc. The plant of coriander has an offensive smell.
They may be sown and treated as summer savory. Page 181.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 145

4. DILL. French, L'Anetli; German, Dill; Spanish,
Eneldo.

5. FENNEL. French, L'AnetJidoux; German, Dill Kraut;
Spanish, Ninojo.

Dill and fennel are aromatic herbs which are sometimes
used in fish sauces, etc., and their seeds substituted for anise-
seed in domestic medicine.

6. LAVENDER. French, Lavande; German, Spiklavandel ;
Spanish, Espliego.

A small woody plant, bearing short spike flowers of fine fra-
grance, raised from seeds or cuttings. See page 469.

7. LEMON BALM. French, Melisse ; German, Melisse ;
Spanish, Melissa.

Used for making tea, which is given in colds, etc., as a su-
dorific. It is raised as summer savory. Page 181.

8. MARIGOLD (Pot, or Soup). French, Souci de Jardin.
Marigold; German, Ringelblume ; Spanish, Clumeno.

The flower-leaves of pot marigold, like those of saflron, are
gathered and dried for use in soups, and in domestic medicine,
particularly for tea in measles. Both may be raised as sage
or summer savory. Page 181.

9.* PARSLEY. Page 160.

10.* ROQUETTE. See Pepper-grass. Page 166.

11. ROSEMARY. French, Romarin; German, Rosmarin ;
Spanish, Bomaro.

A fragrant woody plant raised from seed, as sage, or from
slip or common cuttings. Page 438. It is used as a domes-
tic perfume, and also distilled for its essential oil.

12. SAFFRON. French, So/ran; German, So/ran ; Span-
ish, Azof ran.

For its uses and culture, see Marigold, above.

13.* SAGE. Page 176.

14.* SOREL. Page 178.

15.* SUMMER SAVORY. Page 181.

16.* SWEET BASIL. Page 182.

17.* SWEET MARJORAM. Page 182.

18.* THYME. Page 183.

G

146 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

HOP.

French, Houblon. — German, Hopfen. — Spanish, Hombrecillo.

The hop is a wild perennial plant, whose usefulness has in-
troduced it into every garden. It forms a pleasant summer
shade when a few strings or rods are laid for it to run upon ;
or it may be planted by a tall single pole, up which it will
run rapidly, always throwing to the surface its clustered stro-
bil-formed inflorescence, which is known to us as hops.

They should be carefully gathered and dried before frost
touches them.

In household economy they are used for making yeast,
"turnpike," etc., etc. Scalded and applied in flannel as a
poultice or fomentation, they constitute an excellent anodyne,
and in the form of hop-tea are one of the best of tonics.

In making new plantings, choose the young white runners
in preference to the brown old growth, and small rather than
large roots, and only from fertile plants. See page 74.

The green leaves of the peach-tree are sometimes substi-
tuted for the hop in making yeast, though, from their poison-
ous character, it would seem scarcely safe to use them for such
a purpose. The scaly ament, or " hop" of the Ptelea Trifolia-
ta, a wild tree, or, rather, large shrub, sometimes called the
" hop-tree," is also used for this purpose in the ordinary man-
ner of hops, and by some is thought to be of superior strength.

HORSERADISH.

French, Le Grand Raifort. — German, Merrettig. — Spanish, Rabano.

Horseradish is commonly raised either from the crowns of
plants or from pieces of the root an inch or two long. These
should be planted in rich and rather moist soil as early as pos-
sible in the spring, from twelve to fifteen inches deep, in rows
two feet wide, and from six to ten inches apart in the row.
Keep them clean and well hoed, or plow and hoe until they
are well started, and they will soon obtain sucli possession of
the spot that it will be difficult to eradicate them. When-
ever the root is large enough it is fit for use. It may also be
raised from seed, but the mode above directed is preferable.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 147

KALE OR BORECOLE.

French, Chou Vert. — German, Grune Kohl. — Spanish, Breton sin Cabeza.
GREEN CURLED. PURPLE CURLED.

Kale, or borecole, if raised at all, should be sown and treat-
ed precisely as winter cabbage.

It is a species of cabbage that does not head, but grows up
with a considerable mass of leaves, which are very much curl-
ed. It is very hardy, enduring the rigors of the severest win-
ter with a slight covering, and in the spring its young sprouts
are used for greens. See Greens, page 143.

It is much used by some northern nations as an ingredient
in a kind of soup, particularly the green variety.

It is a rank, coarse vegetable, that is utterly unfit to use un-
til thorough freezing has destroyed a portion of its acrid
strength, and is only fit for regions where no other cabbage
can be successfully raised or wintered.

There is- a dwarf and less curled variety, largely used as
greens among the German residents of our cities, and known
as German Kale. It is sown thickly, in September, in drills a
foot apart, and, being kept clean through the fall, with a very
slight covering of litter or evergreen brush, and sometimes
without any covering, stands through the winter, and in the
spring, after it has grown a few inches, the whole plant is cut
up for use.

KOHL RABI, OR TURNIP CABBAGE.

French, Chou Navet.^- German, Kohl Rabi. Uber Erde Kohl Rabi. — Span-
ish, ColdeRabi.

This, like the former, if raised at all, should be sown and
treated in its cultivation as winter cabbage, which see, page
128.

It is properly a turnip mounted upon a stem, or, rather,
formed by the enlargement of the stem near its crown, the
leaves which form the crown of the plant being thrown out im-
mediately above and partially upon the swelling which forms
the edible product.

148 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

It is somewhat curious, from the combination in appearance
and flavor of the cabbage and turnip, but is really not worth
raising, though becoming common in our markets from the
demand for it among our German people, to whom it seems as
a memorial of " fatherland."

LEEK.

French, Porreau. — German, Porro. — Spanish, Puerro.

SCOTCH, LONDON, &c. (name not material).

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow thinly in shallow drills fifteen inches apart, in rich soil ;
cover lightly, and if dry, give water. When from four to eight
inches high, thin them carefully to six inches apart in the row.
Keep them clean with frequent hoeings, and gradually earth
up to blanch and sweeten them.

Time : sow at the earliest opening of spring, and thin or
transplant as above directed. At the South a second sowing
may be made in early fall, treating the plants in the same
manner.

The plants obtained by thinning may be set out in well-
prepared drills or furrows three or four inches deep, and if
carefully hoed and earthed up as above directed, will grow
large and fine for their appropriate uses in soups, &c., in win-
ter and spring.

The leek is a perfectly hardy species of onion, with a rather
broad flag leaf, and swelling but slightly, the neck formed by
the leaf-sheaths being its chief product for use.

LETTUCE.

French, Laitue. — German, Gartensalat. — Spanish, Lechuga.

1. IMPERIAL ICE-HEAD. 2. SILESIAN. 3. WHITE CABBAGE.
4. CURLED INDIA. 5. TENNIS BALL. 6. GREEN HEAD.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow thinly in very shallow drills, a foot apart, in your rich-
est soil. Cover lightly, and if dry, give water. For head salad

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 149

thin or transplant them to nine inches or a foot apart, and hoe
often.

Time : at the very earliest moment in spring, whether North
or South, in the open ground or hot bed. They may be again
sown in early fall for use before winter ; and again, alone or
with spinach, later in the season to winter out, or for winter
lettuce under glass in a cold bed, which may be banked with
stable manure if necessary to forward them.

Though there is a wide field for selection among the innu-
merable varieties of lettuce, yet the first three numbered above
will be found adequate to the supply of all reasonable demands,
and are decidedly superior to most others.

There are unexplained peculiarities about the seed and plant
of the lettuce which afford valuable means of judging of its
character. Varieties that are so milky and bitter as to be al-
most valueless as salads, except to persons of a bitter fancy, are
almost invariably of a reddish or dark-brown color, and usual-
ly, if not always, have black seed. If the seed, therefore, be
black, you may infer that the lettuce is more or less bitter,
whatever its color may be ; and if the color be reddish or dark
brown, the same inference may be drawn, whatever the appear-
ance of the seed. This defect may, however, be overcome by
blanching the heads of such varieties, which is effected either
by gathering the leaves into an upright position, and tying
them up, or by covering them with pans as directed for endive,
page 142.

There are two very distinct classes of lettuce : the soft or
tender-leaved, and the crisp or brittle.

What are sometimes called coss lettuces, of which No. 1 is
the best known variety, belong to the latter class, and the Si-
lesian and white cabbage to the former.

O

The imperial ice-head, when of good stock, sometimes grows
larger than an ordinary summer cabbage, is of excellent flavor,
and of glass-like brittleness.

The Silesian or yellow curled, and the curled India, with
high cultivation, will grow nearly as large, are of good quality,
handsomely curled, and very tender.

150 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

These may be sown in hot bed before spring opens, and
transplanted as soon as practicable, or they may be sown in
shallow drills in the open ground as early as it is possible to
prepare it. .

They should be sown or planted in rich soil, and be thinned
as they grow by cutting for use or hoeing out, until the plants
left to form the main crop stand from nine inches to a foot
apart each way. Let the hoeing be frequent and thorough,
and while the plants are small, sow ash compost upon them, or
water them with liquid manure, and early in the summer they
will yield you fine and excellent head lettuce.

The white cabbage lettuce is chiefly valuable for its hardi-
ness. It may be sown in the fall in alternate rows with spin-
ach, and the same slight covering will protect them both through
the winter ; and in the spring, after the spinach is cut, it will
afford a lettuce crop of fair quality. Or the plants may be set
in a cold bed in the fall, and by the aid of glass and a lining
of stable manure in March they may be brought to perfection
still earlier. The tennis ball is not a large lettuce, but heads
firmly, and with some is a favorite.

The green head, genuine, is a good though not first-class
lettuce, somewhat hardy, and heading freely if of good stock ;
but the name, being indefinite, is often applied to different kinds
of green lettuces.

MELONS.

MUSKMELON.

French, Melon. — German, Melone. — Spanish, Melon.

1. GREEN CITRON. PERSIAN. SKILLMAN'S. 2. NUTMEG. 3.
CANTALUPE.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in very rich warm soil, in hills four to six feet apart,
six or eight seeds in a hill, an inch deep. When well up, thin
to the three best plants. Hoe often till the vines touch.

Time : throughout the time of planting the main crop of
corn both South and North. In regions so cool as to render it
a doubtful crop, the seeds should be planted in pots in a hot

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 151

bed about a month ahead, and the plants set out in the hills at
the time of first corn-hoeing, and, if necessary, covered with
hand-glasses. See page 35.

Muskmelons, like all other vegetable productions that can
easily be varied by culture or neglect, have multiplied names ;
but the green citron, under some one of its many synonyms
or sub-varieties, is the only kind that it seems desirable to
raise. It is a netted, green-fleshed variety, regularly fluted,
or, as it is called, quartered, usually sub-globular in shape, but
sometimes varying almost to the cheese form. It is well known
in our markets, and its form and appearance, once seen, will al-
ways be remembered. Its quality, when of good stock and well
raised, can not be surpassed.

No. 2 derived its name from the almost perfect similarity of
its form to that of a nutmeg, and, when first introduced, was a
melon of excellent quality ; but, by the carelessness or igno-
rance of cultivators, it has been spoiled by intermixture with
cucumber or pumpkin, and was superseded years ago by No. 1.
I notice it only because the green citron or Persian is some-
times erroneously called " nutmeg," from old association.

No. 3, originally good, but not first-rate, includes all those
large mongrel varieties that are generally longish, smooth, and
yellow inside and out. They used to be eaten with the addi-
tion of sugar, or pepper and salt, according to taste or lack of
taste ; and, as Dr. Johnson said of the haggis, may be " pretty
good for hogs." It is mentioned only because the thing and
the name still lingers in certain districts among the relics of
the past.

Muskmelons of the best quality are raised in rich and rath-
er light loam ; they should be planted in hills four or five feet
apart each way, and treated in their culture precisely as cu-
cumbers, which see.

Melons are often gathered unseasonably, and are then nec-
essarily inferior. When fit for gathering, a glance at the stem
where it is set on to the fruit will show either a small quantity
of molasses-like juice exuding, or a slight cracking of the con-
nection between the stem and the fruit, and, on taking the fruit

152 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

in the hand, it will be found to separate readily from the stem.
No melon to which the stem adheres, or from which it has
been separated by force or by the knife, is worth eating.

The melon-patch should be looked over every day about
noon, and the fruit then gathered be kept to cool and mature
for next day's use. If, from previous neglect, the fruit is be-
coming yellow, it should be cooled and eaten the same day.
It is a cooling and slightly restringent fruit, and, if ripe and
fresh, can not be eaten to excess.

WATERMELON.
French, Melon d'eau. — German, Wasser-melone. — Spanish, Melon de agua.

CAROLINA. SPANISH. LONG ISLAND. EARLY APPLE-SEED.
ORANGE. CITRON, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in hills six feet apart, enriched with compost, or in
very rich warm soil, five or six seeds in a hill, an inch deep.
When well up, thin to the three best plants. Hoe often, gradu-
ally hilling up until the vines touch, and after the young fruit
appears cut off the extreme ends of the most luxuriant shoots.

Time : about ten days after corn-planting.

There is not much variety in the character of ordinary wa-
termelons, except as they may be adapted to or affected by the
climate in which they are raised. Fruits essentially Southern
can not be expected to attain perfection in a northern latitude.

Of the above named kinds, it is better, therefore, at the
North to choose the Long Island or the early apple-seeded va-
rieties than to risk disappointment by planting those which in
suitable locations would grow larger and richer.

The orange watermelon is a recent variety, of excellent qual-
ity and peculiar habit, the inside of the fruit separating read-
ily from the rind like an orange, whence its name.

The " citron" is almost solid and tasteless, and is used only
for making preserves — a mere vehicle for the exhibition of
sugar and various flavorings.

Their culture is the same as for muskmelon, ivhich see.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN, 153

MUSHROOMS.

French, Cliimpignon comestible. — German, Essbare B latter schamme. — Span-
ish, Seta.

The mushroom is a plant of the fungus family, which is
abundantly produced in our old pastures when a dry summer
is followed by a rather moist and warm fall. They may also
be raised from what is known as " mushroom spawn." This
is composed of loam, cut straw, and the fresh droppings of dry-
fed and highly-kept horses, in which the spores or invisible
seeds of the mushroom have been caused to germinate by gen-
tle fermentation in a dry place, producing a minute, white,
tubercular or thread-like growth throughout the mass. The
ordinary process is first to work the whole into the condition
of thick mortar or potters' clay, which the cut straw is used to
bind together, after which it is formed into small bricks, into
each of which a piece of old " spawn" is inserted as leaven.
The bricks, being then carefully piled upon a layer of stable
manure, are covered with enough of the same to induce a mod-
erate warmth in the mass. When the bricks, on being broken,
show that the spawn introduced or developed has spread through
them, they are thoroughly dried, and in this state will keep
good for several years. This is the " mushroom spawn" sold
in the seed-stores. When broken into small pieces, it may be
planted two or three inches deep in a spent hot bed in the
spring, or in a bed made by alternate layers of good sandy
loam and the horse-droppings named above. There may be
two or three layers of each, the strata of horse-droppings being
made four or six inches thick, and of the loam two inches,
forming altogether a thickness of sixteen or eighteen inches.
The bed may be large or small, as is found convenient, and
will succeed in a cellar not quite dark, or under a shed, or in
the open air, if formed so as to shed rain. It should be pretty
thickly covered with loose straw, which must be replaced after
each cutting of mushrooms.^

Instead of planting the bed with spawn, if in the season of
mushrooms, ea'ch layer, as it is made, may be moderately wa-
tered with lukewarm water in which ripe mushrooms have

G2

154 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

been soaked and stirred. When finished, the last layer being
loam, it must be covered with stable manure sufficient, with
that already in the bed, to bring on a gentle fermentation.
In a few weeks the " spawn" ought to be found spreading
generally in the mass, and whenever this occurs the covering
of manure is to be taken off, and the straw substituted, as
above directed. After this, if it becomes very dry, it may
have occasional gentle waterings with lukewarm water.

In this process, however, success or failure will greatly de-
pend on the skill with which the fermentation is tempered ;
so that, in general, planting the spawn may be deemed more
reliable. A mushroom bed properly treated will continue to
yield its products for three or four months if a temperature
equal to moderate spring or fall warmth be maintained, say
about 60°.

Mushrooms are very greatly esteemed by many on account
of their rich, peculiar, and high flavor, whether stewed, or
fried in sweet fat, or made into catsup in the ordinary mode,
with suitable spices.

In gathering wild mushrooms there is sometimes danger of
getting by mistake other kinds of fungi which may be poison-
ous. The true mushroom has a short stout stem, reddish gills,
and an agreeable odor, considerably resembling the smell of
the fruit of the egg-plant.

Another variety of eatable mushroom (Agaricus Edulis),
known as the " steeple-top," is sometimes found, though much
more rarely than the former.

In the lots it comes earlier than the common, with a longer
stem and conical top, but having, like it, a pleasant smell. It
has not, I think, been raised artificially.

MUSTARD.

French, Mmtarde. — German, Sen/.— Spanish, Mostaza.

WHITE (REALLY YELLOW). BROWN.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow the white mustard thickly in shallow drills a foot apart
from time to time through the season, each time one week

AMERICAN HOME^ GARDEN. 155

later than the corresponding sowing of pepper-grass (see page
166) ; treat in the same manner, and they will be ready to cut
together.

White mustard is chiefly used, either alone or with pepper-
grass, lettuce, etc., in salads, for which purpose it is cut before
the third leaf is formed upon the plant, or pulled, and the
mere roots cut off. When of larger growth it is sometimes
used for greens. See page 144. The seed is used medicinal-
ly, and also for seasoning pickles. Brown mustard is raised
for the seed, from which the condiment known upon our tables
as mustard, when pure, is chiefly made.

NASTURTIUM.

French, Capucin. — German, Kapersinerblum. — Spanish, Nasturcio.

TALL. DWARF.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in good soil, in drills an inch deep and three feet apart,
and brush them like peas ; or by a fence or trellis upon which
they can climb ; or they may be planted in hills four feet
apart each way, either with or without brushing. Keep them
clean until they begin to run, and afterward they will take
care of themselves.

Time : the opening of spring. In New York, first of May.

The young plants of nasturtiums are highly esteemed in
salads. The flower-buds and the green seeds, with their ten-
dril-like stem, make pickles, which are often preferred to ca-
pers. See page 167. The flowers are quite ornamental, vary-
ing from light yellow to maroon.

i

OKRA.
French, Gornbo. — German, (?). — Spanish, Quimbombo.

LONG, OR SOUTHERN. SHORT, OR NORTHERN.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in extra rich soil, in drills one inch deep and three or
four feet apart, and thin to a foot distance in the row ; or

156 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

plant in hills three feet apart each way, five or six seeds in a
hill, and when well up, thin to the three best plants.

Hoe often, keeping them perfectly clear of weeds, slightly
and gradually hilling up.

Time : during corn-planting time, or immediately after.

Okra is a southern plant of the mallow tribe. It is of strong,
coarse growth, from two to four feet high, bearing abundance
of beautiful flowers, which are succeeded by long ribbed or
smooth seed-pods. When these attain their full size, but
while still tender, they are gathered for use. Their value is
in the large amount of pleasant and healthful mucilage which
they yield in boiling. On this account they are much used in
thickening soups, for which purpose they may be kept for win-
ter use by being cut up in cross slices or " rings," and dried
upon strings like apples.

They are also boiled and eaten with drawn butter, as aspar-
agus ; or the tender pods are used for pickles. See page 167.

The ripe seeds, roasted and used for coffee, are, perhaps, not
at all inferior to it.

The whole plant is also said to make excellent material for
paper, the only difficulty being in obtaining quantity, an ordi-
nary cart-load of the okra being required for each ream of pa-
per. It is certainly worth while to ascertain carefully the val-
ue of the seeds as " coffee," that, if available as a substitute,
the cultivation of the plant may be extended.

ONION.

French, Oignon. — German, Zwiebel. — Spanish, Cebolla.

1. RED. 2. WHITE. 3. YELLOW.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in very rich, light soil, in drills twelve inches apart ;
cover lightly. Keep clean ; and if large onions are wanted,
thin to three or four inches ; hoe often, and water with liquid
guano, either from Peru or the hen-roost.

Time : sow at the very earliest opening of spring, whether
at the South or North. They may also be sown in the fall

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 157

with safety, being perfectly hardy after they once sprout. In
New York, sow during March and April.

FORMS OP ONIONS.

Fig. 77.

a. Inferior Globe Onion, running to thick neck.
6. Flat Bareripe, or early Onion.

c. Common flat Onion.

d. Best form of Onion.

The varieties of onion are numerous, and the names still
more numerous than the varieties. The names designating
color are abundantly sufficient to distinguish the desirable
kinds, form being entirely secondary, and readily changeable
by the care or carelessness of the cultivator.

In general it may be remarked that a good form for a com-
mon turnip is a good form' for an onion. See Fig. 80, p. 186.

Common red, number one, is an onion of the best quality,
being milder and sweeter than the others, but the white and
yellow are preferred where the discoloration produced in cook-
ing by the former is regarded as a serious objection to its use.
The yellow may generally be kept for use later in the spring
than either the red or white.

The ground upon which onions are to be raised should be
light and rich, having been used for some clean crop, or for
onions, the previous season ; and if, after the ground is prepared,
straw or rubbish is spread evenly upon it and burned, it will
destroy to some extent those weed-seeds which would be most
troublesome, and afford a good top-dressing for the young crop.
After the burning, the seed should be sown in drills one foot
apart and half an inch deep, and carefully raked in. If the
soil be very light, a gentle pressure upon the surface, either by
the back of the rake or other means, will be found to set the
earth about the seed and promote its prompt vegetation. After

158 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

the plants are up they should be kept perfectly clean by fre-
quent hoeing and hand-weeding, and thinned to one or two
inches apart, or to four inches if large onions are desired, and
in their cultivation avoid any earthing up of the bulbs.

Onions while growing are greatly benefited by liquid ma-
nure (see p. 64), which may be applied once or twice a week
until they begin to ripen. Onions which, from late sowing or
other causes, do not swell and ripen, if earthed up a little and
left out through the winter, will yield excellent young onions
very early in the spring. Choice ones intended for seeding
should also be set out in the fall, four or five inches deep.

ONION SETS.

Onions are often raised from what are called " sets," that is,
very small onions of any color, which are either culled from the
general crop, or obtained for this purpose by being sown late
and very thickly, so that they are stunted in their growth, and
form only small roots, which ripen prematurely. These are
set out in the spring by being merely pressed with the thumb
and finger into the soft, freshly-dug earth, at three or four
inches apart, in rows a foot wide, and cultivated as above di-
rected for onions from the seed. The young seed-stems which
they usually throw up must be carefully broken out when six
to twelve inches high, to aid or force the formation of bulbs.
Sets thus treated yield a part of the green onions sold in spring,
and the very early stringed and barreled dry onions known in
our markets as rareripes.

ESCALLIONS.

Onions that are too large for sets, and the refuse onions that
remain over from the winter's consumption, when planted in
the spring, in rich soil, yield mild and pleasant green onions,
known as escallions, which are ready for use almost as early as
shallots, but are greatly preferable to them.

TOP ONIONS.
RED. WHITE. YELLOW.

Top onions produce their sets, as the common kinds yield

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 159

their seed, in a ball on the top of the stalk. The common wild
onion, so abundant in some dry lands, and so offensive in milk,
and butter, and flour, is a small and strong variety of this
species.

To obtain top onion sets, plant the large onions, the growth
of the previous year, either in the fall or spring, at about six
inches apart, in rows a foot wide, and keep clean until the rip-
ening of the top sets, or seed, as it is more commonly termed,
which will be shown by the changing color of the stalks.
These sets, being carefully kept in a dry and cool, but not
freezing place, until early spring, are set out and cultivated in
the same manner as the common onion sets above described, p.
158, and yield their produce about the same time, or a little
earlier.

For early use, the top onion, whether green or dry, is valua-
ble on account of its general mildness ; but it is also a little
soft or spongy in texture, and therefore not esteemed after the
coming in of the general crop of common onions.

Of late years, quantities of them, of large size, are annually
brought early to Northern markets from Bermuda and the
South.

POTATO ONIONS.

Potato onions are so called from their habit of producing
their bulbs just below the surface of the ground. The large
roots of these onions are planted, in the same manner as above
directed for top onions, to furnish the sets, and these, in turn,
produce onions for use. Unless raised with special care, they
are apt to be strong and unpleasant. To have them good, it is
necessary to divide the sets in the spring until each has but a
single heart ; then set them out in very rich, light soil, at the
ordinary distance for onion sets, four inches apart in rows a foot
wide, and cultivate them faithfully by frequent hoeings and
top dressing, or the use of liquid manure (see p. 35), and they
will yield you fine large onions, of a very mild and agreeable
flavor.

160 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

WELSH ONION.

Ordinarily, vegetables reproduce themselves freely only in
one direction, which may be either by sets from the root or by
seed (see p. 66) ; but to this general rule the Welsh onion is
an exception, multiplying itself rapidly by the offsets, which it
produces almost as freely as shallots, and by the seed, which it
yields in the same manner, though not quite so abundantly as
the common onion. Sets for planting may therefore ]oe raised
from seed or obtained in the fall from the roots. These, if only
intended for family use, should stand permanently in a single
row, or as edging to a path, so that they may spread freely, the
outer offsets being slipped from the roots for use in the spring ;
or, if intended for sale, they may be planted in August or Sep-
tember, in rich soil, three or four inches deep, in rows fifteen to
eighteen inches wide, and a foot apart in the row, a new plant-
ing being made every fall, and the whole crop taken up for
market every second or third year.

They do not swell into large bulbs, like common onions, but
resemble a large shallot or an escallion (see p. 158), and are
used in the same manner, and only while green.

PARSLEY.

French, Persil. — German, Petersilie. — Spanish, Perejil.

CURLED. PLAIN.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills twelve inches apart, in very rich, light
soil. Cover lightly, and if dry, give water. Thin the plants
to three inches, and keep clean by repeated hoeings.

Time : throughout spring and summer at the North, or spring
and fall at the South.

The earlier-sown crop of parsley at the North should be
used during summer and fall, or be taken up and stored, with
the roots in the earth, in a light cellar for winter. The later-
sown crop, if not so late as to be feeble at the coming of win-
ter, will bear the severe cold better, though sometimes either

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

161

will stand out safely, and at other times both will fail. A
slight covering of litter or evergreen brush, however, will usu-
ally afford security.

Generally, the more curled and beautiful the plant, the less
vigorous is its growth, and by .some persons the plain kind is
thought to be of better flavor ; but in this respect either is good
enough, and the superior beauty of the former variety will al-
ways insure it the preference where quantity is not a control-
ling consideration.

It is largely used for garnishing. The whole plant is also
used in soups, and, in default of the plant, the seeds, tied in a
small bag, may be substituted.

PARSNEP.

French, Panais. — German, Pastinake. — Spanish, Chirivia.

FORMS OF PARSNEPS.

a. Long, deep Parsnep, inferior.
6. Cup Parsnep, superior.

162 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

1. CUP, OR GUERNSEY. 2. LONG WHITE. 3. ROUND.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in good deep soil, in drills eighteen inches apart, and
about an inch deep. Cover carefully and firmly, and if dry,
give water. Thin the plants to six or eight inches, and hoe
often and deeply till the tops touch.

Time : late spring or the beginning of summer at the North.
At the close of summer in the South. New York, throughout
May or in the beginning of June.

The cup parsnep, No. 1, so called from the shape of its crown,
is on all accounts the best. Its form is good as well as its
quality, and its medium length secures as easy harvesting as
seems practicable for a deep-root crop.

The long white, No. 2, is apt to be comparatively thin and
stringy, and sometimes runs so deep that it becomes a task to
harvest it. The " round" (or rather " short"), No. 3, is a new
variety, possessing nothing to induce its preference to No. 1.
It is sometimes called early, but earliness in a winter root is
not of special importance.

Parsneps may be sown at any time from April to July at the
North, and as late as August or September at the South ; the
later the better if they can be driven rapidly in their growth
by careful, constant cultivation. See remarks under Beet, p.
120.

If the crop is to be plowed, let the rows be two feet apart,
and while the plants are quite small, thin them to six or eight
inches in the row, and keep the earth about them clean and
loose through the season.

The roots may be harvested in the fall, and stored in an out-
house or cellar, either in a bin or in a pile, which should be
slightly covered with sand or common earth ; or they may 'be
left in the open ground through the winter, and taken out for
use as they are wanted. It should be remembered, however,
that after they begin to grow in the spring they are undesira-
ble for use, becoming in a measure poisonous.

The parsnep has some advantages over other root crops ;. it

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 163

is not affected injuriously by frost after being stored, and is
less watery. See Analysis and Value, page 500.

PEAS.
French, Pois. — German, Erbse. — Spanish, Guisantes.

EARLY: Cedo Nulli. Canada. Emperor. Washington.
Frame. Petersburg. Warwick, &c., &c.

LATE : Knight's Dwarf. Dwarf Blue Imperial. Royal
Dwarf. Dwarf White Marrowfat. Tall Marrowfat, &c., &c.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in drills from two to five feet apart, and about two inch-
es deep. When well up, hoe and draw the earth to them light-
ly, and set brush from three^to six feet high along them.

Time : from November to February at the South. At the
North, from March to the last of May.

All the first named are only sub- varieties of the same spe-
cies, and while some of them are to be preferred on account of
their superior earliness, it will be found a general rule that
the earlier the pea the poorer the crop.

Of the early kinds named above, the Canada and the cedo
nulli are valuable for extra early ; for ordinary crop, the early
Washington, frame, Emperor, Petersburg, or Warwick, the last-
named, if genuine, being perhaps the finest flavored of early
peas when cooked and eaten freshly gathered. Delicacy of
flavor is generally a fugitive quality, and peas long gathered
or heated lose it.

The finer varieties of peas are in general less abundant bear-
ers than those which are inferior. The combination of fair
quantity with good quality will be found in the early varieties
already commended ; and among the later kinds, in the dwarf
blue imperial, the royal dwarf, sometimes called Missouri mar-
rowfat, and the large white dwarf marrowfat.

Of peas it may be remarked that, commonly, those which are
perfectly full and smooth are less sweet than those which are
wrinkled or misshapen, the degree of sweetness being usually
in proportion to the shrinkage of the seed in drying. Knight's

164 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

marrowfat, and kindred varieties, which are the sweetest of
peas, are often found shrunken almost to a cube form. The
analogy between this and the similar shrinkage of sugar corn
will at once suggest itself to the intelligent reader, and may
afford matter for interesting investigation. It should, how-
ever, be remembered that mere sweetness is not all that is de-
sirable in a good pea. To some persons excessive sweetness
would be an objection.

Numerous fancy kinds of peas are annually imported from
Europe by our seedsmen, some of them of great excellence, but
requiring too much care and too high culture to become staple
varieties. Of such, the " Champion of England" among kinds
called early, and the " British Queen" among later ones, may
be named as of the highest character.

In speaking of peas, the terms dwarf and tall are rela-
tive, and very indefinite. The Spanish dwarf pea grows six
inches high, the dwarf marrowfat nearly six feet, yet the latter
is rightly enough named dwarf, for the tall marrowfats grow
from ten to twelve feet, needing bean-poles to support them
instead of pea-brush.

The ground for peas should never be freshly manured on ac-
count of the overgrowth of vine which it occasions, but for late
peas the soil should be rich and strong ; for early ones, simply
good and dry.

Peas may be sown at intervals of one or two weeks from the
very first opening of spring till a month after, or until the
close of corn-planting time. The drills for them should be full
two inches deep, for the early kinds two feet apart, and for the
late kinds from three to five feet, according to the height they
are calculated to grow. The brush for peas of the proper
height for the kinds sown should be stuck firmly four or five
inches apart on each side of the row, with just so much incli-
nation inward as to bring the tops together, yet leaving the
whole as bushy or spreading as possible, that the growth may
have room to wander, and as large a surface as possible be ex-
posed. No crowded crop ever grows finely or yields superior
products.

Some sow their peas in double rows at six or eight inches

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 165

apart in order to save a portion of the labor of brushing, but it
is very doubtful if a double row will, in general, yield more
than a single one, for the blossoms are mostly thrown out in
proportion to the exposure of the vines to the air and the room
which the roots find. Every one has observed that two plants
growing close together do not make a larger growth or yield a
heavier product than if but one had occupied the place and
drawn its nourishment from the same surface.

The hoe should be used promptly and carefully when the
peas are up one or two inches, and in the course of the season
frequent hoeing will be necessary to aid their growth and to
earth them up.

In large market-garden pea culture, brushing is entirely
dispensed with ; they are sown in wide rows, and the crop is
heavily earthed up by plowing.

A crop of turnips may generally be obtained from the ground
upon which early peas have been raised, or it may be prepared
for the fall sowing of spinach, lettuce, etc.

Peas may be profitably raised as a farm crop in Northern or
high localities, where the pea bug will not infest them. They
are usually sown broadcast, at the rate of about four bushels to
the acre, with a few oats intermixed to give the pea- vines a
partial support, and are mowed or cradled when ripe. But,
wherever a good crop of corn can be raised, peas should disap-
pear from the list of ordinary farm crops. For Analysis and
Value, see page 500.

PEPPER.

French, Piment. — German, Spanischer Pfejfer. Pfejfer. — Spanish, Pimento.

1. SQUASH. 2. BELL. 3. SWEET SPANISH. 4. CAYENNE.
5. BIRD.

BEIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants twelve or fifteen inches apart, in rows eight-
een inches wide, in very rich, warm soil, and hoe often till they
are in full blossom.

Time : in hot bed, sow six weeks before corn-planting time.

In the open ground, sow or set out plants just before first
corn-hoeing.

166 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

In household use, peppers are in demand chiefly for making
or flavoring pickles. The squash pepper answers both these
purposes, for the former of which its thick, fleshy character
especially fits it.

The bell and sweet Spanish peppers grow larger, but are com-
paratively thin, though they are often used and esteemed for
the same purposes as the former, particularly in making man-
goes.

The long, or " Cayenne," is chiefly used in the manufacture
of the condiment known by that name ; and the bird pepper is
used to make the familiar " pepper- sauce."

Peppers, whether sown in the open ground or transplanted
from the hot bed, should stand in rows eighteen inches wide,
leaving the plants at least twelve inches apart. They should
be often hoed, and the earth gradually but moderately raised
around them, so as to afford support to them when top-heavy
with their fruit.

PEPPERGRASS.

French, Cresson Alenois. — German, Kresse. — Spanish, Mastuerzo.

1. CURLED. 2. PLAIN.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills, twelve inches apart. Cover lightly,
and if dry, give water. Keep perfectly clear of weeds.

Time : every two weeks throughout the season, if it is de-
sired.

Between the above varieties there is but slight difference,
though the first named is esteemed of better quality and pret-
tier appearance than the last. It may be successfully raised
as above directed, and the ground upon which it is sown in
spring can be used for some later crop.

There is a broad-leaved cress, sometimes known as roquette,
somewhat resembling the water cress, by some called land
cress, and by others garden cress, which is a hardy biennial
that yields a strong peppery salad through the fall and very
early in the following spring, if sown and cultivated as parsley

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 167

(which see, p. 160). If sown at all, it should be in a warm,
rich spot, and if slightly covered for winter it will start the
earlier in spring.

PICKLES.

French, Saumure.— German, PeTcel. — Spanish, Eschabeches.

A great variety of articles are used for pickles, viz., beans,
beets, brocoli, cabbage, especially the red or purple, carrots,
cauliflower, cucumbers small and large, green and ripe, the
seeds being first removed from the latter, garlic, okra, Martynia
or proboscis plant, melons, nasturtiums, small onions, peppers,
shallots, tomatoes, Madeira-nuts, black walnuts, butternuts, &c.
The processes of their preparation are also somewhat varied.

Nasturtiums are simply bottled in cold vinegar, furnishing
their own spice.

Cabbage is shredded as cole-slaw, and scalded with the hot
vinegar and spices which have been boiled together, and to
which the necessary salt has been added.

Beets and carrots are first cooked as for ordinary use, then
the hot spiced vinegar is poured over them, and when cooled
they are fit for use.

Onions, garlic, and shallots are improved by being first
lightly boiled in milk and water. They are then skinned, and
the hot spiced vinegar poured over them as the former.

Beans, cucumbers, okra, Martynia, melons, peppers, and to-
matoes, all which should be selected while tender, and as nearly
as possible of uniform size, also brocoli and cauliflower, when
carefully divided into rather small pieces, may all be salted
with dry salt, or strong brine, if they will not make it, for eight
or ten days ; then being washed off and soaked in fresh water
for twenty-four hours, they should be put in cold vinegar, with
the necessary spices, and set in a stone pot upon a stove until
they are cooked through, or in a kettle over a slow fire until
upon the point of boiling, being careful to keep them under the
vinegar, and if uneven in size, the larger ones at the bottom.
Then take them off, and put them while hot into proper ves-
sels ; cover tightly, and when cooled they may be used.

Madeira-nuts, black walnuts, and butternuts, if taken while

168 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

yet so tender that a needle will readily penetrate the inner
shell, and, as a preparatory step, soaked for a week in water
or brine to leach off their excessive bitterness, may be salted
and made up by the process last described, and are, by some
persons, preferred to all other pickles.

The spicing is varied according to individual taste. Be-
sides the ordinary spices, white mustard-seed, peppers, nastur-
tiums, horseradish, onions, garlic, etc., are often mixed with
the various kinds of pickles to flavor them.

PIE PLANT.

French, Rhubarbe. — German, Rhubarber. — Spanish, Ruibarbo.
EARLY. LARGE LATE. GIANT SEEDLESS.

For the seeding varieties sow from February to May, in good
soil, in a drill about an inch deep ; cover carefully, and if
dry, give water two or three times. Keep the plants clear of
weeds through the summer, and in the following fall or spring
set them out where they are to remain permanently, in deep
and very rich soil, in rows three to four feet wide, and fifteen
to thirty inches apart in the row.

Let it be well cultivated through the second year of its
growth, and well manured in the fall, and in the following
spring it may be freely plucked for use.

The earlier varieties of pie plant produce leaf-stems twelve
or fifteen inches in length, and from one to two inches in cir-
cumference, and may be set out at the smaller distances named
above ; but the large varieties, as the Victoria, the giant seed-
less, etc., coming later in the season, and, with high culture,
yielding leaf-stems from two to three feet long and proportion-
ably thick, require the full spaces mentioned.

Experienced cultivators usually cut out the seed-stalk when
it first starts, in order to encourage the leaf growth. The giant
seedless, as its name imports, never produces a seed- stalk un-
less from a diseased plant, and with proper care may be made
to yield its leaf-stems more largely /than any other variety.

For a private garden about a dozen plants of the early and
as many of the late varieties will usually furnish a supply.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 169

Pie plant may be easily forced by the following simple proc-
ess : Over each of the plants you wish to force place an old
barrel, open at both ends, but with a loose head to cover the
upper end as occasion may require. Pile fresh stable manure
around it, from a foot thick at the bottom to six inches at the
top. Put the cover on only in freezing weather, and if your
root be large and vigorous, as it should always be for forcing,
the growth of long, fine, tender leaf-stem will soon fill the bar-
rel. The barrel must be removed as soon as you judge that a
fair amount of leaf has been taken from the plant, and the op-
eration, which is really a pretty severe taxing process, should
not be repeated upon the same plant two years in succession.
What are called young plants, in their second and third years,
generally produce the finest specimens of growth. To have a
constant succession of these, it is only necessary to uncover the
crown of an old plant early in the spring, and with a knife
separate a portion of the young outer shoots that are just start-
ing, taking with them a small piece of the parent root. Set
them out and cultivate them as above directed, and in the
next two years they will probably produce their largest and
best leaf- stems. '?V*

In gathering pie plant the leaf should not be cut from the
plant, but deftly slipped off by a twisting, sideway pull.

It is used in making puddings, pies, and tarts, and for stew-
ing. Its acid is pretty strong, yet not rough ; and it is re-
markable that in stewing, especially when the sweetening is a
mixture of sugar and molasses, quite a variety of fruit-flavors,
as peach, plum, etc., are incidentally brought out, though, so
far as I know, no rule, for their production can be given. It
may also be remarked that if, after the stem is peeled and cut
up into half-inch pieces, boiling water be poured upon it and
allowed to stand for half an hour, and then poured off, and the
small quantity of water necessary to stew it with be added to
it fresh, almost half the ordinary amount of sweetening will be
saved, without any great injury to its flavor. Some persons,
however, avoid either peeling or scalding it, as calculated to
destroy its peculiar gout, especially while young and tender.

H

170 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

POTATO.

French, Pomme de terre. — German, KartoffeL — Spanish, Papa.

KIDNEY. WESTERN RED. BLUE-NOSE. CARTER. MERCER, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in rows from two feet to thirty inches apart, in rich,
warm soil, and cover three or four inches deep. Dress them
with plaster as soon as they are well up, and hoe often, hilling
them carefully, but not high, in the process.

Time : for early crop, plant at the very first opening of
spring North or South. For the main crop, a few weeks later,
which at New York may be in the beginning of May.

The culture of the potato is so well known that it need
scarcely be mentioned as a garden vegetable, except with a par-
ticular object, viz., the raising of very early potatoes. For this
purpose the sets should have some special preparation. If se-
lected in advance, and placed in a warm room or cellar, so that
they start to grow about half an inch or a little more before
planting, and then be put in with care, and promptly covered
from the sun, they will, if the season prove favorable, go right
on to their maturity, and some time will be gained.

For this crop select a very warm spot, and manure it thor-
oughly with fresh warm stable manure dug or plowed in.
Plant the sets at about one foot apart, in rows two and a half
feet wide, either in an opened shallow furrow or in holes made
for the purpose with the hoe ; in either case, dressing with a
half handful of plaster, or lime, or bone-dust, to each set, and
covering them about three inches deep.

Or the manure may be laid thickly in the planting furrows,
made deeper for this purpose, and the sets be laid immediately
upon it, and dressed and covered as before directed.

If the weather prove cold after planting, a light covering of
litter or coarse manure spread upon the surface will be a ben-
efit.

Let the hoeing be performed promptly and deeply when they
appear above ground, and repeated again and again, dressing

AMERICAN HOME GARDEK. 171

them at least once with half a handful of plaster (gypsum) to
each if not used at the time of planting, and hill them grad-
ually, and they will soon furnish your table.

The Mercer or " Nutmeg" may be planted for the early crop.

The potato has of late years become subject to a disease
known as the " potato-rot," by which the whole crop of a farm
or a district perishes within a few days. As yet it remains en-
tirely unaccounted for, neither has any remedy for it been dis-
covered.

The ground intended for Lima or other pole beans may be
half cropped with early potatoes by planting the latter in rows
four feet wide, and afterward planting the beans in their hills
between them. The potatoes, if well planted and tended, will
come off in time to give the beans the whole space, and the
rough manure used for the former will be reduced to a proper
state to feed and stimulate the latter.

Frequent and pretty thorough experiments have been made
to ascertain the proper size for seed potatoes, and whether they
ought to be planted whole or~may advantageously be cut up,
but no satisfactory conclusion has been arrived at. Results
have been obtained from plantings of the mere eyes scooped
out of the size of a cherry, and even from thick peelings, near-
ly or quite equal to those given by plantings of large whole
tubers. In this dilemma, the prevailing sense of intelligent
cultivators seems to have fallen back upon the general princi-
ple that " like produces like," and to have concluded that the
sets ought to be at least mature, and of fair (egg) size, and
that, if much larger, they may be cut. The principle and the
practice under it are sound, especially in all vegetable life,
where mere habit fixes with marvelous rapidity. The results
which embarrassed the decision were doubtless due to the spe-
cial care given in the course of the experiments, and would fail
in any general system of culture. The rule may be safely
adopted to plant only mature tubers. If of egg size, or but a
little larger, plant them whole ; or if seed be of great import-
ance, divide them lengthwise or diagonally. Only one or two
eyes grow to top, however many the set may have. If, there-
fore, you have only, large potatoes, cut them into pieces con-

172 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

taining two or three eyes each ; let them dry a little before
planting; set them out as directed ; give them good culture,
and your crop will be as good as soil and season justify you in
expecting. Nipping off all the blossoms before they open, if
you can find time for the operation, will somewhat increase the
product. See Analysis and Value, page 500.
For Sweet Potato, see page 182.

PUMPKIN.

French, Oitrouille. Potiron. — German, Kiirbis. — Spanish, Calabaza
Amarilla.

1. SEVEN-YEAR. ' 2. CHEESE. 3. COMMON FIELD. 4. MAM-
MOTH.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in very rich warm soil, in hills six feet apart, six or
eight seeds in a hill. When well up, thin to the three best
plants. Hoe often till the blossoms open.

Time : throughout the time of main corn-planting. In all
May at New York.

The keeping, or " seven-year" pumpkin, is an excellent veg-
etable, drier and richer in quality, and keeping better than any
other, though not actually lasting seven years. The cheese, or
West India pumpkin, is also of great excellence, being far
handsomer and perhaps more delicate than the former. The
common, or field pumpkin, is too well known to require descrip-
tion, and is sometimes preferred by those who love its genuine
pumpkin flavor.

The mammoth pumpkin, in all its varieties, is rather matter
of curiosity than profit. It is seldom of fine quality, is too
large for profitable domestic use, and does not generally yield
more weight of produce from a given quantity of land than the
moderate-sized varieties.

The brief directions given above are ample for the successful
cultivation of this vegetable, which is also often planted among
corn. Pumpkins (and also squashes) may be kept well into
winter in any dry, cool place, out of the reach of fro^t, either

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

173

by hanging them up singly, or by packing them away in bins
or barrels with chaff or cut straw ; or they may be kept for use
in spring, when milk and eggs abound, by being stewed and
then dried upon a board in the sun or an oven ; or, still better,
by being stewed and put up in patent fruit-cans in the ordi-
nary manner.

RADISH.

French, Radis. Rave. — German, Rettig. — Spanish, Rabano.

FORMS OF RADISHES.

Fig. T9.

a. Good long Radish.

b. Half long "

c. Pear-shaped il

d. Uncouth or club-form ; Chinese

rose-colored winter Radish.

• Mongrels.

e. Inferior Turnip Radish.
/. Good " ' "

g. Inferior black fall "
h. Superior " "

Long Scarlet. Long White Naples. Scarlet Turnip. White
Turnip. Black Fall, or Spanish. White Fall. Chinese
Rose Winter.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills or on light, rich soil, left a little
rough, and rake the seed thoroughly in. When well up, sow
ashes or poudrette pretty liberally upon them.

Time : from the earliest spring to late autumn, omitting the
hottest months of summer, at the South or North.

Of the various kinds of radish, the long scarlet and scarlet

174 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

turnip are most highly esteemed. The white varieties are
sometimes supposed to be milder, and to bear the heat better
than others, and on this account to be preferable for summer
use, but we are not sure that experience sustains these no-
tions.

Radishes of a purple color are almost always very strong,
even acrid, but all kinds are liable to become so by neglect or
error in their cultivation.

The various forms intermediate between the long and turnip
radish are generally the result of accidental admixture, and
any one who chooses may reproduce them from original sources.
They are merely fanciful, having no peculiar merit, except that
the pear-shaped or half long varieties might perhaps succeed
on soils where the longer kinds would fail.

The black or white fall or Spanish radish should be sown
and gathered at the same time as common turnips, and may be
stored in sand for winter use. It is a large, coarse-looking
radish, but of fine, solid texture and good quality.

The Chinese rose-colored winter radish is of pretty appear-
ance and good quality, and may be sown at the same time or a
little lat£r than the black Spanish.

Radishes should be sown ill light, rich soil, in drills about
eight inches apart and half an inch deep, and covered careful-
ly by raking along the drills, and adding, if it seem necessa-
ry to settle the earth about the seed, a gentle pressure with
the back of the rake, or by means of a board, which may be
laid over it and pressed with the foot ; but in experienced
hands a slight beating with the back of the rake will be the
quickest mode. Or the seed may be sown broadcast, being
thinly scattered over the ground and thoroughly raked in. If
the weather be dry when you sow, water lightly each evening
until the seed sprouts, and continue it afterward if it seem
needful.

Sow ash compost or poudrette upon them at least twice dur-
ing their growth, or water occasionally with liquid manure,
and, if sown in drills, hoe carefully between them. Radishes
may be sown at intervals of one or two weeks, from the earliest
opening of spring until late fall, and at the far South through

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 175

" the winter months ;" but, unless the season be peculiar, or
great care be used, the summer crops will not be good.

From the brief but sufficient directions thus given, it would
seem easy to raise good radishes, yet, if we except a part of
those brought to city markets, such are exceedingly rare. Any
cause that checks the growth of a radish destroys its quality.
This cause may be the poverty of the soil, its natural unsuit-
ableness, as being heavy or cold, or having some special defect ;
or it may be the occurrence of cold weather after the crop has
well started to grow, or the prevalence of summer heat. Either
of these causes may suffice to account for strong, unpleasant
roots. Radishes thus checked in their growth are almost in-
variably infested with worms, which are a consequence, and
not, as sometimes supposed, the cause of their check.

If the seed sown be of inferior stock, the radishes will be
strong and stringy, and the eating of them will be like chew-
ing small, tough sticks. But to have good radishes, if seed of
good stock be sown, it is only necessary that they grow steadily
and rapidly, be pulled as soon as they attain a fair size, and
eaten while fresh from the garden.

From what has been said, it is plain that a light and rather
sandy soil is to be chosen for radishes. Where this can be
made artificially (see Mechanical Preparation of Soil, p. 18),
radishes of any kind may be sown ; but where experience has
proved that the long radish will not succeed, the turnip radish
only should be sown, avoiding any attempt to raise very early
crops, and giving the ground careful preparation and thorough
manuring.

Radishes are often combined with other crops calculated to
succeed them, as lettuces, or beets, or early cabbages ; but, un-
less land is very valuable, or manure scarce, it is not worth
while to adopt this mode. (See Combination of Crops, p. 85.)

RAPE OR COLEWORT.

French, Colza. — German, Repskokl. — Spanish, Nabo Silvestre.

Both the plant and seed of rape resemble the brown mus-
tard. It is sometimes called cole, or colewort, from its French
name, colza. It is often sown thickly in drills a foot apart,

176 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

and cut for greens when six or eight inches high. See Greens,
page 143. Cabbages of various kinds being sometimes sown
in the same manner and for the same purpose, all young non-
heading early cabbages have come to be called " cole worts,"
corrupted to " collards."

In certain sections the colewort is sown largely for its seeds,
on account of the oil they yield, and for feeding to birds.

ROQUETTE.
See Pepper-grass, page 166.

SAGE.

French, Sauge. — German, Salbey. — Spanish, Salvia.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in a shallow drill, in rich soil. Cover lightly, and if
dry, give water. When the plants are from two to four inches
high, transplant and set them in a bed or in rows a foot apart
each way, and keep clean.

Time : in all spring.

Sage is used largely in sausages, and for various purposes in
cookery. It is also used in medicine, and formerly its virtues
were so highly esteemed that it passed into a proverb, " Why
should a man die who has sage in his garden ?" The moderns
do not think so highly of it, but it is still used in the form of
sage-tea as a drink, and with alum as a gargle.

Sow the seed and transplant as above directed. Cut and
dry the leaf for use when at full size, which will generally be
after mid-autumn, taking care not to trim the plant too closely.

SALSAFY (or Vegetable Oyster).
French, Salsafis. — German, Bocksbart. — Spanish, Ostra o Ostion vejetal

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow the seed in rich, well-prepared soil, in drills fifteen to
eighteen inches apart, and an inch deep ; cover it carefully, and
press the earth lightly upon it, and when well up, thin the
plants to four or five inches apart, and hoe and weed often, un-
til the tops meet across the rows.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 177

Time : late spring or beginning of summer at the North ;
at the South in early fall ; and in the far South it may also
be sown with the very earliest spring crops for summer use.

At New York in all May or beginning of June.

The salsafy has rather a narrow, flag-like leaf, and its root
resembles a small white parsnep.

In localities where veritable oysters are not readily obtained,
it affords an agreeable substitute. For this purpose, the root
should be washed and grated, seasoned to taste, mixed with
a batter made of milk and flour, and made light either with
soda and cream of tartar or eggs, and fried with sweet fat in
small cakes. It is also occasionally used in soups, or boiled
and mashed as squash.

SCORZONERA.
French, Scorzonere. — German, ScorzionerwurzeL — Spanish, Es$orzonera.

Sown and treated precisely as salsafy, used for the same
general purposes, and scarcely at all differing from it except
in being too bitter to use without previous soaking.

SEA KALE.

French, Chou Marin. — German, Meerkohl. — Spanish, Breton de Mar. Col

Marina.

Sow in early spring, in rich soil, in a drill an inch deep,
and cover carefully and rather firmly.

Keep the young plants clean throughout the season, and in
the following spring plant them out where they are to stand,
in deep and very rich soil, in rows four or five feet wide, set-
ting the plants eighteen inches apart in the row.

Hoe often and deeply through the season, and after the tops
die in the fall, ridge up the earth from the intervals over the
crowns of the plants to a depth of fifteen or eighteen inches.
In the spring they will push up through this ridge a tender,
white, fleshy growth, which may be cut near the crown of the
plant by opening the side of the ridge, or removing it entirely
from the plants you gather. These branched stems are cooked
and eaten as asparagus.

H2

178 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

When the spring cutting is completed, having leveled down
the ridges, manure the intervals, and cultivate as before, to give
it vigor for the next year's taxing.

It is sometimes planted in rows or hills only eighteen inches
or two feet apart each way, and, instead of being ridged, the
crowns are slightly covered for winter, and in the spring earth-
en pots, known as " sea-kale pots," about fifteen inches deep
and twelve inches diameter, are placed over it to force and
blanch it, which sometimes, also, are surrounded with stable
manure to hasten the process. These pots have a hole in what
would ordinarily be called the bottom, but which, as inverted,
is the top, large enough to admit the hand for cutting the
crop, to which a knobbed cover, like the cover of a water-jar,
is fitted by the potter.

Like asparagus, sea kale is a maritime plant, and is, by some
persons, very highly esteemed as a delicacy ; but a large major-
ity would justly conclude that "it costs more than it comes to."

SHALLOTS.

French, Echalote. — German, Schalotte. — Spanish, Chalote.

Plant the sets, from early fall to winter, in very rich soil
about three inches deep, in rows fifteen inches wide, and about
six inches apart in the row. Hoe often and deeply, and keep
perfectly clean. As early in the spring as practicable, hoe
deeply, and top-dress once with poudrette, or guauo, or liquid
manure, and pull them as soon as sufficiently grown for use.

The shallot is a well-known kind of onion, which increases
largely by offsets from the root, used chiefly at the very open-
ing of spring, being the earliest of the onion kind that appears
in the green state in market.

SOREL.

French, Oseilk.— German, Sauerampfer. — Spanish, Acedera.

The French or garden sorel is a perennial plant, with leaves
as large as those of the yellow dock, and of a strong, clear,
acid taste. It is raised from seed sown in the spring in a
shallow drill, and a few plants may be set out where they can
stand permanently and be out of the way.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 179

It will be esteemed by those who fancy salads made up in
the modes of Paris, or Madrid, or Vienna ; but, after all, it is
simply the " sour-grass" of our boyhood.

SPINACH.

French, Epinard. — German, Spinal. Spinal Kohl. — Spanish, Espinaca.

PRICKLY (SEEDED). ROUND (SEEDED) OR SAVOY.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills twelve inches apart. Cover lightly,
and if dry, give water. Keep clean, and spread straw or ever-
green brush thinly over it for the winter.

Time : earliest fall or first of spring at the North. Through-
out the fall or at the opening of spring at the South general-
ly. At the extreme South, throughout the " winter months"
also. In New York, September and March.

Spinach is the first green vegetable that spring yields for
cooking, affording a pleasant and wholesome dish at a season
when nothing remains of our last year's store but roots and
winter cabbage. Many persons esteem it very highly for
greens, while some think it but little superior to the common
dock leaf. It comes, however, earlier than the latter, and has
therefore an advantage in point of time, if not in quality.

There are several varieties, but the round seeded Savoy spin-
ach, having a thick, crum.pled leaf, is the best for ordinary use.
It should be sown in rows as above directed, and if sown in the
fall, hardy cabbage lettuce may be profitably sown in alternate
rows between it, which will winter with the same slight cover-
ing, and may either be transplanted at the opening of spring
for very early heading, or cultivated where it stands after the
spinach is cut.

NEW ZEALAND SPINACH.

The New Zealand spinach, Tetragona expansa, is a rather
coarse summer " green," not particularly desirable where the
ordinary green vegetables are attainable, but may. be of value
in very warm climates.

180 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Jt may be planted in all spring, in hills three feet apart, in
very rich soil, five or six seeds in a hill, and must be kept clean
by frequent hoeings, drawing up the earth from time to time
so as to form a pretty large flattish hill, over which the plants
will throw their strong luxuriant growth, from which the leaves
for cooking may be gathered throughout the summer.

SQUASHES.
. i SQUASH (SUMMER).

French, Giraumon. Courge. — German, Melonen Kurbis. — Spanish, Especie
de la Calabaza.

BERGEN BUSH. WHITE SCOLLOP. EARLY GOLDEN. SUMMER
CROOKNECK.

For Squash Bug, &c., see Fig. 65, page 102.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant in very rich warm soil, in hills four to six feet apart,
six or eight seeds in a hill, an inch deep. When well up, thin
to the three best plants. Hoe often, and gradually hill up till
the blossoms open.

Time : throughout the time of corn-planting South or North.

At New York in all May or early in June.

The Bergen squash is the best of all bush squashes, and may
be advantageously substituted for all summer squashes, wheth-
er bush or running, and perhaps also for all winter squashes,
except the cocoanut, or Porter's winter.

It is a heart-shaped green and white squash, of medium size,
and in rich soil a good cropper, coming as early as any, and
continuing as long in bearing.

Even while the shell is soft, it is superior to the white or
golden scollop, but it is not in perfection until the shell begins
to harden considerably, when it becomes dry and rich beyond
any other summer variety.

The white and golden scollop, the summer crooknecks, and
the various fancy varieties, have their merits, but none of them
combine so many desirable qualities as the Bergen, which, as

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 181

before stated, if planted rather late, may be kept for winter,
care being taken to use the soft-shelled ones first.

. SQXTASH (WINTER).

COCOANUT, OB PORTER'S WINTER. WINTER BELL. CANADA
CROOKNECK, &C.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Plant and tend in the manner above directed for summer
squash, but at greater distances, say from six to ten feet apart.
Time: in the time of main corn-planting South or North.
At New York in all May.

The winter bell and Canada crookneck squashes are very
good varieties, the latter especially yielding abundantly.

The cocoa-nut, or Porter's winter squash, is the best of all
known squashes. Its vines, however, run amazingly, and, un-
less very highly cultivated, it is rather less productive in
northern latitudes than other varieties. It is sometimes called
the Valparaiso squash, and oftener Porter's, because originally
introduced from that place by the late Commodore Porter. Its
other and prevailing name is derived from the form of the fruit,
which somewhat resembles a cocoanut with the husk on. It
has a roughish coat of a gray or stone color.

The flesh, which is not very thick, is of a deep annatto
orange color, and extremely rich and dry.

Squashes that are to be kept for winter use should be treat-
ed as directed for pumpkins, page 172.

SUMMER SAVORY.

French, Sariette d*et'e. — German, Saturei. Bohne Kreitchen. — Spanish,
Ajedrea.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in very shallow drills or upon the fresh surface, in rows
twelve inches apart, in rich light soil. Cover lightly, and if
dry, give water. Thin the plants to three inches distance, and
keep clean.

Time : throughout spring at the North. At the South, ei-

182 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ther at the opening of spring or early in the fall. At New
York from March to July.

It should be cut for drying soon after it begins to blossom.

SWEET BASIL.

French, Basilic. — German, Basilikum. — Spanish, Albahaca.

SWEET MARJORAM.

French, Marjolaine. — German, Marjoran. — Spanish, Mejorana.

These are two aromatic herbs, used in cookery for seasoning,
-and may be sown and treated in all respects as summer savory.
See above.

SWEET POTATO.

French, Patate Sucrt. Patate Douce. Patate Malaga. — German, Bataten.
Suesze Kartoffd. — Spanish, Battatas.

Sweet potatoes are raised from sets. These are either small
potatoes, raised for this purpose from summer cuttings of the
vines in the previous year, or the cullings of the general crop
carefully wintered in dry sand, etc., or the young shoots of
large or small wintered tubers, started at the opening of spring
in a hot bed or box to furnish sets for the season.

When four or five inches long the shoots are ready for plant-
ing, and should be carefully taken off and set out as they suc-
cessively attain this size.

Rich, warm, and, if possible, sandy soil must be chosen, and
about the time of corn-planting the hills should be carefully
prepared, at four feet apart each way, raising them slightly,
and mixing in plenty of rich compost, unless the whole has
been well manured. About the time of the first corn-hoeing
plant three or four sets in each hill, covering them three inches
deep if small or cut tubers are planted, and if the young shoots
are used let their points just appear above ground, and press
the earth gently about their lower ends ; or set them eighteen
inches apart, in rows three feet wide.

Protect them a while from either cold or sun if it appears
necessary, and keep them perfectly clean and frequently hoed,
dressing them once or twice with plaster or ash compost, grad-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 183

ually enlarging the hill or ridge until the growth of their vines
prevents farther work among them.

When perfectly ripened and carefully dried after digging,
they may be stored in dry sand with safety for winter use.

In the field culture of sweet potatoes the land is prepared
and the hills or ridges made and cultivated with the plow.

THYME.

French, Thym. — German, Thimian. — Spanish, Tornillo.

Sow in rows a foot wide upon the surface of finely- prepared,
rich soil, and water moderately until the plants come up.
When two or three inches high, thin or transplant to six
inches apart, and keep perfectly clean.

Time : spring at the North ; spring or fall at the South.

This is a pleasant and valuable herb, used for seasoning
stews, poultry, etc. It should be cut for drying as soon as it
begins to blossom, or before frost if sown too late to blossom.

TOMATO.

French, Tomate. — German, Liebes Apfel. — Spanish, Tomato.

LARGE CRUMPLED. APPLE. PEAR. CHERRY. GRAPE.

Either Red or Yellow.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Set the plants eighteen inches apart, in rows two feet wide, or
in hills three feet apart, in light, warm soil, not very rich, and
plow or hoe deeply from time to time till the tops interfere.

Time : sow in hot bed from six to eight weeks before main
corn-planting, when the plants may be set out or the seed
sown in the open ground either South or North.

At New York, March in hot bed ; May in open ground, to
sow or set out.

All the above varieties are named from their general size
and appearance, and of each there is a red and a yellow variety.
The red are generally preferred for cooking, and the yellow for
preserves. All the varieties bear abundantly, though perhaps
the large crumpled kind is the most prolific. For all ordinary

184 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

purposes, the apple or large smooth merits a decided preference.
The cherry and grape varieties are pretty, but not otherwise
valuable.

It is quite desirable to sow tomatoes early in hot bed, or in
a box of good earth in the house if a hot bed is not made ; but
if not thus provided, they may be sown somewhat later, with-
out artificial heat, in a warm, rich spot, the seed being lightly
covered, regularly watered with water that is slightly warmed
in the sun or in the house, and at night covered with a cloth,
or mat, or box, until the weather becomes definitely warm. As
soon as the plants are then ready, let them be carefully set out
in rows two feet wide, and eighteen inches apart in the row, in
light, warm soil, not made too rich, and either furnished with
brush to climb upon or left to spread upon the ground, hoeing
them often and deeply, gradually hilling them up until the
tops spread so as to prevent it.

If very early tomatoes are desired, the plants should be pot-
ted as directed page 87 ; in about a fortnight change them
into larger, say quart pots, and by the time it is safe to set
them out they will be ready to come into blossom. If skill-
fully transferred from the pot to the hill, and, in case of un-
expected cold, covered with pots or boxes, they will be scarcely
at all checked in their growth by the change, and will quickly
mature their fruit. In this, however, they may be aided by
nipping the ends of the main shoots, limiting the growth of
side shoots, and exposing the fruit to the sun.

Where tomatoes are raised in large quantities the ground
may be prepared and furrowed as for corn, at three feet apart
each way, two or three plants being set in each hill. All their
necessary culture may also be performed by repeated and care-
ful cross-plowings, following each by a slight hilling up with
the hoe, and pulling out by hand any weeds that may be found
too close to the plants to cut, and too large to cover in the
hoeing.

All the varieties of tomato may be taken while green and
kept in brine, or salted, for making up into pickles in the ordi-
nary modes, as they are wanted through the year.

Tomato catsup is made by boiling the ripe fruit to a pulp,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 185

which is then strained through a sieve that will keep out the
skins and seeds ; and after being again thoroughly boiled, re-
ducing it somewhat, adding salt and spice according to taste,
it is cooled and bottled for use.

Either the apple or pear tomatoes make a pleasant preserve
for immediate use, or for keeping if put in preserving cans.
For this purpose, the fruit may be taken while green, or when
about three fourths ripe. If the latter, boiling water is poured
over them, and the skins are carefully taken off; if the former,
the skins are left on. Having the fruit prepared, add to each
three pounds of it two quarts of water, one and a half pounds
of sugar, one good-sized lemon, sliced, or a quarter ounce of
green ginger, or both, and boil slowly till the sirup thickens.

To make what are known as " tomato figs," take the pear-
shaped variety when nearly, but not quite ripe, and boil them
as above directed for preserves, with the water, and sugar, and
lemon or green ginger in the same proportions. When suffi-
ciently boiled, take the tomatoes out of the sirup, and lay
them singly upon flat dishes, and place them in the sun ; when
partially dried, sprinkle finely-crushed sugar thinly over them,
turning and sugaring them daily until they are sufficiently
dried ; or, if difficulty arises from bad weather, the drying
may be completed in an oven at a low heat. They may then
be packed, and pressed closely into boxes lined with white
paper, and, if thought needful, more sugar may be added.

For winter use, the ripe tomatoes may be stewed, and simply
salted or fully seasoned, and kept in patent fruit-cans in the
usual mode until wanted, when they are to be stewed afresh,
and seasoned anew if desired.

TURNIP.

French, Navtt.— German, Rube. Steckriibe. — Spanish, Nabo.

EARLY RED-TOP. EARLY DUTCH. EARLY STONE. LONG, OR
TANKARD. YELLOW ABERDEEN. YELLOW GLOBE. RUS-
SIA, OR RUTA BAGA.

BRIEF DIRECTIONS.

Sow in shallow drills, twelve inches apart. Cover lightly,

186

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

and if dry, give water. In garden culture hoe them at least
once, thinning the plants to four or six inches.

Time : at the very earliest moment of spring if intended for
summer use. If for winter, as late in the fall as possible, so
that about eight weeks of cool moist weather may be allowed
for their growth, or for ruta baga twelve weeks. If they are
not hoed during their growth, they will require a little longer
time to mature.

At New York, common turnips may be sown in March for
summer, and August for winter use ; ruta baga in June or
first half of July.

FORMS OF TURNIPS.
Fig. 80.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 187

a. Uncouth form, Dale's hybrid Turnip. /. Globe-formed Turnip.

b. Egg-formed Kuta Baga. g. Cheese- formed Turnip, or a "flattened

c. Worthless Jiuta Baga, long-necked and spheroid."

branch-rooted. h. Flat-formed Turnip.

d. Inferior heart-shaped Turnip. i. Double concave form, as yellow Malta.

e. Superior heart-shaped Turnip.

Of the kinds named above, the early red- top, sometimes call-
ed purple-top, the Aberdeen, and the Russia, or ruta baga,
will meet all the ordinary demands of a family. The early
Dutch and stone are good varieties, and with some persons the
long, or tankard, recently sometimes called French, is a favor-
ite ; but the red-top is of the freest growth and of the best
quality of white turnips, and will supply the table for summer
use, and from early fall until New Year. The yellow globe, or
Aberdeen, may succeed it until late in March, after which the
Russia alone may be used until new vegetables come in.

Common turnips may be sown in drills from twelve to eight-
Neen inches apart, or broadcast upon fine, light, well-prepared
soil. In either case let the seed be but lightly raked in, and
if the weather is very dry, give water, using an ordinary rose
watering-pot. When sown very early or very late, water them
occasionally in the course of their growth with liquid manure,
or top-dress them with ash compost or some other stimulating
application ; hoe repeatedly, and thin them carefully to three
or four inches apart.

With this treatment, the early kinds sometimes furnish good
roots before the summer heat spoils them, or succeed well for
winter use, though sown even as late as the beginning of Sep-
tember.

In moist and misty climates turnips may be sown to advant-
age in early spring, but in our climate it is seldom that spring-
sown turnips are fit to eat. In general, they serve only for
flavoring summer soup.

Russia turnip, or ruta baga, when sown in the garden and
intended for family use, should not be sown earlier than from
the first to the middle of July at New York and the North
generally — say from two to four weeks earlier than the fall
sowing of the common kinds, and should always be sown in
drills, and carefully hastened in its growth by hoeing and top-
dressing. See also Turnip Bug, page 102.

188

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

WATER CRESS.

French, Cresson de Fontaine. — German, Wasser Kresse. Brunen Kresse. —
Spanish, Berro.

The water cress may be raised from seed, cuttings, or plants,
sown or planted in the edge of a living spring or stream, where
its roots may be ever so slightly protected by the water from
the intense cold ; or it may be sown or set in the narrow in-
tervals of a floor or bed made with rough paving stones,, over
which a gentle shallow stream is made to flow. North of New
York it may be thinly covered in winter, if found necessary,
with straw, or salt hay, or evergreen brush.

It starts at the first opening of spring, and being gathered
as soon as sufliciently grown, is the earliest warm aromatic
salad seen in our markets.

It is highly esteemed, being not only agreeable to the taste
of most persons, but also regarded as a valuable antiscorbutic,
peculiarly suitable for spring use.

The brooklime (Veronica Beccabunga), a worthless plant,
distinguishable by its ovate and flat leaf from the water cress,
is sometimes mistaken for it.

ASSORTMENT OF SEEDS, ABOUT SUFFICIENT FOR A GARDEN OF
MODERATE SIZE, SAY A QUARTER OF AN ACRE.

As garden seeds are extensively sold in " papers," I have
given the ordinary equivalents of the respective weights and
measures. It may be found occasionally useful to beginners.

Bush Beans of various

kinds 3 pints= 6 papers.

Pole Beans of various

kinds 2 " = 6 "

Early Peas of various

kinds 5 " =W "

Late Peas, various kinds 3 " = 6 "
Cucumbers " . . . 1 oz. = 2 "

Muskmelon f " = 1 "

Watermelon } " = 1 "

Summer bush Squash . 1 " =2 "
Winter " . . i = 1 "

Pumpkin | =1 "

Early Cabbage i

Winter " | = 2 "

Cauliflower, or Brocoli. i
Beets of various kinds. 2
Carrots " " . 1
Parsnip " " . 1
Turnips " " . 1
Kadish in varieties 3 =6

"

Onion in varieties 2 oz. = 4 papers.

Onion sets 1 pint.

Lettuce in varieties i oz. = 2 "

Spinach 2 " z= 4 "

Dock ^ =1 "

Celery i =1 "

Pepper i =1 "

Egg-plant i =1

Tomato i = I

Salsafy i —2

Okra I =1

Mustard 1 =2

Peppergrass 1 ^-2

Nasturtium \ =1

Leek * =1

Parsley i =1

Sage 1

Summer Savory 1

Sweet Basil 1

Sweet Marjoram 1

Thyme 1

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 189

CHAPTER

Fruits. — Effect of Soil, Climate. — Shape of, Color, Flavor, Specific Gravity.
— Fruit-trees ; selecting Varieties, bearing Qualities, new Kinds.

FRUITS.

" Good for food, and pleasant to the eyes."

FRUITS always commend themselves to the natural taste, and
their free use in the ripe state, whether raw or cooked, is pleas-
ant, economical, and highly conducive to health. In some
fruits a simple statement of the grade of their quality is suffi-
cient ; but in several of the more important classes, as apples
and pears, there are general divisions which it is important to
notice, as summer and winter fruits, sweet, subacid, vinous, sour,
melting, buttery, firm, mealy, gritty, &c. ; and in plums and
peaches, clings or freestones. Various persons prefer fruit with
one or other of these peculiarities, according to diversity of taste,
or for special seasons or uses : melting, buttery, subacid or sweet,
and freestone fruits for eating out of hand ; clingstone, sour, and
firm fruits for preserving — the sweet fruits preserved or stewed
being usually flat, though occasionally a subacid fruit is found
which, with little sugar, is yet lively, the acid developing with
the process of cooking ; as also sour fruit, when cooked, is more
acid than when raw.

Most of these peculiarities in fruits are modified by various
causes, as soil, climate, &c., in some cases deteriorating good
kinds till they become almost worthless.

EFFECT OF SOIL.

A wet and cold soil, whether it be poor or rich, tends to in-
crease the rough acidity of fruits ; a warm, dry soil, on the
other hand, naturally heightens the flavor, and limits and re-
fines the acidity.

Fruits raised in very rich soil, other things being equal, are

190 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

larger, but less rich, both in flavor and saccharum, than the
same fruits raised with less luxuriance of growth on poorer
soil. Our Western apples are beautiful in appearance, but do
not command the price of those raised upon the hills that bor-
der the Hudson, either in domestic or foreign markets. The
vineyards of the hills, and not of the level and fertile valleys
of France, make the richest qualities of wines.

EFFECT OF CLIMATE.

Speaking generally, fruits gradually increase in richness and
variety as we proceed from the north southward to the tropics.
But the natural boundaries of the various families of fruits are
limited, having probably as their centre a line of perfection, of
greater or less width, for each particular tribe, which, as we di-
verge from that line, deteriorates under our hand. As an illus-
tration merely, we may assume the latitude of 42° to be the
line of perfection for the apple, 38° or 40° for the pear and
cherry, and 30° or 35° for the vine. But certain kinds of any
given class of fruits are also better suited than others to the
particular varieties of climate found within these natural bound-
aries, and we say therefore of one apple it is a Northern, and
of another it is a Southern fruit, and we make lists of them as
they are supposed to be suited to the colder or warmer regions
of the zone to which the family belongs.

We may also conclude ordinarily that the varieties of fruits
best suited to a given region will be those which have origi-
nated in it or in some other region of like location. The New-
town pippin, which is the chief of apples where it can be prop-
erly matured, attains its perfection only near the line of lati-
tude in which it originated, and when exempted from the in-
fluence of a too cold or humid soil. The Rhode Island green-
ing, lively and piquant in its proper latitude, becomes flat and
worthless in a Southern climate.

As we fcring varieties toward the central line of perfection
from the North, the influence of the change of climate is similar
to that of a single particularly long and warm summer in their
native region, or of transfer to a warmer soil, or to a locality
where the temperature is modified by a river or body of water, or

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 191

of a system of very open trimming, or of planting the individual
tree in an especially warm exposure, all of which are merely
temporary or local modifications of climate. But this change
for the better in the character of the fruit is usually accompa-
nied by another of a different kind. The fruit not only ripens
higher, but it ripens earlier, and as ripeness is always the pre-
cursor of rottenness, it will not keep so well. The Rhode Isl-
and greening and the Baldwin, raised in Massachusetts, are less
perishable "than the same varieties raised in New Jersey. It
is important to take this into account when we are transferring
varieties to new localities, otherwise we may fail to secure in
the fruit the very qualities for which we have esteemed it.

SHAPE OF FRUITS.

The form of fruits is seldom of much importance, but in ap-
ples it affords a general indication of quality. The flattened
and globular, and the obtuse conical forms are mostly pretty
close at the core, and all the very best varieties of apples be-
long to these forms. The long-shaped apples have generally
large, open, " rattle-box" cores ; and while many of them are
distinguished by pleasant peculiarities of flavor, as the gilli-
flower, there are very few, if any, first-class fruits among them.
Fruits of an oblique or one-sided form, as the Chandler (see p.
309), are apt to run defective on the shrunken side in seasons
that may be even but slightly unfavorable, and, in general, all
fruits with an irregular or disproportioned development of form
are liable to similar imperfections.

COLOR.

Fruits with a large proportion of bright red, or with at least
a full, deep blush cheek, or of a deep golden yellow color, al-
ways strike the eye as more beautiful, and find a readier mar-
ket than others of only equal quality and less color.

FLAYOR.

Of the various flavors found in fruits of the same family,
some seem to be produced simply by a happy combination of
clear, pleasant acid, with a due proportion of sugar, and are

192 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

abiding, and suit all palates ; others are in the nature of an
aroma or spiciness, which is well developed only in very favor-
able circumstances, and in most cases is so fugitive that it
must be enjoyed at the very moment of perfect ripening, or it
is lost, and in reference to which tastes vary greatly. Such
may be chosen for special culture, but not for the general pur-
poses of life or profits of business. For the efiect of soil and
climate upon flavor, see those heads.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY.

Other things being equal, the comparative value of any fruit
may be instantly determined, like the value of gold, by its su-
perior specific gravity, or " heft," as we say familiarly. This
indicates with precision its richness in saccharum, and may
guide the manufacturer of vinegar in his choice of fruits for
this purpose, though for cooking or eating we need to inquire
farther as to flavor, &c.

FRUIT-TREES.
SELECTING VARIETIES.

In making a selection of fruits, choose mainly from such va-
rieties as are known to succeed in your own locality, either as
having originated there or become wonted. If you seek to in-
troduce improved varieties, never depend on their reputation in
other localities, but study their intrinsic character. If you
transfer the Boston russet or the Baldwin to New Jersey or
Delaware merely with a view to home consumption, you may
succeed ; but if with the idea of raising apples for shipping,
you will be disappointed. If, however, you find in Canada or
New England an apple of good color, shape, and heft, but in-
dicating by its excess of acid that the season in those latitudes
is not long enough to perfect it, you may move it southward
with a probability amounting almost to certainty that you will
obtain a valuable fruit.

Perhaps the general rule may be expressed thus : Fruits
that ripen very late, or do not ripen at all in a given latitude,
will improve by moving South ; and fruits that in a more
southerly location ripen early, may be moved northward with-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 193

out being injured. For the mode of producing and treating
seedling fruits, see those heads, pages 194 and 204.

There is a difference in the period of blossoming of different
varieties in the saine orchard, which is sometimes due to in-
herent natural diversity, but often, also, is the effect of climate,
the habit of the tree, formed in a warmer or colder latitude,
adhering to it. Sometimes the season's crop is lost by the
spring frost killing the too early blossoms of a southern tree,
and at others injury is avoided and a crop gained by the tardy
blossoming of a northern one.

It is sometimes worth while to choose kinds that may be
"readily identified by the peculiar appearance of the young
branches, as the snow peach by its white shoots, the Napoleon
pear by its slate color, and the Dix by its slender willowy yel-
low ones, and the Bergamotte Suisse by its striped bark, with
which the stripes upon the fruit have a general correspond-
ence. It is, however, much more important to attend to the
mode of growth which distinguishes eath particular variety
you propose to plant, as whether its habit be erect or drooping ;
whether, like the peach, it throw out its branches at acute an-"
gles, with a weak joint, and is therefore liable to be split by
winds or broken down by its crop of fruit, or at obtuse angles,
or horizontally, as the Rhode Island greening and Graven-
stein among apples, and the hickory among forest trees, and is
therefore strong to bear both wind and fruit. Also, whether
it has a habit of forming a snug, well- shaped head, as the
Seckel or Lodge pears, from which the fruit may be gathered
easily, or long, straggling, or upright branches, which can not
be climbed, and can scarcely be reached by a ladder, and for
which the fruit-gatherer becomes necessary.

BEARING QUALITIES.

Certain kinds are better bearers than others under equally
favorable circumstances,, as among apples the Rhode Island
greening is superior in this respect to the Pound sweet or the
Vanderveer. .Certain other varieties always bear heavily, but
only in alternate years, as the Jersey sweeting and the com-
mon or Poughkeepsie russeting. In some trees the fruit spurs,

I

194 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

or bunches of blossom buds are thrown out from the older
growth, while in other varieties the blossoms are produced
chiefly from the terminal buds of young shoots, upon which, at
maturity, the fruit dangles.

Generally, the trees of heavy-bearing varieties are not long
lived, being either constitutionally feeble or exhausted by ex-
cessive crops, or both.

It will be found best, on the whole, to choose varieties that
bear moderately, and of which the fruit is neither so small as
to be tedious in the gathering, nor so large as to expose it to
be swept off by winds, though, in reference to the russet and
Jersey sweeting named above, special peculiarities will always
secure them a place in the orchard, in spite of their compara-
tively early decay. It may also be added that the habit of
heavy alternate bearing may be changed in the youth of the
tree by perseveringly stripping it 6T blossoms in the bearing
year until ifris forced into blossoming moderately every season,
or only half the tree may be so disciplined, or one side may be
grafted with another variety of diverse habit.

PRODUCTION OF NEW FRUITS, &C.

From the knowledge we possess, it seems probable that the
kinds of fruit, as well as individual trees, have but a limited
period of healthful growth and productiveness, and hence new
kinds become desirable.

In reference to fruits, the theory has been proposed that, in
attempting to raise improved varieties of fruits from seed, we
should select for intermixture, not individuals of the very
best known varieties, but those of a somewhat inferior grade
which are in process of amelioration, thus running them, as
it were, on an independent line upward from the original base
stock.

This theory may be good, but it does not look so. We may
assume that in each family of fruits there is a point of excel-
lence beyond which human skill in its culture will not be able
to carry it. If our best-known varieties have already attained
to this perfection in their various kinds, the most direct course
would seem to be to reproduce them anew from seed as nearly

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 195

like themselves as possible. If they have not attained that
point they may be still progressing ; but if they have simply
arrived at the acme of their individual character, and not con-
stituting standards for their class, then it becomes difficult to
explain why the incessant efforts of the last half century have
not produced an apple superior to the Newtown pippin, a pear
as finely flavored as the Seckel, or a plum equal to the old
green gage, whose seedlings, raised haphazard through the
country, though inferior to their parent, yet occupy almost
alone the wide space lying between it and all other varieties
of plum. My readers may pursue either track at their pleas-
ure. See Fertilization, page 74.

CHAPTER Xin.

Propagation of Fruit-trees by Seeds, Cuttings, Layers, &c. — Various
Stocks for Fruit-trees.

PROPAGATION OF FRUIT-TREES.
BY SEEDS.

See " Seedling Stocks," page 204.

BY CUTTINGS.

Currants, gooseberries, grape-vines, and quinces are often
raised from cuttings, and it is quite possible to raise apples,
pears, and other fruits in the same way.

Certain fruit-trees, as some varieties of the apple, indicate
a disposition to root by pushing out bunches or ganglions of
half-formed or inchoate buds from the plain body of the stem,
and from these, in due time, young shoots proceed. Cuttings
from such varieties strike readily. In certain circumstances
a similar result seems forced, as when the young green growth
feathers the whole length of the rough bark of the body of a
felled pitch-pine, or an equally unpromising locust post in a
lumber-yard.

It is. not, however, desirable to raise fruit-trees in this man-
ner. The heavier trees, when raised from cuttings, never make

196 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

enough strong roots to hold them securely ; they are generally
also much longer in attaining size than those raised from seed,
or grafted on seedling stocks.

Cuttings of currants, gooseberries, etc., are made from one
or more buds of the last year's growth, and should not be taken
from very near the point of the young shoots, but so far down
as to secure some firmness in the wood, and little pith. In
general, also, it is better to take them from the horizontal
branches which issue from near the root than from the central
upright growth.

BUD CUTTINGS.

Fig. 81.

a. Bud Cutting with sealed ends.
fc. Bud Cutting divided lengthwise.

A bud cutting consists of a single bud, with an inch or so of
the stem left on each side of it, which may be sealed at the
ends with pitch or grafting composition, as Fig. 81 a, though this
is not essential ; or it may be divided lengthwise, as shown
above, Fig. 816. Three or four of these may be set, with the bud
in position to start upward, about an inch deep, around the in-
side edge of a quart garden-pot in rich earth, or each bud may
be put singly into a half-pint pot, which is preferable. Early
in the season place them in a gentle hot bed to start them.
After they begin to grow and the weather becomes warm, the
glass may be removed, and, if they are carefully watered and
shaded, it will be safe to set them out in the open ground in
June, or they can be transferred to larger pots, as may be de-
sired. Single bud cuttings were largely used some years ago
for producing morus multicaulis, but are now resorted to al-
most exclusively for increasing rapidly choice varieties of the
grape.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

197

VI

BRANCH CUTTINGS.
Fig, 82.

d

a. An ordinary woody cutting.

&. A woody cutting with half an inch of last year's wood at the butt.

c. A cutting slipped off from the main stem, having the butt smoothly trimmed, com-
monly called a " slip."

d. A currant cutting with the underground buds cut off at the shoulder.

e. Cutting with its " callous" formed at the butt preparatory to rooting.
/. Cutting with roots and leaves put forth, ready for setting out.

Branch cuttings should have five or more buds, or three if
very long jointed, and must be smoothly cut with a sharp
knife just below and close by the lower bud (Fig. 82 a). If a
small piece of the old wood can be left at the butt of the cut-
ting it will more certainly succeed (Fig. 82 5). This object is
equally secured by slipping off the cutting from its main stem
and trimming it smoothly, and shortening it as in Fig. 82 c.

To prevent a habit of throwing up stem suckers, to which
currants and gooseberries especially are liable, the buds may
be cut off or broken clean out with the heart from that portion
of the cutting which is covered in planting, leaving the bud-
shoulder and bark of the branch uninjured, Fig. 82 d. Fig. 82 e
and/ show the incipient and progressive growth of cuttings^ In
general, cuttings should be planted so as to leave at discretion
from one to three buds above ground. (See also p. 438.) When

198

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

made in the fall, they should be very carefully planted, and
mulched between the rows late in the season, which will both
promote safe wintering, and supply a needful shade in spring.

Cuttings of all kinds, that may have become dried even to
shriveling, may be restored by carefully soaking them before
planting, and shading and watering afterward.

LAYERING.
Fig. 83.

O. Layer sprouts, the heavier one too strong for layering, unless toward its extremity.
6. Ordinary layering, with the tongues cut too sharp.

c. Ordinary layering, with the tongues cut nearly upon the upper side of the sprout, and

nibbed close to the bud.

d. Common layering on a heavy sprout, rendered manageable by a cut on the upper curve.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 199

Layers are properly branch cuttings, planted without being
entirely severed from the parent plant, and, like ordinary branch
cuttings, they are usually made from sprouts of last year's
growth. To prepare a woody bush or plant for layering, let all
very weak, or forked, and also overgrown sprouts be cut away,
leaving only such as have pretty fully developed buds down to
within six or eight inches of the ground. If the growth has
been so strong that the buds upon a foot or more of the lower
end of the sprout are small and obscure, it is seldom worth
while to layer it, unless it be toward the middle or the upper
extremity. (See Fig. 83 a.) The sprouts you propose to layer
must then be trimmed clear of all side shoots and leaves as far
up as it will be requisite to bury them. Having the bush or
plant thus trimmed, dig the earth carefully around it, breaking
it fine, and mixing rich mould with it, and sand if the soil be
heavy, leaving the whole, when finished, very slightly raised
above the natural level. Next, with a shingle five or six
inches long, or with the spade, make an open slit in the earth
to receive the layer. At such distance from the butt of the
sprout as will permit of its being bent down into the ground,
which is generally eight or ten inches, a cut is made about
half through the branch, immediately below and close to a bud,
and the knife being then carefully turned upward, a slit is
made of about an inch in length, which is termed tongueing it,
and the tongue, when cut, should have its end not thin and
sloping in, as shown in Fig. 83 Z>, but rather square or clubbed,
as Fig. 83 c, for which purpose, if needful, it must be nibbed.

It is then carefully bent down, with a slightly twisting mo-
tion in the process, to prevent snapping it off and to open it,
and being firmly pinned down with a hooked stick, Fig. 83 &, d,
it may be covered with from two to four inches of earth, cau-
tiously pressing it downward and around the layer, which
should then, like ordinary branch cuttings, be shortened to one
or two buds above the surface. It will be found in practice
that there is much less danger of layers snapping off when the
tongue is cut nearly upon the upper or inner side of the sprout,
in which case, by slightly twisting it, the bark side of the
sprout is brought underneath, while the lower end of the tongue

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

slides off the cut into a position almost perpendicular. (See
Fig. 83 c.) If the sprout to be layered prove stubborn, a slight
cut on the upper side, near the butt and toward the parent tree,
will weaken its resistance, and enable you to bend and pin it to
its proper place, and will also probably promote the rooting of
the layer, unless it be made more than half through the sprout,
which should be avoided. (See Fig. 83 d.)

All tongued layers require much care in removing them from
the parent plant, to avoid splitting them up from the tongue.
Generally, all the roots will be found to have grown from the
tongue-bud, and a little rashness may leave you a rootless
plant. (See Fig. 88, p. 203.)

Besides tongueing, other modes of attaining the same end
are sometimes used, as notching the sprout about half through
immediately below a bud. Sometimes tongueing is combined
with this, and in ^inexperienced hands the notching will render
it easier to form the tongue properly. Banding tightly with
wire, piercing with an awl or knife, girdling a narrow space, or
merely twisting the shoot just beyond the bud from which the
roots are expected to push, are all resorted to, while some
plants, as the grape-vine, root freely if the branches are simply
fastened down and covered lightly with earth.

HILL LAYERING.

Fig> 84. This is a process often re-

sorted to for propagating free-
rooting woody plants, as the
quince, certain varieties of
the apple, and some forest
trees. The young shoots arc
prepared by trimming, as di-
rected above for common lay-
ering, but may be tongued or not, according to the character of
the tree, a flattened or dished hill of earth, six or eight inches
high, being made about them, as shown in the figure. All lay-
ers are benefited by being mulched, but hill layers especially
should be thus protected and regularly watered, dressing them
occasionally with weak liquid manure.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 201

For hill layering by simple banking up, see " Offshoots,"
p..203.

STOCKS.

For the propagation of fruits by grafting or budding, stocks
are required, and it is of great importance that they be stocks
on which the fruit we graft or bud will not only grow, but last
and grow healthfully to maturity. Grafts or buds may some-
times grow for a year or two upon very incongruous stocks, as
the peach upon the wild cherry, &c., and the curious may try
to ascertain how far these incongruities, and devices to coun-
terfeit them, which are so famous in Chinese and Italian gar-
dening, may be pushed. The ancients as well as the moderns
amused themselves with such experiments, and have left us
the record of their very useless labors. A different course
must be pursued if we seek fruits for use or profit.

Stocks should be of kindred species with the graft or bud
that is united to them, or at least of the same natural order,
as pear and quince, or thorn ; plum and peach, &c.

Unless for the purpose of dwarfing, the stock should always,
if possible, be of as free growth as the kind which is grafted
or budded upon it ; and if this can not be attained, then the
grafting or budding should be performed close to the ground,
so that when the tree is transplanted the head of the stock
may be set entirely under ground, otherwise the grafted kind
will largely overgrow the stock at the point of junction, and
probably induce disease and premature decay.

In many parts of our country there is difficulty in this mat-
ter in respect to stocks for plums, but few of our common kinds,
except the Mussel or Horse plum, being free growers, while
this is so liable to the black knot as to render it nearly value-
less, in addition to which it is almost always raised from lay-
ers, which do not root like seedlings.

ROOT STOCKS.

Pieces of the roots of mature trees are sometimes used for
grafting, being cut into lengths for this purpose (Fig. 85 a),
and set out after the grafting is performed, an expedient which

12

202

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 85.

a. A pair of root stocks, pieces of root from mature trees.

&. A pair of root stocks, pieces of the tap-root of one or two-year-old seedlings.

should never be resorted to ; such stocks generally make only
a one-sided growth of root, and, as in the case of sucker stocks,
leave the tree to the mercy of the wind. It requires symmet-
rical roots to sustain a tree in erect and healthful growth (see
Fig. 89 5, page 204). Neither offshoot, nor sucker, nor root
stock will furnish these, unless, possibly, the tap-root of a
seedling cut into lengths, which, perhaps, may be expected to
retain throughout its growth the natural habit of its seedling
form (Fig. 85 b).

ROOT SUCKERS.

Fig. 86.

Runner roots and their suckers, with feeble hair-like rootlets.

ROOT SUCKERS are often used for stocks. These differ from
offshoots or stem suckers in that they are thrown up from pe-
culiar runner-roots, which do not supply food to the tree, but
rather abstract it to support the young brood they put forth.
This habit of throwing up suckers is transmitted to the suck-
er, and when it is used as a stock the tree becomes a nuisance,
not only generally failing to form sufficient root to support it-
self, but, instead of this, spreading around it a young forest of

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 203

worthless growth (Fig. 86). I have now in my eye such a
tree, obtained from one of the best nurseries in the state, which,
though not thicker than a man's arm, requires bracing against
the wind, while its root suckers are spread over a circle of sixty
feet diameter.

OFFSHOOTS, OR STEM SUCKER STOCKS.

Many kinds of trees have a habit of throwing out young
rig. ST. shoots from the stem at the butt, or just

above it, especially when the upper
growth is checked or cut off. In cer-
tain kinds, these young shoots, if touch-
ing the earth, root freely, and of this
habit advantage is sometimes taken to
procure such for stocks by banking the
earth around the tree. They are known

Offshoots from the stem collar „ , . ,-.-,. „,,_,.

putting forth rootlets. as offshoots, or stem suckers (Fig. 87).
They are really untongued hill layers, and have, in general, the
disadvantages of layer stocks.

LAYER STOCKS.

Stocks, particularly of cherry and plum, and the dwarf ap-
83. pies, are extensively raised

by layers. For this pur-
pose the tree is cut off
close to the ground, so as
to induce sprouting from
the collar. In a few years
it loses entirely the char-
acter of a stemmed tree,
and becomes a mere bunch
of sprouts, which, as they
are renewed from year to year, are trimmed out and layered
(Fig. 88). They are of certain well-known varieties, as the
Mazzard cherry, the Mussel or Horse plum, and the Paradise
apple, &c., and make tolerable stocks, but are in measure de-
fective in root power, being inclined to one-sidedness (see Fig.
88), and often also somewhat disposed to produce root suckers.

204

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
SEEDLING STOCKS.

a. Seedling stock of one year's growth, shortened and ready for transplanting.
6. A well-rooted seedling stock, suitable for cleft-grafting, with its third year's growth,
having been once transplanted.

All stocks for grafting or budding should be raised from

The various fruit-seeds desired for producing stocks should
be collected from healthy trees in their season, and, instead of
being stored dry, as garden-seeds, should be mixed with earth,
and kept either in a cellar or out of doors, the latter being
preferable where it can be done with safety. The housewife's
practice of placing peach-pits under a flat stone in the fall is
perfect so far as relates to the fulfillment of the conditions nec-
essary or desirable to the healthful preservation of all fruit-
seeds through the winter. All tree-seeds may be advantage-
ously sown in the fall if they can be secured from vermin,
unless for special reasons it is preferred to keep them until
spring.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 205

In the case of apples and pears it is better to obtain seed for
raising stocks from the more hardy inferior varieties than from
choice kinds. Pear seedlings, being liable to injury from the
first winter's cold, should either be covered with earth in the
fall, or taken up and kept in a cellar, and set out again in spring,
in which case they may be multiplied by setting out separately
the pieces of roots obtained in shortening, Fig. 89 a, allowing
their upper ends just to appear above the surface, and settling
the earth to them firmly, and very thinly mulching them.

Cherries also may be raised from the common black or Maz-
zard, or the honey cherry.

Plums which are to be used as stocks may be of any kinds
that have a moderately free growth. The plum is often used
in unfavorable soils and climates as a stock for the peach as
well as for the apricot and plum, and in our more favorable lo-
calities the plum and apricot may be safely and advantageous-
ly worked upon the peach, at least if it be budded low, so that
the whole of the stock may be covered when it is transplanted.
At a short distance from the plum-tree referred to above, as
upon a sucker stock, stand two others which were planted at
the same time, some twelve years ago, one of them being bud-
ded on a seedling plum stock, and the other upon peach. Both
appear thoroughly and equally vigorous. The peach as a
stock for the" plum would therefore seem worthy of careful and
repeated trial.

Peach stocks, whether for plum or peach propagation, should
not be raised from pits of unhealthy fruit, but from trees that
are not in any way diseased, obtained either by careful selec-
tion in your own locality, or from regions not yet invaded by
the prevailing maladies of the peach-tree. As these are usual-
ly budded in the seed-row, it might be well to start the pits in
the spring before planting them, and nip the young tap-root
an inch or two. See page 365. The bitter almond, raised in
the same manner, is sometimes used as a stock for the peach,
particularly by the French, being supposed to render it more
fruitful, probably by slightly dwarfing it. All other seedling
stocks should be transplanted at one, or, at the most, two years
old, the roots being shortened to four or six inches, and the

206 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

tops cut back in proportion (Fig. 89 a). If their multiplica-
tion is desired, they may be treated as above directed for seed-
ling pears, and, being assorted into their several sizes, they
may be set in the home nursery, or at once where they are in-
tended to stand permanently, to be grafted or budded after
they have made one or two seasons' additional growth ; but in
general, for home use, it is better to plant only the main stock,
properly shortened and trimmed, allowing this to attain a di-
ameter of from a half to three quarters of an inch, or a little
more, before grafting it (see Fig. 89 b). From such stocks, with
proper after-treatment, you may expect a growth of five, six, or
eight feet the first season from the graft or bud.

STOCKS FOR WEAK OR IRREGULAR GROWERS.

There are varieties of almost every kind of fruit, which,
though valuable, do not grow vigorously, and such it is always
desirable to graft upon strong growing stocks at the height at
which it is intended to form the head.

There are also certain kinds, particularly of plums and pears,
that have an irregular habit of growth, not making good stems
for themselves, yet requiring strong stocks. These, when seed-
lings of sufficient strength can not be procured, are provided
for by grafting a strong, upright-growing, cultivated variety
upon a common stock near the ground, as above directed, upon
which, when it has attained the desired height, the irregular
grower is grafted. This process is known as double, or, more
properly, "intermediary" grafting, and is also sometimes
adopted in raising dwarfed pears by first grafting a familiar
variety upon the quince, and regrafting this with a kind that
would not grow if grafted directly upon that stock.

DWARFING STOCKS.

For special purposes, particularly to enable amateurs to en-
large their collection of varieties of fruit upon a. limited space,
and to hasten the period of fruiting, strong growing varieties
of fruit-trees, or those kinds which, though vigorous, are nat-
urally slow in attaining fruitful maturity, are grafted or bud-
ded upon certain stocks of comparatively diminutive growth,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

207

by which they are dwarfed, and a tendency to earlier, and, in
some cases, to superior fruiting is induced ; or rather, perhaps,
we should say that, in climates unsuited to certain varieties,
when grown upon strong seedling stocks, dwarfing affords us
aid by hastening the maturity of the fruit.

The illustration of this with which we are most familiar is
that of the pear worked upon the Angers and other free-grow-
ing varieties of quince stock. It is also sometimes grafted
upon the mountain ash or the hawthorn, but the quince stock
is the best and most generally reliable.

For dwarfing the apple, small growing varieties, known as
the Doucain and Paradise stocks, are used.

Plums are sometimes, but rarely, grafted for this purpose
upon the smaller varieties of plum, the damson, the winter
damson or bullace, and the sloe, etc.

With the same view, peaches are sometimes budded on the
small, double-flowering almond, to be fruited in pots.

CHAPTER XIV.

Implements for Pruning, Budding, and Grafting.
IMPLEMENTS FOR PRUNING, BUDDING, GRAFTING, &c.

208 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The hammer, Fig. 90 a, is of the common form, with steel
face and claws.

The half axe, Fig. 90 &, and hatchet, Fig 90 c, for use among
trees and shrubs, are of the forms in common use, and may be
heavier or lighter, to suit the arm that is to work with them.

The pruning chisel may be either a common socket chisel
of the desired width, or it may be made with a hooked knife
attached for cutting small sprouts from the limbs, as shown
above, Fig. 90 d. The handle should be of light but stiff wood,
and may be eight or ten feet long, or may be formed of joints,
so as to vary the length. It will cut off a pretty smart branch
by the mere force of the hand, and still larger ones by the use
of a mallet to drive it.

Fig. 91.

a. Pruning Saw. 6. Drawing-knife.

The pruning saw, called also " grafting saw" (Fig. 91 a),
should be eighteen or twenty inches long in the blade, and a
little narrower and stiffer than an ordinary carpenter's saw,
with a pretty wide set, to give it clear way through the green
wood.

The drawing-knife, Fig. 91 Z>, which should always be used
after the saw, unless the pruning-knife is made to serve the
purpose, may be a common small straight drawing-knife, but
will be found more convenient for its purposes if made with a
curved edge, as shown in the figure.

Fig 91 The tree scraper, Fig. 91 c, is used for

jv^ dressing off the dead bark, moss, &c., from

the bodies and large limbs of trees. It is
jj^fea^l^l tne common ship scraper, furnished with a
' long handle, and applied to use in the or-
chard. A worn-out goose-necked garden
hoe may be used instead, the blade being
set out to a right angle with the neck, so
that it will scrape, and not cut.

AMLRICAX HOME GARDEN.

209

SHEARS, &C.
Fig. 92.

a. Dressing Shears.

6. Large Pruning Shears.

c. Medium Pruning Shears.

d. Small Pruning Shears.

e. Grape Scissors.

/. Flower or Seed Scissors.

The dressing shears, Fig. 92 a, are large and strongly-made
shears, of various sizes and fashions, with equal blades and di-
verging wooden handles, used chiefly for dressing box edging,
and occasionally shrubbery. They are also sometimes used for
dressing live fences, and on this account are also called hedge
shears.

The pruning shears, Fig. 92 b, are strongly-made scissors,
with one very short blade, and a beak or finger, with handles

210 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

long enough to give so much power that a branch or tree of an
inch in diameter may be easily cut off with them.

The medium size, Fig. 92 c, are intended for ordinary prun-
ing. They are of the best and simplest construction, the han-
dles opening by a stout spring, and being held together, when
not in use, by a small smooth wire loop.

The smaller size (Fig. 92 d) may be used with or without a
spring, and are intended for light shrub and flower pruning.

Those of the larger sizes are usually made with a sliding
joint or movable centre, to give smoothness to the cut, and are
sometimes fixed upon a pole, with a rope attached to the lever
handle, for pruning high trees or cutting scions.

The beak or finger of pruning shears is commonly made of
equal thickness throughout, with its upper edge almost square,
and being always held outside of the cut, it prevents the yield-
ing of the branch, and thus forms a strong brace against the
action of the blade. If regularly beveled from back to edge,
leaving the latter from one sixteenth to one eighth of an inch
in thickness, there would be no loss of strength, with a great
saving of power, and consequent relief to the hand in working.

They are all efficient instruments in pruning, being especial-
ly convenient and useful for shortening and thinning thorny
shrubs, and in all rough trimming. An expert with the prun-
ing knife will seldom be inclined to use the shears ; their cut
is not so clean as that of a good knife, and when they are at all
dull there is a degree of bruising in the operation ; but they
are safer in inexperienced hands, since, in all ordinary work, it
is only necessary to have strong fingers, and to understand that
the blade, and not the beak, must be held next to the tree in
cutting off its branch, and the greenest hand can use the shears.

The grape scissors, Fig. 92 e, are common small sharp-point-
ed and rather long-bladed scissors, used for thinning the
grapes when crowding upon their bunches, and for various
other delicate operations of the fancy cultivator.

The seed or flower scissors, Fig. 92/, combine the operations
of cutting and holding. They are small round-pointed scis-
sors, with one proper blade (a), along the outer edge of which
runs a small bar or plate (i), against which the straight, keen-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

211

angled beak or finger (c) catches, and presses the stem of the
head or bud when cut off. They are convenient in gathering
flowers that have to be reached after, or the seeds of Phlox
Drummondii, and other plants where there is danger that any
jar in plucking one head may scatter the seeds of others.

Fig. 93.

THE FRUIT-GATHERER.

The fruit-gatherer is an instrument for securing the
few extra-fine fruit which are often found upon the ex-
tremities of limbs, out of the reach of ordinary hand-
picking. There are several kinds, but the accompany-
ing figure shows one of simple form, which any tin-
worker can make, and which, when rigged upon a sin-
gle or jointed pole, with a little cotton batt or other
soft material in it, will gather the scattered fruit quick-
ly and safely.

BUDDING KNIFE.

Fig. 94.

The budding knife has a flat bone handle, which is usually
made with a rounded end, and the blade is often straight-edged
and sharp pointed. The rounded, recurved blade and the
square-ended handle, with the outer corner not too sharp, and
a small, smooth, dull notch in the inner one, to aid, if needful,
in pressing the bud downward beneath the bark, will be found
very superior in actual operations, especially where rapid work
is desired (Fig. 94 a). The smaller and still more obtuse-
formed blade, Fig. 94 Z>, is also well adapted ; this generally
has a common round handle, with a flat bone end inserted.

PRUNING KNIFE.

The pruner is a strongly-,,
made knife, clasp or other-
wise, the blade of which is
usually made about an inch

Fig. 95.

212

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

broad, and from two and a half to three inches long. The edge
should have a fair sweeping inward curve from heel to point,
as shown in the figure (95). The handle, if small or twisted,
is apt to cramp or strain the hand by continuous use ; it should
therefore be large, and bent and set so as to lie fair in the
hand, and balance. As these knives are commonly made, the
point is too much hooked, so that they almost invariably snap,
and have to be ground up again, which generally spoils the
knife for some of its special and most delicate uses, though it
converts it into an excellent splitter or stock knife.

STOCK KNIFE.
Fig. 96.

This is a short, strong knife, intended for splitting stocks
of ordinary size and opening the cleft wiiile inserting the
graft, thus saving the edge of the grafter. It may also be
used instead of the pruner for heading down stocks.

GRAFTING KNIFE.
Fig. 9T.

The grafter, or, more properly, the graft-cutter, should have
a rather long, light blade, its point being set a little forward,
but with a perfectly straight edge.

If it is used both for cutting the grafts and splitting the
stocks it will require to be rather stronger, and must be care-
fully handled, using it near the point for cutting and the heel
for splitting.

It is used for cutting the various graft wedges in all the
modes of grafting, and its edge should be kept clear and keen

as a razor.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 213

Grafting may be well performed with any good straight-
edged knife, but it is better to have two, the one for cutting
the graft, which may be light, and must be kept as thor-
oughly sharpened as a razor or surgical instrument ; the other,
for splitting the stock, should be stout, and its edge kept smooth
and in good order. When large stocks are split it is done
with the grafting tool (Fig. 99), the edge of which should also
be kept in first-rate order.

When cleft-grafting is to be performed on a large number
of moderate-sized stocks before planting, a simple machine
knife may be used for splitting them, the stock being held
with the left hand in a groove immediately below the knife,
the lever handle of which is raised by a spring, and brought
down by pressure of the hand or foot, and the stock split pre-
cisely to the extent desired, the knife, which is curved back-
ward, entering the side of the stock gradually from heel to
point, so that the split is almost always smooth.

See also Stock Splitter, Fig. 100, p. 215.

There is also a machine for cutting the graft-wedge ready
for insertion, which does its work with rapidity and neatness.
It is doubtful, however, whether its uniformity of cut may not
seriously interfere with that judicious adaptation of the wedge
to the split which enables us to match the bark of graft and
stock throughout almost or quite the whole length of the cut,
in which, in connection with the keeping a perfectly smooth,
keen edge upon your knife, and the neat, " slick," expert use
of it in making the various cuts, lies the whole secret of suc-
cess in grafting.

GRAFTING STILETTO!

Fig. 98.

The stiletto, Fig. 98, is a small instrument a few inches
long and about a quarter of an inch in diameter, the lower end
of which is fashioned as a rather long, tapering, half-round
wedge, corresponding in form, and, as near as may be, in size

214 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

with the graft-wedge to be inserted in the opening which it
prepares. It is intended exclusively for crown grafting, which
see, and may be of steel, or bone, or hard wood ; or may be
made on the spur of the occasion from a green scion. It may
have a pocket-case, or simply a loop by which it may be hung
upon a twig or button. A goldsmith's burnisher of suitable
size, costing twenty-five to fifty cents, may be used as a sub-
stitute if desired.

GRAFTING TOOL.

Fig. 99.

The grafting tool, as shown in Fig. 99, is formed of a small
bar of steel from twelve to fifteen inches long, half an inch
wide, and rather over a quarter of an inch thick, one end being
drawn so as to make it a little lighter than the other. A
short wedge is formed upon each end for use in opening the
cleft while inserting the graft ; that at the heavier end is ab-
ruptly bent backward at a right angle to the knife, the lighter
end being curved in the opposite direction sufficiently to allow
of the tool being hung over a branch by it. The knife, which
is formed simply by forging out the bar near its heavy end to
about two inches width, may be made larger or smaller, but
four inches may be regarded as a good size, the edge having a
curve equal to the sweep of an eight-inch circle. It should
be forged thicker at the middle than the ends, making both its
sides slightly and equally convex. The back of it should be
beveled to about half of its full thickness, so that its battered
edges, after much use, may not tear the crown of the stock
when driven into it.

This is a perfectly satisfactory instrument for use among
large stocks and limbs, if they are split at all, but for such
the simpler process of crown grafting with the use of the sti-
letto is greatly preferable. See page 233.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 215

STOCK SPLITTER.

Fig. 100.

The stock splitter, Fig. 100, is formed of a stout wooden
handle and grooved head-piece (a), the latter either a simple
extension of the former or set at a more or less obtuse angle to
it, combined upon an iron pivot with an iron handle of the
same length, terminated by a knife of pretty thin steel (6),
which works directly toward, but does not touch the inner face
of the groove.

The edge of the knife should be gradually curved backward,
and perhaps the addition- of a small slide in the joint would
farther improve it. In working this implement the wooden
groove is placed against the back of the stock so far down as
the operator may desire to extend the cut, and the cleft is-
made in an instant by pressure upon the outer end of the iron
handle. It is sometimes used at the same time for heading
down the stocks, but this is of doubtful expediency, in view of
the importance of keeping its edge in fine order.

LABELS.
BAND LABELS.

Labels may be made with- small pieces of pine, about one
third of an inch thick, or like the thick end of a good shingle.
A small block of straight-grained pine, four inches square and
an inch thick, will make a dozen of them ; and if a small hole
be first bored through it, about half an inch from the end, each
label, as it is split off, will be ready for wiring (101 a) ; or, if
preferred, the boring may be omitted, and each may be notch-
ed and the wire twisted round it (101 b). These should be
smoothed at least on one side, and painted with white lead.
Upon this the name or number should be written legibly with

216

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 101.

a rather soft pencil, and the label be then fastened to the tree
with copper wire, about No. 18, or lead wire of a little larger
size, being careful not to set the wire tightly upon the tree,
but making allowance for growth.

Metallic labels may be made of zinc, or lead, or tin, which
may be punched and wired to the tree, as 101 c. If zinc is
used, it may be written on with the following mixture : Take
two drachms of sal ammoniac, two drachms of verdigris, one
drachm of lampblack, and two and a half ounces of water ; mix
carefully in a mortar with a small portion of the water, then
add the rest and bottle it. Keep it well corked and sealed
when not wanted, and shake it well before using it. Whatever
metal is used, however, it is much better to stamp the name
or number upon it with a punch. A set of letters and num-
bers, of steel, may be bought for three or four dollars, which
will last a lifetime ; or cast brass, or pot metal, or iron letters
and numbers, which will punch the labels almost as well, may
be obtained at a cheaper rate. If lead, or even tin, is used,
common cast-off type from the printers will punch it satisfac-
torily, though for the latter brass or steel types are better.

A single line drawn upon the metal will enable any one to
keep the letters in a proper position, and when finished, the
strip can be flattened again with a wooden mallet or block.
Perhaps the best labels for growing or large trees may be made
with strips of tin or lead, the latter being best on the whole,
from half an inch to two inches wide, and of any necessary
length, upon one end of which the name is to be punched as
above directed, and the other, being passed around the tree as

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

217

a band, and folded once over, will form a slack loop, in which
the band will slip easily with the enlarging growth of the tree
(101 d) ; or it may be made as a simple band or bracelet (as
101 e), with the ends overlapping or not, at discretion. Its
own strength will keep it in place, and it can be read even
when placed at a considerable height. All danger from cut-
ting in will thus be avoided, and a permanent and legible label
be secured.

For small plants or shrubs, 101 f may be used, being punch-
ed with smaller letters, or, if made of zinc, written upon, and
coiled as 101 d e ; or it may be used as a stake label, instead
of 102 a, for pot plants or flower-plots in the garden, &c.

All labels should be examined annually, and, if necessary,
renewed or freshly painted. For trees and shrubs, however,
labels alone ought not to be depended on, but every cultivator
of these should prepare in a book diagrams of his several plots
or orchards, upon which the position and name of each tree
must be designated clearly and with precision.

STAKE LABELS.

Stake labels may be made of metal, as 101 /, or of strips of

shingle for small articles, pots,
&c. (102 a), and of locust, or
chestnut, or cedar, or cypress,
or pitch pine, for larger ones
(102 5). These should be
about an inch and a half
square, and full two feet long,
smoothed, and painted, and
written on, as above directed,
or marked by burning in with
a branding-iron, or numbered
with the Roman numerals, cut
in with a knife or sawn across
the face of the tally, making
a notch on one corner, or any other mark you may devise, to
stand for ten, and others for fifty and one hundred, if necessa-
ry. Stake labels are sometimes made of brick or potters' clay ;

K

Fig. 102.

218 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

they are simply tapering bricks of divers fashions and sizes, of
which one end is formed as a tablet, upon which the name or
number is imprinted while soft, or painted on, and afterward
properly glazed and burned hard, Fig. 102 c, d.

TIES.

Strips of the ordinary Russian bass mat, common in our fur-
niture stores, though generally called " garden" mats, or sim-
ilar strips of the inner bark of our own bass-wood-tree, or of
the willow, or the leather- wood, Dirca, or the paper mulberry,
or of well-kept corn-husk, or coarse yarn, or cheap cotton twine,
or candle-wick, or strips of rag, may all be used in various
ways as ties, and some of them should be kept at hand for the
purpose. But for securing trees when staked, straw bands are
used.

CHAPTER XV.

Nature of Budding. — Bud Scions. — Stocks for, and Modes and Times of
Budding. — After-treatment, &c.

BUDDING.

BUDDING is a process suited, with lew exceptions, to all
kinds of trees and shrubs, and should be generally preferred to
grafting for its simplicity and ease.

The knives for this purpose, figured page 211, are the only
forms really suitable for expert and rapid work, but the opera-
tion may be performed with a common pen or pocket knife.

Budding and grafting, though appearing somewhat difficult
in description, which is necessarily prolix, are really very sim-
ple operations, which any whittling boy or smart girl may per-
form, and succeed on the very first trial ; and, with the facili-
ties for the cheap and rapid transmission of scions or grafts
afforded by our present mail rates, the author has pleasure in
anticipating that many young persons will avail themselves of
the instructions here given, and plant and bud or graft choice
fruits for coming years.

As a matter of curiosity, either grafting or budding may be

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 219

successfully, though with some difficulty, performed with the
buds inverted, the wood cells consisting of even cylindrical
tubes, through which the circulation will pass in either direc-
tion.

Budding is often called inoculating, but this name seems to
have originated in a misconception. Inoculation is, in medical
practice, the introduction of a virus into the circulation, which
spreads through it. But budding and grafting are the simple
planting of a bud or branch cutting in circumstances favora-
ble to its rapid growth and development as a tree. Nothing
from it, so far as we know, permeates the system and affects
the character of the stock ; nor does it receive any appreciable
modification in its own essential characteristics from the stock ;
but uniting with it, or living as a parasite upon it, and deriv-
ing its nourishment through it, its own inherent force is put
forth in the formation of its system of stem, branches, and
fruit, the stock also retaining for itself the same distinct indi-
viduality, each preserving in undiminished force its peculiar
local powers of appropriate secretion and organization, all
growth from below the junction being constantly throughout
the life of the tree " natural," or of the stock, and all above
the 'junction partaking with equal constancy of the nature of
the graft. There is, therefore, no analogy between inoculation
and budding, and we retain the latter term. Contrary to the
above views, it has been supposed by some that late fruits are
materially affected in their period of maturing by being bud-
ded or grafted on stocks of early kinds ; but if this were so, of
which I have failed to find proof, the converse ought also to be
true, and our early fruits become belated by grafting upon
stocks of later varieties ; but almost all apple stocks are raised
from kinds comparatively late. Upon these our earliest apple
—the little white Early May — has been continuously worked
for centuries, and upon this theory it is inconceivable that it
should have retained its distinctive character.

It may, perhaps, be regarded as certain that, in general, the
stock affects the graft only in two ways : first, by its own hard-
iness and durability, securing, under proper conditions, contin-
uance to the graft inserted in it ; and, second, by the character

220

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

of its growth. If this equal or exceed the graft in freedom,
healthful vigor of growth in the tree is secured ; if it fall much
short of the freedom of the graft growth, diseased or morbid
action is superinduced, and hence the dwarfing, premature
fruiting, and limitation of life.

BUD SCION AND BUDS.

a Fig. 103. a. Bud scion trimmed for use, and inverted

as it must be held in cutting out the
b i\c buds.

6. The bud as cut from the inverted scion,

with the wood in.

c. The bud turned to its natural direction,
with the wood taken out.

The young shoot from which buds
and grafts are cut is called a scion, and
sometimes the graft itself is improper-
ly so called. The bud scion is prepared by trimming off
its leaves so far as the buds are full and ripe for use, cut-
ting each leaf stem a quarter or half an inch from the
bud, cutting off the butt end of the scion upon which the
buds may not be plump, and rejecting at discretion four
or six inches of its point, on which the buds, though
plump, may not be ripened.
The necessary bandages, which may be prepared from any
of the materials named for ties, page 218, should be cut into
lengths of from twelve to eighteen inches, and strung to a gir-
dle or through a button-hole, so as to be conveniently out of
the way until wanted.

Taking the prepared scion in your left hand, with its point
toward you (Fig. 103 a), hold it firmly between your thumb and
the second joint of the middle finger, while the point of your
extended fore-finger supports and steadies it precisely under-
neath the bud which you intend to remove.

With your budding-knife, perfectly keen, in your right hand,
held firmly by the fingers as when sharpening a lead-pencil,
with the right thumb laid, not under, but upon the scion, im-
mediately against the point of the left thumb, stretch the hand
until the knife rests flatly upon the scion, half an inch or a lit-
tle more back of the bud ; then entering the edge, carefully and

AMERICAN HOME GAEDEN.

221

Fig. 104.

gradually, with a drawing and perfectly level cut, let it pass
under the bud at a depth just sufficient to cut out the bud
with its swelling, scarcely scaling the wood, and coming out
gradually as it entered, half an inch or more above the point
of the bud (Fig. 103 6).

Sometimes the thin scale of wood is taken out from the bud,
and the bark only inserted (Fig. 103 c), but this is entirely un-
necessary, involving also some difficulty, and risk of spoiling the
bud. If done at all, it should be performed by turning the bud
into its natural direction, and holding it carefully between the
points of the thumb and fore-finger of the left hand, and, loos-
ening the wood from the bark at the upper end with the point
of your knife, pass the blade under it, and holding the thin
piece of wood firmly by pressing your thumb upon it on the
knife, lift it carefully from its place with a slightly turning
or rolling motion from one side, and you will probably effect
its removal without drawing out the germ of the future'tree,
which is the danger to be apprehended, and
which will almost certainly occur if you begin
the removal of the wood at the wrong end.

STOCKS SUITABLE FOR BUDDING.

Stocks for budding should not, at the larg-
est, be more than three fourths of an inch di-
ameter, nor smaller than, at the least, twice
the thickness of the scion from which the bud
is taken. A stock is prepared for budding by
trimming off all leaves and branches from near
the point at which the bud is to be inserted,
and generally all below this point, though this
last is not essential unless the lower growth be
strong, Fig. 104.

STOCKS PREPARED AND BUDDED.

Having cut out the bud as above directed, hold it for a mo-
ment edgewise between your lips, and with your knife, held
lightly by your thumb and finger points, make a cross cut just
in the clear spot chosen for inserting the bud, through the

222

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

a. The stock prepared for receiving the bud.
• &. The stock, with the bud inserted and shortened.

c. The stock, with the bud inserted and bound.

bark, about half an inch or less long ; then, turning your knife
point downward, with your right fore-finger pressing upon the
back of the blade, the handle being held firmly between the
thumb and middle finger, make a straight, clean slit from an
inch below upward to the cross cut, forming a T. When at the
cross cut, and before withdrawing the knife, rack it once from
side to side, so as with the edge to loosen and slightly open
the bark at that point (Fig. 105 a) ; quickly turning the knife
handle down, and holding it as a pen is held in writing, pass
the square corner of the bone handle carefully under each edge
of the slit, opening it just enough to admit the bud, and no
more ; then, having inserted this, slip it down toward" the bot-
tom of the slit so far as to make it sit firmly in its place, using
for this purpose either the finger laid upon the piece of leaf-
stem and the bud, or the dull notch intended for that purpose at
the opposite corner of the handle (see p. 211). If the upper
end of the bark of the bud extend at all above the cross cut,
take it off by passing the knife once more along the cross line,
so that it will set in nicely (Fig. 105 b). Then tie it carefully
and tightly, beginning at the bottom, and taking special care

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 223

that in starting to wrap it you do not also press the bud upward
out of place, and as you proceed in the binding, use a gentle
pressure upon it to make it fit its place, leaving only the short
leaf-stem and point of the bud uncovered by the bandage (Fig.
105 c). Or two bands may be used, beginning with one im-
mediately above the bud, and wrapping upward, and the other
just below and on the swell of the bud, and winding downward,
the latter only being loosened or removed at the first after-
dressing of the bud. This, however, like too early budding, is
.apt to start the young bud in the fall, which, when occurring
from any cause, is injurious, increasing the labor of tending,
generally resulting in the production of a feebler growth than
if the bud had lain dormant until spring, and almost uniformly
rendering the tree more or less unsightly at the point of junc-
tion of the bud and stock.

ANNULAR BUDDING.

ANNULAR BUDDING is performed by cut-
ting, or rather peeling, a ring of bark about
half an inch wide from the stock (Fig. 106
a), and a corresponding ring, containing a
bud, from a scion of equal size, or a little
larger (Fig. 106 5), and fitting the latter
neatly in the place of the former, shorten-
ing it if its girth be greater than necessa-

a. The stock prepared for j T_ • j • • > n n ir»i

annular budding. ry> and binding it carefully and firmly.
6. The bud-ring prepared This mode of budding is peculiarly suited

to fit the stock. , . . . ° . r. , . J

to trees having thick, rigid bark, and is
rarely used.

TIME OF BUDDING.

All budding may be performed in the fall. Fruit-trees and
some fancy forest trees are usually budded in July and Au-
gust, beginning with pear and cherry, then plum, orange, rose,
apple, and peach, the latter being sometimes postponed to
September. The time, however, will vary with locality, it be-
ing always advisable to bud as late as may be possible consist-
ent with the easy and successful setting of the bud, so that

224

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

no growth may take place before spring. Orange-trees and
other green-house plants, being calculated to grow right on un-
der protection, are exceptions, and may be budded in spring, or
summer, or winter.

AFTER-TREATMENT.
Fig. 107.

a. The bud united to the stock, and the bandage loosened and removed in due time.

&. A neglected bud, the bandage having cut deeply into the stock, causing unnatural en-
largement above and below, with a growth of stem-suckers.

c. The bud in spring, the stock cut down about four inches above it, and all the natural
or stock buds removed.

<f. The bud growing, and tied up to the shank of the stock.

<-. The bud in spring, ^he stock being cut at once down to the point of the bud.

/. The bud growing naturally upright, but staked to secure it against danger of injury in
its early stages.

In about two weeks after the budding you may loosen the
bandage, and before winter, or whenever it seems to be cutting

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 225

into the stock, remove it entirely, when the bud will be found
firmly united to the stock, but showing no signs of immediate
growth, Fig. 107 a. If, however, the bandage be left without
relief, it will cut into the stock, sometimes destroying the bud,
and forcing a fall growth of stem-suckers, and the multiplica-
tion of sucker-buds at the collar of the stock, Fig. 107 b.

Early in the spring remove all natural or stock-buds, and
cut off the head of the stock about four inches above the bud,
Fig. 107 c. When the latter has started to ^row four or six
inches, draw it gently upright, nearly touching this shank, and
tie it carefully, Fig. 107 d.

Keep the stock free from all young natural shoots through-
out the summer, and if the bud grows at all thriftily, cut off
the shank with a -sharp knife about the end of June, finishing
it with a downward slope from the back of the bud.

As there is some difficulty in cutting away the shank at this
time without injury to the young growth of the bud, it may be
avoided by cutting the head of the stock at once down to the
bud before it starts to grow, as in Fig. 107 e, and the young
shoot from the bud will naturally grow upright, Fig. 107/.
As a measure of defense against possible injury, the top of the
stock which is cut off may be stuck firmly down by the side
of the bud, which, while young, may be tied up to it as a stake,
Fig. 107/.

CHAPTER XVI.

Grafting. — Grafting large Trees, &c. — Various Modes and Times of Graft-
ing.— After-treatment.

GRAFTING.

For figures and descriptions of grafting and budding knives,
see pages 211-213 ; and for ties, page 218.

Around every country home, however humble, there should
always be found some natural stocks of various kinds, such as
have been described pages 204 and 205, ready for budding or
grafting whenever scions of valuable fruit may be obtained. If
they are not used for the propagation of new varieties, they

K 2

226

AMERICAN HOME. GARDEN.

will serve for valuable common kinds, care being taken to graft
them before they become very large, although even then they
may be grafted as shown below.

LARGE TREES.
Fig. 108.

A. Large tree to be grafted by installments, viz :
a, a, a, a. To be grafted the first year.

6, b. To be grafted the second year.

c, c, c. To be grafted the third year ; and any that have failed to grow may also be ro-
grafted.

B. A large tree, the limbs of which have been cut off to induce a growth of sprouts for
budding or grafting.

Whenever it is discovered that fruit-trees are not such kinds
as we would desire, or are of such kinds as do not suit our par-
ticular locality, they should be immediately regrafted, substi-
tuting a variety of known character and success. Little or no
time will be lost in the maturing of the tree for full bearing if
this be done with promptitude. If, however, the tree has at-
tained considerable size, let it be grafted by installments, be-
ginning near the top, and grafting about one third of it per
year. See Fig. 108 A.

Sometimes such a tree has all its limbs cut off at once within
a foot or two of the trunk, for the purpose of inducing a young
growth of sprouts that may be more easily grafted or budded ;
and if the tree be comparatively young and vigorous, it may

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

227

bear thrs treatment and make a full head of young sprouts, as
Fig. 108 B. But there is much risk of killing the tree if it
be old or feeble ; the ends of the limbs seldom heal so well as
if they had been crown grafted (see page 233), and even after
buds or grafts have taken in such a tree, if at all neglected,
they are apt to be overgrown and destroyed by the sprouts.

But in all large»tree grafting it is highly important to give
careful after-treatment, as directed page 240.

PREPARATION OP GRAFTS.
" .,v'r Fig. 109.

a. Graft Scion.

b. Grafts cut to proper length.

Scions for making grafts are taken from the young shoots of
the previous year's growth, rejecting the older wood, as well
as any blossom-buds that may have formed upon the younger ;
these are known by their round fullness, and are sometimes
chosen to gratify a fancy for producing a fruit from the graft
or bud the first year ; but the growth is always injured, and the
tree sometimes lost by the operation, which thus becomes too
expensive. They should be taken from the tree before the ap-
proach of spring, and either buried in sand or earth, or placed
butts downward in a small pit or grave on the north side of a
fence or building, and having sufficient straw packed over
them and alongside them to keep them from drying out or be-
coming dirty, except the butts, which, resting upon the bot-
tom, will obtain sufficient moisture to keep them fresh. When
taken out for use, let them be washed clean and cut up into

228

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

grafts of four or six buds each in length. These are usually
carried in a pouch, or bag, or apron tucked up by the corners,
worn for this purpose while grafting, which, when two knives
are used, serves also to carry the one while the other is in the
hand.

Scions, or grafts in their proper lengths, as above, may be
cut at any time from late fall through wmter, and kept for
weeks, or even months, simply wrapped in paper ; or if sealed
at the ends with shellac or collodion, and the wrapper also
made air-tight, so much the better, particularly if it is intend-
ed to transport them through warm latitudes.

They may also be sent by mail with the greatest ease, and
if used as single-bud grafts (see next figure), each graft will
furnish at least enough for four stocks.

MODES OF GRAFTING.

As budding is the planting of a bud cutting, so, in general,
grafting is the planting of a branch cutting, the most marked
distinction between them being that the bud scion is the
growth of the current season, the graft
scion of the season previous, and sin-
gle-bud grafting links, the two processes.

SINGLE-BUD GRAFTING.

SINGLE-BUD GRAFTING may be prac-
ticed with entire success by inserting
buds from carefully-preserved graft sci-
ons, in the manner directed for bud-
ding, page 222, as early in the spring
as the bark of the stock is found to run,
in which case, however, the stock is cut
down at once in one or other of the
modes directed for budded stocks, page
224, figures 107 c, e, and all natural
a. The stock headed down, growth kept off, so as to force an imme-

with the graft bud inserted. ° , r . ,, A, , , - T

&. The stock headed down diate growth from the bud-graft. It

and prepared for the bud as a may aiso

patch, or tongued. . •'

The bud-graft.

performed before the bark

f

runs by heading down the stock as for

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

229

cleft grafting, and cutting a small slice from the side an inch
or so below the top (Fig. 110 &), and setting the bud on as a
patch, fitting it with exactness, and binding it with care ; or,
the bud being cut out thick for the purpose, a small tongue
may be made in each, so that they may be more conveniently
bound together. In either mode, the after-treatment is pre-
cisely that directed for growing buds, page 225.

Fig. 111.

SIDE GRAFTING.

In SIDE GRAFTING a slit is made
as for budding, and the graft, being
cut from one side only into the form
of a tapering, half-round wedge, is
inserted and bound ; or it is bound
on to a spot in the stock from which
a slice of bark of corresponding size
has been cut, merely fitting it on,
as in single-bud patch grafting, or 1\
tongueing it, as in tongue grafting,
but shorter, deferring the heading
down or shortening of the stock un- f
til the graft knits, as in inarching*. ^/^

Side grafting is used chiefly for a.",inestocKpreparea,wltna ,,,
ornamental forest trees, upon which m budding, to receive the graft.
it is supposed to succeed better than ^J^tU f£i±a^~

Other modes ; but it may be applied c- The graft inserted, and ready to

to all kinds of trees, and will some- b

times be found especially useful for balancing or giving sym-
metry to a one-sided tree, replacing a lost branch, etc.

SADDLE GRAFTING.

In SADDLE GRAFTING the stock is cut wedge form (Fig.
112 a), and the graft, being first split up the necessary dis-
tance, is pared on the inside so as to form a cleft, of which
each prong or lip is a tapered half-round (Fig. 112 b) ; these
are neatly set across the stock at one side, (Fig. 112 c), so that
the inner barks of graft and stock fit together to the very end
of the lips, and the whole is then carefully bound, as directed

230

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

for buds, page 223. If con-
venient, it is much better to
have the graft and stock of
precisely equal diameter ; but,
except for a fancy, it is hardly
worth while to use this mode
of grafting at all.

There are innumerable other
fancy modes, for which the
French and Chinese are fa-
mous, but which will readily
suggest themselves to any one
for pleasant amusement.

The common and useful
modes of grafting are three.
Cleft grafting, which is per-
formed upon stocks as small
as three fourths of an inch in

for binding. diameter, or limbs as large as

a man's arm ; crown grafting, used only for large trees ; and
tongue grafting, which is chiefly adapted to very small stocks.

CLEFT GRAFTING.
Fig. 113.

a. The stock prepared.

b. The graft prepared.

c. The graft fitted upon the stock and ready

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 231

a. The stock cleft, and ready for the graft.

6. The graft wedge prepared for insertion.

c. The graft set, and ready for binding and covering.

<?. The graft set, and covered with rag and composition.

e. The graft set, and covered with grafting mortar.

*>J

In cleft grafting on stocks of small or medium size, the
depth of the split will unavoidably vary, as they may prove
of different strength and flexibility, some opening almost as
freely as lea'ther, and others stiffly and with difficulty, the split
extending far down the stock ; in large trees or limbs this last
is still more troublesome.

To effect grafting by this mode rightly, let your stock be
cut down to the desired point, in general as near the ground
as convenient, with a slight slope backward from the side on
which you intend to set the graft, where a portion about the
width of the graft is cut level (Fig. 1.13 a, b). Split the stock
by placing your knife across the centre of this level spot, not
perfectly square, but with the point bearing downward, so that
as you press it the bark will be first cut a little ahead of the
splitting, making also the split upon the outer side a little
deeper than on the inner.

Take your graft, a piece not more than five inches long, and
holding it in your left hand as you would hold a pencil to
sharpen it, with your knife firmly grasped, place the butt be-
tween the blade and your right thumb, and with a steady draw-
ing motion cut the one side of a wedge from an inch -to two
inches long ; then, turning the graft, cut the other side in the
same manner, being careful that the cut is perfectly free from
raggedness or twist, that the inner edge is a little thinner than
the outer, and that the length of your wedge is proportioned
to the depth, to which, when inserted, it will open the cleft, so
that they will as nearly as possible fit throughout (Fig. 113 b).
Having your stock and graft ready, put the point of your split-
ting knife into the crown of the cleft just at the pith, and
strain it gently open while you adjust the outer edge of the
graft-wedge to the bark of the stock, allowing the cleft to close
upon it when in position. It is then ready for wrapping,
Fig. 113 c.

232

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CLEFT GRAFTING LARGE LIMBS OR TREES.
Fig. 114.

6 K fitie

a. Large stock cleft and wedged for the reception of the grafts.

b. Large stock cleft grafted.

c. Large stock cleft grafted, showing the excessive opening of the split, and the difficulty
of fitting the graft wedge to the stock.

d. Shouldered graft, with thin, tongue-like wedge, to obviate the difficulty of fitting the
graft wedge to the stock.

e. Thin-wedged, shouldered graft inserted, with bud resting on both sides of the cleft.

In cleft grafting large trees or branches, the body or limb is
carefully sawed off and smoothed. It is then split with the
curved knife of the grafting tool, which should be driven with
repeated gentle blows with a light mallet rather than with a
sudden stroke ; the wedge end of the tool is then inserted at
the centre to keep the cleft open, or a wooden wedge is used
(Fig. 114 a), while a graft is set on each side, the graft wedge
being cut as above directed, except that it may be of even
thickness on both edges, the cleft in this case being equally
open on both sides (Fig. 114 b).

Owing to the difficulty experienced in cleft grafting large
trees on account of the depth to which the cleft in a strong
body or limb will open (Fig. 114 c), the grafts for this pur-
pose are sometimes shouldered — that is, cut square in on both
sides at the upper end of the wedge, and, instead of a true
wedge, a thin, wedge-like tongue is formed for insertion in the
cleft (Fig. 114 d), while the shouldering is carefully made just

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

233

below a bud, so that its swell may rest upon the bark of the
stock on both sides of the cleft, as shown Fig. 114 e.

CROWN GRAFTING.
Fig. 115.

a. Shouldered graft for crown grafting.

6. A simple tapering half-round graft for crown grafting.

c. A large tree crown grafted and ready for covering.

d. A large tree or limb crown grafted and covered with rag and composition.

CROWN GRAFTING is altogether the simplest, easiest, and
most desirable mode for grafting very large limbs or trees. In
this process the head or limb is sawed off and smoothed as for
cleft grafting, but, instead of splitting the stock, the grafting
stiletto (Fig. 98, page 213) is carefully passed to the depth of
one or two inches between the bark and wood, loosening the
former, and slightly cracking it open, when the graft, which is
cut only on one side as a tapering half-round wedge, of any
desired length, and with or without a shoulder (Fig. 115 a, b),
is firmly set in.

Two, three, or even four such grafts may be set in a large
limb (Fig. 115 c, <i), their number, if they all live, hastening
the covering of the stump of the limb, and when this is effected
they can be cut away. If it happen that they grow so much
the first season as to be in danger from winds, let them be
slightly shortened in August, or braced ; but this will not often
be necessary.

234

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

TONGUE GRAFTING.
Fig. 116.

a. The stock prepared for tongue grafting.
6. The graft prepared for tongue grafting.

c. The graft set, or graft and stock interlocked.

d. The graft set and bound, ready for covering with grafting mortar or composition.

e. A length of a one-year-old seedling root tongue grafted and wrapped with tow,

and ready for planting.

TONGUE GRAFTING is not so simple as cleft or crown graft-
ing, neither is it any more successful, but it is much better
suited to very young stocks, from a quarter to three quarters of
an inch diameter, and is sometimes preferred on account of the
greater delicacy of handling which it requires, and the prompt-
itude and neatness with which it usually heals over.

It is performed in the following manner: the stock being
cut off to a clear spot with a sloping cut, a slice or tongue
of wood is cut from one side, one or two inches long, to the
depth of from one to two thirds the diameter of the stock to be
grafted, leaving it, except in the greater length of the cut,
much like the mouth-piece of a hunter's whistle. The knife
is then turned edge downward, and being gradually entered
upon the face of this cut, about one third down, a thin tongue
or apron, of less than an inch in length, is carefully formed, Fig.
116 a. The graft is then cut of a length to match with the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 235

cut upon the stock, in the manner directed for crown grafting,
leaving it a clean, regularly tapering half-round wedge," with-
out a shoulder. Being then turned in the hand, and held pre-
cisely as directed for the bud-scion, page 222, and with just
such a careful movement as in cutting out the bud, it is
tongued thinly, to correspond with the stock, Fig. 116 b. The
two tongues or aprons are then interlocked, care being taken to
fit the bark of the graft and stock accurately together, Fig.
116 c. It must then be bound with more than usual care, with
bass strips, or yarn, or rag, Fig. 116 d, and covered with graft-
ing composition or mortar, as Fig. 113 d, e, p. 230.

Tongue grafting is considerably practiced by nursery-men,
who make three or four stocks of one seedling plant, cutting its
tap-root into lengths, washing and grafting them during win-
ter, and binding them with tow, Fig. 116 e. They are then
placed in boxes with sand until spring, when they are set out
with a dibber, in the manner prescribed for setting out cab-
bage-plants, leaving one bud only above ground.

INARCHING.
Fig. 117.

a, 6. Companion trees tongued.

c. Stock in pot upon a stand inarched with a branch, with

stay-bar.

d. Companion trees inarched and bound, with strain-bar

Grafting by approach, or inarching, is a peculiar mode, in
which we take a whole branch or small head instead of a sin-

236 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

gle bud or a small portion of a shoot, and unite it to the stock,
with or without heading down the stock, and before separating
the branch-graft from the parent tree.

This mode of grafting is used chiefly for woody flowering or
fruit-bearing green-house plants, as camelias, oranges, &c.,
which, being in pots or boxes, can be readily adjusted for the
process, but may be used for all kinds of trees.

It is performed by bringing together the stems of companion
trees, using a strain bar, if necessary, to control their position,
or arranging in contact the stem of the stock and the selected
branch-graft just at the point chosen, and uniting them by
tongue grafting, forming by their union an arch (en-arching
them), of which the graft tongues form the centre or key. See
Fig. 117, c and d. The process is not very difficult. Choose
your stock, and the branch or head you propose to transfer to
it of equal or nearly equal size, which may be from a quarter
to rather more than half an inch diameter. Trim them, or ei-
ther of them, as you may find needful, to permit their easy ap-
proach ; then cut from each, precisely at their point of contact,
a section or slice of equal length and size — say about two inch-
es long — reaching in depth to about one third their diameter,
the knife entering and coming out gradually in the very same
manner as in cutting a bud from the scion. See p. 220. If
either is larger than the other, the depth of cut must be pro-
portionably shallower, so that the barks on both their sides
may match with exactness. A rather stout tongue is then
cut upon each, passing the knife upward from about a quarter
or half an inch below the centre of the cut upon the graft-
branch, and downward from about a quarter or half an inch
above the centre of that upon the stock, making the tongue
upon each equal, and of sufficient length to permit the whole
to match. See Fig. 117 a. These must then be carefully and
rather firmly interlocked, care being taken to match the barks
together with precision throughout, lengthening the cut a lit-
tle upon either by entering the knife cautiously between them
if they do not correspond at the ends. Bind them very strong-
ly with bass strips or other ordinary bandages, and cover thick-
ly with grafting mortar or composition.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 237

When inarching is to be performed upon plants in pots or
boxes, arrange a firm stand for the plant that may be short, so
as readily to bring together the parts to be operated on, mak-
ing, however, a little allowance for raising or lowering the one
or the other when you come to interlock them. If there is any
danger of disturbance, a stay, consisting of a piece of pine board
four to six inches wide, may be lashed to the stock and parent
tree, extending from near the root of the shorter (see Fig.
117 b) ; and if the graft-branch does not easily come into posi-
tion to form a handsome head, it may be strained or drawn a
little into order by being bound to a stake set for the purpose,
or by a fastened cord stretched to some firm hold.

If well done, they will unite by what surgeons call " first in-
tention," and in a few weeks, or sometimes months, more or
less, the branch-graft may be severed from the parent tree, and
the head of the stock be cut off, each close to the point of
union, leaving upon the new tree the appearance of a simple
and not very neat splice, which, however, the subsequent
growth of the plant will rectify.

The possibility of making this mode of grafting available in
fancy and ornamental arrangements will at once occur to the
intelligent reader. It is not absolutely necessary to tongue
the parts if they are well matched and bound, nor to separate
the graft and stock, or to cut off either of them ; but in ordi-
nary cases this is done after they have knitted perfectly, the
severance being effected gradually, cutting each about one third
through at a time, at intervals of ten or twelve days or more.

TIME OF GRAFTING.

Grafting may be performed at any time during the winter
upon young stocks cellared for the purpose, and kept in sand
or common earth until the opening of spring permits their set-
ting out.

The proper time of grafting on ordinary stocks in the open
ground is just as soon as the circulation begins in the spring,
and before the growth actually commences. This differs in
different trees and latitudes. The following will be found a
good general order of grafting, viz. : Cherries, plums, pears,

238 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

apples ; but if scions are cut early and well preserved, grafting
may be successfully performed by a skillful hand. until the
trees become full-leaved, though earlier grafting is to be pre-
ferred. Crown grafting upon large limbs should be deferred
until the trees are just ready to push their buds, so that the
stiletto will readily open the bark for the reception of the graft-
wedge.

Inarching may be performed, like other grafting, just before
growth commences. In plants that are housed, as camellias,
&c., this may be after New Year, and again in June, but in
out-door kinds at ordinary spring-time.

BINDING UP AND COVERING.

When grafting is ^perforated upon stocks before planting
them, they are sometimes not bound up at all ; at other times,
and especially when they are small seedling stocks, they are
wrapped with refuse tow, or flax, or rag, or other bandage (see
Fig. 116 e, p. 234), and in both cases, being planted sufficiently
deep, in rows, the earth is ridged slightly along, so as to shed
the rain and substitute for other protection. When grafted
above ground by either of the modes described, except cleft and
crown grafting, careful bandaging is never omitted ; but, either
with bass strips, or rags, or tow, they are bound firmly to their
true position, and covered either with grafting mortar or com-
position, as directed hereafter. In cleft and crown grafting,
the graft is generally held with sufficient firmness to its posi-
tion by the -stock, and requires only covering from the air and
moisture, which is effected either by coating it with composi-
tion (No. 1), or binding it with rags coated with or soaked in
the composition ; or binding or wrapping it first with rag or
other material, and applying with a brush one or other of the
compositions described on another page ; or by forming around
it a ball of grafting mortar as large as a goose egg. This must
be so applied as not to press the graft out of place, and, being
moulded to an oval or egg form four or five inches long, with
the upper and smaller end carefully closed, and the larger end
well set around the stock just below the wrapping, it is nicely
finished by dipping the hands in a little dry dust or ashes, and

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 239

giving it the proper shape (Fig. 113 e, p. 230). Care is re-
quired in the binding to avoid drawing the bandage into a
string around the neck of the graft ; otherwise, when it swells,
the bandage will cut in, and soon the wind will snap it off.
At this point let the wrapping be free as possible, and in put-
ting on either the composition or mortar, be sure that no small
hole or fissure is left for water to settle into the cleft or other
opening in which the graft is inserted.

GRAFTING COMPOSITION.
No. 1.

Equal parts of rosin, beeswax, and tallow, melted together
and worked into toughness by kneading and pulling, as molas-
ses, when boiled down, is made into taffy. It may be kept in
water, and used without bandages. Being warmed in the hand
for use, it is made into small, thin sheets as wanted, and pressed
closely over the wounds and around the grafts, so as to exclude
air and water, a little grease being used to prevent its stick-
ing to the fingers.

No. 2.

Two parts rosin, one or one and a half part. beeswax, and
half or three fourths of a part tallow, melted together as No. 1,
and spread with a brush while warm on rag or cheap muslin,
which may be cut or torn into strips or patches as wanted for
use ; or the strips or patches may be soaked in the composi-
tion. Or the graft may be bound with dry rag, the loose end
being sealed down with a touch of the composition, and the
whole covered with a coat laid on warm with a brush, the com-
position being kept melted over a furnace or pot of embers.

No. 3.

Two parts pitch, two parts rosin, one part beeswax, one part
tallow, and one part turpentine, melted together and boiled for
half an hour. This is, on the whole, superior to the former,
and may be used as that, either spread on the rag before wrap-
ping, or laid on with a brush after the graft has been bound,
being kept melted for this purpose.

240 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

GRAFTING MORTAR.

What is called grafting mortar is made either by mixing
strong loam or clay with an indefinite proportion of horse-dung
or cut straw, or both, working it up to the consistence of mor-
tar thoroughly and repeatedly to toughen it. When required
for use, it should be a little stiffer than potter's clay.

Instead of the above, equal parts of strong loam and cow-dung
may be used, to be prepared and applied in the same manner.

AFTER-TREATMENT.

Newly-set grafts should be watched throughout the season,
to stop and restop any holes or cracks which the heat of sum-
mer or the swelling growth may occasion in the coating which
defends them, and to slacken the bandages by cutting them
through at the back of the stock whenever there is danger of
their cutting into the stock or graft. The growth of the graft
should also be observed, and a proper form and direction given
to it by nipping or tying up, as may be found necessary.

In addition to these precautions, young stocks budded or
grafted should be kept carefully clear of natural or stock shoots,
all of which must be removed as soon as they appear. The
hand, defended by a stout glove, may be rubbed harshly around
or down the stock while they are yet quite tender, and it is done.

But larger and older trees require different treatment. Only
a part of the limbs of a large tree should be grafted at one
time, so that there may be a sufficient supply of leaves pro-
duced to effect a healthful circulation in the. tree ; and, for
the same reason, much of the young growth may be suffered to
remain upon the limbs that are grafted, to keep those parts
in vigor. If these precautions are neglected, the full graft-
ing of a large tree will generally kill it, or portions of it.
But, on the other hand, the moment it is seen that the grafts
have taken, care must be given that no strong, gluttonous
shoots are put forth near them, but all such as seem likely
to become stronger than the graft growth should be nipped
from time to time, to check them and strengthen it.

In succeeding years, the remaining limbs may be grafted,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

241

and the needless branches and sprouts cut away in the course
of winter pruning, having regard always to the necessities of
the system of circulation in the individual tree.

HEIGHT OF STEM.
Fig. 118.

a. Orchard tree, with stem seven to nine feet high.

b. Orchard tree, with stem four to five feet high.

c. A dwarf tree, trimmed into conical form.

d. A dwarf tree, conical, but formed with drooping habit.

In rearing the young tree from the bud or graft, we usually
determine the height of its stem when ready for bearing. It

242 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

is therefore plain that we may take our choice of low or high
trees, tall or short stems. The general practice has been to
set out trees with tall stems, or trim them up tall afterward,
Fig. 118 a. This perhaps may have arisen from the too preva-
lent habit of suffering cattle to run in our young orchards,
which is as outrageous as it would be to stable them in our
parlors. It is difficult to change habits, even after the reason
for their formation has passed away ; but it is clear that or-
chard trees with short stems, say four or five feet high, are, on
many accounts, more desirable than tall ones. (See Fig. 118
b.) They are much more readily pruned, the fruit is more ea-
sily gathered, and thus much labor saved. A certain farmer,
scarcely yet in middle life, has an orchard of sixty russeting
apples, grafted and planted by himself when a boy, which
yielded in 1856 some six hundred barrels of fruit, half of
which could be gathered without bench or ladder by a man of
ordinary height standing upon the ground.

Fruit is not so readily blown off from low trees as high ones,
and when it falls is less injured for use or market. The main
stem of a short tree is also less exposed to injury from the sun
and from late spring frost, the latter sometimes bursting the
vessels in which the heat of the former has caused the circula-
tion to start.

Insects do not so readily select a tree partially shaded as a
place of deposit for their eggs, instinct telling them that they
need the sun to hatch them.

Shorter stems for orchard trees, and higher fences for or-
chards, will be found decided improvements.

Very low-stemmed trees, or " dwarfs," are sometimes pruned
into a pyramidal, or, rather, conical shape, by suffering all the
young side shoots to grow, and nipping their extremities, short-
ening also the main shoot or leader, Fig. 118 c; or, with the
same general form, a drooping habit is given to the young tree
by tying downward the points of the young branches, Fig. 118
d ; and these and other fancies may be pursued to any extent.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 243

CHAPTER XVH.

Setting out Trees, preparing Holes, &c. — Tables of Arrangement of -Dis-
tances, Area, &c. — After-culture. — Combination of .Fruits.

SETTING OUT.

FOR all kinds of trees that are perfectly hardy, early fall
planting is to be preferred. If the earth is sufficiently moist
to allow of their being well taken up, they should be removed
as soon as the circulation is checked, or say when the first
frost causes a fall of the leaves. Trees that are liable to in-
jury from the winter, as peach, and, in some places, cherry,
should, in such localities, be set out only in the spring.

In choosing trees for setting out, those of moderate or even
small size are generally to be preferred. Large trees suffer
more by removal, and require more prompt and -abundant sup-
plies to start them again vigorously. They are also more dif-
ficult and expensive to transport ; yet, if not removed far, and
the directions for planting, given page 245, are observed, they
may be very successfully transplanted, and, if well cared for by
being staked and mulched, and, if need be, manured after set-
ting out, will come quickly into bearing.

In general, however, fruit-trees should be set out where they
are expected to remain in the second or third year from the
graft or bud, except peach-trees, which, being commonly bud-
ded in the fall of their first year's growth from the seed, may
be advantageously set out in the spring of their second year,
before the bud sprouts, and, being properly headed down, the
bud will make a strong growth before fall, and be benefited by
remaining undisturbed from the start. If preferred, however,
the common mode may be followed, which is to allow the bud
to make a year's growth before the setting out.

The resetting of trees in their previous relative positions as
to their north and south sides was formerly deemed of impor-
tance, but is of no practical consequence.

In general, the depth at which they are set should be about

244

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

that at which they have previously stood, or a little deeper,
particularly if set out in the fall.

For special objects, or upon small lots, dwarfed fruit-trees
may be found desirable, but they are not to be relied on as per-
manent, nor even of long continuance, without special care and
high culture, and are not, therefore, recommended, except for
intermediate planting, or for fancy, or in soils or climates un-
favorable to the production of fruit upon more vigorous stocks.

If dwarfed trees are worked low, near the collar of the stock,
and in the final transplanting are set pretty deep, so that the
joint is covered five or six inches, roots will in due time be
thrown out from the graft, and these, being stronger and more
natural than the roots of the dwarfing stock, which may even
perish after the new roots are formed, the tree will thence ac-
quire additional strength, approximating in effect to a tree
raised from a cutting, and having a character intermediate be-
tween an ordinary dwarfed tree and one grafted upon a seed-
ling stock. It will be longer lived than the former, but not
equal to the latter in the vigor of its roots, yet by careful sum-
mer pruning, as directed page 254, it may, for certain kinds or
in particular localities, be preferred, and become a substitute
for both, but, like the ordinary dwarfed tree, will always de-
mand extra care.

SHORTENING THE ROOTS AND TOP.
Fig. 119.

a. Young tree pruned ready
for setting out.

&. Young tree pruned, and
set out upon a wet-soil surface,
the roots being covered by bill-
ing up, staked, and mulched.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 245

If trees could ordinarily be removed with their roots from
stem to extremity uninjured, the top also might be safely left
entire, and the operation would be equivalent to no removal, so
far as the growth of the tree is concerned. But the roots of
trees usually extend as far, and often farther, than their tops,
so that in practice this is entirely out of the question ; it is
only in the removal of trees in winter, with heavy balls of
earth, that we even partially attain this object. In all ordi-
nary cases of removal, excepting those trees which may have
uncommonly short, fibrous roots, the larger portion of the spon-
gioles, which form the utmost extremities of all the roots, are
separated* from the tree, and still others of them are often
bruised or dried before the replanting of the tree. In this
state of the case, since we can not preserve, we seek a process
that will quickly reproduce them ; that process is judicious
shortening of both roots and top (Fig. 119 a). In this, as in
ordinary pruning, there is doubtless somewhere a precise line
of right, an exact limit ; but as we have no immediate and
palpable means of discovering this, we endeavor to approach it
by proportioning, according to our best judgment, the one to
the other. If, in ordinary cases, one third of the root is sacri-
ficed in the taking up and shortening, we -shorten or lessen the
weight of the top to about the same extent.

In general, all the roots and all the branches should be op-
erated upon, and in shortening the former, the cut should be
made with a keen knife on the under side, and sloping outward,
so that, when planted, the face of the cut will rest upon the
earth, affording a natural position for throwing out its young
rootlets. The pruning of the top, also, should be done in a
manner to balance the tree and secure an outward growth of
the shoots, which will, in the main, be effected by cutting from
within outward, just above a bud situated on the under or out-
side of the young shoot.

PREPARING HOLES AND PLANTING.

In preparing for setting out trees, the holes should be made
much larger and deeper than is common. In digging them, let
the surface soil be kept by itself; when the subsoil is thrown

246 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

out to a sufficient depth, the bottom of the hole should be loosen-
ed, and a portion of the surface soil or rich earth mixed with
it, filling up the hole so far as may be necessary to suit the
root. Having the root properly trimmed, set it carefully in
position, with the fibres spread naturally, and fill in gradually
with good earth finely pulverized, shaking the root gently
once or twice to secure the filling up of any open spaces.
When the roots are well covered with the earth, take the body
of the tree in your hands, and, holding it true, press the earth
with the foot upon the roots with moderate firmness ; then fill
up the hole about level with the surface, •hilling a little if the
planting is done in the fall, and dishing slightly i£ done in
the spring.

If your soil be very wet, dig the holes as above directed, and
refill them again to the surface, or very nearly, and, spreading
the roots upon this loose surface, hill the earth over them, and
carefully stake your tree. In wet soils of a deep boggy or
mucky nature, and that can not be drained, holes need not be
dug, but the tree may be set immediately upon the sod, and
covered by hilling largely, staking it strongly, and mulching
it. See Fig. 119 b, p. 244.

Whenever it is found necessary at the setting out to stake
trees, it would be well to have the stakes set firmly into the
holes and ranged with precision before removing the trees, in
which case they may be easily and accurately arranged in po-
sition by being afterward set uniformly upon the same side of
the stake ; but, whether set before or after, let them be firmly
bound to the stake with a straw or other coarse band, passing
and crossed between the tree and the stake, so that, in case of
frequent winds, it will prevent rubbing ; and having spread
around them, if it is spring, coarse litter, or straw, or loose
rubbish of any kind, as mulching, weight it with a few stones
to keep it in place, and your work is done (Fig. 119 6, p. 244).

If drought occur, you may, if you deem it necessary, apply
water through the covering of mulch or litter ; but avoid the
not uncommon practice of pouring pails of water into the holes
when planting, by which the earth, which should be loose and
friable, is made into mud or mortar, which a succeeding heat

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

247

may bake to brick. Plant seasonably and carefully, and you
will plant successfully.

ARRANGEMENT AND DISTANCES.

If found desirable, as it often will be, one or more of the
plots of the garden may be appropriated to fruits, in which
case, as in planting orchards, whether the various kinds of
fruit are combined or not, the trees should not be arranged in
exact squares, but in the alternated or diamond form — that is,
so that each row will line either way, not with the row adjoin-
ing it, but with that which is next but one. The distance at
which they are to be set should be carefully decided in view
of the character and condition of the particular varieties you
intend to plant, their modes of growth, and times of ripening
their fruit, as well as the nature of the soil in which they are
to stand, and the after-treatment they are to receive.

The following table will afford at a glance the data necessa-
ry to the arrangement of their relative distances, and show the
area of surface allowed to each by such arrangement.

TABLE SHOWING THE DISTANCE EVERY WAY BETWEEN TREES PLANTED IN

THE ALTERNATED OR DIAMOND FORM, AT VARIOUS WIDTHS, WITH THE

AREA OR NUMBER OF SQUARE FEET OF SURFACE TO EACH TREE, AND
THE NUMBER OF TREES UPON AN ACRE.

Widths apart.

Equidistant from
each other.

Area or Number of Square Feet
of Surface to each Tree.

Number of Trees
per Acre.

40 feet by 34

40 feet.

1360 feet.

32

35

29

35

1015

43

30

25

30

750

58

25

21

25

525

83

20

17

20

340

128

15

9

15

135

322

10

8

10

80

544

8

7

8

56

778

6

5

6

30

1452

5

4

5

20

2178

If for any cause it is deemed preferable to plant in squares,
the following table will be found useful, and its smaller figures
may aid calculations of vegetable field-crops.

248

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF TREES OR PLANTS THAT MAT BE SET
UPON AN ACRE AT THE GIVEN DISTANCES APART, OMITTING FRACTIONS.

Distance apart.

Number of Trees or
Plants per Acre.

Distance apart.

Number of Trees or
Plants per Acre.

40 feet by 40

27

10 feet by 7

G22

35

35

35

10

6

726

30

30

48

10

5

871

25

25

69

5

5

1,742

20

20

108

5

4

2,178

20

15

145

5

3

2,904

20

10

217

5

2

4,356

20

5

435

5

1

8,712

15

15

193

4

4

2,722

15

10

290

3

3

4,840

15

5

580

3

2

7,260

10

10

435

2

2

10,890

10

9

i 484

2

1

21,780

10

8

544

1

1

43,560

AFTER-CULTURE.

Whenever young fruit-trees are set out, the land around them
should be well cultivated, at least for several years. In ar-
ranging for this, hilled crops are to be preferred ; and, what-
ever may be done with th'e intermediate spaces, let the lines
of crop run so that each tree will occupy the position of a hill,
receiving the same manuring and care through the season. If,
from any necessity, the land is laid down to grass, or young
trees are planted in sod, let a space be annually dug around
each equal to the spread of the top, and a liberal supply of
liquid or other manure be regularly given in the fall.

MANURING FRUIT-TREES.

In general, after they attain age and come into bearing, fruit-
trees should be only moderately manured. A little salt may
be spread widely around them in the spring, or air-slaked or
old lime at the rate of ten to twenty bushels to the acre. Pot-
ash, in the form of spent ashes, which usually contain also
sufficient lime, charcoal dust, coal ashes, chip manure, or the
scrapings up of the wood-pile, crushed bones or bone-dust, de-
caying wood, or swamp-muck without composting. Liquid ma-
nure of any kind may also be cautiously applied. Animal
matter, as horn shavings, wool waste, &c., &£., is valuable, but

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 249

care should be taken to apply it rather in deficiency tnan in
excess, watching the effect upon the trees in your own partic-
ular locality and soil, and repeating or discontinuing its use
accordingly, always aiming to induce moderate and regular
growth, and steady rather than excessive bearing.

In orchard culture, where the plow can be freely used, it will
be found a good practice to plow carefully once every third or
fourth year, turning under, if convenient, a very light coat of
barn-yard manure with the sod, and harrowing in thoroughly
from fifteen to thirty bushels of lime per acre ; seed immedi-
ately with clover, or clover and orchard grass ; and top-dress
annually with eighty or a hundred pounds of plaster to the
acre, or alternate this with one hundred and fifty pounds of
guano, or twenty bushels of ashes, and your orchard will thrive
and your land improve.

COMBINATION OP FRUITS.

In the cultivation of various fruits, it is often agreeable, and
may sometimes economize land and labor to combine them in
the same orchard or plot. Thus, if apple-trees on common
stocks are planted in alternated rows forty feet by thirty-four,
they may be filled in with dwarf trees of any desired kinds by
planting them in the line of the orchard trees at ten feet apart,
with two full rows at the same distance between, in the thirty-
four feet spaces, which will allow the rows to be made eleven
and one third feet apart. The trees in a plot thus filled up
will stand at right angles, eleven and one third by ten feet dis-
tance, each having one hundred and thirteen and a third square
feet of space. See Plan No. 1, A, A, B, B, B.

The smaller trees are to be removed gradually as the ad-
vancing growth of the main orchard may require.

In planting pear-trees, twenty-five feet by twenty-one, or
twenty by seventeen, a single row of dwarfed pears may be
planted each way in like manner, standing twelve and a half
feet by ten, or ten by eight and a half. Cherry, pear, or high-
stemmed quince-trees may be set to advantage in the rows of
raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, or currants, also along
the centre of strawberry-beds, and it will be found a good mode

L2

250 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

of combination in either quince or pear plot to place the rows
say twenty-two by twenty feet apart, or twenty-two by ten feet
if preferred, each row standing in the centre of a strip four
feet wide, for strawberries (Plan No. 2, A, C), while at seven
feet distance from each row of trees a row of either of the
smaller fruits above named is planted at from four, to eight
feet apart in the row, at discretion, leaving eight feet space in
the centre, and affording ample room for their cultivation with
the plow, or for planting small vegetable crops between them,
if desired. See Plan No. 2, B, B, p. 251.

In this, or any other mode devised, fruits may be profitably
combined, provided the necessary surface space be afforded to
each, and suitable care and high culture be given to them.

PLAN OF COMBINATION OF FRUITS.

No. 1. *

APPLE ORCHARD FILLED IN WITH DWARF TREES.
Fig. 120.

(A) X ;; X

O *

x x O x x

x O

BX' X X X

X X

X X X X X

X X

BX x x x

X X

X X X X X

X X

BX x Q x

X X

O x x x O

\f. ^C

® •

O

O

O

A. (Circles.) Apple-trees forty by thirty-four feet : area for each tree one thousand
three hundred and sixty feet.

B. (Stars.) Dwarf apples, pears, or quinces, ten by eleven and one third feet : area foi
each tree one hundred and thirteen and a third feet.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 251

No. 2.

PEARS, WITH STRAWBERRIES, AND CURRANTS OR GOOSEBER-
RIES, &C.

Fig. 120.

Bxx x xxxxx xx xx x
Bx x x X x x x x x x x x x

>r -7^N

£-—-~"(^J
XXX

xxx

A, A. (Circles.) Pears twenty feet by twenty-two, or ten feet by twenty-two, standing
along the centre of strawberry beds.

B, B. (Stars.) Gooseberries, or currants, or raspberries, four to eight feet apart.
0, C. Strawberries ; bed four feet wide.

LABELING AND DIAGRAM.

All fruit-trees should be labeled when planted, and, in ad-
dition to this, a correct diagram of each plot should be pre-
pared, so that at a glance the name of every variety you pos-
sess may be known. See page 215.

CHAPTER XVIH.

Pruning; various Objects, Periods, and Modes of. — Cleaning and Scrap-
ing Fruit-trees. — Fruiting ; healthful Tendency to. — The Law of prema-
ture or forced Fruiting, and various Modes of its Application.

PRUNING.

WE prune to weaken and to strengthen, and often simply to
balance — that is, to check or invigorate relative portions of the
same tree or plant, to give it symmetry, or promote its blos-
soming and fruitfulness.

It becomes important clearly to distinguish the varieties of
a process from which such varied results are obtained. The

252

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

one we will call winter pruning, though, for convenience, it is
often done in the fall or spring ; the other summer pruning,
though performed from the first putting forth of the leaves in
spring until the middle of the fall. In addition to which,
there is the rarely performed operation of root pruning, which,
though more immediately effective if done in August, may be
performed at any season.

rig. 121.

O. A tree of one year's growth from the bud, cut back.
&. A tree of two years' growth from the bud, cut back.

c. A nursery tree pruned ready for setting out, showing the shoulders where the young
branches have been cut off.

d. An orchard tree ready to come into bearing, with the head opened by winter pruning.

WINTER PRUNING.

Winter pruning is the common shortening of seedling stocks
when we transplant them into nursery rows, the cutting back
and fashioning which we commonly perform in the course of
their nursery culture and at their final transplanting, and the
annual trimming throughout their mature growth, for forming
and strengthening the tree.

In young trees it is generally called " cutting back," be-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 253

cause the shoots of the previous year are shortened in the op-
eration (Fig. 121 a, 6).

The vigor of the subsequent growth is commonly in direct
proportion to the extent to which this pruning is carried, heavy
pruning being followed by strong growth, and vice versa. It
is the natural tendency of the growth to push from the extrem-
ities, but the leading shoot of a stock three fourths of an inch
in diameter at the butt, and four or five feet high, if left un-
pruned, may grow two feet or so upward in a season ; if cut
back to within two or three buds of the previous year's growth,
it will usually more than double this growth, either in a sin-
gle shoot or more ; while, if cut down near the root for grafting
or otherwise, or having been budded the previous fall, it will,
with ordinary care, push upward a strong fine growth from
five to nine feet, the roots also being strengthened by the op-
eration. All winter pruning of young or old trees should be
performed with as little injury as possible to the bark ; every
young shoot cut away should be taken off just outside the
shoulder or swell at its base, leaving this upon the stem to
heal over and strengthen the tree (Fig. 121 c). If severe
wounds are made, coat them with paint, or pitch, or grafting
composition, No. 3, or shellac dissolved in alcohol.

Winter pruning applied to trees after they are planted out
to bear is chiefly intended to open the head for light and air,
to allow of movinjg freely in the tree for gathering the fruit,
and to keep its form symmetrical (Fig. 121 d).

EXCESSIVE WINTER PRUNING.

Sometimes, in neglected orchards, so much cutting seems
necessary to open the head of the tree, and permit the easy
gathering of the fruit, that an inexperienced cultivator is
tempted clumsily to overdo the work ; and this excessive and
coarse pruning induces a strong upright growth of barren,
gluttonous shoots, which, if left to grow, disfigure and injure
the trees (Fig. 122, page 254). Let all your trees be careful-
ly pruned while young, never permitting an ill-placed or a
superfluous shoot to grow more than a single season at the
most ; and if pruning an orchard that has suffered from pre-

254

AMEEICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig- 122- . vious neglect, watch it, and prevent

gluttonous growth by nipping and
summer pruning. Winter pruning
may generally be performed at any
time between the first black frost in
fall and the opening of spring ; but
the fall, except, perhaps., in cli-
mates of excessive severity, is great-
ly preferable for this purpose, the
cuts being made at a little distance
outside of the extreme bud left upon
the branch.

SUMMER PRUNING.

Summer pruning is'generally used
to prevent an undue or unsightly
growth in any one portion of the
tree or plant, or to check its luxuri-
An old neglected tree that has been ance, and thereby induce fruiting.

roughly over-pruned, and "glut- T • ' » . ,

tons" formed. It may be done to very great ad-

vantage by simply nipping with the thumb and finger, or with
a pair of small pocket trimming shears, the young shoots that
start improperly or with a disproportionate vigor. A child
may do it with a toy knife, or a lady with her scissors, and
make a marked improvement in the condition of a tree even in
a single year, and save very much of the labor of winter prun-
ing.

For this purpose, carefully watch the putting forth of the
shoots, and if one threatens to cross another, nip it ; if a num-
ber of young shoots are thrown inward into the head of the
tree, thickening it up, nip them all out, so as to give to the
young forming head the openness which you will find impor-
tant when it comes into bearing. See Fig. 121 d, p. 252. If
the leading upright shoot threatens to grow so strong as to
discourage or prevent the formation of the necessary side shoots
for a head, nip it, and thus throw the circulation into the side
channels. If any one of the branches threatens to become
gluttonous, growing with excessive, or, at least, disproportion-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 255

ate vigor, and thus making a lop-sided tree, nip it from time
to time, and compel or restore an equilibrium ; and if it be in
bearing, pluck the fruit while small from the weaker portion,
and let it ripen upon the stronger. If your tree generally
grow too luxuriantly, and you would encourage early fruiting,
check its growth by nipping an inch or two from the points of
all its branches in June, and repeat the process a month later
if the tree does not appear to feel it, continuing this from year
to year, with very light winter pruning.

To dwarfed trees that are to be kept in the bush form, this
mode of summer pruning should be thoroughly and carefully
applied, every young shoot being nipped as soon as it has at-
tained such a length as the cultivator judges sufficient for the
season upon the individual tree, those of strong growth being
allowed a foot at the utmost to each young shoot, but generally
half this length will be found preferable. The young, tender
second growth from the nipped extremity must be renipped,
and the only winter pruning necessary should be the cutting
off these weakened buds from the extremities so far as to fur-
nish a full sound bud to start for the next season's limited ad-
dition.

If, however, the trees are to be " trained," running certain
leading shoots horizontally, and treating them somewhat after
the manner of spur-pruning the grape, the main young shoot
of each may be allowed to lengthen more rapidly — say two feet
in a season — the side shoots throughout its length being nip-
ped as above directed for the bush form. See also page 258.

ROOT PRUNING.

Root pruning is an operation requiring great caution and
moderation in its performance. It is effected by cutting off a
portion of the roots at a distance from the tree, in order to
check its growth and force fruit. It may be done by digging
a trench around the tree and cutting the roots with a knife, or
by encircling the tree partially or entirely with a deep cut,
made by driving the blade of a post-spade to the depth of a
foot or eighteen inches. In all ordinary cases the latter and
less laborious process will suffice, with careful summer pruning,

256 AMEEICAN HOME GARDEN.

to effect the end. The distance at. which the roots are cut
must be proportioned to the size of the tree, the object being
to cut off only so many of its feeders as temporarily to stint its
supply of sap. For a tree three inches in diameter, the cut
may be made at a distance of three or four feet from the stem,
and so on. August is a good time for the operation.

Root pruning is sometimes also resorted to for the purpose
of restoring health to a tree that has become diseased from its
deeper* roots entering an unfavorable or poisonous subsoil. In
this case a large opening is made on one side, and a sharpen-
ed, spade driven with force under the whole central portion of
the tree, whence the deep roots usually proceed. It should
always be accompanied by high surface culture.

CLEANING AND SCRAPING.

At least once a year all bearing trees should be cleaned by
washing or scraping, or both, from all moss and dead bark ;
and whether this be done in fall or spring, every portion of the
scrapings should be gathered and burned, as well as all trim-
mings, of whatever kind, from trees infested by insects or dis-
eased.

FRUITING.

It is common to speak of the " rapid" or " slow circulation
of the sap," and of its " accumulation" and " more perfect elab-
oration," and the consequent formation of fruit-buds, as result-
ing from the retarded rate of its flow. I know of no such se-
ries of experiments upon the rate of vegetable circulation, with
its variations, as might enable us to approximate to a safe con-
clusion upon the subject, nor do I find any thing in nature that
might suggest or sustain the theory by analogy. It is also
difficult to understand how cutting off the supplies in root prun-
ing, or in any way retarding the flow of sap, should cause its
accumulation (if the language quoted be accurately used), or
how it happens that on mature trees with a habit of biennial
bearing the blossom-buds are always formed in the year of
their most free growth. They are also formed in the fall, at
which period, according to Boucherie, as quoted by J. F. W.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 257

Johnston, colored solutions reach the leaves through the circu-
lation more rapidly than in the spring. The theory may be
sound, but it does not seem so. If a branch be girdled to in-
duce fruiting, it does not continue to bleed ; its tubes may
therefore be reckoned as closed at the descending end. If the
mouth of a full siphon be closed, how can its contents " accu-
mulate ?" Or, if we may suppose the circulating power to be
constituted by the combined forces of what we call the vital
principle, temperature, and capillary attraction, then the first
is strongest in the rapidly-growing but non-bearing tree ; the
second we may assume as equal at the period in which the
matter of fruiting is decided ; and the third ought to be greater
in the tree of slower or less thrifty growth, for in this case the
tubes are usually smaller and less open, and the capillary force
is in an inverse, ratio to the diameter of the tube in which it
operates. We infer, therefore, that mere rate of circulation has
little to do with, or by no means controls the question of fruit-
age, but that probably the fullness and character of the supply,
in connection with the peculiar constitutional condition of the
tree, governs the production of fruit, and not mere rate of move-
ment. Or, if it be argued that the organizing matter accumu-
lates, while the water is exhaled or perspired from the leaves,
this should involve increased wood growth in the girdled limb,
the contrary of which results, except to a trifling extent at the
upper lip of the girdling cut, where it occurs in a manner sim-
ilar in appearance to the formation of the " callus" at the bur-
ied end of a branch cutting. See Fig. 82 e,/, p. 197.

On page 66 of this work we have observed that the most
marked feature of vegetable life is its tendency to reproduction.

All healthful vegetable growth moves toward this end in its
appointed natural course, attaining maturity in a longer or
shorter period, according to its peculiar constitution, as modi-
fied or affected by climate and other circumstances. As a co-
rollary of, or at least in connection with this tendency to repro-
duction, we find what seems to be a law, that whenever, from
any cause, there arises a probability of this result being de-
feated, or even a possibility that the individual may perish
without accomplishing it, the tendency toward it is immediately

258 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

stimulated, and annihilation is avoided by a premature, though
it may be feeble exertion of the reproductive powers.

I suppose a similar law to hold in reference to animal life,
and that in the human family it may perhaps be taken to ex-
plain the remarkable though often impotent precocity of the
deformed and dwarfed. It is true, the force and extent of an
injury from which this possibility of annihilation arises may
be such as to destroy these powers, so that the enfeebled blos-
som falls, and leaves no seed or fruit, or so to weaken them that,
though the fruit form, it yet drops from the tree imperfect and
worthless, but the law appears still to hold, and this is the law
of which we take advantage when we would hasten the period
of maturity or fruitage in the tree or plant.

The means and processes by which we call this law into ac-
tion for the early or increased production either of flowers or
fruit are very numerous and diversified, though they may all
be classed as expedients for checking growth. Cramping the
roots of plants in pots, with poor soil, or withholding water to
an extreme at a certain stage of their growth, as often practiced
by successful florists, are of this character. Transplanting
also, whether more or less frequent. In young seedling trees
of new kinds, the repeated grafting of the tree upon itself, con-
tinued from year to year, or grafting it upon the spreading
branch of an old bearing tree ; all the processes of dwarfing ;
ringing or girdling a limb ; or, which is equally efficient and
oftener practiced, the disbarking a large portion of a young or-
chard tree with the plow ; or the severe action of insects ; or
summer pruning, by which we interfere with the circulation ;
setting in shallow and poor soil ; or root pruning, by which we
cut off the supply of sap ; or constricting the vessels of a ram-
pant limb by bending it ; while the most ancient device known
is to " bore a hole in the tree, and drive in an oaken plug."

Disease also, from whatever cause it may arise, has similar
effects, and the sick tree yields fruit, or the sick plant runs up
to seed more quickly than its healthful companions.

In annual or biennial vegetables there is no object to answer
in materially hastening maturity. They all bear their seed or
fruit in their season. But of the tree, slow in maturing, and

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 259

of longer life than ours, we become naturally impatient to en-
joy the products, and hence these devices to hasten its season
of fruitage. Our course to this result is plain. Any expedi-
ent which checks growth without immediately endangering the
life of the tree will effect it.

The ordinary and legitimate means to the end are dwarfing
(see that head), summer pruning in June and July, or root
pruning in August, or any other period of the year ; or we
may combine these means, if the health of the subject prove
obstinate.

Whatever course may be chosen for the accomplishment of
our object should be accompanied by a free supply of manures
of such kinds as may not be calculated to stimulate mere wood
growth. See Manuring Fruit-trees.

On the other hand, if we would strengthen a tree, or any par-
ticular part of it, we ought not to allow it, or that particular
portion of it, to bear fruit ; we should avoid summer pruning,
and carefully invigorate it by liberal shortening at the winter
pruning.

CHAPTER XIX.

Diseases of Fruit-trees. — Insects injurious to Fruit and Fruit-trees, with
Keraedies. — Washes to destroy Insects.

DISEASES OF FRUIT-TREES AND FRUITS.
FRUIT CRACK.

THIS is first indicated by the stunted appearance of the
fruit, especially on one side, upon which a black crack or
"chap" opens. It is accompanied by dark blotches upon the
fruit, which are probably formed by the growth of a minute
lichen, the fruit becoming ill-looking and worthless.

This disease, or effect of disease, is found in the pear, par-
ticularly the Virgalieu ; in the quince also, and sometimes in
the apple. It seems to arise from a deficiency in the supply
of appropriate food, and is generally curable by manuring and
careful culture. It may always be assumed that fruits subject
to it require and will bear high cultivation.

260 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

BLACK KNOT.

This disease, which has almost entirely destroyed the dam-
son, the horse plum, and some other kinds, comes at first as a
green swelling, bulging out and spreading open with a granu-
lated appearance, changing in color till it becomes a black,
wart-like excrescence, being, in fact, covered with minute black
fungi, which grow and seed upon it. In general, unless ar-
rested by cutting out, it continues to spread, either by length-
ening itself upon the branch or body, or by breaking out at
some other points. „ When the branch is cut off, the stain of
the disease is found extending for some distance below the
knot, in the substance of the wood or at the heart.

It is perhaps more prevalent upon dark-colored plums than
on the yellow or green varieties, and has become common upon
the sour red and Morello cherries.

There are variant opinions as to its origin and character,
some supposing it to be caused by an insect stinging the bark,
various worms being often found in the knots ; others regard-
ing it as a vegetable cancer ; but all agreeing that the only
method of treating it is to cut it clean off the branches, and
perfectly out of the body and limbs in its early stages, and
burn every vestige of the cuttings, washing the wounds with
brine or a solution of copperas in the proportion of one ounce
to two gallons of water, or covering them with grafting com-
position or shellac. Perseverance in this course will be found
successful in arresting at least its worst results.

BURSTING.

The trunks of certain trees, particularly the cherry, some-
times open and decay upon the south side, a result attributa-
ble to the occurrence of severe frost after the warmth of the
sun's rays has started the circulation upon that side. The
full sap vessels, we suppose, burst mechanically, as a full wa-
ter-pipe is bursted by the same cause. Short stems help to
provide against this difficulty, and trees placed so as to re-
ceive the slightest shade are seldom harmed.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 261

LEAF-BLIGHT. —

What is called leaf-blight in the pear, plum, etc., seems to
be merely the result of a check given to the growth by heat
or other cause, just as the hawthorn, refusing to acclimate
well, annually loses its foliage in the summer or early fall,
and becomes unsightly. It may be avoided in some measure,
if not entirely, in fruit-trees, by good culture upon deep soils,
moderately dry.

MILDEW.

Mildew is an appearance of mouldiness upon the young
growth. Among fruit-trees it prevails upon some varieties of
peach and nectarine, and upon grape-vines of foreign kinds.
It generally follows a check in the growth by sudden change
of temperature, etc., which is accompanied by numbers of a
small aphis that punctures the back of the leaf and sucks the
diseased juices ; almost immediately the mildew proper ap-
pears, which seems to be a very minute vegetable growth.

It is removable by syringing or showering with a solution
of an ounce of nitre to a gallon of water, with soap-suds, or
lime-water, or any alkaline solution, or dusting with sulphur ;
but in respect to foreign vines can only be effectually met by re-
newing them every three or four years, either by layering from
their own young shoots, or by young plants from other sources.

SOUR-SAP BLIGHT.

This disease is also called " fire blight," from the appear-
ance of the tree destroyed by it ; " frozen-sap blight," from
the theory of its being the effect of frost upon the chemical
condition of the sap in overgorged vessels, and by European
cultivators the " canker," and is described by them as result-
ing from the sap being " corrupted by putrid water (i. e., in
the subsoil) or excess of manure," and as working like a gan-
grene on the parts affected.

It is a disease of surfeit or plethora, often appearing in the
pith near the points of very vigorous offshoots.

The change in the sap, from whatever cause it may proceed,

262 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

would seem to be a kind of acetous fermentation, running on
to putrefactive poison, which is carried, with the very death it
represents and includes, as far as the amount of virus produced
enables it to spread.

It nearly resembles the form of death that occurs so com-
monly in young fruit-trees when planted where an old one of
the same kind has died.

Dwarfed trees, and those of moderate growth, as the Seckel
and Lodge pears, &c., are seldom subject to it, but strong
growers in moist rich soils suffer greatly, or are entirely de-
stroyed by it.

The selection of the less vigorous varieties, and the choice
of dry and only moderately rich soils for the stronger growing
kinds, may be resorted to where a choice in either respect is
practicable. But if this can not be had, then let a careful and
persistent system of root-pruning be pursued, reaching espe-
cially to the roots that strike down into the subsoil. If the
effect of this is seen not to be too severe upon the growth of
the tree, and not otherwise, follow it with moderate summer
pruning. Where it appears only in spots, the diseased portion
should be thoroughly cut out and washed with ley, or a solu-
tion of copperas (sulphate of iron), and afterward coated with
grafting composition No. 3.

YELLOWS.

This is a jaundice or consumption in peach-trees, to which
they have become liable within the last fifty years, constitut-
ing the only real difficulty in raising this fruit. It is vari-
ously accounted for, but no available remedy has been found.
It has probably arisen from long-continued neglect of culture,
combined with overbearing, the latter being incessantly stim-
ulated, in addition to other causes, by the very weakness it
produced. See Fruiting, page 258. A constitutional hered-
itary weakness, or disease, has thus been induced, which, when
fully developed, becomes perhaps the very " essentiae mortis,"
communicable by inoculation, as the virus of an animal body
in a state of change, perhaps also by contact, or even by infec-
tion.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 263

Its first arid sufficient indication is the too early ripening of
the fruit upon the tree, which as yet seems to be in health.
This is followed, probably the very next season, by the growth
of short feeble shoots from the obscure buds of the older branch-
es, a change in the general aspect of the foliage, still more
premature ripening or dropping of the fruit, which has now
become darkly blotched with brown or purplish spots, beneath
which the flesh is rotting, the tree becoming more and more
sickly in its appearance until it dies.

The only known palliatives, or rather preventives, are mod-
erate manuring, ordinary summer cultivation of the ground, so
as to secure for them regular plowing, &c., which this tree feels
almost as quickly as a cabbage ; the choice of an exposed situ-
ation, to avoid winter killing, to which, in northern latitudes,
it is liable when thus treated in warm exposures ; and the an-
nual cutting back of all young shoots to one half or one third
the length of their last season's growth, with such other win-
ter pruning as the condition of the tree may seem to require.

Severe winter pruning and good culture immediately after
the occurrence of the first indication will, to all appearance,
perfectly restore the tree ; but if these are discontinued, it re-
turns the following season to its former, state.

INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT-TREES AND FRUIT.

For general remarks upon insects and their habits, see page
94.

As certain plants are supposed to serve as a protection to
vegetable crops, so certain essences, &c., hung in vials in the
trees, have been suggested as a defense for fruits. For this
purpose, the essences of peppermint, tansy, and pennyroyal are
sometimes used ; also, spirits of turpentine against the rose
bug, and ammonia as offensive to the plum weevil.

Decoys, or wide-mouthed bottles half filled with sweetened
water, have been used with good effect for catching wasps and
the larger bugs ; and it is said by a recent writer that these
are much more efficient if the mouth of the bottle be closed, and
an entrance made by breaking a hole in the side. Once in, the
insects do not so readily find the way out.

264 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

For the protection of orchards, fires kindled in the evening,
during the perfect or winged stage of insect life, are effective
means. They may be made of brush or other rubbish, or small
lighted tapers set in shallow pans of water may be used. Oth-
er processes for the prevention or destruction of insects are
given under the proper heads.

APHIDES.

Fig. 123.

a, Flos Aphis ; &, common Aphis, natural size ; c, rf, various common Aphides magnified.

FLOS APHIS, Aphis (Eriosoma) Lanigera.

CHERRY " Aphis Cerasi.

APPLE " Aphis Mali and Malifolia.

GRAPE " " Vinifera.

ROSE " " EOSOB.

The Flos Aphis, Fig. 123 a, is called in Europe, erroneous-
ly, American blight. It is of a peculiar white, cottony ap-
pearance, and is met with in large or small bunches, or as sin-
gle white spots, on forest and fruit trees, and not unfrequently
upon the roots of the latter in the nursery. The floss-like ap-
pearance is caused by the white wavy or crinkled filament or
tail of the insect, by the aid of which, though wingless, it is
sometimes carried on the wind from tree to tree. An English
writer prescribes washing with a mixture of sulphuric acid in
ten times its measure of water. Tobacco smoke or infusion, or
ley, or whale-oil soap ; or for the roots, ashes mixed in the soil,
are efficient remedies.

The cherry, apple, grape, and rose aphides, though distin-
guished by writers on insects, require no distinction in their
practical treatment. Perhaps every infected tree or plant has
its own peculiar variety, but all are remediable by the same
means. They are invited by disease, and also cause it. The
remedies are those named above for the Flos Aphis, applied in
any way that may be found convenient.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

265

SCALE INSECTS, OR BARK LICE.
PEAR, OR WRINKLED SCALE INSECT. Lecanium Pyri.

Fig. 124.

a. Natural size.

b. Magnified.

APPLE SCALE, OR SHELL INSECT. Aspidiodotus Conchiformis.

Fig. 125.
a

a. Natural size.

b. Magnified.

These insects, which are sometimes called the " scale aphis,"
infest the apple, pear, mountain ash, and other trees and shrubs,
appearing upon the bark like small white spots or scales, grad-
ually multiplying until they sometimes cover the tree, some
of the larger ones becoming brownish, and having a rough and
angular, turtle-back appearance.

If the stem of a tree infested with them be rubbed harshly
with a gloved hand, it will appear as if smeared with blood ;
and if the outer bark be shaved with a knife, the inner side of
it will be found reddened with disease.

On raising these scales in the fall or winter, they are gen-
erally found to be pretty well filled with small reddish-brown
eggs and the seeming remains of the insect, among which will
sometimes be found a small worm. The scale which covers
them is at this season of the year gray outside and silvery
white within.

M

266 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Like most other foul insects, they are found only upon trees
that have first become unhealthy. Young apple or pear trees
set in cold, wet soils, or injudiciously manured, or injured in
their roots, or cracked by the borer ; oleanders housed in a too
cold or fluctuating temperature, and dusty, are especially liable
to suffer from them. A variety known as Aspidiodotus Bosce
infests roses, &c. As any cause which stunts and diseases the
young tree will invite these quiet but destructive pests, so any
means that will restore health to the tree will banish them,
among which close winter pruning, digging about it, and ap-
plying compost or liquid manure from time to time, will be
found most efficient ; and, as preliminary to these, let the scales
be crushed with a hard brush or rubber of any kind, and the
tree or plant thoroughly washed with the ley-wash, or whale-
oil soap wash, or a strong infusion of tobacco. See page 284.
Let this be done in early spring, and repeated in summer if
necessary. If, however, the subsoil be wet, and especially if
it be at the same time level, and have the character of hard-
pan, the insect will return, and only draining, or deep plow-
ing, or subsoiling, with moderate manuring and annual plant-
ing with hoed crops, as potatoes, corn, &c., at the same time
leaving the trees abundant clear space, and using the above
remedies as they may seem to be required, will be likely to car-
ry them successfully past the period of danger. The small-
er birds destroy many of these insects, but are not numerous
enough to keep them in check.

WORMS OR LARV.E.

APPLE-TREE BORERS.
a Fig. 126.

a. Larva.

b. Saperda bivittata, or two-striped

beetle.

Uorer and parent bug.

AMERICAN HOMK GARDEN.
Fig. 127.

267

a. Larva.

b. Chrysobothris (Buprestis) femora ta, or

thick-legged snapping beetle.
Infesting apple, quince, and some forest

Borer and parent bug.

The parent beetles of the above are of very dissimilar ap-
pearance, though the worms are alike in habit.

The Saperda is about three fourths of an inch long, of a light
butternut-brown color, and most easily recognized by its two
rather broad white stripes extending the whole length of the
insect. It flies chiefly at night.

The Chrysobothris, or snapper, is described by Fitch as " an
oblong, brassy-blackish snapping beetle, nearly half an inch
long, its back under the wings brilliant bluish green." It is
most active at midday.

Both deposit their eggs in June or July upon the bark, gen-
erally near the ground, and the worms, when hatched, eat their
way first to the inner bark, where they may be found in Au-
gust or September, of the size of a wheat-kernel. Eating
downward, they reach the sap-wood, which, with the inner bark,
they destroy extensively. They finally enter the solid wood,
and eat their way upward, living in the tree some two years.
When the period of their change approaches, they make their
way toward the outer surface, forming their chrysalides within
the bark of the tree, from which the beetles make their escape
in early summer by eating through.

Borer, Fig. 126 a, larva of the Saperda, is a soft, full, fleshy,
yellowish-white, cylindrical worm, about an inch long, of the
diameter of a slout straw, or a little larger, of even thickness
throughout, or scarcely at all tapering. It has a brown nead
and black jaws, and is marked into thirteen joints or segments.
Upon these, both above and beneath, is a row of obscure, wart-
like protuberances, which, with the spiracles or breathing-holes

268 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

along its sides, give it somewhat the appearance of being
striped. It is slightly hairy, footless, and not very active, roll-
ing itself in its progress, but is very destructive to the fruit-
trees it infests.

Borer, Fig. 127 a, larva of the Chrysobothris, or snapper, is a
pale yellow or very light wood-colored worm, less than an inch
long, ringed or jointed as the former, and somewhat more
hairy. It is soft, and generally flabby-looking, with dark head
and jaws, not very prominent, immediately back of which it has
a flattened and curiously-marked enlargement or pair of heavy
shoulders, from which the body or tail tapers rapidly to a point.
It is, I think, even more injurious than the former, but both re-
quire prompt and thorough attention.-

In addition to the voluntary labors of the downy woodpecker,
who is an active and laborious hunter of the young larvae, va-
rious means of destruction are available.

The beetles of both kinds should, as far as possible, be de-
stroyed, the Saperda by means of brush fires in the orchard at
evening, and the snapper by catching with the hand. Scrape
the bark around the butts of the trees in August, carefully
burning the scrapings, and destroy the young worms by a thor-
ough washing with ley or coating with soft soap. Watch for
the first fresh castings of the worm while small, and either cut
him out, or pass a wire or pointed flexible gutta-percha probe
up the hole to pierce him, or stifle him with camphor plugged
into the hole, or with the fumes of burning sulphur, if they
will reach him, or. with an awl open the upper end of his bur-
row and pour in scalding water, as suggested by Dr. Fitch.

Piling ashes or lime around the trees in spring, or coating
the butts for eight or ten inches with pitch or grafting compo-
sition, will also be found useful.

BUD WORM AND PARENT MOTH.

Supposed to be Larva of Loxotenia Rbsaceana.
The moth is generally about half an inch long, and of a
light brown color, but variable. When at rest, a quadrangular
figure is formed by several narrow brown bands upon the
wings.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

269

The bud worm is a small greenish worm with a - 128-
dark head, found just after the trees start to grow,
rolled in the very tip of the young shoot, which it
eats entirely away ; and later in the season, the
same worm, or one resembling it, is found rolled
into the rose or grape-vine leaf. He is an exceed-
ingly active, mischievous-looking fellow, watching
keenly for an intruder, and dodging quickly into
his retreat when you approach him. They are not very nu-
merous. I have supposed them to proceed from eggs which
are found deposited singly or in small numbers in the perfo-
rated bark of the young shoot close to the buds, though the
Loxotenia is said to deposit her eggs upon the bark.

Remedy : catch and crush him ; also gather the eggs.

CANKER WORM AND PARENT MOTHS.

Fig. 123.

c^^
a

a. Larva.

6. Anisopteryx Vernata (Male).
c. " " (Female).

The male moth is of a pale ash color, with darker spots or
shadings. The female is dark ash -colored above and gray be-
neath ; the latter can not fly, having mere winglets.

The CANKER WORM is a dusky-brown or ash-colored worm,
ten footed, and about an inch long, very destructive to apple,
elm, and other trees. The moths leave the ground in very
early spring, and a few may get out in the fall. They seek
the trees in March, or at the first opening of spring, the fe-
male crawling up and laying her eggs in the crotches and
branches. These hatch in the latter end of May, and the
worms spread over the tree and ravage it, sweeping an orchard
like fire where they are very numerous.

Remedy : banding the tree carefully with Dennis's patent
leaden oil trough, or any substitute for it which you can de-

270 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

vise ; a projecting strip of leather fastened edgewise to the
tree and oiled ; a tarred band around it ; or a thick, broad belt
or band, coated with India-rubber melted by heat, which is
quite adhesive, but does not harden.

The birds destroy large numbers of them, and Harris says
there is a splendid ground-beetle that watches for and catches
them as they come down from the trees ; various parasites also
disable the larvae, and destroy the eggs to a considerable ex-
tent. See also page 96.

CORE WORM AND PARENT MOTH.

Fig. 130.

d y

a. Larva. 6. Carpocapsa Tomonella, natural size.

c. " , magnified. d. " magnified.

Moth small and grayish, with a large brown spot on the
hinder part of the fore wings ; the smaller wings and body
yellowish brown ; the texture of the wings appearing like
watered silk.

The core worm is a small, flesh-colored worm or grub, found
in the apple-core, sometimes causing the fruit to drop prema-
turely from the tree.

When the apples fall, if not before, the worm leaves the fruit,
and hides in the crevices of the bark, to spin and wait for the
return of spring. The moth comes out in all June, and im-
mediately deposits her eggs singly in the eye of the young
fruit. They hatch in a few days, and the young worm pro-
ceeds to eat in to the heart.

Remedy : scrape the bark in the early spring, and burn the
scrapings. Let hogs run in the orchard to eat the falling
fruit, and every day gather what they do not eat and boil them,
or feed them to other swine. Old cloths in the crotches of the
trees or lying loose around will furnish hiding-'places in which
the worms may be caught by looking them over weekly ; also
evening fires in the orchard in moth-time will destroy many.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

271

NEST WORM, WITH PARENT MOTHS AND EGGS.
Fig. 131.

6. Clisiocampa Americana, or Lackey Moth (Male).

c. " " '• " " (Female).

d. Eggs deposited on a young branch for wintering.

The livery or lackey moth takes its name from the colors
which mark its larvae. Its own color is a, dull-red or fox color,
with two white parallel stripes across the wings, the male
moth being rather darker than the female. It is about an
inch and a half across when expanded. The worm, when full
grown, is nearly two inches long, with a black head, the body
being variously lined and spotted with black, blue, yellow, and
white.

This, which is called " tent worm" by Harris, is pre-emi-
nently the apple-tree worm of our country from Maine to
Texas, though it affects still more the wild cherry, and is some-
times found upon other trees to a limited extent. Its eggs are
set on end, head outward, being glued together with softish
gum-mucilage, and varnished over with the same. They may
be found at any time during winter upon the young shoots,
forming a band around them nearly an inch broad, and of a
slate color, Fig. 131 d.

272 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

These are hatched by the warmth of May, each nest of eggs
producing a pretty numerous colony of worms, which at first
ore not thicker than pins, and half the length of a wheat grain.
They soon begin to feed and grow, and make their nest, chang-
ing their skins from time to time, and strengthening them-
selves and enlarging their dwelling, until in June they ma-
ture and wander off to spin their cocoons.

The moths come out about the first of July, and in a few
days after deposit their eggs for the next season.

Remedies : the first and best is to collect the eggs for burn-
ing in the fall after the trees lose their foliage, and if not at-
tended to then, let it be done in winter or very early spring.
The second best is to watch for the very first sign of the form-
ation of the nests, when but little larger than a hen's egg, and,
choosing a moist or cloudy day, either cut off and burn them,
or, armed with a thick glove, crush them ; though so small,
they are all there.

But, if these opportunities are neglected, there remains the
ordinary laborious attempts to do late what might have been
done early with ease : to gather and crush or burn them when
nearly full grown ; to sponge them with ammonia ; to burn
them in the nest ; to twist them out with a pronged stick, or
swab them with turpentine, most of which can be but partial
remedies.

It has an enemy in a parasitic insect, the small white co-
coons of which are often found attached to those of the worm.
For the destruction of the moth, evening fires of brush or tar
in the orchard at moth-time, continued for a week or two, are
most effectual.

Dr. Fitch suggests that perhaps the wild cherry might be
advantageously used as a natural decoy for the protection of
valuable orchards, being planted near, and perfectly cleared of
the eggs every fall or winter. It would seem worthy at least
of a trial.

NET WORM AND PARENT MOTH.

The color of the moth varies from yellow to brown ; the
wings are crossed by four or five darker bands, and spotted

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

278

with small specks of the same. It is orange colored or yellow
about the head and throat.

Fig. 132.

a. Larva.

b. Euraetopona ministra, or Handmaid
moth.

The net worm, or yellow-necked apple-tree worm somewhat
resembles the nest worm, but comes later in the season, and,
instead of spinning a compact nest, weaves a net over the limb
on which it is feeding, and spreads it as its range enlarges,
eating chiefly the tissue of the leaf in preference to its veins.

The eggs are deposited in clusters upon the back of the leaf,
near the end of the shoot, and number usually from seventy to
a hundred, which are hatched from the middle of July to the
middle of August.

They are generally by no means so numerous as the nest
worm, but more injurious in proportion to their numbers.

Remedy : watch for their first weaving, and immediately
crush them ; or cut off the limb and burn it.

NOTCH WORM AND PARENT MOTHS. >

Fig. 133.

a. Larva. 6. Orgyia Leucostigma (Male). c. Orgyia Leucostigma (Female).

Moth of a dingy brown color, the female being wingless.
The notch worm is a pretty, slender, sixteen-footed worm,
about an inch long, with pale yellow hairs and tufts, and black

M2

274 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

hair pencils, the head and two spots on the back being coral
red.

The small round white eggs of this species may be found
rolled up in a dead leaf, and hanging upon the ends of the
shoots through the winter. They hatch early in May, spin
mostly in the latter half of July ; in about two weeks the moth
appears, deposits her eggs in a few days, and dies. It is not
a numerous kind, but is found upon the rose, the wistaria, &c.,
eating notches into the edges of the leaves.

Remedy : gather and destroy the eggs in March or April,
and catch and crush the worms.

PALMER WORM AND PARENT MOTH.
Fig. 134

a. Larva. 6. Chcetocliilus Pometellus.

The moth about three fourths of an inch across when spread.
It is generally of an ash-gray color, sprinkled more or less
with black, but varying very much in different seasons.

The worm is described by Fitch as of a pale yellowish green,
with a dusky or black stripe along each side of the back ; and
two other lines, the one being whitish, and the other dusky,
with a shining yellow head like beeswax.

They travel and feed scatteringly upon the tree, and drop
and hang by their spun threads when it is jarred.

When in force, the palmer worm is much more destructive
than the nest or net worms, and in some sections and seasons
becomes a scourge. It feeds in June. The moths come out
about the second week in July.

Remedy : drenching with water, or with whale-oil soap wash ;
also evening fires in the orchard in moth-time.

Many of them are destroyed by a small footless parasitic
grub.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 275

CHERRY WORMS OR SLUGS.

The parent of this worm or slug is a small glossy black fly,

Fig.^35. with transparent but cloudy wings, reflecting the

colors of the rainbow. It appears about the first

^^ ^1^ of June upon cherry and pear, and sometimes ap-

Larvseofseian- ple trees. Its eggs are deposited in small punc-

campa) cerasi. tures, generally on the under side of the leaf, and

begin to hatch in fourteen days. The young are at first white.

They grow to be about half an inch long, becoming greenish,

and of a watery and. sticky appearance, and eat the tissue of

the leaves.

Remedy : dust the foliage thoroughly with lime or dry wood-
ashes when the dew is on, or syringe with whale-oil soap wash.

These, with their kindred species infesting roses and grape
vines, undergo various moultings, and sometimes eat up their
cast skins. Their changes are completed in about four weeks,
when they are yellow and free from slime, and soon after enter
the earth. Mice, moles, birds, and their own natural parasite
are their enemies.

CURRANT WORM, OR BORER.

LARVA OP PSENOCERtTS 8UPERNOTATUS. LARVA OF ^GERIA TIPTTLIFORMIS.

These worms eat into the pith of the currant stem, and
weaken or destroy it. They are not very numerous except in
certain localities, and are easily managed if all sickly and dead
branches are promptly cut off close to the ground or the main
stem, and burned.

GOOSEBERRY WORM.

This is a round-bodied and curiously-marked measuring
rig. 136. worm, about an inch long, having ten

^Tri'-i-^W-i "- \ '. l'fty leSs — six *n front, and four behind.

It eats away the leaves of the bush,

like the bud worm. He suspends himself by a thread in de-
scending from the bush.

Remedy : gather the worms by hand and destroy them.

276 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

SMALLER GOOSEBERRY WORM.

LARVA OF CECIDOMYA GRO8SUI.ARI.E, OR GOOSEBERRY MIDGE.

The midge is scarcely one tenth of an inch in length, pale
yellow, with wings that appear glassy.

The eggs are deposited in June in the young berries, which
color prematurely and drop off, the young worms, which are
yellow and of an oval form, occupying the rotten inside'.

Remedy : gather all premature and dropped fruit, and boil
or burn it.

GRAPE WORMS.

Besides the bud worm, mentioned p. 268 as infesting the
grape-vine, there are other worms, more rare, but perhaps not
less injurious, which trouble it. ' They are the larvae of various
kinds of Philampelus or Sphinx moth, and either eat the leaves
or cut the unripe fruit from the branches. The vines should
be watched, and the depredators caught and destroyed. The
grape slug, larva of Selandria (Blennocampa) vitis, is similar
to the cherry and rose slugs, and may be destroyed by the same
means, as may also the minute brown or greenish larva of Hal-
tica chalybea, or grape-vine jumper, which sometimes feeds
upon the young blossoms, and thus destroys the crop.

The vine borer, Trochilium polistiformis, which is peculiar-
ly destructive to grape-vines at the South, is so similar in its
appearance, habits, and transformations through all its stages
to the peach borer, TrocJiilium exitiosum, that it may perhaps
be doubted if there is a really specific difference between- them.
All remedies for the one are available against the other.

PEACH WORM, WITH ITS CHRYSALIS AND PARENT FLIES.

The peach fly, which in its season may be seen busy about
the trees, is a small wasp-like fly, of lively habit, rather more
than half an inch long. The wings of the male are transpa-
rent, those of the female a bright steel blue ; the bodies of both
are of this color, the female having a cross belt of orange. Its
eggs are deposited during the latter part of summer in the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 277

Fig. 137.

c. Trochilium exitiosum (Male).

d. " " (Female).

bark of the peach-tree, just at the surface of the earth, where it
is kept tender by contact with the soil. The worm hatches in
a few days ; then eating its way to the inner bark, and doing
more or less injury in the fall, according as it may have been
hatched earlier or later in the season, it winters there.

The warmth of spring renews its activity, and if several eggs
have been deposited in one tree, the worms will pretty well
girdle it by the end of May, about which time they begin to
form their cocoons, the outside of which is usually covered with
the sawdust-like castings of the worm.

There are various easy remedies : merely banking up the
earth, or piling wood or coal ashes or slaked shell lime a few
inches high around the trees early in the spring, first examin-
ing them and removing any worms that may be found, and
again taking away the ashes or earth in the fall. Or if the
earth be removed to the depth of three or four inches, and a
coat of pitch or grafting composition No. 3, page 239, put on
with a brush from this depth below to an equal distance above
the surface level, replacing the earth that may be removed so
as to leave the pitch collar about equally under and above
ground, no fly will be able to deposit the egg, and of course no
worm will be found in the root. One such application will
last for several years, even in trees growing vigorously. They
should, however, be examined every spring, in case the fly may
have found an opening made by the swelling of the tree. For
this a single glance is sufficient, as the presence of the worm is
always, at this season, indicated by the exuding gum. The
forks of the principal branches also require attention, the worm
being often found in them when excluded from the root.

278 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The ravages of this worm may not only be prevented, but
they may be defied and counteracted. We may stimulate the
growth of a peach-tree so that it will form new bark faster than
the worm can eat it, while its foliage may retain the deep green
color of vigorous health, and its fruit be magnificent. This,
however, is a dangerous though interesting experiment, the
fullness of sap induced in the process exposing the tree to the
risk of being winter-killed ; but with a hardy variety, and upon
a northwest exposure, it ha.s been successfully performed, with
the worm working unchecked and severely to the height of
eighteen inches above the ground. Any one may repeat it
who will plant a peach-tree upon a slope in such an exposure,
and set a hog-pen six feet above it.

PEAR-TREE WORM AND PARENT BEETLE.
Fig. 138.

or. Larva, magnified.
&. Scolytus Pyri, or pear-blight
beetle, magnified.

A very small beetle, of a deep brown color, with paler legs.
Wing covers with obscurely-punctured rows.

The worm is minute. It eats into the smaller limbs of the
pear-tree, and, reaching the pith, works from that centre until
a narrow section of the wood is eaten ont to the bark, forming
a circular cell, and the limb above the point of the injury droops
and dies suddenly.

Remedy : cut off the limb and burn it the moment you per-
ceive the leaves to droop.

PLUM WORM, WITH PARENT BUG.
Fig. 139.

a. Larva.

k Conotrachelus Nenuphar.
c. Conotrachelus Nenuphar at
work upon a young plum.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEX. 279

The plum worm is the larva of a small winged insect known
as the curculio. It is a small dark brown or blackish beetle or
bug, somewhat resembling in size and appearance the pea bug,
except that it is rather more lightly built, and has a small
dark raised spot or hump upon each wing. It makes its appear-
ance late in the time of blossoms, and soon after the young fruit
sets it cuts up upon it a small semicircular piece of the skin
with its minute but keen forceps, and, leaving this like an apron,
deposits a single egg beneath it, and close to its inner line.
Protected by its slight covering, the egg is hatched in a few
days, and the young worm eats its way until it reaches the pit.
The fruit sickens and drops from the tree, generally before it is
half grown, more or less of it continuing to drop until the time
of ripening, when one side of the falling fruit is usually found
to have rotted.

When the fruit falls the worm leaves it and hides itself in
the earth, to return in its winged form in time for the next
year's crop. Those that enter the ground as early as June and
July are supposed to pass through their changes and reappear
in the fall, and some think they all come out before winter,
and, failing to find their favorite fruit, deposit eggs for the
spring brood in the bark of the young shoots of plum, pear, or
peach trees. Dr. Fitch seems to favor this view, which, he
says, was held by the Rev. F. V. Melscheimer, of Pennsylvania,
fifty years ago, and is just now revived, though not fully con-
firmed.

This is one of the most fatally injurious of our insect ene-
mies, and there is really no known and certain preventive or
remedy. Sowing salt sparingly around the trees, say a quart
to a tree, spread over a space twenty feet square, is useful not
only as being offensive to the insects, but also conducive to the
health of the tree. Ashes and soap-suds will also be found in
this respect valuable. Sulphur, though useless when inserted
in the tree as sometimes prescribed, might possibly be of serv-
ice sown over it, repeating the dose if it should be washed off
by rain. Perhaps, also, plaster may be worthy of a trial.

Early in the morning they are comparatively helpless, and
may be caught by spreading a sheet under the tree, into which

280 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

they will fall if the tree is suddenly j arred by a smart stroke
with a mallet upon its body, or by a blow with a hammer upon
the end of the stump of a branch cut off for this purpose, which
may remain from year to year, being covered in the intervals
of its use with grafting composition No. 3.

When the insects drop they instantly fold themselves up as
closely as possible, and appear like the small dead buds or
scales that fall with them, so that to secure them the whole
gatherings of the sheet should be burned or scalded.

Careful attention given to the trees in this manner from the
time the fruit sets until it is one fourth grown will generally
secure the crop ; but the most promising known mode is to
pave closely under the trees, with clam or oyster shells of more
convenient than other material, or plant them so that their
tops lean over wate'r ; the instinct of the insect leading it to
avoid depositing its eggs in fruit from which, when they drop,
its progeny can find no safe retreat.

These latter precautions have in numerous instances and in
intelligent hands proved successful, and are worthy of careful
trial. Whatever else is done, however, the falling fruit should
be gathered up daily and boiled or burned ; mere scalding
should not be trusted. Hogs, unless starved, will not eat
them. Hens with broods of chickens destroy numbers of the
young worms where the ground is clear, so that they can
scratch freely, but are not to be expected to extirpate them,
especially if there are hiding-places near.

This insect, or some other of similar habit, infests the cherry
and the apple ; the cherry, however, does not drop as the
plum, and in the apple the young worm does not seek the
heart of the fruit, as the core worm, but burrows around irreg-
ularly just under the skin, so that when peeled the apple
shows a net- work of brown lines.

WINGED INSECTS.
SEVENTEEN-YEAR LOCUST, OR CICADA SEPTEMDECIM.

Of this remarkable insect there are quite a number of sepa-
rate broods or swarms, each having its particular section or
district. They do not appear simultaneously. The northern-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

281

most brood, occupying East- Fig. 140.

ern New York, a part of
Connecticut, with a portion
of New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania, appeared last in 1843,
and is therefore due in 1860 ;
while the brood occupying
Western New York, and
Pennsylvania, and Eastern
Ohio, appeared last in 1849,
and is due in 1866.

They are a little larger
than the common summer locust (Cicada canicularis), and
their note, though similar, is stronger and more shrill.

They are black, with red eyes and transparent wings and
wing covers, the edges and veins of which are orange red, and
having the peculiar dark zigzag line resembling a W, which
superstition regarded as an omen of coming war in times when
wars were so frequent that it could never be mistaken.

They appear suddenly in the month of June, coming out of
the ground as if in a single night. At this time they are in
the pupa state, being incased in a thin transparent membrane
or shell, which in a few hours after they reach the surface
cracks open along the back, and the perfect insects come forth.
They are at first feeble and sluggish, but soon gain strength,
and the males, who alone carry the music, make the woods re-
sound with their shrill notes.

The chief apparent injury done by them is in depositing
their eggs in the young branches, particularly of oak and ap-
ple trees. This operation is performed by cutting up the
wood of the branch in successive thin slices or splinters, very
much as in old times a carpenter commenced the opening of a
long, narrow mortice ; under these splinters a double row of
eggs is set, to the number of fifteen or twenty ; similar nests
are formed until all the eggs are deposited, one individual de-
positing four or five hundred. Most of the branches die above
the wound, and snap off with the wind either before or after
the eggs are hatched, the whole operation becoming a very se-

282 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

vere summer pruning, which in some cases threatens serious
injury, though in others the unsightliness produced is the
only evil.

The young larvae, when first hatched, are about one twentieth
of an inch long, yellowish white in color, with eyes and claws
tinged with red. They immediately drop from the tree, un-
less the branches have previously fallen, and enter the ground
for their long imprisonment, and are supposed by some to do
extensive though unseen injury to the roots of trees during
their progress to their mature condition.

They are peculiarly a woodland insect, not being produced
upon the prairies of the West, and disappearing from culti-
vated fields. Certain insects, birds, and probably vermin, de-
stroy them in their various stages, so that, although the num-
ber hatched seems incalculable, they do not, on the whole, ad-
vance in numbers, but probably rather recede.

ROSE BUG, OR MACRODACTYLUS SUBSPINOSA.
Fig. 141. This is an insect of the beetle tribe, about

half an inch long, of a yellowish-brown color,
having, like the May-bug, a pair of gauze wings
protected by hard coverings, and large feet
that feel like claws when they touch the skin.
They appear suddenly in June, and continue for

a. Insect perfected. J •> .

6. Eggs as deposited a few weeks, when the tcmales crawl into the
ground, where they deposit about thirty eggs,
which are whitish and almost globular. These hatch in about
twenty days, and the young grow to their full size before win-
ter. At the approach of severe weather they descend into the
ground below the reach of frost, and become torpid. Reviving
in the spring, and working their way back to the surface, un-
dergoing in the mean time some changes, they come out to
their accustomed work at the usual season, all prepared for
mischief.

They are voracious yet dainty feeders, preferring the blos-
soms of the rose and the grape, and the ripening fruit of
the cherry, which they utterly destroy ; but when these can
not be had, stripping the linden and cherry trees of their

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 283

foliage, sometimes hanging in clusters upon the denuded
branches.

Like most other insects, they have enemies. The darning-
needle, perhaps some birds, and domestic fowls to a limited ex-
tent, destroy them. The latter are said to be sometimes in-
jured by them ; it may be from irritation of the throat, &c.,
caused by their rough claws.

They are generally so numerous, however, that these ene-
mies make no perceptible diminution in their ravages, nor has
any effectual remedy for them been found. Net coverings are,
of course, a perfect defense, and grape-vines may be protected
by sowing plaster freely over them in. the morning when the
rose bug first comes, repeating the application if washed off by
rain. It seems to annoy and stupefy them, perhaps interfering
with their respiration. It does not, however, destroy them ;
the only process which really effects this is to gather them by.
hand into a pan of water every morning, or beat them into
sheets spread to catch them, and either crush, or drown, or
burn them.

This process is made easier by being performed at once on
their first appearance. They are then found mostly in pairs,
and are sluggish and readily caught.

VARIOUS WASHES TO DESTROY INSECTS.
Washes to destroy insect^ life are mostly either saline, cr
poisonous, or alkaline, and, unless used with caution and mod-
eration, become also dangerous to the health or life of the plant
to which they are applied. It is better to use them in the
evening or in cloudy weather than in bright sun, and to re-
peat the application than to make it only once and too strong.
Should this be done by accident, water immediately and freely.

NO. 1. BRINE WASH.

This may be made either a saturated solution, as the old
brine of meat-barrels, or weakened by adding one third water.
In either case, apply it moderately with a swab or brush to the
bark of strong trees only. It destroys some insects and much
fungous growth.

284 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

NO. 2. SOAP-SUDS.

Suds made strong, either with hard or soft soap ; the prod-
uct of the wash-tub ; they may be freely and safely applied
as above directed, and ashes- may be added to strengthen them,
if necessary.

NO. 3. LEY WASH.

1 pound potash or soda.
4 gallons of water.

Dissolve thoroughly, and apply it moderately with a swab
or brush at the approach of rain. It destroys eggs and insects.
If used for the scale or shell bark-louse, use a hard brush, or a
Manilla glove, or swab, or a rubber of the cocoanut husk.

1 NO. 4. SOFT SOAP WASH.

This is either common soft soap of the stores smeared on to
the tree, or laid in its crotches to be washed gradually over it
by the rains, or it is this diluted with an equal measure of
water, or twice it$Mmeasure of the tobacco water, No. 6.

NO. 5. WHALE-OIL SOAP WASH.

2 pounds whale-oil soap.

15 gallons water, or tobacco water, No. 6.

To be well stirred, and applied with swab, brush, or
syringe.

Whale-oil soap is simply an alkaline residuum formed in the
process of bleaching common oils, varying in strength accord-
ing as potash or soda may be used for the purpose. The wash
made in the proportions here directed is generally milder, and
therefore safer, than No. 3, especially if the latter be made
with potash.

NO. 6. TOBACCO WATER.

1 pound refuse tobacco.
10 gallons of water.

If the water be poured on when boiling, and it be repeatedly
stirred, it may be used when cool.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 285

If cold water is used, let it stand in a vessel for a week be-
fore using, stirring it often.

It may be applied in the usual manner, or the plants or
young shoots infested with the aphis may be dipped into it
for a few moments, and, after draining off, should be thorough-
ly showered with clear water.

NO. 7. TOBACCO WASH.

2 pounds leaf or cut tobacco, or common snuff.

2 pounds potash or soda.
20 gallons of water.

Boil and stir it till reduced to about fifteen gallons. Stir
it immediately before using it, and apply it cool with a brush
or swab for the destruction of the scale insect.

NO. 8. SULPHUR PAINT.

1 pound flour of sulphur.

6 quarts of soft soap.

Reduce to the consistence of paint with tobacco water No. 6.
Apply it with a brush or swab to trees infested with the scale
insect or bark louse, and if a hard brush or rubber is used, so
much the better.

NO. 9. SULPHUR WASH FOR GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS, &C.
1 pound soap,
i pound sulphur,
i pound Scotch snuff.
1 ounce powdered nux vouiica.

3 gallons of water.

Boil and stir it for half an hour ; let it cool.

Dip the plant into it for a few moments, or apply the wash
with a sponge or brush. Place the plant so that the wash will
not drain into the pot, and in fifteen minutes syringe or show-
er it thoroughly with clear water.

FIELD MICE.

In light warm soils field mice are often very destructive to
young fruit-trees by girdling them at or near the surface of

286 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

the earth, particularly when the snow lies long upon the
ground, or the grass is suffered to grow thickly around the
trees, or if they are mulched in the fall, so that nesting-places
and materials are furnished.

Digging round the trees in the fall, and keeping them clear,
may often prevent the injury. The snow also should be trod-
den hard around them. If these precautions are not found
sufficient, a coat of pitch, or grafting composition No. 3, may
be put on for six or eight inches above the ground, and an inch
or two below. In cases of great exposure, pieces of lath set on
end firmly around the stem, and tied on until spring, will pro-
tect them ; or rolled tin or thin sheet iron may be sprung
around them, which, if carefully dried in spring and put away,
will last for years. A good cat or small terrier dog will hunt
them pretty effectually, and black snakes are said to catch
them.

If trees are severely injured, or even entirely girdled, they
may yet be saved by making three or four clean, smooth cuts
across the girdle, just as you would cut to put on a patch bud-
graft, but broader, and fitting nicely to them corresponding
pieces cut from the same or some other tree, as you would cut
the bud from its scion ; and it will aid you in the operation if
a little wood is taken with the bark, so that you can ever so
slightly interlock them with a short tongue, as in grafting.
Having put on two or more of these, according to the size and
necessities of the tree, bind them carefully and firmly, and
cover them completely with grafting composition No. 3, and
your tree will live.

CHAPTER XX.

Fruits in alphabetical Order, in their Varieties, with Descriptions and Di-
rections for their Culture.

FRUITS.

Ix preparing the following selections of the more important
fruits, an effort has been made to limit the number of varieties,
and yet not exclude any desirable peculiarity belonging to

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 287

either class. The lists comprise but fifty kinds of apples, forty
of pears, twenty-four of peaches, twenty-five of plums, and six-
teen of cherries.

These may appear meagre assortments from the almost in-
numerable existing varieties, but the wants they will not meet
are not likely to be satisfied by the mere multiplication of
kinds. Neither, though carefully chosen, are they given with
the idea of selections being rigidly confined to them ;* other
kinds of similar character may be substituted for any or all of
them, at the pleasure of the cultivator.

ALMOND.
Amygdalus Communis.

The almond is a variety of the peach, or, more properly, the
peach is an almond improved by Fig 142

cultivation, the almond consist-
ing only of the pit or nut and the
skin, which cracks open when
ripe.

They are raised and cultivated
in all respects as peach-trees, and
will generally succeed in a meas-
ure where that fruit will ripen,
but are best suited with a warm a. A branch in blossom,

soil and southern climate. &- " fa fruit-

The bitter almond and the peach-pit alike afford prussic
acid, but the large sweet almond is an excellent nut, though
hard to digest, on which account it should be eaten with
raisins,.

There are also double-flowering varieties, the dwarf double
being a universal favorite, easily increased by offshoots or
layers.

Seedlings of the bitter almond are used to some extent in
France as stocks for budding peaches on, being thought hardier
and more enduring than seedlings of the peach.

288 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

APPLES.

The varieties of apples are so numerous and diversified that
while it would seem as if all tastes, soils, and localities might
be suited, there is, on this very account, some difficulty in
making a selection.

In addition, therefore, to the information given in the sub-
joined lists of kinds, and the suggestions in reference to the
selection of fruit, page 192, little aid can be afforded in mak-
ing choice of varieties.

In general, and particularly to the northward, except for lo-
calities within easy reach of a market, it will be found wise to
plant the late fall and winter varieties more largely than the
earlier kinds, and acid or subacid fruits rather than sweet
ones.

In respect to soil, some varieties will not bear a sandy, and
others will not do well upon a clay soil, but almost every va-
riety will succeed upon a moderately deep loam, if the climate
of the locality is such as to suit them ; and even upon soils
comparatively cold and wet, good fruit may be raised if atten-
tion is given to carrying off the superabundant water by means
of open drains made with the plow. Efficient under- draining
will be found still better, and all land having clay or hardpan
underneath, upon which the orchard is to be planted, if not
under-drained, should first be thoroughly subsoiled or trench-
plowed.

In orchard culture, in good soils, apple trees should not stand
less than forty feet apart every way. When dwarfed for gar-
den culture or for combination they may be set from ten to
twelve feet apart, and should be regularly summer pruned by
nipping the ends of the young shoots through the season, and
in the winter pruning should be cut back only just enough to
preserve the vigor and symmetry of the tree. See Pruning,
page 253-4.

Apples have become of late, more than ever, one of the neces-
saries of life, and every person should, if possible, so arrange
the varieties selected as to secure to his family the enjoyment
of them throughout the year. This may be accomplished by

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 289

the choice of a very few first-rate kinds, such as in their times
of ripening will just overlap one another, beginning with the
earliest, and running through to the latest variety.

Those intended for keeping, whether of the summer and fall
or winter and spring varieties, should be gathered a little be-
fore they become ripe, and be carefully stored in a cool, dry
room or cellar. By this means the earlier kinds may be kept
into the fall, and fall varieties until near New Year.

In gathering the general crop, the russetings should be
picked first, and in succession the other late-keeping varieties,
back to those intended for early winter use, unless we may ex-
cept from this order any particular variety which, if left upon
the tree, might be in special danger from winds.

From necessity, apples are sometimes buried or binned in
mass ; but it is better, if possible, to store them in headed
barrels, in a dry, well-aired cellar, sorting out all that are de-
fective at least once during winter. For those of choice vari-
eties or of special beauty, each fruit should be wrapped in thin
Manilla paper, and placed by hand singly and closely in the
barrel, filling in as you go, if convenient, with dry chaff, or
buckwheat bran, or powdered charcoal, or plaster, or clean dried
sand, or tasteless, inodorous sawdust. All these, however, may
be dispensed with, simply heading the barrel well up, and han-
dling it carefully.

The general modes in which apples are used need not be
enumerated here ; but the daily use of them in the form of
baked, or rather stewed apples, is so generally agreeable, and
so conducive to health at those seasons when other fruits can
only be had in the less. wholesome form of preserves, that it may
be recommended for universal adoption. For this purpose, the
apples are selected perfectly sound and free from worms, and
are either washed or wiped clean, and placed in a covered pot
or stewpan, with water and molasses in the proportion of a quart
of the former and a gill of the latter, or four table-spoonfuls of
sugar to half a peck of fruit, adding orange-peel, or sliced lem-
on, or ginger, or other flavoring according to taste. They are
then boiled over a slow fire until the remaining sirup is about
equal to the quantity of molasses used at first, the fruit being

N

290 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

watched and changed from top to bottom, to give each apple a
chance for perfect and equal cooking, which will ordinarily be
accomplished in about an hour.

SELECTION OF FIFTY KINDS.

The varieties named below are arranged nearly in the order
in which they will be found to ripen under equal circumstances
in any given latitude. Their general times of ripening at
New York are stated, in order to afford a kind of fixed point
from which to calculate for other localities. They are classed
as small, as the early strawberry ; medium sized, as the Van-
dervere ; or large, as the fall pippin ; in respect to flavor, as
acid, subacid, and sweet. Apples and other fruits are liable to
vary considerably in form, coloring, and general appearance, as.
well as quality and flavor, in different soils and climates, but in
general the outlines will afford an accurate idea of their figure.

1. EARLY MAY.
Fig. 143.

Tree of moderate and rather upright growth, forming a pretty
compact head, and bearing well.

Fruit very small, almost round, green, becoming yellowish
white when ripe. Flesh white, tender, and not very juicy.
Flavor mild subacid. Ripens about the last of June at New
York ; its name is Virginian.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

291

2. EARLY STRAWBERRY.
Fig. 144.

Tree erect, and of medium vigor ; young shoots dark ; a free
bearer.

Fruit small, roundish or semiconical, yellowish green, with
some lively red stripes ; ripens about the middle of July. Flesh
white, sometimes slightly veined with red. Flavor sprightly,
subacid, with some little aroma.

" 3. EARLY HARVEST (Fig. 145).

Tree very thrifty, making numerous long shoots, forming a
rather spreading yet bushy head that requires thinning.
Needs and deserves high culture.

Fruit above medium, round, skin very smooth, greenish
white, changing to straw color as it ripens.

Flesh white, tender, crisp, and juicy.

Flavor fine, sprightly acid. . Ripens from .the latter part of
July to the middle of August.

292

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 145.

4. SWEET BOUGH.
Fig. 146.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

298

Tree of moderate growth, making a rather round head, and
bearing fair crops. Young shoots yellowish.

Fruit above medium ; roundish, to obtuse conical ; yellow-
ish- white, with occasionally a blush cheek.

Flesh white, tender, and tolerably juicy ; skin tough.

Flavor a fine, rich sweet, especially when permitted to ma-
ture perfectly upon the tree.

Ripening from last of July to middle of August.

5. RED ASTRACHAN.

Fig. 147.

Tree a fine, vigorous grower, rather upright, and round
head ; hardy and productive in almost every variety of soil
and climate.

Fruit above medium ; roundish ; flattened ; greenish -yellow
in the shade, but mostly bright crimson, overspread with a
fine white rich bloom.

Flesh pure white, tender, and crisp, with an abundant juici-
ness, which it loses if it be not gathered early.

Flavor a brisk and rather sharp, but agreeable acid.

Ripens in July and to the middle of August.

294

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

6. SUMMER ROSE.

Fig. 148.

Tree of moderate growth and roundish form, bearing well.

Fruit small, roundish, somewhat flattened, pale yellow,
blotched and striped with red on the sunny side.

Flesh white, tender, and juicy.

Flavor fine, pleasant subacid. Ripens early in August, and
continues for some time.

In certain localities, where it may have been tested, the Be-
noni, which is an eastern apple of about the same size and
season as the Summer Rose, may be substituted for it. It is
a deep red fruit, of pleasant subacid flavor, and the tree grows
and bears well.

7. WILLIAMS'S FAVORITE.

Tree of medium vigor, and good bearer, but greatly benefited
by deep soil and high culture.

Fruit of medium size, sometimes pretty large, oblong-ovate,
inclining to conical, almost covered with bright red stripes,
deepening to crimson in the sun ; a fruit of fine appearance.

Flesh yellowish-white, moderately juicy and tender.

Flavor mild, agreeable subacid. Ripe in August.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 149.

295

8. SUMMER PIPPIN (Fig. 150).

Tree of strong growth and spreading habit; young shoots
light brown ; a fair though not heavy bearer.

Fruit large, roundish, deep golden yellow ; liable to crack
when over-ripened on the tree.

Flesh white, tender, juicy.

Flavor fine clear acid. Ripens irregularly through August
and September, or later.

The Summer Pippin, which, on trees in full bearing, does
not usually average the size represented by the figure, is val-
uable as a family fruit, where it can be used for cooking, as it
matures along through the fall, but its irregularity in ripen-
ing renders it less suitable for marketing. It is a rather
old and favorite variety, extensively known as the Holland Pip-
pin ; but, except in certain localities, or with persons who have
a particular fancy for it, other newer and more desirable va-
rieties will supersede it.

296

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 15f).

9. GLOUCESTER CHEESE.

Fig. 151.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

297

Tree strong- growing, compact, and bearing well.

Fruit large, roundish, flattened ; bright red, with indistinct
stripes of a lighter shade.

Flesh white, crisp, but mealy when over-ripened.

Flavor mild subacid, agreeable and rich. Ripening in Au-
gust and September.

10. AMERICAN PEARMAIN.

Fig. 152.

Tree appearing strong and vigorous, yet really of rather
slow growth ; somewhat spreading, and a good bearer. It is
suited with a sandy soil.

Fruit rather large, oblong ; greenish yellow, with some thin
russet ; dull red on the sunny side, obscurely striped and
clouded.

Flesh yellowish, and pretty firm, with slight mealiness when
quite ripe.

Flavor mild, rich subacid. Ripens in August and Septem-
ber.

N2-

298

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN*.

11. JERSEY SWEETING.

Fig. 153.

Tree of strong growth while young, making a rather up-
right, compact, rounded head, and bearing abundantly. Not
a long-lived tree.

Fruit medium, roundish, conical, greenish -yellow, with
blush cheek, or striped.

Flesh whitish, tender, and juicy.

Flavor high, rich, and sweet. Ripening through August
and September.

12. MAIDEN'S BLUSH.

Tree of pretty strong spreading growth, and an abundant
bearer.

Fruit somewhat above medium, flattened, or nearly cheese
form ; clear light yellow, with a brilliant blush cheek.

Flesh white, crisp, very tender and juicy.

Flavor moderately acid. Ripens from August to October.

The Maiden's Blush so nearly resembles in appearance and
character the Hawthornden, a favorite Scotch apple, that it is

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

299

difficult to avoid the conclusion that the one is a sub- variety
of the other ; the latter is a little fuller in the eye than the
former, but both are beautiful, productive, and valuable. Their
clear, but not strong acid, fits them for making pies of special
excellence, and for this purpose they may be gathered from
early summer to quite late fall ; they are also, on account of
their form and character, superior for peeling and drying.

Fig. 154

13. PORTER (Fig. 155).

Tree erect, and of fine, rapid growth, requiring care to keep
the head sufficiently open ; healthful, and a good bearer.

Fruit medium, or above ; regular oblong conical ; yellow,
with red upon the sunny side.

Flesh white, tender, juicy.

Flavor fine mild subacid to acid.

Ripens in September and October.

The Porter is a favorite in Boston and vicinity, and succeeds
well throughout the North, where it is used both for eating out
of hand and cooking ; for the latter use, the Keswick Codlin,
which in general form and color somewhat resembles it, may
be profitably substituted for it at the West. It is a heavy

300 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

bearer, even upon young trees, and, like the Maiden's Blush
and Hawthornden, may be used throughout the season, or dried
for winter and spring.

Fig. 155.

14. GRAVEXSTEIX.

Tree of vigorous growth, and regular though expanding hab-
it. A good bearer.

Fruit large, roundish, flattened ; yellow, with orange por-
tions, splashed and marbled with much red, having also a few
green dots.

Flesh yellowish- white, crisp, and juicy.

Flavor fine subacid to vinous. Ripens in September and
October. It deserves and finds favor every where as an acqui-
sition to the garden and orchard.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig- 156.

301

15. HAWLEY.

Fig. 157.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Tree strong and spreading ; a good and constant bearer.

Fruit large, round, flattened, occasionally unequal-sided ;
yellow, sometimes with a slight blush ; in certain soils and
localities subject to bitter rot.

Flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, and juicy.

Flavor fine rich subacid. Ripens in October, and keeps to
the middle of December.

16. FALL PIPPIN.

Fig. 158.

Tree strong and spreading ; mostly crooked while young ; a
good bearer, but apt to be imperfect unless under good culture
and in a genial climate.

Fruit large, roundish, sometimes slightly ribbed ; clear yel-
low, rarely with a faint blush.

Flesh yellowish- white, tender, firm, and juicy,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

303

Flavor high, aromatic, rich subacid. Ripens from October
to December.

17. FAMEUSE.

Fig. 159.

Tree of only moderate vigor, with dark shoots ; rather spread-
ing ; with good soil and culture it bears well. It is suited to
northern latitudes.

Fruit medium or below, fair,, roundish ; greenish - yellow,
streaked and blotched with vari9us red.

Flesh very white and tender.

Flavor light acid, with some perfume. Ripens from Octo-
ber to December.

18. MOTHER (Fig. 160).

Tree of moderate growth, bearing well and constantly.

Fruit medium or above, roundish, oblong, or conical ; rich
red upon yellow, with deeper red on portions of the sunny side.

Flesh yellow, tender, and juicy.

Flavor of a mild subacid, sugary character, rich and spicy.
Ripens from October to January.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 160.

19. VANDERVERE.
Fig. 161.

.Tv

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 305

Tree rather spreading, a moderate grower, and a good bearer
in warm soils and localities ; much benefited by high culture.

Fruit medium or above, roundish-flattened ; yellow or or-
ange, with much red in the sun, but variable, being some-
times wax-like and of exquisite beauty.

Flesh yellow, firm, and not very juicy.

Flavor mild, rich subacid, of the highest quality. Ripens
from October to January.

20. DYER.

Fig. 162.

Tree of spreading habit and but moderate growth ; a tolera-
ble bearer.

Fruit pretty large, roundish, slightly flattened ; whitish,
with a faint blush.

Flesh yellowish-white, crisp, and tender.

Flavor mild, sprightly subacid : excellent. Ripens from Oc-
tober to January.

806

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

21. HUBBARDSTON NONSUCH.

Fig. 163.

Tree strong, with expanding branches, and rather slender,
grayish young shoots ; an abundant bearer.

Fruit above medium, roundish-ovate ; yellow and orange,
almost covered with red stripes, and having in general a little
russet near the stem.

Flesh yellowish, firm, tender, and moderately juicy.

Flavor fine aromatic subacid. Ripens from November to
January.

22. MINISTER.

Tree moderately free in growth, with flexuous young shoots ;
very productive.

Fruit above medium, oblong-ovate or conical ; greenish-yel-
low, striped and dashed with red.

Flesh yellowish-white, so tender as to require special care
in handling.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

307

Flavor pleasant, having a certain resemblance to the light,
sprightly acid of a natural or wild fruit. Ripens from No-
vember to January.

Fig. 164.

23. HURLBUT (Fig. 165).

Tree of vigorous growth, and a great bearer.

Fruit medium or below, roundish-conical ; yellow, almost
covered with rather deep red, and having some russet around
the stem.

Flesh yellowish-white, firm, not very juicy.

Flavor mild subacid, slightly aromatic, and very pleasant.
Hi pens from November to January.

308

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fis. 165.

24. MALE CARLE.

Fig. 166

A

Tree pretty strong, but varying much in its growth with

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

309

soil and climate ; a pretty good bearer ; suited to warm lati-
tudes.

Fruit medium to large, nearly globular ; light yellow, with
crimson cheek.

Flesh white, fine-grained, and tender.

Flavor rose perfume, mingled with a fine subacid. Ripens
from November to January.

25. CHANDLER.

Fi?. 167.

Tree of moderate growth, but bearing heavily, requiring
high culture and thinning of the crop while young to avoid a
large proportion of imperfect fruit.

Fruit large, round, flattened, oblique ; covered with dull red
upon a greenish ground.

Flesh white, firm, and rather coarse.

Flavor mild subacid, rather rich, pleasant, and excellent.
Ripens from November to February.

An apple of very fine appearance and character when per-
fect.

310

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

26. PECK'S PLEASANT.

Fig. 168.

Tree a moderate and rather compact grower, and good bear-
er, but requiring nigh culture.

Fruit rather large, roundish, flattened ; yellow when ripe,
with a blush cheek and a few gray dots.

Flesh yellowish-white, juicy, tender, and crisp.

Flavor a fine high subacid. Ripens from November to Feb-
ruary, or later.

27. JONATHAN.

Tree vigorous, of spreading or drooping habit, and, under
high culture, very productive.

Fruit medium or below, roundish -conical ; clear yellow
ground, nearly covered with red of various shades.

Flesh yellowish- white, sometimes pinkish near the surface ;
juicy, and very tender.

Flavor lively subacid. Ripe from November to February.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 169.

311

28. RAMBO.
Fig. 1TO.

Tree rather upright, of slow growth, but a good bearer.

312

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fruit medium, round, flattened, nearly cheese form ; green-
ish-yellow, with some thin russet and a brownish cheek.

Flesh greenish- white, firm, and moderately juicy.

Flavor fine, clear subacid, of considerable richness. Ripens
from November to February.

Best south of New York ; it is the popular Seek-no-further
of the Philadelphia markets.

29. WESTFIELD SEEK-NO-FURTHER.

Fig. 171.

Tree of fine vigorous growth, and an excellent bearer.

Fruit medium or above, roundish-conical ; dull red over yel-
lowish-green ground, with russet dots or patches ; variable ;
occasionally subject to bitter rot.

Flesh yellowish-white, fine-grained, tender, and crisp.

Flavor mild subacid, peculiar and excellent. Ripening from
November to February.

30. BROAD WELL SWEET.

Tree spreading, of strong growth, with yellowish young
shoots ; a good bearer.

Fruit rather large, roundish - conical or flattened ; skin
smooth, greenish-yellow, bronzed in the sun.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 172.

313

Flesh white, tender, and juicy.

Flavor fine, sweet, and often rich. Ripens from November
to February, or later.

This is a new and excellent winter sweet apple, a native of
Southern Ohio.

31. AMERICAN GOLDEN RUSSET (Fig. 173).

Tree erect and moderately thrifty ; young shoots drab color ;
bears fair and constant crops, and is well suited with high
culture.

Fruit small, conical or roundish-ovate ; dull yellow, covered
with thin russet.

Flesh yellowish, very tender and juicy, almost melting when
fully ripe.

Flavor mild subacid, with a fine rich spiciness. Ripens
from November to February.

The American Golden Russet is small, but of superior qual-
ity, and especially worthy of extensive garden culture. In
cold soils and localities it sometimes fails to ripen, and is
then inferior.

0

314

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 173.

32. WAGENER.

Fig. 174.

Tree of vigorous growth ; young shoots green ; a regular
and fair bearer ; will repay care and high culture.

Fruit medium or above, roundish, flattened, and often ribbed

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 315

or irregular ; yellow, covered with stripes and shadings of light
and dark red, mingled with russet spots or streaks.

Flesh yellowish-white, fine-grained, tender, firm, and juicy.

Flavor subacid, with a vinous sprightliness, and some aro-
ma. Ripens from November to last of February, or later.

33. RHODE ISLAND GREENING.
Fig. 175.

Tree of fine, strong growth, often crooked while young, but
forming a fine spreading, symmetrical head ; hardy, and bear-
ing heavy crops of perfect fruit.

Fruit above medium, often large, round, very slightly coni-
cal ; skin rough, with spots of semi-russet ; green, becoming
dull yellow when perfectly ripe.

Flesh yellowish, tender, crisp, breaking, and juicy.

Flavor clear, sprightly, rich acid. Ripens from November
to March.

34. YELLOW BELLE FLEUR.

Tree thrifty, rather upright, with yellowish young shoots ;
a fair bearer, requiring good soil and a rather warm climate.

316

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Eig. 176.

Fruit quite large, long, ovate-conical, irregular ; of a lemon-
yellow color, with a very slight blush.

Flesh white, fine-grained, tender, and crisp.

Flavor mild, pleasant subacrd, with a slight aroma. Ripens
from November to March.

35. DANVERS SWEET.

Tree spreading ; young shoots yellowish ; of rapid growth,
and an abundant bearer, especially in rich, strong soils.

Fruit medium, roundish-oblong or conical, smooth ; rather
deep yellow when ripe, with a shade of blush or orange, slight-
ly specked with russet.

Flesh yellow, sweet, and rich.

In use from November to March.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 177.

317

36. ORTLEY.
Fig. 178.

318

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Tree of vigorous growth, rather upright, with slender young
shoots ; in rich soils a great bearer.

Fruit medium sized to large, oblong or oblong-ovate ; lively
yellow, with a bright blush, somewhat speckled with light
spots and patches of gray russet.

Flesh yellowish-white, crisp, firm.

Flavor sprightly perfumed subacid. Ripens from Novem-
ber to April.

37. BALDWIN.
Fig. 179.

Tree very vigorous, forming a fine, symmetrical, and heavy
head ; bearing abundantly.

Fruit large, roundish-ovate or conical, narrowing rather rap-
idly toward the eye, but sometimes slightly flattened ; dull
yellow ground, striped and shaded with red of varied depth,
with some gray dots.

Flesh yellowish, crisp, not very juicy.

Flavor a high, rich subacid. Ripens from November to
April.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

319

38. WINE APPLE.
Fig. 180.

Tree thrifty, spreading, hardy, and an abundant bearer.

Fruit above medium, round, flattened, irregular or oblique ;
bright varied red over yellow, or yellow striped, with some
russet near the stem.

Flesh yellowish-white, juicy, crisp.

Flavor rich vinous, slightly acid. Ripens from November
to May.

39. SWAAR (Fig. 181).

Tree of strong growth, and a fair bearer, succeeding best in a
dry, deep loam ; it deserves and will well repay special care
and high culture.

Fruit rather large, round, flattened, sometimes irregular;
dead-gold color, with a little russet or darkish spots.

Flesh yellowish, fine-grained, and tender.

Flavor very rich and aromatic subacid, with considerable
spicy fragrance. Ripens from December to March.

320

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 181.

40. RED CANADA.

Fig. 182

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

321

Tree spreading, thrifty, but of rather slender growth ; a
good bearer.

Fruit medium or above, roundish-conical, or flattened at the
base ; greenish to yellow, covered with various shades of red,
with many small gray russet dots.

Flesh white, fine-grained, firm, and juicy.

Flavor fine rich subacid. Ripens from December to March.

Fig. 183.

41. LADY APPLE.

Tree erect, vigorous, though
not of large growth ; its young
shoots black ; a free bearer
when it attains age.

Fruit very small, round,
flattened to cheese form ;
clear light yellow, with bright
red cheek, smooth and glossy.

Flesh yellowish-white, firm,
tender.

Flavor mild subacid. Ripens from December to March.

42. PRYOR'S RED.

Fig. 184

322 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Tree of strong, free growth, and an abundant bearer.

Fruit medium to large, roundish to roundish-conical, irreg-
ular, and very variable in form, often becoming angular ; green-
ish-yellow, nearly covered with dull red, and somewhat rus-
seted.

Flesh yellowish, tender, and fine-grained, but not very
juicy.

Flavor mild and agreeable subacid. Ripens from December
to March, or later.

43. NORTHERN SPY.
Fig. 185.

Tree of rapid and rather erect growth, with stout, spotted
young shoots, making a finely-formed but close head ; and,
with high culture and age, bearing fair fruit, and freely.

Fruit large, roundish - conical, obscurely ribbed ; yellow,
nearly covered with streaks of various red or crimson.

Flesh yellowish-white, tender, juicy.

Flavor rich, aromatic subacid. Ripens from December to
April.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

323

44. WOOD'S GREENING.

Fig. 186.

Tree rather spreading, and of slender growth ; in strong
soils or under high culture, a good and uniform bearer.

Fruit medium to large, roundish-conical, somewhat flatten-
ed ; green, turning yellow as it ripens.

Flesh greenish-white, fine-grained, and tender.

Flavor pleasant subacid. Ripens from January to March.

45. YELLOW NEWTOWN PIPPIN (Fig. 187).

Tree of slow growth, with rough bark even while young,
but hardy, long-lived, and, in favorable soil and climate, a
good bearer ; needs and deserves high culture.

Fruit medium to large, irregular, generally round, flattened,
and slightly oblique ; in fine specimens inclining to oblong ;
often scabbed and imperfect in unfavorable circumstances.

Flesh yellowish, firm, juicy.

Flavor high, rich, and fragrant, with moderate acid. The
finest apple known. Ripens from January to May.

The Green Newtown Pippin is distinguishable only by the

324

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN
Fig. 187.

appearance of the fruit, which is generally of flatter form, and
green, and by some is thought to be rather more juicy, and to
keep better.

Both the yellow and the green Newtown Pippin are found
of very varied quality in different localities, a result attributa-
ble largely, I think, to the existence of seedling sub- varieties.

46. LADIES' SWEETING.

Tree spreading, a little irregular, thrifty, but the young
growth rather slender ; bears abundantly.

Fruit medium or above, roundish-ovate, sometimes longer ;
yellowish-green, striped, or having considerable red, covered
by a slight bloom ; sometimes scarcely distinguishable from
the Flushing Spitzenbergh.

Flesh greenish-white, firm, crisp, and juicy.

Flavor rather subacid than sweet, exceedingly pleasant, per-
fumed, and rich. Ripens from January to May, retaining its
freshness to the last.

This favorite apple, under various names, has been very
widely diffused from its original home upon the Hudson, and
well deserves more attention and more special care in its culti-
vation as a market fruit than it has vet received.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 188.

325

47. RATTLE'S JANET.

Fig. 189.

326 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Tree of only moderate growth, but an abundant bearer ; blos-
soming late, and seldom injured by spring frosts.

Fruit medium to large ; roundish, flattened at the stem, and
often oblique ; skin tough ; light yellow, striped with varying
red, according to exposure, with some spots of mould and russet.

Flesh yellowish- white, fine-grained, crisp, and juicy.

Flavor mild, rich subacid. Kipens from January to May.

48. BOSTON RUSSET.
Fig. 190.

Tree strong and spreading, bearing heavy crops of market-
able fruit.

Fruit medium to large, roundish, flattened, sometimes slight-
ly angular or ribbed ; dull green russet, becoming brown, occa-
sionally reddish bronzed on the sunny side.

Flesh greenish-white, a little coarse, firm and juicy.

Flavor rich subacid. Ripens from January to June.

49. POUGHKEEPSIE RUSSET.

Tree erect, vigorous ; young shoots reddish-brown ; a heavy
bearer.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 191.

327

Fruit below medium ; ovate or conical ; pale greenish-yel-
low, mostly covered with light brown russet.

Flesh yellowish-white, firm, dry.

Flavor rich subacid. Seldom fit for eating out of hand, but
excellent when stewed or baked : see page 289. Ripens from
January to June or July.

50. TEWKESBURY WINTER BLUSH.
Fig. 192.

328

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Tree of straight and rapid growth, and a free bearer of fair
fruit.

Fruit small, rather flat, smooth, yellow, with red cheek and
small russet dots.

Flesh yellowish, firm, tender, and somewhat juicy.

Flavor subacid. Ripens from January to August.

This apple is remarkable for its peculiarities rather than its
value. It is too small for profitable marketing, and the value
it might otherwise derive from its keeping quality is neutral-
ized by the fact that larger and better fruits may be kept till
new apples come in, except, possibly, in southern climates.

Lists of Varieties suited to different Sections of Country,
numbered in each Class nearly in the order of their 'begin-
ning to ripen.

FOR THE EASTERN AND NORTHERN STATES. •'

SUMMER APPLES.

1. Early Harvest, or Sour Bough.

2. Sweet Bough.

3. Eed Astrachan.

4. Williams's Favorite.

5. Summer Rose.

FALL APPLES.

1. American Pearmain.

2. Porter.

3. Gravenstein.

4. Fameuse.

5. Mother.

1. Hubbardston Nonsuch.

2. Minister.

3. Rhode Island Greening.

4. Yellow Belle Fleur.

5. Baldwin.

WINTER APPLES.

6. Red Canada.

7. Swaar.

8. Northern Spy.

9. Ladies' Sweeting.
10. Boston Russet.

SUMMER APPLES.

1. Early Strawberry.

2. Early Harvest, or Sour Bough.

3. Sweet Bough.

4. Red Astrachan.

5. Summer Pippin.

FOR THE MIDDLE STATES.

FALL APPLES.

1. Jersey Sweeting.

2. Maiden's Blush.

3. Porter.

4. Gravenstein.

5. Hawley.

1. Hurlbut.

2. Chandler.

3. Peck's Pleasant.

4. American Golden Russet.
T>. Wagener.

WINTER APPLES.

6. Rhode Island Greening.

7. Baldwin.

8. Yellow Newtown Pippin.

9. Ladies' Sweeting.
10. Boston Russet.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

329

SUMMER APPLES.

1. Early Harvest, or Sour Bough.

2. Early Sweet Bough.

3. Red Astrachan.

4. Summer Rose.

5. Williams's Favorite.

FOR THE WESTERN STATES.

FALL APPLES.

1. Jersey Sweeting.

2. Porter.

3. Gravenstein.

4. Fall Pippin.

5. Dyer.

WINTER APPLES.

1. Jonathan.

2. Rambo.

3. Westfield Seek-no-further.

4. Rhode Island Greening.

5. Yellow Belle Fleur.

6. Danvers Sweet.

7. Ortley.

8. Northern Spy.

9. Boston Russet.

10. Poughkeepsie Russet

FOR THE SOUTHERN OR SOUTHWESTERN STATES.

SUMMER APPLES.

1. Early May.

2. Early Strawberry.

3. Early Harvest, or Sour Bough.

4. Early Sweet Bough.

5. Summer Rose.

FALL APPLES.

1. Gloucester Cheese.

2. Maiden's Blush.

3. Porter.

4. Gravenstein.

5. Vandervere.

1. Male Carle.

2. Broadwell Sweet.

3. American Golden Russet.

4. Ortley.

5. Wine Apple.

WINTER APPLES.

6. Lady Apple.

7. Pryor's Red.

8. Wood's Greening.

9. Raule's Janet.

10. Tewkesbury Winter Blush.

Perhaps the Poughkeepsie Russet might be advantageously
added to each of the above lists of winter apples in which it is
not inserted ; and for Southern culture Elliott mentions the
" Carolina Winter Queen" and the " Nickejack" from North
Carolina as apples of superior promise. For the Middle, North-
ern, and Eastern States, the Donald apple, somewhat known as
Watson's Long Keeper, is worthy of careful and extended trial.
The tree is erect and vigorous ; fruit of a roundish-oblong or
conical form, golden yellow, with a bright blush-" painted"
cheek, fine-grained and tender, a very mild subacid, yet of pe-
culiar spirit and excellence, whether raw or cooked. In general,
the lists given will be found satisfactory, but attention to the re-
marks on selection of kinds, page 192, will be always important.

330

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

THE APRICOT.

The Apricot is one of our earliest and pleasantest fruits for
eating out of hand ; and though, from its blossoming so imme-
diately upon the opening of spring, it is exposed very often to
injury or entire loss by spring frosts, as well as to the attacks
of the curculio or plum bug after the fruit sets, yet it merits
cultivation, and will repay all the care that in ordinary seasons
it requires to carry it safely through the period in which it is
liable to be injured. To make this easy, the trees should be
kept low and compact by proper pruning ; and if there be dan-
ger of frost upon the blossoms, set three or four stakes around
each tree, and throw over it a large blanket or cloth of any
kind, leaving it on in the morning until some time after sun-
rise.

Fig. 193.

a. Small Apricot

&. Medium Apricot.

The period of blossoming may also be retarded by keeping
the tree shaded so long as frosts are likely to occur ; and if,
notwithstanding this, they come upon the blossoms, the pre-
cautions above mentioned must be taken. Branches of ever-
green may be used with good effect both in shading and pro-
tection. If the tree is trained against a building it will be
still more easy to cover it, but in both cases be careful to se-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 331

cure the covering so that the wind, if prevailing, will not dash
it against the blossoms.

Apricots may be planted at the distance of from ten to fif-
teen feet, the former being sufficient if the trees are well
pruned. A pretty rich warm loam suits them best. They
may be budded on seedling apricots, plums, or peaches. Ei-
ther of the two former, however, are to be preferred to the lat-
ter, and of them those of free growth. Among plums, a vari-
ety of stock known as the pear plum is generally preferred for
the apricot.

APRICOTS

Numbered nearly in the order of their ripening.

1. Large Early.

2. Early Golden.

3. Royal.

4. Hemskirke.

5. Breda.

6. Peach.

7. Moorpark.

8. Turkey.

These are all worthy of attention, but Nos. 1, 4, 6, and 7
are of superior size and quality.

THE BERBERRY.

The Berberry is said to derive its name from the Arabic,
Fig. 194. connecting us by a very thorny tie to the Ber-
bers of Africa. It is found wild, not only in
Africa, but in Europe, Asia, and both North
and South America. It is a well-known acid
and seedy fruit, sometimes used for preserves,
jellies, tarts, and pickles, but too sour for any
thing except the last or an acid gargle.

It makes a perfectly impenetrable hedge
fence, but its habit of spreading by offshoots
renders it objectionable. The bark and wood
make a fine yellow dye. The stamens of the
common red kind seem to possess a peculiar
susceptibility, so that, when touched, they
spring over and deposit their pollen upon the
stigma of the mature flower. Some new varieties have recent-
ly been obtained from India and the Straits of Magellan.
They are raised from seeds, cuttings, layers, or offshoots.

332

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

THE BLACKBERRY.
NEW ROCHELLE.

The culture of blackberries as a garden fruit is of quite re-
cent origin, dating from the discovery made a few years since,
in the neighborhood of New Rochelle, Westchester county, of
a fine-fruited wild variety, which, on being cultivated, was
found to yield heavy crops of large and well-flavored fruit. ,
This variety, known as the " New Rochelle blackberry," is
the only kind at present in extended cultivation, but probably

will not long remain alone.
It is a strong, upright
grower, and when planted,
as it should always be, in
very rich soil, it spreads
with great rapidity, and
its suckers, if not wanted
for plants, should be care-
fully and persistently de-
stroyed as they appear.
It requires treatment pre-
cisely similar to the com-
mon raspberry (which see),
the frame with the sliding
bar being peculiarly de-
sirable, on account of its
very heavy young growth.
Thorough ripening is essential to the perfection of the fruit, and
in this respect cultivators are liable to be deceived by the depth
of color which the berry attains before it is fit to gather.

A variety called the " White Blackberry" is occasionally met
with in gardens. Its color is really a dirty chocolate, and in
respect to flavor and fruiting it is worthless.

Among our wild fruits which have as yet scarcely begun to
be regarded as subjects for cultivation, there are some that will
probably soon follow the blackberry into the ranks of cultivated
small fruits, as the Buffalo-berry of the southwest, Shepardia
argentea, and the black and blue Huckleberries or Whortleber-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 333

ries, Vaccinium resinosum and tenettum, and the red-flowering
thornless Kaspberry, Rubus odorata.

THE CHERRY.

In any suitable climate, cherries are among the most easily
cultivated of our large-growing fruit-trees. They prefer a
rather warm temperature, and around many of the older home-
steads of Virginia have grown to an enormous size. Among
the numerous fine varieties introduced within the last thirty or
fifty years, there is, in their several classes, but little difference
that would strike an ordinary observer, except in the time of
ripening, and even this is obliterated by bringing them from
the opposite limits of one or two degrees of latitude, which can
now easily be done in time to place them on the dinner-table
still damp with the morning dew. Hence, in our markets,
quite a number of different kinds are known by a common name ;
and, on the other hand, from the rapidity of their recent diffu-
sion, a multitude of synonyms for certain choice kinds are found
among nursery-men and amateurs.

Most kinds have an upright and regular habit of growth,
which permits of their being planted much closer than would
otherwise be advantageous. From twenty to thirty feet will
be found a sufficient distance, unless it may be for a few vari-
eties of spreading habit, or in localities where the tree attains a
very large size ; and, for the same reason, but little pruning is
found absolutely necessary. It is quite desirable to form the
head of the young tree well at the start — see remarks page
254 — and it is often important, in order to facilitate the fruit-
gathering, to force a less towering growth by cutting out the
strong central leader, even when two or three inches diameter
at the point of .severance ; but this necessity should be pre-
vented by earlier attention in forming the head. Notwith-
standing all that may be written, however, a fruit that grows
so rapidly, and yields so abundantly, in spite of neglect in its
culture, will not be likely to command much care or labor.

Of the sour varieties, which are chiefly used for tarts and
preserving or drying, the old-fashionecT or Richmond sour, and
some of the older varieties of the Morello, are generally decay-

334 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ing, and in many localities are as much injured by the black
knot as the plum-tree. The plum-stone Morello is a fine late
sour variety, and others will be found in the list below.

The cherry prefers a deep, strong loam, but will thrive in al-
most any soil, if the climate be favorable. In cold localities,
extreme thriftiness in the trees exposes them to the risk of
winter-killing or bursting. See p. 260. There are extensive
valleys but little north of New York city, along which for
many miles the finer varieties of cherry-trees perish at irregu-
lar intervals from the severity of the cold. In such localities,
or in all more northern latitudes, high manuring must be avoid-
ed, and the trees set in positions exposed to the north or north-
west, and defended from the winter's southern sun. They may
bear the steady cold of a severe winter, but sudden and great
fluctuations will almost certainly destroy them.

SELECT LIST OF CHERRIES,

Numbered in each class nearly in the order in which they
will be found to ripen in any given soil and latitude. The
time of their ripening at New York accompanies the figure
and description below.

SWEET FRUITS.

1. Purple Guigne (Gween).

2. Mayduke.

3. Elton.

4. Knight's Early Black.

5. Black Heart.

6. Black Tartarian.

7. Holland Bigarreau.

8. Graffion.

9. Black Eagle.

10. Downton.

11. Downer's Late.

12. Florence.

SOUR, OR PIE AND PRESERVE FRUITS.

13. Early Richmond.

14. Carnation.

15. Plum-stone Morello.

16. Rumsey's Morello.

1. PURPLE GUIGNE (Fig. 196).

Purple Griotte. German Mayduke.
Tree of moderate growth, and spreading.
Fruit rather small, but very early ; dark red, purple when
dead ripe.

Flesh tender, juicy, and sweet. Ripens last of May.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

335

2. MAYDUKE (Fig. 197).

Early Duke.

Tree of upright growth ; young shoots slender.
Fruit medium size ; bright red, becoming dark red at matu-
rity. A fine acid fruit for pies while still unripe, but of a rich
subacid flavor when fully matured.

Ripening last of May and first half of June ; often having
green fruit upon certain branches when the main crop has ma-
tured.

Fig. 196. Fig. 197. Fig. 198.

Purple Guigne.

Mayduke.

Elton.

• 3. ELTON (Fig. 198).

Tree vigorous, spreading.

Fruit pretty large, slightly pointed ; pale yellow, with a
bright red, mottled cheek.

Flesh rather firm, but juicy, rich, and excellent.

Ripens about the middle of June, immediately after the
Mayduke.

336

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

4. KNIGHT'S EARLY BLACK (Fig. 199).
Tree of moderate vigor, spreading.
Fruit rather large, irregular, dark purple.
Flesh purple, tender, juicy, and fine-flavored.
Ripens about the middle of June.

5. BLACK HEART (Fig. 200).

Early Black. Black Russian.
Tree vigorous, erect.

Fruit of medium size, uneven in outline ; dark purple.
Flesh purple, tender, juicy, and sweet.
Ripens from the middle to the last of June.

Fig. 199. Fig. 200. Fig. 201.

Knight's Early Black.

Black Heart.

Black Tartarian.

6. BLACK TARTARIAN (Fig. 201).

Dyckmatfs. Bishop's Large. RonaWs Black Heart.
Tree e^ftremely vigorous, erect.

Fruit very large, irregular, almost oblong ; nearly black.
Flesh purplish, tolerably tender, juicy, rich, and delicious.
Ripens from the middle to the last of June.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

337

7. HOLLAND BIGARREAU (Fig. 202).

Armstrong's Bigarreau. Spotted Bigarreau.
Tree of strong and spreading growth.
Fruit large, regular ; pale yellow, shaded and spotted with
bright red on the sunny side.
Flesh firm, juicy, and excellent.
Ripens toward the last of June.

Fig. 202. Fig. 203.

Holland Bigarreau.

Graffion.

•• 8. GRAFFION (Fig. 203).
Bigarreau. White Bigarreau. Yellow Spanish.
Tree of vigorous but diverging growth, forming a fine spread-
ing head.

Fruit large ; pale yellow or amber, with clear red on the
sunny side.

Flesh light yellow, very firm, but of fine, rich flavor when
ripe.

Ripens about the last of June.

P

338

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

9. BLACK EAGLE (Fig. 204).

Tree vigorous, spreading ; young shoots quite stout.
Fruit medium or above ; deep purple or black.
Flesh purple, tender, juicy, and rich.
Ripens beginning of July.

10. DOWNTON (Fig. 205).
Tree of moderate growth, making a round head.
Fruit large, roundish, regular; creamy, and very clear;
stained and dotted with red on the sunny side.
Flesh light yellow, tender, fine, and rich.
Ripens early in July.

Fig. 204.

Fig. 205.

Fig. 206.

Black Eagle.

Downton.

Downer's Late.

11. DOWNER'S LATE (Fig. 206).
Tree of moderate vigor, somewhat spreading.
Fruit medium or below ; light clear red, veined with amber.
Flesh tender, sweet, and excellent. Ripens early in July.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

339

12. FLORENCE (Fig. 207).
Knevefs Late Bigarreau. DycJcman's Late.
Tree of strong growth and fine spreading habit.
Fruit large, roundish, slightly inclining to reniform ; amber-
yellow, marbled with red, and the fully-exposed fruit becom-
ing flushed with red on the sunny side.

Flesh yellowish, very firm, but juicy, sweet, and superior.
Kipens about the middle of July.

Fig. 207.

Fig. 208.

Florence. Early Bichmond.

SOUR CHERRIES, PIE AND PRESERVE FRUITS.
13. EARLY RICHMOND (Fig. 208).

Virginian May. Kentish.

Tree of low habit, with regular spreading head ; young
growth slender.

Fruit medium or below, round ; bright red, becoming rather
dark at maturity.

Flesh tender, melting, juicy, and of a fine acid flavor : first-
rate for culinary purposes.

Ripens in all June.

340

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

14. CARNATION (Fig. 209).

Wax Cherry.

Tree of strong growth and spreading habit.
Fruit large, round ; clear light red.

Flesh pretty firm, juicy, and acid, becoming almost subacid
at maturity.

Ripens from the middle to the end of July.

15. PLUM-STONE MORELLO (Fig. 210).

Tree thrifty, spreading ; young shoots slender.
Fruit rather large, roundish, heart-shaped ; deep red.
Flesh reddish, tender, and juicy ; of a fine acid flavor.
Ripens last of July.

Fig. 209. Fig. 210. Fig. 211.

Carnation.

Plum-stone Morello.

Ramsey's Morello.

16. RUMSEY'S MORELLO (Fig. 211).
Tree of slender and slow growth, and spreading habit.
Fruit above medium, having a suture on one side ; smooth
and regular ; color a clear bright red.

Flesh tender, juicy, and melting, but quite acid.
Ripens in August, and later.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 341

THE CRANBERRY.

Cranberries may be raised on any moist land by covering
rig. 212. the space to be planted with

a thick coat of swamp muck,
and setting the plants in it at
afoot or eighteen inches apart,
according to their strength.
Keep them perfectly clean un-
til they obtain possession ;
they will then take care of
themselves, keeping out all
other growth, and yielding
their fruit abundantly, which
is usually gathered with a pe-
culiar box-rake, known as the
cranberry-rake. Top-dressing
with well-rotted compost after
the crop is gathered improves
both the quantity and quality of succeeding crops. It is said
that they can also be well raised on dry soils, but probably
would require increased labor, with smaller return for it, their
natural home being moist bog meadows.

CURRANTS.

Of varieties there are the Black Naples, the Red and the
White Dutch, or common, and certain other inferior varieties
or mixtures of these, and still others larger fruiting and later,
but more acid and less worthy of cultivation. The recently-
introduced cherry currant is produced somewhat after the man-
ner of the Black Naples, bearing its large fruit upon short
bunches ; the seeds are rather large, and the quality of the
fruit only fair, but it is a showy, and, on the whole, a desirable
variety.

Though one of the most valuable of our small summer fruits,
if not, indeed, more useful than any other, currants are scarce-
ly subjects of cultivation ; for this implies more than merely
planting in a corner or by a fence, and gathering the product

342

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

when it comes. Yet they will well repay by the abundance,
and excellence, and beauty of their fruit, the little labor their
cultivation requires.

Fig. 213.

a. Black Naples.

b. Red Dutch.

They may be set out at four or five
feet apart, and either kept to a single
stem, or to two or three. Satisfactory
results will be obtained if the bushes are
kept clear of grass and weeds, the off-
shoots from the collar of the root sup-
pressed, the head of the bush kept rath-
er open than otherwise by thinning out
any excess of bearing shoots, and com-
pact in form by shortening the young
wood, according to its strength, to from
one half to one third of its last year's
growth in the winter pruning as direct-
ed for gooseberries, p. 346.
Currants may be planted in almost any soil or situation, and

c. White Dutch.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 343

are as easily raised as willows, from layers, or cuttings planted
in the fall or early spring. There are many sub- varieties, with
considerable differences in the quality and pleasantness of their
acid, and it is worthy of care that your young plants be raised
from such as are most agreeable to your taste.

The season of this fruit may be prolonged by planting some
in warm spots, or light soil, and others in the shade, or on a
north slope, or in cold soil, or by covering single bushes with
mats closely wrapped and fastened around them before they
are quite half ripe, uncovering them to the sun a few days be-
fore they are to be gathered for use, to sweeten them, as cur-
rants ripened in the shade are somewhat acid, though by no
means so sour as when left to become over-ripened upon leafless
branches in the sun.

The Black Naples currant makes a conserve or jelly that is
very useful in domestic practice for removing soreness of the
throat, for preparing a cooling drink in fever by stirring it into
water, or for the easy administration of medicines to children.
The red and white, either separately or mixed, stripped and
sugared, are an ornament and a delicacy upon the tea-table ;
and the perfectly free use of the ripe, fresh-gathered fruit in
this form, or directly from the bushes, is, in general, a com-
plete preventive of summer complaint and tendency to dysen-
tery in children or adults.

THE FIG.

Wherever the climate favors their production, figs are among
the most easily cultivated of fruits, the natural growth of the
tree being such as to render pruning almost entirely unnec-
essary, and one or two crops a year being yielded with cer-
tainty. In latitudes north of 40° they require protection, but
in warm situations, in cities, against a wall, or in a recess by
a house or other building, or even in some open situations, a
pretty thick coating with straw and matting, or laying down
the whole tree and banking earth over it, will be found to
answer this purpose, and one small crop per year can be ob-
tained.

The ripe, undried fruit, however, is very luscious, with a

344

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

little faintness of flavor,
which renders it less de-
sirable than it might
otherwise be, so that its
culture, where it can not
be profitably dried for
market, is a matter of
mere fancy, except for
persons of peculiar taste.
Unlike other fruits, the
fig is not produced from
any apparent blossom,
but is borne, generally
singly, upon the young
branches, the flower be-
ing included in and form-
ing part of the fruit.
The filaments which constitute the flower, or, more properly,
the floral organs, are readily seen in the fresh-gathered fruit,
and sometimes also in the thick-skinned, imperfectly-ripened,
dried figs of commerce.

It is said that in certain districts of France the fruit is
sometimes anointed in the eye with sweet oil, when near ma-
turity, to secure its ripening, and Downing seems to think the
operation effective to this end ; but in the absence of any ap-
parent connection, we doubt if they are cause and effect. Where
practiced, it is probably an old custom, of which the origin has
been forgotten and a new account of it invented.

The fig-tree is easily raised from offshoots, layers, or cut-
tings, and will grow in almost any soil. The choicer varieties
are the Brunswick, or Black Naples ; the Brown Turkey, or
Naples ; the Black Ischia, the Black Genoa, the Malta, the
White Marseilles, the Nerii, and the White Ischia.

The Egyptian fig, or sycamore fruit of the Bible, sometimes
also called " Pharaoh's Fig," and, from its leaf, " Mulberry
Fig," is not, in strictness, a fruit, but a seedless excrescence
whichv forms upon the trunk and large limbs of a wild lowland
tree of the East. It is either thrown out naturally by the tree,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

345

or produced by the action of insects, or by wounding the bark
for the purpose. It resembles a fig, but is of extreme bitter-
ness until opened by the nail or some sharp instrument, so that
a portion of its milky juice exudes, when it ripens and becomes
of a dull sweet, but luscious and not very wholesome. The
tree yields it abundantly and constantly, in Jewish parlance
" bearing seven times a year." This excoriation of the bark
and opening of the " fruit" seems to have been the employ-
ment of the prophet (Amos, vii., 14), who was a gatherer, or,
rather, a " dresser" or " scraper" of sycamore fruit.

THE GOOSEBERRY.

Fig. 215.

a. Crown Bob.

6. Whitesmith.

c. Hough ton' a Seedling.

P2

Almost every variety
of gooseberry cultivated
among us is of European
origin, and generally, in
our climate, subject to a
mould or mildew upon
the fruit, that destroys
the crop. It is true, this
may be measurably, and
in some seasons entirely
avoided by careful win-
ter pruning, moderate
shade by planting them

346 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

near grape-vines or peach-trees, &c., and high manuring with
compost from year to year, and sowing lime, sulphur, or ashes
over them repeatedly when in blossom and young fruit ; but it
is scarcely probable that the cultivation of gooseberries can be-
come general among us, unless, either from those now in repu-
tation or from some of our own wild ones, new seedling varie-
ties, exempt from the disease, may be produced. The English
have a fancy for raising them of monstrous size for exhibition,
leaving on the bush only a few berries, and supporting these
so that they do not hang, but rest and fatten. The berry, when
ripe, is of a very mild, yet lively and pleasant acid, or rather
vinous flavor, the very large kinds never being in this respect
equal to the smaller. While green, they are used for tarts,
&c., having a very strong, rough acid, a part of which 'should
be leached off by scalding the fruit before it is used, and pour-
ing off the water when cooled. But for these purposes the pie-
plant affords a better acid, and is much more easily raised and
handled.

Gooseberry bushes should stand in rows from four to six feet
apart each way, and be kept on one stem, with but few bearing
snoots, and all offshoots suppressed. Every winter, with a light
pair of pruning shears, shorten the last season's shoots, cutting
the strong ones to about half their length, those of medium
growth to about one fourth, and those that are weak close to
the point from which they started ; and keep the bushes regu-
larly and thoroughly manured. The plants are readily raised
from layers or cuttings. See pages 197 and 198.

The kinds named in the nursery catalogues are very numer-
ous, but among the red hairy varieties, that known as " Crown
Bob" bears the highest character, and " Whitesmith" among
the smooth-skinned green or yellow kinds. Houghton's Seed-
ling is the only American variety of reputation, and is exempt
from mildew.

Rough or hairy gooseberries are more uniformly well flavored
than the smooth varieties, and I incline to think the red ones
generally better than the green or yellow, yet the finest flavored
known variety is a grass-green hairy berry, so small as to be
profitless.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

347

THE GRAPE.

Of native grapes, the Isabella (Fig. 216 a), Catawba, Diana,
Concord, Rebecca, and a few others, succeed well near New
York, and some of them far to the north of it. The Bland,
Elsinburgh, and Ohio, or Cigar-box, and several others of merit,
require a more southern latitude.

Of foreign grapes, the red Muscat and white Muscat of
Alexandria (Fig. 216 6), for heated graperies, and the black
Hamburg and white Muscadine for house culture, either with
or without fire-heat, will be found valuable.

Fig. 216.

a. Isabella Grape.

6. White Muscat of Alexandria.

The grape, like the cherry and currant, often yields its fruit
so abundantly, in spite of neglect, that in multiplied instances it
is not in any sense cultivated ; it simply grows. When plant-
ed merely with a view to shade or ornament, this is well, but
the culture of the grape is usually entered upon in expectation
of a profitable return, or, at least, of combining this with other
gratifications.

European grapes are almost entirely excluded from our con-
sideration by their uniform failure in out-door culture in our
climate, and their exposure to mildew and failure, even in house
culture, unless incessant care and labor are bestowed upon them.

348 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Our choice of kinds is therefore very limited, and any one may
easily obtain and test for himself, at small expense, all the va-
rieties that at present pretend to claim attention. Most of our
varieties are of wild natural origin, some of which, nevertheless,
compare favorably with many of the cultivated European kinds.
Starting in the culture of this fruit with such originals, we may
fairly expect that intelligent and persevering cultivation, to
the force of which no plant yields itself more readily, will rap-
idly supply new and superior varieties suited to our varied cli-
mate, and surpassing rivalry.

The grape will do well in almost any soil. It grows wild
alike upon our dryest lands and in our swamps, from the Pe-
nobscot to the Rio Grande. For its most successful cultivation,
however, a deep, dry, limestone soil or sandy loam is desirable.

Wild vines or worthless ones may be successfully cleft graft-
ed, after the vines have leaved out, with grafts kept for the
purpose from the winter pruning ; these should be buried or
cellared until wanted for use. Cut off the stock and insert
the graft a few inches under ground ; if possible, wrap it in the
ordinary manner, earth it well up, and set a stake to it.

The young plants may be raised by cuttings, as directed
pages 196, 197, or by layers. If the shoots of the previous
year are layered early in the spring, they may -be set out the
next year, but if shoots of the current season be layered in June
or July, they should be severed from the parent vine and cut
back in fall or the next spring, but ought not to be removed
for setting out until the following year, their roots being too
tender.

Two-year-old plants raised from cuttings, or layers raised as
above directed, just taken from the parent vine, and cut back
to one or two buds, may be set out in the ordinary mode of
tree-planting — see page 245 — in large holes with loosened bot-
tom, dug at least eighteen inches deep, and filled up with good
rich mould to twelve or fifteen inches, according to the size of
the root. Let rich earth or perfectly rotted compost be mixed
with the soil, or used exclusively in filling up. Tread the earth
lightly upon and around the roots, and suffer only one or at most
two buds to start. In removing old vines, cut them clean down

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

349

before replanting ; they will recover vigor much sooner than
if you leave the old growth upon them.

The vine is a greedy feeder, and its absorbents act with
great rapidity, so that in vine regions over-manuring is found
to weaken the juice and spoil the character of the wine, and is
sometimes forbidden by law on this account. An inopportune
application of foul manure is also apt to taint the fruit. Good
compost, having in it a mixture of bones, charcoal, and animal
matter, applied at the planting of the vines, and annually dug
in around them, with summer top-dressings of leached or un-
leached ashes, guano, or bone-dust, and attention to keeping
them free from weeds, with occasional additions of fresh sur-
face earth, which may be half-rotted sod pared thick from a
loamy road side and chopped up, or any good surface loam, will
ordinarily insure healthy vines and heavy crops.

Vines are arranged for cultivation upon arbors, trellises, or
stakes, and may be treated either upon the " spur" or " alter-
nating" system, though in general cultivators do not rigidly
adhere to either, but pursue a mixed course, according to in-
dividual fancy or knowledge, and the particular state of the
vines from year to year. Their training may either be up-
right or horizontal, but, if otherwise suitable, the latter is to
be preferred ; or any fancy winding, ornamental fashion may
be adopted with advantage.

ARBOR.

Fig. 217.

The vine as it appears in the spring
before it starts, upon the spur sys-
tem.

a. The permanent main canes, with
their spurs, and the buds from which
the fruit for the season is expected to
proceed.

Whether for arbor or trellis culture, the vines may be set
from ten to twenty feet apart, at discretion.

350

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

SPUR SYSTEM.

In the spur system one or more shoots are permitted to ex-
tend themselves gradually from each plant, being cut back at
the first winter pruning after the setting out to three or four
buds, at the second to six or eight, or more, increasing the
length of these main canes from year to year, according to their
strength, permitting only a limited quantity of fruit to be
borne upon the spurs or side shoots from them until these main
ones have attained the length at which it is intended perma-
nently to keep them (see Fig. 217). After this, all the spurs
or side shoots are annually cut off at the winter pruning to
within a single bud, or close to the old stem or main cane
from which they issue. Each joint upon these main stems or
canes becomes by the annual repetition of this process a bunch
of undeveloped buds, from which young shoots are annually
put forth, upon which the season's crop of fruit is borne.
These are kept in check during summer by nipping, and re-
moved entirely at the winter pruning, as described below.

The main canes of the vine in the figure are trained upright,
but they may also be trained horizontally by carrying the main
stem originally to the top of the arbor, and forming the main
canes from its side buds, or the mode may be subsequently
changed by cutting away all but one or two of the main canes,
making them stems, and furnishing the horizontal canes from
their spur buds.

TRELLIS.

Fig. 218.

The vine upon the trellis, winter pruned
and arranged upon the alternating system ;
as it appears before it starts in the spring.

a, a, a, a, a. Five canes cut back, leaving
a single bud on each, close to the main stem,
to form the growth-canes of the current sea-
son and the fruit canes of the next.

&, &, b, b. Four canes shortened to the di-
mensions of the trellis to bear the current
season's crop of fruit, and be cut back in the
manner of a at the coming winter priming,
and form next year's growth-canes.

The trellis is the arbor sides without its arch, a simple up-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

351

right frame of posts with bars or slats, these latter running
lengthwise, at about a foot apart. Its general direction should,
if convenient, be north and south.

Fig. 219.

STAKES.

The vine upon stakes as seen in spring before starting ; on
the alternating system.

a, a. Two canes cut back for growth.

6. A young bud near the main stem to form a third cane
for next season.

c, c. Young canes shortened for the season's crop, to be cut
out in the next winter' s pruning.

Foreign grape-vines, with short joints and comparatively
moderate growth, may be cultivated, where other circumstances
favor, upon a single stake, by either system of pruning ; but
the extraordinary vigor of American grape-vines renders three
stakes expedient, if not absolutely necessary ; these form really
a small trellis, and this may be adopted as a preliminary mode
for vines which are intended to form permanent trellises or
arbors, or other stakes may be added as the extending growth
of the canes may demand.

ALTERNATING SYSTEM.

This system, which is quite superior to the former, consists
in allowing only a limited number of young canes to grow in
each year, proportioning them, both in number and length, to
the strength and support of the vine root, and cutting out at
every winter pruning all canes that have previously borne
fruit. Thus, if the plant has two canes, each of which in the
winter pruning you have shortened to four feet, then you will
permit only two new ones to grow the current season (Fig. 219).
To these four canes, two bearing and two growing, the usual
care is to be given through the summer and fall, as hereafter
directed. In the winter pruning the two bearing canes are
cut entirely out to a single bud, and you have again two shoots

352 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

for the next season's fruit, Fig. 219 c, c, and two buds to form
growth, Fig. 219 a, a. If your vine has strengthened suffi-
ciently, the bearing canes may be left six feet long or more,
and a third growth-cane be provided for from a strong bud
near or on the main stem, Fig. 219 b.

This simple process, by which the finest fruit is uniformly
produced, goes on from year to year without change, except
that, as the root of your vine increases in strength, you either
increase the number of the shoots you permit to grow, or add
to their length, or both.

The only rule in the case is to proportion the fruit canes
you leave to the capacity of the root, in view of its strength,
and the extent and richness of the space from which its sup-
plies are to be drawn, taking care to have at least an equal
number of growth-canes in preparation to succeed them in
bearing fruit the following year.

In many old vineyards of France and Germany the vines are
planted but from four to eight feet apart, and are never suffer-
ed to grow more than a few feet high, while in other circum-
stances a single vine may cover a vast area, and bear annually
hundreds of pounds of fruit. In general, it will be found bet-
ter, if otherwise suitable, to limit the number of bearing canes
and increase their length, not only on account of the easier
tending and beauty of display which it permits, but also be-
cause the finer fruit is commonly produced from canes of supe-
rior strength.

SUMMER PRUNING.

The summer pruning of the grape-vine should be begun at
the first appearance of the young leaf, all the pushing buds
that are not wanted being carefully broken off, permitting only
a single shoot to grow from each joint. Just before the blos-
soms open, remove all bunches that are small and weak, or in
excess, proportioning in the process the probable quantity of
fruit to the strength of the particular cane on which it is to
be borne, and the total quantity to the strength of the vine.
Suppress all weak, or irregular, or superfluous after-growth,
whether from the stem or main canes of the vine, limiting ab-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 353

solutely the number and direction of the shoots permitted to
grow to the pattern you propose to follow, and whether on ar-
bors, trellises, or stakes, confine each vine definitely to a given
space, and do not suffer it to run beyond it, but persistently
stop it at its boundary-line by nipping.

These things being done, the summer pruning of vines cul-
tivated upon the spur system, in which there is but one class
of growth, Fig. 217, becomes perfectly simple. The whole
proper young growth of the season must be shortened by nip-
ping each shoot at from three to five joints beyond the outer-
most bunch of fruit upon it, thus checking growth, yet leaving
sufficient foliage to fully elaborate the sap and preserve health
in the vine and fruit.

In the alternating system of cultivation there are two classes
of growth to be cared for, the bearing and non-bearing ; the
bearing canes, Fig. 218 b, b, should be treated precisely as just
described for the spur system ; checking the young growth of
the season by careful but not excessive shortening, in order to
force the energies of the vine plant into the direction of fruit-
age instead of mere growth.

The non-bearing or growth-canes, starting from the buds
a, a, a, a, Fig. 218, must be laid carefully to their course and
tied securely. All side shoots thrown out from them must be
nipped, not close to the joint from which they proceed, as this
would be likely to force growth from the main bud of that
joint, which lies dormant at the base of the side shoot, and
upon the quiescence and strength of which your next year's
fruit depends, but nip them while quite tender at one or two
joints' distance from the main shoot, leaving them as spurs
upon it ; and when a second growth is put forth from the ex-
treme bud left, nip this again as often as may be needful ; and
just as the shortening of the whole growth in the bearing
canes concentrates the force of the vine in the fruit, so the
shortening of the side growth upon non-bearing canes concen-
trates it in the principal shoots, ripening their wood, enlarging
and strengthening their T)uds, and preparing them for yield-
ing a full crop of fruit in their season. It only remains to
limit the length of growth in these main non-bearing canes to

354 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

their prescribed boundaries, whether allowing five feet or twen-
ty, nipping and renipping their extremities as may be required
to effect the object.

In doing this, leave at least one or two extra joints, to be cut
from the end in the winter pruning ; and if the canes are de-
sired to make cuttings, omit nipping the extremities of the main
shoots entirely until two or three weeks before the growth ceases
in the fall, which will afford time for perfectly maturing the
cane throughout its length.

Faithful summer pruning will be found not only essential to
the perfection of the growing crop, but largely conducive to
the amount and character of the next year's product ; it should,
however, be done regularly, and not neglected until its per-
formance becomes analogous to the French practice of strip-
ping off the leaves for fodder. American vines will not bear
this ; fullness of foliage is essential to their vigorous health ;
and, unless the leaves are so massed as to exclude air, the fruit
will ripen fairer and sweeter in their shade.

WINTER PRUNING.

The winter pruning of grape-vines in both systems is per-
formed, as already shown, by cutting out to a single bud all
the bearing canes of the preceding summer, cutting also clean
away all the side shoots or summer spurs of the new canes, and
shortening these to their proper length for producing the com-
ing crop, according to the bearing capacity of your vine. This
winter pruning may be properly performed at any convenient
time from the fall of the leaf to at least a month before the
actual opening of spring ; but the best time to do it is imme-
diately on the dropping of the foliage, chopping up all trim-
mings not required for cuttings, and burying them with the
fallen leaves around the vines from which they came. The
green summer trimmings throughout the season should also be
either buried or strewn beneath the vines to decay, and not be
carried off.

The cuttings also may be made and planted before winter, as
directed page 197 ; or, if desired, the canes for cuttings may
be buried a few inches deep until spring.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 355

GRAPE-HOUSE.

If a proper grapery is desired, its construction and manage-
Fig 220 ment may be learned

from any of the numer-
ous elaborate treatises
upon grape culture. But
any one may construct a
cheap cold grapery, as
shown in the figure, in
which foreign grapes, or
the more tender of our
own native kinds may be produced.

For this purpose, choose a spot facing as near south as pos-
sible ; if against a building or a bank wall, so much the better.
Trench the spot so chosen, and ten feet beyond where the front
of your house will come, to a depth of two feet or more, enrich-
ing it as you proceed with the various manures named p. 349.
If the subsoil is at all moist, throw into the bottom of each
trench, as you make it, loose stones, brick-bats, lime rubbish,
old boots and shoes, brush, &c., &c.

When this is finished and the ground settled, lay out your
house twelve feet wide, with the front two to four feet high and
the back twelve. Having set posts for the whole, board all
tight on both sides of the posts, as is usual in constructing ice-
houses, leaving only an end door-way, and small openings for
ventilators along just below the front and back plates, to be
closed either with hinged or sliding wooden or glass doors.
As you proceed with the boarding, fill in all between the posts
with sawdust, or dry tan, or swamp hay, or straw and charcoal
dust, or dried peat, or swamp-muck, pretty well packed down.

•Having all smooth and ready, lay on your plates and arrange
the rafters, which will be something over fifteen feet long, and
may be three feet apart in the clear. This will require sashes
three feet wide, each having five rows of six-inch glass, or six
rows of five-inch. These sashes will rest, and may either be
fixed, or slide upon cleats nailed against the rafters, the front
plate being beveled so that the lower sashes will slide from
their cleats evenly over it, if desired.

356 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

For the upper sashes, nail the cleats so as to bring the up-
per surface of the sash frames flush with the upper edge of the
rafters, while the lower end of each rests upon the back rail of
the lower sash, fitting closely, but so that it will slide over it
when it is desired to open the upper part of the house. These
sashes may be about six feet long, or the house may be made
sixteen feet wide, requiring rafters about nineteen, and sashes
seven feet or more long, and the small remaining portion of
the roof may be shingled or tightly boarded over, packing it as
the other boarded parts, if it is convenient. The frames of
such sashes, made of inch and a- half or two-inch stuff, will
cost, without glass or painting, about one dollar each, and each
sash will hold from fifteen to eighteen feet of glass, which any
boy may put in. If you have no protection from bank wall or
building, you may, if convenient, add a small narrow shed along
the back, as shown in the figure.

Having your grape-house thus prepared, plant a vine under
each rafter ten or twelve inches inside the front, and another,
if you choose, immediately opposite, near the back.

By either the spur or alternating system of pruning, as de-
scribed for out-door culture, you gradually lead them up and
along just below the rafters until they meet. They require
careful summer pruning. Nip each bearing cane within two
or three buds of the fruit, and the small side shoots of the new
non-bearing canes uniformly to within one bud distance from
the cane, and repeat this nipping upon any second growth that
may occur. See page 353. They also need frequent water-
ings, at least once a week, extending over the whole border, for
which soap-suds may be used. In bright weather, except while
blossoming, they should be syringed with tepid water three or
four times a week until the grapes are full grown, when water-
ing and syringing should gradually cease.

If the fruit is likely to crowd on the bunches, and there be
a fancy for peculiarly handsome bunches and fine berries, the
smaller berries may be thinned out with the grape scissors.
See Fig. 92 e, page 209. With this view, also, the number
of blossom bunches left at first may be specially limited. By
these combined means, under favorable circumstances, the fruit

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 357

will be much increased in size and improved in quality. If
the mildew occurs, scatter sulphur upon them immediately ;
and if the aphis attacks them, shut the house up, and either
with a furnace or patent fumigator or smoke it thoroughly with
tohacco, following this with heavy syringing. From first to last,
give them gradually, never suddenly, all the air you possibly can,
consistent with their protection from cold and sudden changes.

Careful pruning, plenty of air, and a temperature equable,
but rising with the advancing season, with syringing and wa-
tering, the artificial substitutes for dews and rains, complete
the circle of requisites in the treatment of a cold grapery.

In November, the vines may be taken down and pruned for
spring, and being laid along upon the border, front and back,
must be covered with leaves, or mats, or straw, to preserve
them from frost through the winter. In March they should
be taken out and put up as before, first being carefully washed
throughout with soap-suds and a soft brush.

If you desire to convert your building into a warm grapery,
you may do so by putting in the heating apparatus described
page 475 for the green-house, giving it the same general care
and treatment as above directed for cold grapery, except that
the vines must be washed off and put up in January or Febru-
ary, or may be left up throughout the year ; and the heat,
whenever applied, must not be made strong at once, but grad-
ually and slowly raised to a summer temperature.

If grapes are cultivated in the green-house, the vines must
be planted and laid down for winter just outside the front wall,
and may be introduced in proper season by raising the front
sash, from the lower corner of which a hole large enough for
the stem must be cut out. After the vine is in its place, this
must be closed around the stem by stuffing, and the outer por-
tion of the stem and the roots be well covered from the cold.

THE MULBERRY.

The mulberry is one of our abounding wild fruits, and is,
perhaps, worthy of more attention and cultivation than it re-
ceives. The fruit resembles a long blackberry, and, if gath-
ered and eaten before it becomes dead ripe, has a pleasant

358

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 221.

a. Fertile branch, with fruit of natural size, and
leaf reduced nearly one half.

acid flavor; but if permitted to
ripen fully, it becomes of a pe-
culiar flavored faint sweet, and is
good only for chickens. The
white varieties are still more sick-
ly flavored than the red.

The Johnson Mulberry is an im-
proved seedling from Ohio.

The European variety is larger and less elongated than the
American, and is by some esteemed for its flavor, but in this
respect it has similar defects.

The trees, which form a fine shade, may be transferred from
the woods, or raised from seed or cuttings.

b. Young branch, with its ament or
catkin, showing the stamens.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

359

The silk- worm feeds upon the leaves of almost every variety
of mulberry, but the white-fruited kinds, with the very large-
leaved Morus Multicaulis, are chiefly fed for silk.

VARIETIES.

Morus Kubra, or common wild red Mulberry (Fig. 221).
Morus Johnsonii, or Johnson's Mulberry.
Morus Nigra, or European Mulberry.

THE NECTARINE.

The Nectarine is a mere ^ 222.

sub-variety of the peach,
from the pits of which new
kinds of the nectarine are
sometimes "accidentally"
produced. It has a smooth
skin, and also some pleas-
ant peculiarities of flavor,
which render it a desirable
fruit ; but it is exposed to
the attacks of the curculio
and other insects to such
an extent as almost entire-
ly to discourage its culti-
vation.

It is treated in all re-
spects like the peach, tak-
ing the same precautions
against the worm in the
root, and adding, as paving
can not be resorted to, the
practice of jarring the cur-
culio into sheets, as direct-
ed for the plum, page 279.

In those districts of
country where the latter

fruit is Successfully raised, &. Medium Nectarine.

the nectarine would probably succeed also, and would be found
a pleasant acquisition.

360 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

NECTARINES

Numbered nearly in the order of ripening.

FREESTONES.

1. Early Violet.

2. Hunt's Tawney.

3. Hardwicke.

4. El Ruge.

5. New White.

6. Boston.

CLINGSTONES.

7. Newington. 8. Koman.

NUTS.

The butternut, Juglans dnerea ; the black walnut, Juglans
nigra • the shatter-bark hickory-nut, Carya alba • and the
chestnut, Castanea Americana, which are common in the
Northern and Eastern States ; the chinquapin, or small chest-
nut, Castanea pumila, of Pennsylvania and southward ; with
the pecan-nut (French pacanier), Juglans olivceformis, and
the peanut of the Southwest and South, are all familiar to
my readers. The Madeira-nut, Juglans regia, is a thin-shell-
ed and valuable nut, the trees of which are cultivated to some
extent among us, but which might probably be grafted upon
either the butternut or any variety of the hickory. There are
also a number of varieties of filbert, some of which are occa-
sionally seen, but seldom in the green state, in our markets.
They generally have thinner shells, and better flavored and
larger kernels than the hazel-nut ; they are rather elongated
in form, and the husk of some kinds is peculiarly and hand-
somely fringed.

The varieties are the Cosford, the Red-kerneled, the White,
the Frizzled. They are all easily raised from offshoots, or may
be grafted with perfect success upon the common hazel-nut.

There is a rather new small nut, which, though not a tree,
may be mentioned here. It is the EARTH ALMOND or " CHUFA,"
Cyperus esculentus. This sweet and pleasant nut is pro-
duced abundantly upon the roots of a plant that resembles low
tussock grass. The nuts, which are about the size of large
bush beans, should be planted or sown in drills twelve or
eighteen inches apart, and an inch deep, at corn-planting

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

861

Fig. 223.

time, and require during their growth only ordinary and not
deep culture, with a slight earthing up in the process. The
first frost in fall changes the foliage, after which they may be
taken up at any time before severe cold, and dried and stored
for winter use. They require to be washed or cleaned by fric-
tion, and may be eaten as chestnuts, either raw or boiled.
They are native in Southern Europe, and are supposed to be
nutritive and fattening. In certain soils and localities, how-
ever, they might become troublesome as an ineradicable knot
grass, of which the plant is a cultivated variety.

OLIVE.

The Olive is a small dark or green plum-like fruit, which,
while quite tender, is used for making pick-
les. For this purpose they are steeped
in weak ley, washed off, and bottled in
brine, with sweet fennel or spice for fla-
voring.

They are, however, chiefly valuable for
the sweet limpid oil they yield, which in
Southern Europe enters largely into the
ordinary course of cookery, forms a sub-
stitute for butter and cream, and is es-
teemed as affording both comforts and lux-
uries in families. It 'forms also an im-
portant article of commerce. The tree at-
tains a height of perhaps twenty feet,
bears in a few years after planting, prefers
the rockiest limestone regions, such-as is
the Mount of Olives in sacred story, and
is very long lived. It is also tolerably hardy, and probably
might be raised to profit at the South. The tree is propagated
readily from seeds, cuttings, or layers, and also by small knot-
buds, or " eggs," which are formed upon the trunk, and which
are planted in the same manner as the seeds, the latter, how-
ever, producing the best trees. It might doubtless be grafted
successfullv on the common wild oli^e or " devil -wood."

Q

a. Single fruit.
&. Branch with
fruit.

young

362

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

THE ORANGE, LEMON, LIME, CITRON, AND SHADDOCK.

Fig. 224.

c. Lime.

d. Citron.

For all these fruits, the wild orange of the South affords a
ready supply of suitable stocks upon which they may be bud-
ded or grafted. In forming orange orchards, the trees may be
planted from eight to twenty feet apart, in rich, strong soil.

There is a considerable variety of oranges, some of which
have red pulp, and all fragrant blossoms. The Bergamot va-
riety yields the essence known by that name, by distillation
from its flowers, fruit, and leaves. The Bitter or Seville or-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 363

ange is valued for making
marmalade. Of the eat-
able kinds, the St. Micha-
el's, though small, is most
esteemed for its delightful
sweetness. There is also
a sweet lemon grown in
Italy, which resembles a
second-rate orange.
, The lemon is the well-
known fine acid fruit of
commerce.
The lime is a smaller and somewhat inferior fruit, but is

especially esteemed in the green state for preserves.

The citron is a rough fruit, with a very thick rind, larger

than the largest lemon, but inferior in the quality of its acid.

The candied citron of the confectioners is made from its skin.
The shaddock is a still larger fruit, in form more resembling

the orange, curious but worthless.

THE PEACH.

Of the two distinct classes into which peaches are divided,
as freestones or clings, the cultivation of the latter has been
almost entirely abandoned, the exceptions consisting of a few
kinds of peculiar excellence or for special uses, as the Heath
and Lemon clings. Their other natural division into white, or
yellow, or red fleshed, is equally marked, and furnishes some
aid in making selections. The finer white-fleshed varieties
furnish those of a more sugary and sometimes aromatic flavor ;
the choice yellow - fleshed are almost uniformly vinous and
sprightly ; the red-fleshed or blood peach is usually more acid
than is agreeable, except for preserving.

There are two common forms of the peach, which are of
some distinctness, the round and the long. Generally the^
rounder forms (Fig. 225 a), which are also often slightly flat-
tened, or apple-form, indicate the higher grades of the fruit,
and include almost the whole list of superior peaches.

The elongated and compressed forms, with sometimes a heavy

364

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 225, a.

suture (Fig. 225 b), approximating more nearly to the natural

Fig. 225, &.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 365

and thinner-fleshed form of the almond, include almost all the
inferior varieties down to those known as " hog peaches."

Until within the last thirty years, the peach-tree grew so
luxuriantly, and bore so abundantly without any care, that the
little labor which it now requires to bring it to maturity and
renew it every two or three years, since it can not be perpetu-
ated, is not unfrequently neglected or begrudged. It is still
the most easily raised of all our larger fruits. A few pits from
common and healthy fruit, kept and planted as directed page
204, will furnish stocks of from three to five feet high, ready
for budding the first fall, upon which fruit of the finer varieties
may be expected in the third or fourth year from the pit. If
from any cause seedling peach stocks are not budded in the
fall of their first year, unless a high-stemmed stock is desired,
cut them down to the ground early in the following spring,
and permit a single shoot to grow from the stump for budding
in the succeeding fall. The necessity for this course should
be avoided by timely planting of the pits, careful summer cul-
ture of the young plants, and attention to budding and unbind-
ing in proper season ; but if it becomes necessary, it is better
than to leave the stock to an uninterrupted second year's
growth. The young trees may be set out and headed down ei-
ther the following spring before the bud starts, or, being headed
down, as directed page 225, may be left to stand another year,
when the growth from the bud will vary from four to seven or
eight feet high.

In their culture, from the start, let the head of the tree be
kept moderately open by cutting out a foot or two of the ex-
tremity or leader of the first year's growth from the bud, thin-
ning the branches annually afterward, and every spring short-
ening each young shoot one half of its growth of the previous
year. Set your peach-trees where they can be kept clean, and
cultivated as summer crops, and never, if it can be avoided,
where the sod is to remain unbroken around them. If this can
not be conveniently avoided, treat them with liquid manure re-
peatedly through the summer over a space somewhat larger
than the spread of the top, and dress in the spring with ash
compost or guano to the same extent ; yet be careful in all

366

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

cases not to stimulate them too highly, especially in northern
latitudes, or they will probably be winter-killed.

For modes of treating the worm and yellows, see pages 262
and 277.

In orchard culture, the trees are set out at from twelve to
fifteen feet apart, and cultivated with the plow, more or less of
summer crops, as potatoes, &c., being raised Ibetween them.
The trees usually yield two or three crops and die, being suc-
ceeded by new plantings upon other spots. Under this system,
the light sands of New Jersey and the richer soils of Delaware
furnish the immense annual supplies which, unless cut off by
frost, glut our city markets.

SELECT LIST OF PEACHES,

Numbered nearly in the order in which they will ripen in any
given soil and latitude, with their usual time of ripening at
New York.

The size of this fruit depends so much upon soil, culture,
&c., that I have not deemed it worth while to note it particu-
larly. Those marked with a star are yellow-fleshed.

FREESTONES.

1. Tillotson, ripens early in August, j *12. Bergen Yellow, early in Sep-

2. Troth's Early, early in August.

3. Gross Mignonne, mid- August.

4. Coolidge's Favorite, mid-August.

5. Early York (Serrate), after mid-

August.

6. Walter's Early, late August.

7. Red Rareripe (Morris's), last of

August.

8. George the Fourth, late August.
*9. Crawford's Early, last of August.

10. Noblesse, last of August.

11. Oldmixon Free, early in Septem-

ber.

tember.

13. Nivette, early in September.
*14. Scott's Nonpareil, mid-Septem-
ber.

15. Morris White, September.

16. Late Admirable, mid- Septem-

ber.

*17. Crawford's Late, after mid-Sep-
tember.

18. Druid Hill, last of September.

19. La Grange, last of September

and into October.

20. Ward's Late, early in October.

CLINGS.

21. Oldmixon Cling, early in Sep- 23. Hyslop's Cling, early in Octo-
tember.

*22. Lemon Cling, after mid-Sep-
tember.

ber.
24. Heath Cling, October, and keeps.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 367

THE PEAR.

If there is some difficulty in making choice of an assortment
of apples, there is still more in suitably selecting pears.

This arises not only from the great number of kinds, in-
creased by the annual introduction of new ones, but also still
more from the generally perishable nature of the fruit, and its
extreme liability to vary in character, and often to become
worthless from peculiarities of soil, season, or general climate.
Individual taste has also more to do with the reputation of
pears than perhaps with that of any other fruit, comparatively
few persons having such a range of acquaintance with kinds as
to qualify them to form a discriminating judgment by compar-
ison.

A gentleman who, in his youth, had eaten pears from a cer-
tain tree, and remembered them as finer than any others he had
ever tasted, rode forty miles to enjoy again the favorite of his
boyhood, and to obtain scions that he might place it foremost
in his fruit garden, but he found it utterly worthless in com-
parison with those he already possessed. The circle of his
knowledge had been enlarged, and his maturer judgment did
not verify the impression of his inexperience.

We have, however, attempted to name an assortment of kinds
that will not disappoint the cultivator, although in reference
to some of them much diversity of opinion still exists, and care-
ful attention to the remarks on introducing new varieties (pages
190 and 192) is especially urged in this connection.

Pear-trees generally, if on good seedling stocks, form longer,
and fewer, and less fibrous roots than apple or cherry-trees. It
is therefore peculiarly proper that they should be set out while
small, having their roots well shortened, and the top cut back
to balance. A strong cedar, or locust, or chestnut- stake, deep-
ly set by each tree, will defend it ; and if the tree be of irreg-
ular or drooping habit, the stake may be used to support it, and
aid in training it upward. See page 246. Many kinds of
pear-trees have habits of growth that render them unsightly,
and make it sometimes difficult to secure the fruit, the tree be-

368 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ing either straggling or rampant. Such should be carefully
watched and summer pruned by nipping, and, if need be, by
cutting back in August. The Seckel, and, still more striking-
ly, the Lodge, when growing naturally on moderate soil, afford
models for the general formation of the head of pear-trees, al-
though each of these may need to have the young cross-shoots
nipped out, and occasionally, perhaps, the shortening of a vig-
orous upright leader.

The distance for planting pear-trees may be from twenty to
thirty feet each way, the trees being .alternated or in diamond
form, not in precise squares. Dwarfed pears may be set from
six to ten feet apart.

The best soil for pears, in general, is a deep warm loam, but
there are varieties suited to all soils ; and even from those
which are cold and unpromising, if the hardier and sweeter
summer and fall varieties are selected, fruit of fair quality may
be obtained, if it is properly treated after being gathered.

Winter pears may be suffered to hang as long as they are
safe from frost, but all the varieties of summer and fall pears
should be gathered before they " turn" upon the tree, and be
kept in a warm, dry room to hasten their ripening ; but if it be
an object to retard this, or for all winter kinds, let them be
wrapped and packed in barrels or boxes as directed for the finer
apples, page 289. On being brought from their cool place of
deposit into the warmth in such small quantities as may from
time to time be desirable, they will ripen promptly and finely
for use.

There are as yet but few very fine winter or spring varieties
of pears, and the variableness of character above referred to is
perhaps more noticeable and more discouraging to the cultiva-
tor in these than in the ordinary summer and fall kinds, but
such as we have will well repay the care needed for preserving
and ripening them.

Winter pears, suitable for cooking, abound, and may be kept
safely in barrels in the same manner as apples ; and when baked
or stewed as directed for the latter, page 289, but with water
enough to cover them, they constitute another healthful and
ploasant substitute for indigestible sweetmeats or preserves.

AMERICAN HUME GARDEN.

369

SELECT LIST OF PEARS

Numbered nearly in the order in which they will ripen in
any given soil and latitude.

Most of the kinds will succeed dwarfed upon the quince,
perhaps especially the varieties named from 1 to 11. See
page 206. In a few kinds the size and quality of the fruit
will be improved by this process, particularly Louise Bonne de
Jersey, Beurre Diel, Duchesse d'Angouleme, and some others.
The ordinary time of their ripening at New York accompanies
the figure and description given below.

1. Madeline.

2. Bloodgoocl.

3. Dearborn's Seedling.

4. Julienne.

5. Tyson.

6. Rostiezer.

7. Summer Franc Real.

8. Bartlett.

9. Canandaigua.

10. Vanilla.

11. Stevens's Genesee.

12. Dunmore.

13. Heathcot.

14. Fondante d'Automne.

15. Lodge.

16. Flemish Beauty.

1 7. Maria Louisa.

18. Ananas.

19. Louise Bonne de Jersey.

20. Beurre Bosc.

21. Urbaniste.

Heretofore the orchard cultivation of winter pears, either for
eating out of hand or cooking, has not been extensively pur-
sued ; a few of the larger kinds of the latter class have for
many years been raised for exportation to the West Indies and
the extreme South. The cultivation of both classes might, no
doubt, be profitably extended. Those calculated for cooking
only, as the Winter Bell, Cattillac, and Black Pear of Worces-
ter, may be successfully raised in localities and on soils too cold
for the production of the others.

Q2

22. Petre.

23. Seckel.

24. Virgalieu (or White Doyenne).

25. Gray Virgalieu (or Gray Doy-

enne).

26. Beurre Diel.

27. Duchesse d'Angouleme.

28. Dix.

29. Onondaga.

30. Oswego Beurre.

31. Beurre d'Aremberg.

32. Glout Morceau.

33. Passe Colmar.

34. Lawrence.

35. Columbia.

36. Knight's Monarch.

37. Chaumontelle.

38. Winter Nelis.

39. Winter Bell.

40. Easter Beurre.

370

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

1.

Fig. 226.

MADELINE.

Tree erect and very vigor-
ous ; young shoots olive.

Bears early and well, but is
subject to sour-sap blight, par-
ticularly in rich, moist soils.

Fruit below medium ; almost
obovate ; smooth yellowish-
green.

Flesh white, melting, juicy ;
sweet, sometimes slightly acid.

Matures from the middle to
the last of July. Should be
gathered in season, and ripened
in the house.

2. BLOODGOOD.
Fig. 227.

Tree of free but not
vigorous growth ; shoots
reddish - brown. Hardy,
and bears well.

Fruit below medium ;
pretty uniformly turbin-
ate ; dull yellow, slightly
russeted.

Flesh yellowish-white,
buttery, melting.

Flavor rich, sweet, and
aromatic.

Ripens best in the
house, from last of July
to near mid- August.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

371

3. DEARBORN'S SEEDLING.

Tree vigorous, rather spread-
ing; shoots dark brown. Bears
abundantly in all soils.

Fruit small ; regularly tur-
binate ; light clear yellow, with
a little russet. Skin very
thin.

Flesh white, juicy, melting.

Flavor sweet and sprightly,
with a pleasant perfume.

Tree thrifty, upright ;
shoots light yellowish-
brown. A good and con-
stant bearer, but suited
only for rich, warm soils
and favorable localities ;
requiring high culture.

Fruit below medium ;
regular obovate ; clear
yellow.

Flesh white, and half
buttery, not fine-grained.

Flavor sweet, sometimes very slightly astringent, and, when
raised in warm soils, with house ripening, very good.

Ripens in the latter part of August.

372

AMERICAN HUME GARDEN.

5. TYSON.

Fig. 230.

Tree erect, of great vigor ;
shoots dark olive. Bears well.

Fruit small ; nearly pyri-
form ; dull yellowish-green,
with a reddish-brown cheek, /
and a little russeted.

Flesh not fine-grained, but
extremely juicy and melting.

Flavor sweet, rich, and per-
fumed. One of the best sum-
mer pears. Ripens last of
August and onward.

Tree upright, vigorous ;
young snoots dark red-
dish-brown. Bears well.

Fruit nearly medium ;
short pyriform, irregular ;
yellow, a little russet, with
red-brown cheek.

Flesh white, fine-grain-
ed, melting, and juicy.

Flavor sugary, aromat-
ic, and fine. Ripens last
of August.

6. ROSTIEZER.
Fig. 231.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN7. 373

7. SUMMER FRANC REAL.
Fig. 232.

Tree hardy, and of moderate growth ; young shoots downy.
Bears well in all soils.

Fruit nearly medium ; somewhat obovate, largest in the mid-
dle, and tapering pretty equally each way ; yellowish-green.

Flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, and melting.

Flavor sweet, rich, and excellent. Ripens last of August
and first of September.

The Franc Real is one of the most desirable of summer
pears. In favorable circumstances it is almost uniformly of
fair size, and perfect. Its character is very decidedly above
that of any pear which precedes it in ripening ; and with its
facility of adaptation to various soils, its healthful growth, and
good bearing qualities, it will be found an acquisition to the
fruit plot. Its name is said to be derived from a Spanish gold
coin.

374 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

8. BARTLETT.
Fig. 233.

Tree upright, and tolerably thrifty ; young shoots yellowish-
brown. Bears early and freely.

Fruit large to very large ; variable in form, mostly obtuse
pyriform, often almost oval pyriform, imperfectly pyramidal,
sometimes nearly obovate ; clear yellow when ripe, with some-
times a blush cheek, and smooth but wavy surface. Stem
rather short.

Flesh white, fine-grained, juicy, and melting.

Flavor fine, sprightly, vinous, with a pleasant perfume. In
cold soils and unfavorable localities subacid or almost acid.

Ripens from mid- August to mid -Sept ember.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 375

9. CANANDAIGUA.

Tree extremely vigorous, throwing up a growth of six or
Fig 234 eight feet from the

graft in one season,
demanding careful
cutting back to give
strength of stem,
otherwise apt to lop
and grow unsym-
metrically. Young
shoots dark olive-
green, erect. An
early and heavy
bearer. Fruit large
to very large, irreg-
ular pyriform, some-
times almost oval
pyriform ; dull yel-
low, with thin rus-
set spots, and many
small obscure inden-
tations of surface.
Stem rather long.

Flesh yellowish-
white, fine-grained,
buttery, perfectly
melting, and very

juicy-
Flavor rich vinous and perfumed. Ripens with the Bart-
lett from the last of August to the middle of September ; is
sometimes sold for Bartlett, which it often closely resembles,
but is probably, on the whole, superior to it.

It is an American pear of striking and peculiar excellences ;
and though the place and date of its origin are in uncertainty,
it has, by common consent, received the name of Canandaigua,
having at least been most largely disseminated from that beau-
tiful village and region.

376 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

10. VANILLA.

Fig. 235.

Tree upright, of free growth while young, but checking with
its early and abundant bearing, and forming a somewhat spread-
ing head. Young shoots dark olive-brown. Fruit medium
or below, especially when bearing heavily ; round, obovate,
slightly unequal-sided ; bright grass-green, becoming yellow,
with a few russet spots, and a little light brown russet at the
insertion of the stem and in the eye.

Flesh white, fine-grained, buttery, and melting.

Flavor peculiarly high, rich, and aromatic, with a vanilla
fragrance. Ripens about the last of September.

The original tree of this exquisite pear was found and still
stands upon the old Huguenot Church property at New Ro-
chelle, Westchester county, whence it has been disseminated
to a limited extent under the names of " Church" and " New

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

377

Rochelle" pear, and perhaps also by other names in different
localities ; but the name given above is to be preferred, as de-
scriptive of its most obvious peculiarity when carefully and
properly ripened.

11. STEVENS'S GENESEE.
Fig. 236.

Tree of great vigor, young shoots dark gray, diverging, sub-
ject to sour-sap blight. A good bearer.

Fruit above medium, round, obovate, light yellow, a little
rough. Flesh white, half buttery, and juicy.

Flavor fine rich aromatic. Ripens in September.

This pear is said to be a native of Livingston county, and is
one of the most valuable of the new pears which Western New
York has furnished. It belongs to the class of Bergamot pears,
of which hitherto there have been few good ones, except Gan-
sell's. It, however, requires guarding against the risk of sour-
sap blight, to which it is subject. See page 261.

378

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

12. DUNMORE.
Fig. 237.

Tree of rather strong growth, young shoots brownish slate-
color, erect. A very good bearer, its blossoms standing pretty
hard frosts without injury. Fruit large, oblong-obovate, green-
ish, with some brownish-red russet.

Flesh yellowish-white, buttery, and very melting. Flavor
variable. With high culture, in favorable circumstances, rich

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

379

and nigR-flavored ; in opposite conditions often worthless. It
is suited to warm soils and locations. Ripens from middle of
September to October.

13. HEATHCOT.

Fig. 238.

Tree upright, thrifty, and hardy, with reddish-brown shoots.
An abundant bearer.

Fruit medium, obovate or slightly rounded ; greenish-yel-
low, with considerable thin russet. Flesh white, buttery, rath-
er juicy and melting.

Flavor vinous, sprightly, and perfumed. Ripens last of
September.

This fruit, which originated in Massachusetts less than half
a century ago, though not of the very highest quality, is valu-
able for garden or orchard culture.

380

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

14. FONDANTE D'AUTOMNE.

Tig. 239.

Tree hardy, of moderate upright growth ; shoots yellowish-
gray. A good bearer, but suited to dry, warm soils.

Fruit medium, obovate, pyriform ; pale greenish-yellow, with
slight russet. Flesh white, fine-grained, melting, and juicy.

Flavor very variable ; in suitable soil, rich, sugary, per-
fumed, and delicious ; in moist soils often worthless. Ripens
in the latter part of September.

This is a Flemish fruit, and strikingly illustrates the re-
marks we have made on the effect of soil and the diversity in
individual estimate'of the character of pears. In favorable cir-
cumstances it is of very superior quality, and meets the high-
est commendation ; in opposite conditions its character is quite
inferior, and it is deemed a worthless outcast.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

381

15. LODGE.
Fig. 240.

Tree upright, of moderate growth, forming naturally a per-
fectly symmetrical' " model" head, through which the fruit
hangs singly. Young shoots light brown, with gray specks ;
short jointed. Bears well annually, even while quite young.
Requires warm soil and care north of latitude 40°. Fruit
of medium size (the figure is small), variable, generally pyri-
form, a little one - sided, but sometimes angular or ribbed;
greenish, covered with clear brown russet. '

Flesh white, very juicy, melting, and vinous ; when fully
ripe, excellent. South of New York it matures thoroughly, and
stands deservedly high. Ripens about the last of September.

382

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

16. FLEMISH BEAUTY.

Fig. 241.

Tree of very luxuriant growth, upright.

Young shoots dark brown. Bears young and freely, of fair,
handsome fruit.

Fruit large obovate, rather rough, and slightly russeted ;
pale yellow, with a reddish-brown cheek.

Flesh yellowish-white," rather coarse, but melting and juicy.

Flavor variable. In warm soils, and with early gathering
and house-ripening, it is rich, sugary, aromatic, and excellent,
but if left too long on the tree it is apt to soften at the core and
become flavorless. Ripens the last of September, and should
be eaten without delay.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

383

17. MARIA LOUISA,

Tree of strong but straggling growth.

Shoots olive-gray ; a good bearer, suited to warm soils and
locations, and high culture.

Fruit large, pyriform, inclining to oblong ; unequal-sided.
Greenish, with some light russet.

Flesh white, melting, and buttery.

Flavor quite variable ; in suitable conditions, rich, sugary,
and finely vinous. Ripens last of September and October.

I

384

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

18. ANANAS.
Fig. 243.

Tree vigorous.

Young shoots dark brown or olive ; an early and regular
bearer.

Fruit uniformly above medium, often large, roundish obovate,
but variable, sometimes angular or oval obovate ; dull yellow-
ish-green, marbled with rough brown russet.

Flesh whitish, fine-grained, melting, and buttery.

Flavor sweet, rich, and perfumed. Ripens in all September.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 385

19. LOUISE BONNE DE JERSEY.
Fig. 244.

Tree upright, vigorous, and hardy.

Young shoots dark brown or purplish -olive, with gray specks.
A very good bearer of uniformly fair fruit.

Fruit above medium or large ; regular pyriform, or very
slightly one-sided ; pale green, with grayish dots and brown-
i shared cheek.

Flesh yellowish-white, juicy, and melting.

Flavor rich, rather vinous, excellent. Ripens from middle
of September into October.

R

386

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

20. BEURRE BOSC.

Fig. 246.

Tree of moderate vigor and straggling growth.
Young shoots brownish-olive. Bears fairly and regularly.
Fruit pretty long-necked or acute pyriform ; yellow, with
some light russet, and a brownish-red in the sun.
Flesh white, melting, and buttery.
Flavor rich, sweet, and perfumed. Ripens through October.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

387

21. URBANISTE.
I ig. 246.

Tree upright, healthful, and moderately vigorous.

Young shoots grayish-yellow. Not an early, but a good
bearer, and suiting well in rich soils.

Fruit medium obovate, inclining to pyramidal ; light yellow,
with gray dots and some russet.

Flesh white or yellowish, buttery, melting, and very juicy.

Flavor rich, perfumed, vinous, or sweet. Ripens in the house
through October and November.

The Urbaniste resembles the Virgalieu in quality, and some-
what also in appearance, though, in general, rather smaller. It
is of fine healthful growth, and, once in bearing, continues to
yield its fruit regularly and abundantly.

388

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

22. PETRE.
Fig. 247.

Tree of moderate growth.

Young shoots slender, yellowish-brown. A good bearer.

Fruit medium obovate, pyriform ; light yellow, with some
greenish russet.

Flesh whitish, fine-grained, buttery.

Flavor sweet, rich, with a high musky flavor when in per-
fection. Ripens in October, and keeps into November.

This is a desirable and valuable pear of the Virgalieu class,
which, if gathered early, may be kept for some time. It was
raised in Philadelphia by Mr. Bartram, from seed sent to him
from London in 1735 by Lord Petre.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 389

23. SECKEL.

Fis- m- Tree of healthful, but not

rapid growth, forming a com-
pact symmetrical head, not
attaining a very large size.

Young shoots brown-olive,
stout and short. A good and
regular bearer.

Fruit small obovate, red-
dish-brown.

Flesh white, buttery, juicy,
and melting.

Flavor peculiarly high, rich,
and aromatic. The very finest
of pears. Ripens in the house
through September and Octo-
ber, or later.

This small but exquisite fruit stands deservedly at the head
of all pears for its peculiarly rich, high flavor. There is no
European variety that resembles or compares with it. It is
not a result of careful, intelligent cultivation, but, like many
of our foremost fruits, an " accidental variety," the precise der-
ivation of which is unknown.

The original tree was found near the Delaware, a few miles
from Philadelphia, and was in bearing at the period of the
Revolution ; but the fruit remained in obscurity until the land
on which the parent tree stood, and perhaps still stands, became
the property of Mr. Seckel, after whom the pear is named, and
by whom it was first brought to public notice.

24. VIRGALIEU (Fig. 249).

Tree upright, of medium strength.

Young shoots light brown ; productive.

Fruit medium or above, obovate, variable, sometimes almost
pyriform ; pale clear yellow, speckled with small dots, some-
times having a fine red cheek.

Flesh white, very fine-grained, buttery, and melting.

390

AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

Fig. 249.

Flavor rich and exquisite, second only to the Seckel. Rip-
ens in the house through October and November.

25. GRAY VIRGALIEU.

Tree upright, tolerably vigorous, healthier than the Virga-
lieu.

Young shoots grayish-brown, or brown with gray dots. A
good and constant bearer.

Fruit medium, roundish obovate, covered with rather light
or golden russet when perfectly ripe.

Flesh white, very fine-grained, melting, buttery.

Flavor rich and exquisite, similar to the " Yirgalieu," but
ripens a little later.

In cold or unfavorable soils or localities this fine pear some-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 250.

391

times blasts, but succeeds well near New York city and south
of it.

26. BEURRE DIEL (Fig. 251).

Tree quite vigorous, but twisting in its growth.

Young shoots dark grayish-brown. A good bearer, suited
with high culture and warm soil and season.

Fruit large, obovate to obtuse pyriform, uneven, of a green-
ish-yellow, becoming deep yellow, with large spots of russet.

Flesh yellowish-white, somewhat coarse, half melting, and
sometimes buttery.

Flavor variable ; when well ripened, rich, sugary, and excel-
lent. Ripens through October and November.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN,
rig. 251.

27. DUCHESSE D'ANGOULEME.

Tree of upright, very strong growth, its luxuriance often re-
quiring to be checked by summer or root pruning.

Young shoots light yellowish-brown. A fair bearer ; best
suited to warm soils and latitudes.

Fruit very large, generally obtuse pyriform or oblong-obo-
vate ; surface knobby and uneven, greenish -yellow, with spots
and streaks of russet.

Flesh yellowish-white, rather coarse, juicy, melting, and but-
tery.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 252.

393

Flavor very variable ; on quince stocks, or where the fruit is
perfected, rich and very good, but worthless on pear stocks at
the north. Ripens from October to November.

28. DIX (Fig. 253).

Tree erect and of moderate vigor. .

Young shoots slender, pale yellow, not coming into bearing
early, but hardy and productive when of age.

R2

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN,

Fig. 253.

Fruit large, oblong pyriform, rather rough, deep yellow, with
spots of russet.

Flesh not very fine-grained, but juicy and melting.
Flavor rich, sugary, and vinous, with a fine aroma.
Ripens through October and November.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

395

The original tree of this variety stands in the garden of Mrs.
Dix, of Boston, after whom the fruit is named, and has been in
bearing only about thirty years. It does not bear well while
young, which may be regarded as an advantage on the whole,
and as indicating soundness of constitution, and warranting the
expectation of a fruitful and prolonged maturity.

29. ONONDAGA.

Fig. 254.

Tree upright, vigorous.
Young shoots yellowish-green or light olive,
regular bearer.

An early and

396

AMERICAN HUME GARDEN.

Fruit large, variable, obovate or oval pyriform ; golden yel-
low when fully ripe, with russet dots, and sometimes a faint
blush cheek.

Flesh white, juicy, and buttery.

Flavor varying ; at its best, rich, aromatic, and vinous, or
slightly subacid. Ripens in October and November.

30. OSWEGO.

Fig. 255.

Tree hardy and vigorous, of rather spreading habit.

Young shoots reddish-brown, with many distinct gray dots.
Bears early and abundantly.

Fruit medium, roundish obovate ; dull yellowish-green, with
spots of thin russet

Flesh white, melting, and juicy.

Flavor sprightly, vinous, or almost sweet. Ripens in Octo-
ber and November.

This is a native of Western New York, hardy, very produc-
tive, and an early bearer either on pear or quince.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN,
31. BEURRE D'AREMBERG.

Fig. 256.

Tree strong, upright, with young shoots of a yellowish-
brown, with pale specks. An abundant and constant bearer
of fine fruit, but requiring high culture and summer pruning,
with careful ripening, to perfect it.

Fruit pretty large, obovate, with much taper toward the
stem, becoming obtuse pyriform ; yellow, with much light
russet.

Flesh white, buttery, and melting, and quite juicy.

Flavor rich, sprightly, and vinous. Ripens from November
to January.

898

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

32. GLOUT MORCEAU.

Fig. 257.

Tree of fine pyramidal growth, somewhat spreading.

Young shoots of a bluish or olive-green. A good bearer,
suited with strong soil and high culture.

Fruit large, almost oval or obtuse pyriform, often irregular ;
greenish-yellow, with some russet and many greenish russet
specks.

Flesh white, fine-grained, melting, and buttery.

Flavor rich, perfumed, dead sweet. Ripens from December
to Februarv.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

399

33. PASSE COLMAR.

Fig. 258.

Tree very vigorous, with long, straggling, brownish-yellow
shoots. Often bears too abundantly, and requires that the
crop be thinned. Needs high culture.

Fruit pretty large, variable, obtuse pyriform or obovate ;
pale yellow at maturity, with considerable sprinkling of russet.

Flesh yellowish- white, juicy, and buttery.

Flavor, when well ripened, rich, sweet, and aromatic. Rip-
ens from November to January. *

400

AMERICAN HUME GARDEN.

34. LAWRENCE.
Fig. 259.

Tree of moderate vigor and somewhat thorny.

Young shoots light brown, rather slender. An abundant
bearer.

Fruit rather large, long obovate, sometimes almost pyriform,
obtuse at the stem ; dull yellowish-green, with small patches
of russet near the ends.

Flesh yellowish- white, juicy, melting, sometimes gritty at
the core.

Flavor, when well raised and ripened, rich and sugary.
Ripens from November throughout the winter.

The Lawrence is a new American pear, which originated at
Flushing, Long Island, a few years ago, and promises to be an
acquisition, particularly for orchard culture, either on the pear

AMERICAN HUME GARDEN.

401

or quince stock, affording a good winter fruit, not liable to
shrivel or decay.

35. COLUMBIA.

Fig. 260.

Tree of upright strong growth, with brownish-yellow shoots.
Bears largely and constantly ; fair marketable fruit.

Fruit rather large, regular, long obovate, inclining to ob-
long ; fine golden yellow at maturity, with gray dots.

.Flesh white, not fine-grained, but juicy and melting.

Flavor sweet, rich, and aromatic. Ripens through Decem-
ber and into January.

This fruit originated upon the land of Mr. Andrew Corsa, in
the lower part of Westchester county, New York. The parent

402 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

tree has been supposed to have sprung from a seed thrown away
by some soldier of the British Hessian troops, whose encamp-
ment at one period of the Revolutionary war covered or ad-
joined the spot where it grew.

36. KNIGHT'S MONARCH.

Fig. 261.

Tree strong, upright.

Young shoots yellowish or light olive. An abundant bearer.

Fruit large, obovate, regular; yellowish-brown, with red-
dish cheek and numerous gray dots. A pear of mark and ex-
cellence, but not yet fully proved with us.

Flesh yellowish-white, melting, and juicy.

Flavor rich, musky, and excellent. Ripens through Jan-
uary. Requires very high culture.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 4l)3

37. CHAUMONTELLE.

Fig. 202.

Tree vigorous, with long, slender, dark brown, flexuous
shoots. Requires high culture, and warm soil and locality.
At the north succeeds only on the quince. A fair bearer.

"Fruit large, oblong obovate, somewhat variable, rather rough ;
yellow, with brownish-red on the sunny side.

Flesh melting and buttery.

Flavor sugary and pleasantly perfumed. Ripens from No-
vember to January, or later.

404

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

38. WINTER NELIS.

Fig. 2(K.

Tree hardy and thrifty, the young branches light olive, very
slender and diverging. A good and regular bearer of fair
fruit.

Fruit medium or below, round obovate ; yellowish-green
when ripe, with much russet.

Flesh yellowish- white, fine-grained, melting, and juicy.

Flavor rich, sugary, and aromatic. The best of winter pears.
Ripens in December and January.

39. WINTER BELL.

Tree of strong, erect growth.

Young shoots very dark olive. A good or heavy bearer.
Fruit large to very large, irregularly obtuse or oval pyri-
form ; yellowish-green, with a brownish -red cheek.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

405

Fig. 264.

Flesh hard and coarse ; tender and of a reddish color when
cooked.

Flavor a rough sub-acid, becoming rich and excellent when
baked or stewed. See pages 289, 368.

The Vicar of Winkfield may be substituted for this if it be
desired to have a cooking fruit which is also sometimes good
to eat out of hand, or that fine old French variety, the Catil-
lac, may take its place.

406

AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

40. EASTER BEUBRE.

Fig. 265.

Tree thrifty, erect, forming rather a compact and symmetri-
cal head. Bears well, but requires high culture.

Fruit medium or above, obtuse obovate ; greenish, with some
spots of brownish russet.

Flesh white, fine-grained, melting, and buttery.

Flavor> when well raised and ripened, fine, sweet, and rich.
Ripens from December to May.

The Easter Beurre, in ungenial soils and climates, some-
times disappoints the cultivator by its persistent immaturity.

It should have good soil, culture, and climate, be carefully
gathered and wintered as directed p. 368, and ripened in spring.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 407

THE PLUM.

This is a pleasant and rather useful fruit, which every house-
keeper wishes to possess, but can not always secure, the varie-
ties which are in a- measure exempt from fatal disease or the de-
structive assaults of insects being so few that, in selecting this
fruit, we rather take what we can get than what we might de-
sire.

Many different varieties of this fruit are dried, and become
articles of commerce in the form of prunes, prunelles (that is,
prunes skinned and pitted), and common dried plums.

Plums may be planted at the distance of ten or twelve feet
each way ; and wherever they can be raised successfully, or in
particular seasons when the fruit is perfected, they constitute
a profitable market crop.

The trees should be carefully planted while quite young, and
the head properly formed and balanced by both winter and
summer pruning, many of the varieties having a natural tend-
ency to long growth, which carries the fruit out of reach if
pruning is neglected.

A strong loam or a clay soil is thought best suited to plum-
trees, although they will grow thriftily even in very light soils ;
and it may be that a heavy cold clay soil is rather specially
unfavorable to the insects which injure them than directly fa-
vorable to the fruit.

SELECT LIST OF PLUMS

Numbered nearly in the order in which they will be found to
ripen in any given soil and latitude.

The ordinary time of their ripening at New York accompa-
nies the figure and following description. Those marked with
a star are green or yellow.

1. Ottoman.
*2. Hudson Gage.

3. Peach.

4. Duane's Purple.

5. Schenectady.
*6. M'Laughlin.
*7. Green Gage.

*8. Lawrence's Favorite.
*9. Washington.
10. Lombard.
*11. Bleecker's Gage.

12. Smith's Orleans.

13. Cruger's Scarlet.

14. Columbian Gage.

408

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

*15. Jefferson. *21. Coe's Golden Drop.

*16. Imperial Gage. 22. Coe's Late Red.

17. Purple Gage. 23. Blue Imperatrice.

18. Manning's Long Blue. 24. Frost Gage.

19. Dominie Dull. 25. Ick worth.
*20. Catharine.

This list, though so brief, will, it is believed, be found to in-
clude most of the really fine and valuable plums we possess,
from the earliest to the latest varieties, but it may easily be
doubled or tripled, if necessary.

1. OTTOMAN (Fig. 266).

Tree a moderate grower and good bearer. Young branches
somewhat downy. Fruit rather small ; dull yellow, with mar-
blings of a darker shade, and having a thin bloom.

Flesh juicy, sweet, and good, cleaving to the stone. Ripens
last of July.

Fig. 267.

*2. HUDSON GAGE (Fig. 267).

Tree of free growth and a good bearer.

Young branches slightly downy.

Fruit medium ; yellow, with streaks of green under the skin,
with a light bloom.

Flesh greenish, juicy, melting, and of fine flavor ; almost free
from the stone. Ripens first of August.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

409

3. PEACH.

Fig. 268.

Tree of rapid and strong
growth, and a good bearer.

Young branches of a pur-
ple tint, smooth.

Fruit large roundish flat-
tened ; purplish -red, with
spots of light bronze or rus-
set, nearly covered with a
blue bloom.

Flesh greenish - yellow,
juicy, and sweet ; not fine-
grained ; a partial free-
stone. Ripens in the first
half of August.

4. DUANE'S PURPLE.

Tree of strong growth ;
a moderate bearer.

Young branches and
leaves gray and downy.

Fruit large, light pur-
ple or red, with yellow
specks and light bloom.
Oblong or oval, one-sided.

Flesh amber-colored, not
very juicy, but of fair qual-
ity, or rather rich ; clings
to the stone. Ripens to-
ward the middle of Au-
gust.

This early and very
showy plum is sometimes
rather acid, but in favora-
ble seasons good, or first-
rate.

It is also valuable as a market fruit.

S

410

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

5. SCHENECTADY (Fig. 270).
Tree of fair growth and a free bearer.
Young branches smooth and rather slender.
Fruit medium, round-oval ; deep purple.
Flesh greenish-yellow, melting, juicy, and rich,
about the middle of August.

Ripens

Fig. 270.

Fig. 271.

*6. MCLAUGHLIN (Fig. 271).

Tree of strong, free growth, and a good bearer.
Young branches smooth.

Fruit large, roundish, russet-yellow, with red or purplish tint.
Flesh yellow, somewhat firm, juicy, sweet, and rich ; clings
to the stone. Jlipens about the middle of August.

*7. GREEN GAGE (Fig. 272).

Tree of slow growth and dwarfish habit, but a good bearer.

Young branches smooth, with large shouldered buds.

Fruit medium or below, nearly round, yellowish-green when
ripe, with slight dottings or marblings of red.

Flesh pale green, melting, juicy, sprightly, luscious ; a free-
stone. Ripens about the middle of August. The finest fla-
vored and richest of plums.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 272. Fig. 273.

411

8. * LAWRENCE'S FAVORITE (Fig. 273).

Tree thrifty and upright ; a good bearer.

Young branches downy and short jointed.

Fruit pretty large, roundish, somewhat flattened ; dull yel-
lowish-green, with darker streaks beneath, and covered with
bloom, and some reddish dots and mottling in the sun.

Flesh greenish, very juicy, melting, and rich ; a free-stone
when fully ripe. Ripens about the middle of August.

*9. WASHINGTON.

Fig. 274.

Tree of very vigorous
growth and a free bearer.

Young branches downy.

Fruit very large round-
ish oval, dull yellow marbled
with green, and a few red-
dish dots in the sun.

Flesh yellow, firm, but
sweet and good ; a free-stone.
Ripens after mid-August.

This fine plum was first
fruited about forty years ago
by Mr. Wm. Bolmer, a mer-
chant of New York city, and
often bears his name.

412

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

10. LOMBARD (Fig. 275).

Tree thrifty and an abundant bearer, suited to light soils.

Young branches smooth, bright purple.

Fruit medium roundish oval, a little flattened, pale violet-
red, with dots of deeper red, and
a thin bloom.

Flesh yellow, juicy, and pleas-
ant ; clings to the stone. Rip-
ens from the middle to the close
of August.

Fig. $T5.

Fig. 276.

*11. BLEECKER'S GAGE (Fig. 276).

Tree a good healthy grower, and regular and free bearer.

Young branches downy.

Fruit medium roundish oval, yellow specked with white,
and having a thin bloom.

Flesh yellow, sweet, and excellent ; almost a free - stone.
Ripens from the middle to the close of August.

12. SMITH'S ORLEANS (Fig. 277).

Tree extremely vigorous, and a good and constant bearer in
all soils, adapting itself also to varieties of climate.

Young branches very slightly downy ; purplish.

Fruit large oval, inclining to oblong ; purplish-red, covered
with a deep blue bloom.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

413

Flesh yellow, somewhat firm, but juicy, sprightly, and vin-
ous ; clings to the stone. Ripens toward the last of August.

This plum was raised some thirty-five years ago at Gowanus,
Long Island, by Mr. Smith, from a seed of the " Orleans," one
of the oldest, if not the very oldest, of our dessert plums, and
is named after the originator and the variety from which it
was produced. In general, it is the finest of the class of vin-
ous-flavored plums, but on strong cold soils becomes too acid for
eating out of hand. Its large size and productiveness, with
its general excellence, and the habit of hanging long on the
tree, will render it always a favorite and profitable fruit.

Fig, 277.

Fig. 278.

13. CRUGER'S SCARLET (Fig. 278).

Tree of free growth, and bearing freely and constantly ; it is
superior for light soils, being but little subject to injury from
the curculio.

Young branches downy.

Fruit medium round oval ; bright red or lilac, with golden
dots and a thin bluish bloom.

Flesh orange, rather dry, of a mild, but lively and pleasant
sweetness. Ripens about the last of August, and hangs long
on the tree.

It is a valuable market fruit.

414

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

14. COLUMBIAN GAGE.

Fig. 279.

Tree of strong growth
and spreading habit ; a
very good bearer.

Branches when young,
downy; stout.

Fruit very large, near-
ly globular ; brownish
purple, reddish in the
shade, with many fawn-
colored dots and much
blue bloom.

Flesh orange, not fine-
grained, and somewhat
dry, but a fine, rich, sug-
ary fruit when ripe; a
free-stone. Ripens about
the last of August.

15. JEFFERSON.

Fig. 280.

Tree vigorous and a good
bearer.

Young branches almost
smooth.

Fruit large round oval ;
golden - yellow, purplish-red
on the sunny side, and cov-
ered with thin whitish
bloom.

Flesh orange, very juicy,
and richly flavored ; almost a
free-stone. Ripens about the
last of August, and hangs
long on the tree.

This plum was raised and
named by the late Judge
Buel, of Albany.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

415

*16. IMPERIAL GAGE (Fig. 281).

Tree of remarkably luxuriant growth, an abundant bearer,
and peculiarly adapted to light soils ; lacking flavor on heavy
ones.

Young branches very slightly downy.

Fruit medium or above ; yellowish-green, striped or marbled
beneath the skin with darker green.

Flesh greenish, melting, rich, and juicy ; almost a free-stone.
Ripens about the first of September.

Fig. 281.

Fig. 282.

17. PURPLE GAGE (Fig. 282).

Tree of moderate growth, and a good bearer.

Young branches smooth and short-jointed.

Fruit medium roundish ; violet, with yellow dots and a fine
blue bloom.

Flesh yellowish, rich, and sugary, but somewhat dry ; will
hang long on the tree ; a free- stone. Ripens through Septem-
ber.

18. MANNING'S LONG BLUE (Fig. 283).
Tree of moderate growth, and an abundant bearer.
Young branches smooth.

416

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 283.

Fruit large long oval ; dark
purple, with a heavy blue bloom.

Flesh yellowish, moderately
juicy, sweet, and pleasant ; al-
most a free - stone. Ripens
through September, or later.

Fig. 284.

19. DOMINIE DULL (Fig. 284).

Tree of free but not large growth, and a very good bearer.

Young branches smooth.

. Fruit medium long oval ; very dark purple, with a light cov-
ering of blue bloom.

Flesh yellow, juicy, sweet, and good, becoming dryer and
richer if left hanging on the tree ; clings to the stone. Ripens
in all September.

*20. CATHARINE (Fig. 285).
Tree of moderate growth, bearing abundantly.
Young branches smooth and somewhat slender.
Fruit medium obovate ; pale yellow, with occasionally a red-
dish cheek, and covered with a thin white bloom.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

417

Flesh yellow, juicy, per-
fumed, and rich ; clings to
the stone. Ripens toward
the last of September.

Fig. 286.

Fig. 285.

*21. COE'S GOLDEN DROP (Fig. 286).

Tree of strong growth and a fair bearer, requiring warm
soils and locations if planted north of latitude 40°.

Young branches smooth.

Fruit very large oval, tapering toward the stem ; light green-
ish-yellow, with dark red spots on the sunny side.

Flesh yellow, rather firm, and not fine-grained, but sweet,
rich, and sometimes melting ; clings to the stone. Ripens
about the last of September, and may be left on the tree, or
gathered and kept, for some time.

22. COE'S LATE RED (Fig. 287).
Tree of free growth and productive.
Young branches downy.

Fruit medium, round, or very nearly so ; purplish light red,
with a blue bloom ; a very desirable late fruit for garden or
orchard culture.

S2

118

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Flesh yellowish, firm, juicy, and
vinous; almost a free-stone. Rip-
ens through October.

Fig. 288.

Fig. 287.

23. BLUE IMPERATRICE (Fig. 288).

Tree of free growth and quite productive.

Young branches smooth and rather slender.

Fruit medium, obovate; dark purple, with a heavy blue
bloom.

Flesh greenish-yellow, not juicy, but rich and sweet ; clings
to the stone. Ripens in October, and hangs until November.

Fig. 289.

24. FROST GAGE.

Tree thrifty and an abundant bearer.

Young branches smooth and rather
slender.

Fruit small round-oval ; deep purple,
with a fine rich bloom.

Flesh greenish -yellow, melting, rich,
and sweet ; clings to the stone. Ripens
in October, and continues for some time.

This plum, like the damson, is common-
ly increased by its offshoots. It is not
only excellent in quality, but very beau-
tiful upon the tree.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 419

25. ICKWORTH.

tig. 290. Tree of moderate vigor and

a fair bearer.

Young branches smooth and
somewhat slender.

Fruit medium to large, obo-
vate ; purple, with irregular
tracings of light fawn color.

Flesh greenish-yellow, rich,
juicy, and very good, becoming
sugary with keeping ; clings to
the stone. Ripens in October,
and may be kept in a dry room
for several weeks, or sometimes
months, if wrapped singly and
carefully in paper.

This valuable late plum is a
somewhat recent English vari-
ety, usually called Ickworth
Imperatrice ; but as we have
already a " Blue Imperatrice," the latter name is dropped.

THE POMEGRANATE.

The wild Pomegranate of Europe and China is of a sharp
acid flavor, but the cultivated kinds are subacid or sweet.

The fruit is of ordinary peach size or larger, and contains
numerous red seeds, and a juicy pulp of pleasant flavor, cooling
and excellent for use in fevers, etc. It has a tough skin, but
its yellow color and red cheek, with its large calyx eye or
crown, render it very beautiful. It grows well with less care
than the orange-tree in the latitude of 40° north, fruiting
freely in Maryland and Virginia, but not ripening its crop
with certainty farther north than the Carolinas.

The tree is pretty, having small lance-formed leaves, with
reddish veins. It grows about twenty feet high at the most,
and bears a profusion of showy scarlet flowers. There is also
a double-flowering scarlot variety, which is still more orna-

420

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

mental, extensively cultivated as a conservatory or green-house
plant in the colder latitudes.

Fig. 291.

fl. Branch in blossom.

b. Branch in fruit.

It is well suited with any moderately good soil, though pre-
ferring a rather light loam. The plants may be raised from
seeds sown as soon as ripened, or by cuttings or layers.

Wherever it will stand out during winter it may form beau-
tiful ornamental hedges, and in some localities might answer
for fences.

THE QUINCE.

The Quince is a rough-flavored, astringent fruit, entirely
unfit for eating in the raw state, but is a favorite for stewing
and making preserves, on account of its fine fragrance and
richness. Quince-trees intended for bearing should be pruned
to a single but generally low stem, and all offshoot growth
prevented.

They may be planted at a distance of eight to twelve feet
each way, or between fruit-trees of larger growth, and are suit-
ed with a rather moist soil, though with care they will grow
in any.

There are quite a number of various kinds of quinces, hav-
ing the same general character and flavor, but differing chiefly

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

421

in the size and fleshiness of their fruit. The common infe-
rior-fruiting kinds are often used as stocks for dwarfing pear-
trees, but a free-growing variety, known as the Angers Quince,
and some others of similar habit, are greatly superior for this
purpose. The Japan Quince is an ornamental shrub bearing
a small green fragrant, but otherwise useless fruit.

Most of them may be raised from seed, and all are readily
increased from offshoots, or by hill or common layering, or by
cuttings planted in the fall or early spring and mulched.

The Apple Quince, Fig. 292 a, is a fine golden-colored fruit
of rich appearance and superior quality.

Fig. 292, a.

Apple Quince.

The Pear Quince, Fig. 292 b, though by no means equal to
the former, is extensively raised for market, and is a fruit of
fair quality, less tender in cooking than the former, and by no
means equal to it, but both are valuable and profitable.

422

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 292, 6.

Pear Quince.

THE RASPBERRY.

There are numerous varieties of this esteemed fruit, of di-
vers colors, almost all being prolific, and most of the red or
dark-fruited kinds of good flavor. Perhaps the Red Antwerp
and the Fastolff, which ripens rather later, are the finest, but
at the north they require covering in winter to secure a crop.

The Franconia is a hardy variety, which bears abundant
crops of fruit, scarcely, if at all inferior, when fully ripe, to the
Red Antwerp, either in size or quality, having a firmness of
texture which renders it valuable for preserving.

Knevet's Giant is a new English variety of good reputation
both for quality and hardiness. Some new and promising va-
rieties have also been recently raised from seed.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 423

Fig. 293.

a. Red Antwerp. 6. Fastolff. c. Franconia.

The most common of the dark-fruited raspberries is the
American Black, the red-cane variety which for so many
years has been extensively cultivated for the New York mar-
ket. It is perfectly hardy, and bears abundant crops of rather
small but well-flavored, though not first-class fruit.

The double-bearing, of which there are several varieties,
yield a partial second crop of fruit of middling character late
in the fall, just when peaches abound, and are therefore of no
special importance.

The Yellow Antwerp bears a fine, large, thimble-formed
berry, and shows well upon the table when mixed with the
red, but it also is tender, and has, in common with its inferior
varieties, a certain degree of faint sweetness in the flavor that
requires mingling with something more acid to make it agree-
able. The Orange, which resembles it, is later in ripening,
and hardier.

Raspberries should stand in rows six or eight feet wide, the
bushes being from two to four feet apart in the rows, accord-
ing to the habit of the kind planted. The soil can scarcely be
made too rich and warm for them.

They require only winter pruning, which consists simply
in removing the old dead canes, and shortening the ends of the
young shoots, to bring the rampant growers within bounds and
strengthen the spring growth, upon which all the fruit is
borne. They should be cut back to about four feet high if we
desire fine fruit, and, if at all weak, might be pruned still
shorter to advantage.

424 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

The more moderate-growing kinds of raspberries are often
cultivated by tying up the canes of each plant to a single
stake, or to a bar fastened along the row of stakes for this pur-
pose ; but the stronger growers, of which the red-cane named
above is the most rampant, are usually inclosed by running a
single bar along each side of the row, with posts at about six
feet apart, with cross braces at proper intervals, making a
frame about two feet wide. Within such a frame the bearing
shoots and the young strong canes 'of the current season be-
come mingled and thickened, and the difficulty of gathering
the fruit and the labor of winter pruning are much increased.

Let this frame be made three feet wide instead of two ; nail
two braces, an inch and a half or two inches apart, upon each
pair of posts, putting two such upon each side of every third
pair. Let the narrow space between the braces range at a lev-
el from end to end of the frame ; into this space, and close upon
one side of the frame, introduce a strip of plank two or three
inches wide, put a pin through it at each end near to the brace
to prevent it slipping out, and fit it so at the third pair of
posts that its end will not interfere with the next length.
Put in similar strips throughout, and you have a sliding bar
along your frame ready for use. Suppose your canes trimmed
for the spring of 1858, with the slide-bar resting to the west-
ward of them ; you move it across to the eastward, pressing the
canes before it till they are near or rest upon the outer bar ;
allowing them such "play" as you may think they require,
fasten your sliding bar for the season by pinning it to or notch-
ing it into the braces, or in any way you find convenient , and if
the canes do not spread evenly along their allotted space, form
a sort of rack for them by tacking short pieces of lath here and
there. When the young canes .shoot up from the root, they
will naturally grow upright and apart from the bearing shoots ;
but if they should incline toward them, a small strip of board,
without sharp edges, or a light bean-pole laid between them
and resting its weight upon both, will sway them a little in
the opposite direction, and leave your fruit entirely within
reach and at command, and prepare the whole mass of old cane
for being easily cut away at the next pruning. It remains

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 425

only to press the bar westward in the spring of 1859, and so
alternate it from year to year.

The chief, if not the only objection to the use of such a
frame lies in the reduced amount of shade afforded to the fruit,
raspberries and blackberries seldom attaining their finest size
when entirely exposed, being also liable to scorch and become
imperfect in the full sun. In certain latitudes and soils thi s
may become a serious difficulty, and wherever it is so the stake
or single-bar mode should be adopted.

THE STRAWBERRY.

A great number of kinds of strawberries are in cultivation,
some of them very large ; others that range generally of better
flavor, but more moderate size.

There are but two distinct systems of cultivation — the one
may be called the hilling, and the other the bedding system.
In both systems, so far as garden culture is concerned, the
deepest and warmest soil it affords should be selected, and the
plants set out in rows twelve to fifteen inches wide, and a foot
apart in the row, with a narrow walk between every third and
fourth, or fourth and fifth row.

In the hilling system the beds thus formed are kept perfect-
ly clear of weeds, and all runners from the plants are cut off
as soon as they start.

Under this course of treatment, the plants, instead of over-
running the bed, form large branched or multiplied crowns,
from which, in its season, the fruit is produced — finest and most
abundantly in the first full-bearing year, afterward gradually
declining, until in four or five years, at most, the beds must
be replaced by others. An annual top-dressing of compost is
applied after the crop is gathered, being lightly dug in with
the spade-fork.

After the spring hoeing of such beds they are carefully
mulched by laying straw, or litter, or tan, or moss between the
rows, so that the fruit, when bent down by its own weight or
from dashing rains, will not become dirty and unfit for use.
For this purpose, a coat of cut straw, such as is commonly fed
to horses, etc., will be found excellent and easily applied.

426 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

In the bedding system less labor and care are required, pro-
vided they be given at the proper time.

The beds should be annually renewed in the following man-
ner :

At the ends of the rows, when first planted, set a small lo-
cust, or chestnut, or cedar stick, thrust into the ground to the
depth of a foot or more. If your bed is planted in early spring,
or even at any time before the middle of June, and well tend-
ed, being hoed often and carefully till they begin to run, and
afterward hand- weeded if requisite, and all runners that would
spread themselves into the paths cut off or turned in, the whole
surface of the bed will be covered before winter with strong
young plants ; the crowns of the parent plant, instead of
branching immediately around itself, as in the hilling system,
will have spread and planted themselves at a distance in inde-
pendent positions. In the following spring the bed will yield
its crop in season, and the mat of leaf-growth upon it will
keep the fruit clean.

As soon as the crop is gathered, begin on one side, and find
by your mark-sticks where the old rows stand, and stretch a
line exactly midway between the first two of them, from end
to end of the bed ; then, with a spade or grass-edger, cut along
each side of the line so stretched, at two inches distance from
it, proceeding thus until you have gone over the bed, dividing
it into four strips of about eleven inches width, in which the
old-plant rows stand, and three strips of four inches, occupied
exclusively by young plants. If, on looking at it, you think
you would prefer to have five rows in your new bed rather than
three, though the latter is generally preferable, make another
cut along just outside of each old outside row, and you will
have a narrow rim of young plants standing on each side of
your bed.

If you wish plants for enlarged plantings, you may pare off
with your spade, an inch or two deep, all the wide intervals,
and can choose out the young plants for resetting as you may
desire, or the plants on the wide spaces, instead of being pared
off, may be dug under if they are not needed for use, thus re-
taining them in the bed as specific manure for their successors,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 427

adding compost also in the process. If pared off, fill up the
spaces with leaf-mould or compost, and either dig them with
the spade-fork or hook them over deeply with a potato-hook ;
then let the narrow strips of young plants be well hoed and
perfectly cleaned from weeds and grass, and you will leave the
whole bed as clean and loose as when it was just planted, but
with a better stock of plants, and these undisturbed and ready
to grow right on. Place your mark-sticks at the centre of
the ends of your new rows, and keep the bed clean as before
until the runners cover it again preparatory to your next
crop ; and so alternate from year to year, manuring with com-
post, etc., as may be needful, at the annual renewal of the
bed.

This mode, though it may at first appear complicated, is
really a simple and efficient process for securing a clean and,
with proper precautions, a full-cropping strawberry-bed at a
small expense of labor.

Dress your bed repeatedly through the summer and fall with
leached ashes and liquid manure. Give it a very light winter
covering of straw or evergreen. Let it have at least one lib-
eral application of liquid manure at the opening of spring ;
and, if drought occur while the plants are in blossom or fruit,
water them often and heavily to such a degree as will prevent
their becoming sensible of want of moisture.

Upon beds so treated the fruit will prove to be almost uni-
formly fine ; plants seldom yield fruit equaling, and never sur-
passing, the product of their second year, and by this system
every bearing plant in your bed comes within this class.

In large operations for marketing, the strawberry crop is
sometimes brought into the system of farm rotation, upon this
alternating or renewal principle. New acres are planted every
spring, at from two to three feet distance each way, the land
being well manured, and furrowed as for corn, and the plants
set at the crossing ; they are kept clean with the cultivator, or
with the plow and corn-harrow, and a little hoeing until they
begin to run. Before winter they cover the ground ; and, as
soon as the crop is marketed in the following spring, the whole
patch is plowed under, and a fall crop of vegetables planted on

428 AMERICAN HOME GARDEX.

the land. If the plantings are made in the fall, which is un-
desirable, the patch runs over to the spring of the third year
for its main crop.

Difficulty, and not unfrequently disappointments, are met
with in strawberry culture from the irregular botanical pecul-
iarities of the blossoms. Unless skilled in these, so as to dis-
criminate clearly, it will be well that you should watch your
bed from year to year, and destroy all plants that bloom, but
fail to fruit ; for, if this be neglected, they will, after a while,
conquer the less vigorous fruit-bearers, and spoil your bed.

Naturally the blossoms of most varieties of the strawberry,
like those of the apple and cherry, or, more strictly, like those
of the raspberry, are bi-sexual and perfect, combining stamens
and pistils in due proportion in the same flower ; but in cer-
tain kinds, the flowers, or most of them, are imperfect, some
varieties lacking pistils, and others being destitute of stamens,
so that fruit is not produced. The whole family of HAUTBOIS,
or high-stem strawberries, known by their pyramidal heads
and crimped foliage, is peculiarly subject to these defects;
and, although their fruit is of a remarkably fine, high flavor,
they have failed to make their way into general cultivation.

Peabody's new seedling Hautbois is said to be an exception
to the rule, having perfect flowers, bearing well, and retaining
the peculiar flavor of its class ; if so, it will be regarded as an
acquisition, at least to private gardens.

Much has been said and written by way of obviating the
difficulties resulting to the private cultivator from these im-
perfections. The best general remedy is to throw away all
such kinds, or leave them to professional fruit-growers or spe-
cial amateurs, and obtain plants of perfect -flowered varieties
that may be relied on alone for a fair or abundant crop. There
is probably no kind with defective flowers so superior to others
in the character of its fruit as to make it worthy of continued
cultivation by those whose general duties are likely to inter-
fere with any small attentions to such a matter, or whose time
and labor are deemed of value.

The following figures and explanations will perhaps aid in
obtaining a clear idea of the peculiarities referred to.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 429

STRAWBERRY BLOSSOMS.
Fig. 294

A. Perfect or bi-sexual blossom, having stamens and pistils in due proportion.

B. Imperfect staminate blossom, having stamens, but lacking pistils.

C. Imperfect pistillate blossom, having pistils, but lacking stamens.

A. Plants bearing perfect or bi-sexual flowers, as Fig. 294 A,
are always fruitful, but more or less so according as they pro-
duce their stamens and pistils in sufficient or insufficient pro?
portion to one another. These varieties are very commonly,
but quite improperly, called staminates, or by another designa-
tion, which, as applied to fertile plants, is simply absurd.

B. Plants bearing only staminate flowers, as Fig. 294 B,
are uniformly and entirely fruitless.

C. Plants bearing pistillate flowers, as Fig. 294 (7, are fruit-
less, unless in combination with plants bearing perfect flow-
ers, as A, certain varieties of which have stamens in excess ;
or with plants bearing only staminate flowers, as B9 in con-
nection with which they may be regarded as anomalous dioe-
cious varieties (see page 76). In such combinations they are
very fruitful, and some of the finest known varieties are of this
class, or belong to a subdivision of bi-sexual flowers in which
a deficient proportion of stamens is developed, and, consequent-
ly, when planted alone, they yield but little fruit, and are
therefore also sometimes erroneously called pistillates.

COMBINATION OP CLASSES.

If it is desired to cultivate such kinds on account of special
qualities in the fruit, the end may be readily secured by plant-
ing your beds of only three rows width, leaving a space of three
feet between the beds, and along the centre of this space plant-
ing a single row of any good perfect-flowered variety, which

430 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

must be either cultivated upon the hilling system or limited
to its own space by running the grass-edger, or a substitute for
it, along each side of it from time to time, cutting off and re-
moving all runners, and maintaining a perfect separation be-
tween it and the beds ; or the beds may be made five rows
wide, the centre row of each being of a perfect-flowered variety,
and kept apart from the others with the grass-edger, as above
directed. The blossoms of these will supply the deficiency of
fertilizers in your beds, and secure full crops. The following
kinds are of reputation in their several classes.

Either of the varieties comprised in the first of the follow-
ing classes may be planted as fertilizers in combination with
those of the second, but perhaps No. 1 or No. 3 will prove as
desirable and successful as any for the end sought.

CLASS I.

Varieties having perfect or bi-sexual flowers, bearing their
full natural crop of fruit when planted alone. Sometimes
wrongly called staminates.

NO. 1. LARGE EARLY SCARLET.
Fig, 295.

Pretty large, round ovate ; tender and rich. Color a fine
bright scarlet. A good bearer, and ripens early.

This is an improved sub-variety of the old or native early
scarlet, and very superior to it in all respects.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

431

NO. 2. LONGWORTH'S PROLIFIC.

Fig. 296.

Rather large ; dark crimson ; roundish ; flesh firm, subacid,
rich, and high flavored. It is a regular and free bearer, car-
rying its fruit well upon the stem. Ripens at medium season.

NO. 3. WILSON'S ALBANY.

Fig. 297.

432 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Large to very large ; roundish-conical, form varying with
the size, as in the figures. Color dark ruby. A strong grow-
er, very productive, and of excellent quality. Ripens at me-
dium season or rather later.

Wilson's Albany is one of the most recent and valuable of
strawberries, and is fast making its way to merited popularity.

NO. 4. GENESEE.

Large, roundish, slightly necked ; of good quality, and fine
appearance. Color dark crimson. Very productive, and car-
rying its fruit finely on the stem. Ripens late.

To this class may be added Iowa, Walker's Seedling, a fruit
of much merit, Ross's Phoenix, and Jenny Lind, all of which,
in suitable circumstances, will be found productive and of fine
quality.

The Iowa has been extensively used in combination as a fer-
tilizer at the West.

C L A S S 1 1.

Varieties having imperfect or uni- sexual flowers, being de-
ficient in stamens or destitute of them ; comparatively unfruit-
ful alone, but bearing abundantly in combination with varieties
having either perfect or staminate flowers.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

433

NO. 5. BURR'S NEW PINE (Fig. 299).
Large, roundish-conical ; tender, sweet, rich, and aromatic.
Color a clear pale red. Ripening early, and in combination
bearing fine perfect berries.

Fig. 299.

Fig. 300.

NO. 6. CRIMSON CONE (Fig. 300).

Pretty large, long conical, with a neck, so that the fruit
may be gathered without stems. Sprightly, rich, but slightly
acid. Color bright crimson, iiipens rather early.

NO. 7. HOVEY'S SEEDLING.

Very large, round -oval, or nearly
conical ; firm, sprightly, and in fa-
vorable circumstances rich. Color
fine dark red. Iiipens at medium
season or rather later.

This fine strawberry, raised in Bos-
ton by the gentleman whose name it
bears, has attained, perhaps, a greater
celebrity than any other fruit of its
class. In proper combination it yields
very largely.

T

Fig. 301.

434

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Fig. 302.

NO. 8. M'AVOY'S SUPERIOR,

Very large ; irregular and variable ;
mostly roundish sub-conical. Tender,
juicy, rich, and high flavored. Color
dark crimson. Ripens at medium sea-
son or rather later.

This rather uncouth fruit originated
in Cincinnatti about ten years ago, and
is the largest of the numerous new va-
rieties which the West lias furnished.
It has a somewhat coarse and open core,
though otherwise excellent in quality,
but is too tender to bear transportation
to a distant market.

To this class may be added Monroe Scarlet, Moyamensing
Pine, Burr's Hudson (Rival), and Jenny's Seedling.

All the foregoing varieties of the second class are partially
fruitful alone, but none of them crop fully except in combina-
tion with fertilizers.

CHAPTER XXI.

Flowers, Shrubs, &c., of various Classes. — Propagation of Flowers, &c., by
Cuttings, Layers, Budding, and Grafting. — Soils and Composts for Flow-
ers.— Select Lists of Flowers of various. Classes. — Treatment of Plants in
House and Green-house, Heating Apparatus, &c. — Select Lists of hardy
Shrubs, Roses, Climbing Shrubs, Evergreens, Shade-trees, &c., with Di-
rections for their Propagation and Culture.

FLOWERS, SHRUBS, ORNAMENTAL TREES, &c.
THE variety of flowers, shrubs, &c., is so very large and so
constantly increasing that only the most limited selection from
each class can be given, and of these the prettiest and most
easily cultivated kinds, not likely to disappoint any reasona-
ble expectation, have been preferred for the subjoined lists,
none being excluded because they are old, nor inserted merely
because they are new.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 435

A large proportion of each class, except the bulbous roots,
are natives of our woods, and swamps, and prairies, and mount-
ains. I would gladly have introduced more of them, but the
limits of my work forbade. A good collection of American
trees, plants, and flowers is a desideratum worthy even of na-
tional attention and effort. Perhaps the city of New York
will do herself the honor of at least a beginning in this direc-
tion in the arrangement of her new Central Park.

In the selections presented the amateur will probably mark
omissions which even limited space might not have induced
him to make, and certainly he will be able to make large ad-
ditions to them of admired plants.

Previous to the outlay of labor and care on a plant, it is al-
most always desirable to be personally acquainted with it.
Many are found in collections and catalogues that are of a neg-
ative character, and unworthy of a place in the private flower-
garden, however they may interest the botanist or the amateur
collector. There are also some of which the name has been
their only " ticket of admission," as " Love in a Mist /" and
others which, though showy, have some capital defect, as the
offensive odor of the Cleome, or Spider-flower.

In general we cultivate flowers for their beauty, but tastes
differ, and we do not always agree in the use of terms, or de-
fine them clearly. Beauty may be either simple or composite.
There is beauty of form irrespective of other elements, as a
curve — the rainbow without its colors ; there is beauty of
color, as the Tyrian purple, or the azure of a cloudless sky;
there is beauty of texture, as in the soft satin ; but a flower,
to be beautiful, must combine beauty of form, color, and tex-
ture, and, lacking either of them, it ceases to be beautiful as a
flower. It may be of beautiful form, as a plaster rose ; or of
beautiful color, as a painted cheek ; or of exquisite texture, as
the eider down ; or, farther, it may also be curious in its parts,
as the Fly-trap ; or admirable in its arrangement, as the
Pitcher-plant, but it is not a beautiful flower. If, however, a
flower possess these elements of beauty, its beauty may be
heightened by the variation and multiplication of one or more
of them. The numerous and varied curves in the Cupped

436 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

Rose and the Meadow Lily add greatly to the beauty of the
first, and give to the last its peculiar elegance ; the varied
shades or mingled stripes of color in the Tulip and the Carna-
tion give them their power to excite enthusiastic admiration,
and make men " tulip-fanciers," &c. ; and the varied texture
of the Iris and many other flowers adds sensibly to their
beauty.

But in choosing flowers for cultivation, we take some that
are not beautiful, because they are showy, and others because
they are fragrant, and still others because they come so early
in the spring as to aiford us the first substantial assurance of
its return, or so late in the fall as to postpone somewhat the
thought of winter.

In treating this ornamental department of gardening, the fol-
lowing divisions may be named and defined :

BULBS, among which some tuberous roots, as the Anemone,
&c., are commonly placed, are a class generally yielding flow-
ers of fine color and texture, and some of them excellent in form.

ANNUALS are such as either naturally blossom and bear seed
and die within the compass of a single year, or are so classed
in northern climates because the winter kills them. All these,
however, may be made, in a sense, biennials, by sowing them
late and wintering the young plants for next year's blossoming ;
while some of them, as the Mignonnette, become perennial if
propagated from cuttings and not permitted to ripen seed.

BIENNIALS are such as either naturally form the young
strong plant one year, and blossom, bear seed, and die the
next, as most garden vegetables, red clover, Canterbury Bells,
&c. ; or they are those of which the young plants will bear the
cold of winter, but the old plants will not, as certain kinds of
Pinks, Snap-dragon, Sweet Scabious, &c. These also may gen-
erally be made triennial or perennial by preventing the produc-
tion of seed, and renewing them by cuttings or layers.

PERENNIALS, commonly known as herbaceous plants, are such
as have not woody stems, and in climates too cold for their
constitution die down in the winter, but spring up every year

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 437

from the same root. Thus the Chriseis Crocea, formerly Ess-
choltzia Californica, is ranked in New York as an annual, but
in Southern California it is herbaceous and perennial.

GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS, sometimes also called pot plants, are
such as in northern climates require more or less of artificial
heat and house protection to carry them through the winter,
and, in general, a return for this trouble and care is sought in
the flowers they are made to yield at that ungenial season.

SHRUBS are the smaller class of woody plants, some of them
valued only for their foliage, as the Box ; others for their flow-
ers, as the Rose ; and still others, as the Cydonia Japonica, both
for flowers and foliage.

CLIMBERS, to whatever class they may belong, climb either by
winding, as Morning-glory and the Bitter-sweet ; or by cling-
ing with their tendrils, as the Pea and the Grape-vine ; or by
striking their roots all along as they run, even into a brick
wall, as the Virginia Creeper and jthe Trumpet-flower. Those
climbers which are of woody growth are really shrubs, i. e.,
small trees, of peculiar habit. We have therefore called them
Climbing Shrubs.

EVERGREENS are such shrubs or trees as do not lose their
leaves in winter, whose greenness cheers that season and links
it with its kindlier sisters, though sometimes, in dense masses,
deepening its gloom. The lowly Epigaia, or trailing Arbutus,
and the tall-growing hemlock, are of these.

SHADE TREES are either fruit or forest trees when used for
the purpose of shade, but generally the latter only are intended.

ORNAMENTAL TREES AND SHRUBS are such as may be chosen
from either of the foregoing classes to beautify and form part
of the surroundings of a home.

PROPAGATION OF FLOWERS, SHRUBS, &c.
BY CUTTINGS.

GREEN-HOUSE AND HERBACEOUS CUTTINGS.

Cuttings of woody plants of small growth, as green-house
and ordinary herbaceous plants, are made in the same manner
as those of large woody growth, except that they are usually in
leaf when the cuttings are taken off. See the following figures.

438

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.
Fig. 303.

a. Common cutting of small woody growth.

6. A slip cutting of the same, with the butt untrimmed.

c. A slip cutting trimmed for planting.

d. A common herbaceous cutting.

e. A cutting of Carnation or Picotee.

/. A cutting of the smaller, or garden Pink, made with the knife.
g. A pink " piping," made by drawing out, without using the knife.
h. The pipe or tube from which the piping has been drawn.

The Carnation and Picotee are commonly layered, but cut-
tings may be made, as Fig. e, and are to be preferred. The
smaller, or garden Pink, is usually raised from cuttings, as Fig.
/, but these are also often made without the knife by simply
pulling out a sufficient length of the heart growth, while the
lower or stem end of the shoot is held firmly between the thumb
and finger. If dexterously done, the cutting will separate pre-
cisely at the joint, and is at once ready for planting, Fig. g.
This is called " a piping," because, when drawn out, it leaves a
pipe or tube formed by the bases of the two next lower leaves
which enfolded it, Fig. h. Branch cuttings of all kinds may
usually be planted at a depth equal to one half of their length,
but cuttings of Carnations, Pinks, and a few other varieties of
peculiar growth, are planted so as to bring the bases of their
untrimmed leaves just into the surface of the earth. A very
little experience and observation will enable the cultivator to
judge at once of the proper depths from the size of the cutting
and the character of the particular variety. Cuttings that are
planted in a sloping position are thought to root more readily

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 439

than upright ones. When planted in pots, they should be
placed around the inside of the pot,. and in contact with it, in
which position they root more certainly.

All cuttings take root more promptly and freely if so arranged
that the soil in which they are planted becomes warm, which
is effected by placing the bed over a flue, or by preparing a hot
bed for the purpose. If, therefore, a green-house is built and
heated as shown page. 47 5, a bed for cuttings may be made
immediately above the boiler, so arranged as that the steam
will pass under its whole length.

Very fleshy cuttings, as the strong-growing scarlet Gerani-
ums, the Cacti, and some others, are benefited by having their
cut parts dried a little before planting. They are akin to air-
plants, and may be left sometimes for weeks upon the surface,
and still live. These should never be covered closely, but the
harder and more woody cuttings, particularly those having fine
foliage, as the Fabiana, the Myrtle, &c., are greatly benefited by
covering them with glass, to prevent rapid evaporation, lifting
the cover occasionally so as to afford air, and, if mouldiness be
indicated upon the cuttings, tilt or raise it at the edge, that
they may have a constant supply. All plant cuttings should
be potted singly as soon as the young roots are well formed ;
if this is neglected, they must be carefully trimmed at potting,
as directed for larger trees. Shade and warmth, and careful
watering for a few days after removal, until they fairly re-
start, will be found essential to all cuttings or plants.

BY LAYERING.

Almost all ornamental shrubs, &c., may be increased by lay-
ers, as noted under each. In general, the layering is performed
as directed page 199, but there are some to which peculiar
modes are applicable, as Chinese layering, American span lay-
ering, &c.

These latter processes are of comparatively recent use with
us, and have but a limited range of adaptation. All very free-
rooting varieties, whether runners or otherwise, may be in-
creased by the Chinese mode ; but American span layering is
adapted only to luxuriant runners, as grape-vines, Wistaria, &c.

440 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

CHINESE LAYERING.

Fte 304- In the process known by this

name, a young shoot is pegged
down flat at its length, and
covered about two inches deep,
each bud being expected to
form a plant, which they often
fail to do, though perhaps this
defect might be remedied by
pretty tight constriction with
cord or wire between the joints.

AMERICAN SPAN LAYERING.

so5- This is a some-

what new process,
first practiced, so far
as he is aware, by
the author, though
he has learned re-
cently that it has
also been used by others, and is always found completely suc-
cessful. It is performed by pegging into the ground a single
joint every foot or eighteen inches, curving the shoot upward
between each two layers. Each layered joint may be tongued
or not, according to the kind of plant under treatment. This
mode is applicable only to running plants, but ten or a dozen
layers may be readily made by it from a single pretty long
shoot of such as are suitable.

HERBACEOUS HILL LAYERING.

Hill layering, so far as applicable to fruit-trees and woody
plants in general, has been described page 200 ; but this mode
is peculiarly adapted to the propagation of those plants, as
Pinks, &c., which do not make long shoots, or which require
tongueing, but are too brittle to bear bending. In these cases
a dished hill of good earth is made entirely around the plant,
and the tongue of the layer is made on the under side of the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 441

Fis- 3M. sprout, which, being strained off a

very little from the plant, is bent
and pinned down just enough to
open the slit and set the tongue
bud fairly in the soil, and allow
of covering it about one inch and
a half deep. See Figure. The
hill should be carefully mulched,
and watered regularly at evening
until the layers are rooted.

BUDDING AND GRAFTING.

Various fancy forest trees and shrubs are budded or grafted,
grafting being generally preferred for these, perhaps without
good reason. For the mode of grafting, see page 229.

The lighter-growing kinds of Cactus are often grafted upon,
or rather planted in those of stronger growth, by a simple yet
curious and successful process. Stocks of suitable strength
are raised from cuttings, which root readily if planted in sand
after being cut a day or two. The graft is dressed to a thin
but quite short wedge ; the stock is cut off, and the graft
wedge set into the heart of it, in a slit made with the point of
a knife, or a bone or wooden wedge, the sides of the stock re-
maining uncleft, and, instead of binding, a small wooden skew-
er, or a long, slim thorn from a large cactus is then passed
through the stock and graft, pinning the latter to its place. In
a short time the graft (really the cutting) throws its roots
downward through the substance of the stock, and grows finely.

The operation of budding ornamental trees, as well as or-
anges, &c., among green-house plants, is performed in the com-
mon mode, described page 220. Roses also are budded pre-
cisely as fruit-trees, except that some extra care is required in
the operation, on account of their comparative smallness, their
thorniness, and the softer and more stringy nature of their bark.

All the autumnal and ever-blooming classes of roses, if
budded early in the summer, and cut down at the time of bud-
ding to within four or six inches of the bud, will grow and
blossom in the course of the same season.

T2

442 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

SOILS FOR FLOWER COMPOSTS, &c.

GOOD LOAM, ampng the cultivators of flowers, means such as is
of a rather dull yellow, not reddish, and, when moderately dry,
cutting with a certain cheesy softness, yet friable when thrown
up with the spade, breaking into rather coarse granules, a lump,
when broken, showing the same structure, yet not clayey or li-
able to bake hard after rain. The finest, sweetest pasture
grows on such soil. If, however, your loam is more sandy, re-
duce the sand or peat in the compost you prepare with it.

LEAF-MOULD, as its name imports, is the black earth formed
in woods, and along fences, and in corners by the annual decay
of fallen leaves. In general they should be left to enrich the
forest trees from which they fell, but when decayed the mould
forms a most valuable element of flower composts.

PEAT is vegetable matter accumulated upon an uncultivated
level surface by the long-continued growth of successive sea-
sons upon the decaying product of their predecessors, in which
state it has a mixture of sand ; or it is the mass of vegetable
matter found in bog meadows and swamps, so compacted and
drained as to be readily cut into blocks and dried for fuel. In
its wet state it is known as swamp muck.

Koad-wash is the deposit of sand and gravel made by the
running road-gutters wherever the water may find a place to
rest long enough to permit its settling, and is valuable upon
all strong soil, and especially so for flower composts.

Sand may either be road- wash, where it is sufficiently free
from earth, or it may be common white or silver sand, or ordi-
nary clean, sharp mortar sand, not too coarse.

In preparing composts for flowers, the loam and sand or road-
wash may be fresh from the surface, but all manures used
should be from one to two years old, and thoroughly reduced by
turning, chopping, and mixing.

The manure of spent hot beds is generally used for this pur-
pose, but in composts for. certain kinds of flowers, sheep ma-
nure, and blood, or other animal matter, are supposed to be val-
uable.

Peat and swamp muck for these should also be sweetened

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 443

by exposure and frequent turning over for a year Or two before
using them.

„ A pretty deep and rather sandy loam, moderately rich, will
suit almost every cultivated variety of hardy flower, shrub, and
tree. A few exceptional cases may be found.

FLOWER COMPOSTS.

Composts are prepared for particular plants in order to raise
them in perfection where the natural soil is unfavorable, or to
produce some special effect upon the plant or flower ; and inas-
much as this is often attempted upon a mere notion, composts
become as numerous as fancy cultivators.

The following, it is believed, will meet all ordinary demands.

NO. 1. PLANT COMPOST.

2 parts of good surface loam.

2 " leaf-mould or peat.

2 " spent hot bed or stable manure, perfectly rotted.

1 " road-wash or sharp sand.

Let these materials be thoroughly chopped and mixed to-
gether, and if the manure was properly rotted beforehand, the
compost may be used in a week, being again chopped and mix-
ed in the preparatory process. Almost every variety of plant
will thrive in it.

NO. 2. LAYER AND CUTTINGS COMPOST.

2 parts of good loam.

2 " leaf-mould or peat.

2 " rotted manure.

1 " road-wash or sharp sand, screened.

1 " charcoal dust.

To be chopped and mixed as directed for No. 1.
Almost any cutting or layer will root and grow in it. A
few species of hard- wood green-house plants require for their
successful propagation by cuttings that these be set under a
bell-glass in almost entirely clear sand. Rather coarse white
or silver sand, fine road-wash, or ordinary sharp bank-sand may
be used. The latter particularly, if much colored with loam,
should be washed before use, and at discretion one twentieth

444 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

part of leaf-mould may be added to it, and the same quantity
of fine charcoal -dust. As soon as cuttings so planted take root,
they should be potted, the sand being shaken clean from their
roots in the process.

NO. 3. BULBOUS ROOT COMPOST.

4 parts of leaf-mould or peat.
4 " well-rotted cow manure.
4 " road-wash or clean sand.
2 " good surface loam.
1 " poudrette.

Let it be thoroughly mixed a week or more before using it.
See Tulips, page 449.

NO. 4. FLOWER COMPOST.

4 parts of good loam.
4 " leaf-mould or decayed wood.
4 " perfectly rotted cow or sheep manure, or slaugh-
ter-house manure.
2 " road- wash or sharp sand.

1 " poudrette.

\ " old wall-plaster, or J part fresh-slaked lime.
Add salt in the proportion of a pint to ten bushels of the
compost. It should be prepared a month or two beforehand by
repeated and thorough turning and mixing. It is calculated
for any variety of fancy flower which it is desired to raise of
extra quality.

NO. 5. ROSE COMPOST.

4 parts of good loam.

4 " well-rotted manure from spent hot bed or the

barn-yard.
4 " peat.

2 " poudrette.

1 " road- wash or sand.

1 " guano carefully sifted.

All roses will be found to grow and blossom finely in this
compost, prepared by thorough chopping and mixing a few
weeks or months before it is used.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 445

FLOWERS.

In describing the various classes of flowers, &c., those only
have been called hardy of which, at least, young strong plants
will bear an ordinary New York winter with a very slight pro-
tection, or without any. All others should be sown or plant-
ed in spring, and where necessary, as noted, must be started in
the house or a hot bed.

TRANSPLANTING FLOWERS.

All bulbous roots that it is found necessary or desirable to
transplant should be taken up as soon after flowering as the
plant leaves begin to die, and either replanted or dried and
kept for fall planting ; and all those which it is not intended
to transplant should be perfectly cleared of grass and other
weeds in the fall, receiving such dressing as they may require,
and thus be prepared for their early spring movement.

Annual and biennial flowers, while small, may be transplant-
ed by removing them with the point of the garden trowel, or with
a piece of shingle, taking a little earth with them ; but if it is
found desirable to transplant them when large, a spade, or two
trowels, or the flower transplanter must be used. See p. 52.

Perennials from seed or cuttings may be removed in the same
manner at any season ; but their large roots should be divided,
if at all, soon after they cease flowering, or in the spring just
after the growth of the season has commenced, the plants being
watered and shaded, if necessary, until they re-start. Green-
house plants may be removed at any time, but the main annual
pruning and repotting should be done in August or September.

Those who cultivate only out-door flowers are sometimes
perplexed by the difficulty of so grouping them as to have a
succession of various blossoms sufficiently numerous to make a
show in the garden or furnish a bouquet for the parlor. This
may be secured by setting out, in spring, Verbenas in their
numerous varieties, wintered for this purpose, with the double
Feverfew, or Lafayette Daisy, the Salvia Splendens, Gaillardia
Picta, Petunias, Sweet Alyssum and Mignonnette, either win-
tered or raised early in hot bed, with some other kinds that

446

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

bloom freely and constantly. These, added to a small number
of well-managed autumnal and ever-blooming roses, and the
ordinary annuals, particularly Portulacca and Schizanthus, and
some biennials, as Sweet Scabious and Larkspurs, will make the
garden perpetually gay.

As a farther aid to this end, I have inserted the following
list of trees and shrubs, perennials and biennials, bulbous and
tuberous roots, &c., which, with ordinary treatment in the open
ground, and in similar soils and latitudes, nearly correspond in
their times of blossoming, and follow and interlink with one
another almost in the order in which they are given.

TREES AND SHRUBS.

Mezereum.

Scarlet Quince and )
Forsythia.

Magnolias.

Flowering Almond )
and Currant. J

Spiraea Prunifolia ^
and Deutzia Graci- >
lis. J

Lilacs.

Rhododendron and )
May Apple. >

Wistaria.

Weigela.

Spiraea Reevesii.

Sweet-scented Shrub ^
and Snow-ball.

Double Scarlet Haw- i
thorn and Labur-
num.

Syringa and Deutzia )
Scabra. >

Laurel.

f

Roses in varieties run- I
ning through to<j
winter.

LIST.

PERENNIALS AND BIEN-
NIALS.

Blood-root.
Columbines.
Dielytra and Dwarf Iris.
Phlox Stolonifera, &c.

Primroses, Violets, )
and Pansies. )

American Cowslip.
Lily of the Valley.

Tree Peony.
Large Iris.
Phlox Maculata.

Honesty.
Yellow Day Lily

Baptisia.

China Pink.

Canterbury Bells,
Chinese and other
Larkspurs, Sweet [
William, Double [
Feverfew, and Gail- j
lardia Picta.

BULBS, TUBERS, &C.

Snowdrop.
Crocus.

Persian Iris, &c.
Daffodil.

Crown Imperial.

Hyacinth.

Star of Bethlehem.

Jonquile Narcissus, &c.

Tulips.

Anemone.

( Ranunculus and Spi-
l raca Filipendula.

Crimson Peony.
White Sweet Peony, &c.

{White Lily, and ear-
ly - sown Annual
Flowers, in varie-
ties to run to win-
ter.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

447

TREES AND SHRUBS.

Climbing Honeysuck-
les.

Milk Vine. }

White Jasmine.

Clematis and Passion (

Flower. ,TL. "j

Trumpet Creeper.
Rose of Sharon.

PERENNIALS AND BIEN-
NIALS.

Verbenas, Petunias, )
to continue through >•
the season. )

Pinks, Picotees, &c.

Veronica, Fraxinella, )
and Snapdragon. >

Blue and Scarlet \
Sage, Mourning >•
Bride, &c. )

Phlox Speciosa, &c., \
and White Day'J-
Lily. )

Hollyhocks.

•
Virginian Dragon-head.

Fringed Gentian.
Artemisias in varieties
till winter.

BULBS, TUBERS, &C.

Commelina.

Jacobean Lily.
Mexican Tiger Flower.

Gladiolus.

Four o'Clocks.
( Dahlias in varieties to
•] run through to win-
( tor.

< Double Perennial

< Sun-flower.
Tuberose.

HARDY BULBOUS.ROOTED FLOWERS.
SPRING FLOWERING.

TEN KINDS.

1. Crocus, White, Blue, Yellow, &c. Among the very earli-
est flowers, and always beautiful.

2. Crown Imperial, Frittelaria Imperialis. A fine, early,
showy flower, of lily-like character, but having an unpleasant
odor.

3. Daffodil. The well-known large double yellow Narcis-
sus ; among the first blossoms of the season.

4. Hyacinth. See below.

5. Iris, Persian, &c. The varieties are numerous and beau-
tiful ; chiefly of various shades of blue, though some are pure
white, and others of a fine golden yellow. The bulbous vari-
eties should be taken up soon after flowering, and replanted in
the fall, as they are apt to rot if left in the ground.

6. /Lily, White, Tiger, &c., &c. Liliuin Candidum, &c.
Many and beautiful varieties, well known, both wild and cul-
tivated.

448 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

7. Narcissus, White or the Poets', &c. A simple white
flower with a small edged cup in its centre. The Jonquile
Narcissus is yellow, and some of the varieties peculiar. Al-
most all are pretty and fragrant, whether single or double.

8. Snow-drop, Galanthus Nivalis. A simple white flower,
of drooping ear-drop form, striped inside with green. It is
the earliest blossom of spring, and deserves extended cultiva-
tion.

9. Star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum Umbellatum. Anoth-
er early simple white flower streaked with green, blooming in
pretty large panicles. Common, but pretty ; sometimes wild.

10. Tulip. See below.

All hardy bulbs should be planted in the fall, in light rich
soil, rather sandy than otherwise, at from two to six inches
apart, according to their size, and from two to four inches deep ;
and if planted in beds, let the surface be rounded slightly to
throw off excess of water. With the exception of the sweet
Jonquil, which requires a little care, those named above are as
hardy and as easily raised as onions, and their more general
cultivation is desirable.

HYACINTHS may be planted singly or in groups or beds.
If a bed is made it should be planted in October or early in
November, setting the bulbs from six to eight inches apart,
and full four inches deep. With care in respect to the taste-
ful arrangement of the different colors and the various shades
of each, and attention to the natural varieties of height, which
latter will be affected by the strength or weakness of the par-
ticular root, a fine effect may be produced independent of the
merits of the individual flowers. That no mistake may occur,
the arrangement should first be made on paper, and the dia-
gram preserved for correction, if necessary, when they bloom.

Hyacinths will generally bear the winter well if planted at
proper depth, yet some of the finer kinds, particularly the
white ones, are of delicate constitution, and will more certain-
ly keep and bloom strongly if the bed is annually mulched a
little for winter, taking care to remove the mulching at the
earliest opening of spring.

They may also be planted in pots for house blooming. In

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 449

this case the bulb should be left about one third uncovered,
and the pots be set in a cool place, so that the growth may not
be forced hastily. After they start they may be kept warm,
needing only ordinary care, except that while blooming they
should have plenty of water constantly in the saucers.

The Hyacinth, and also sometimes the Narcissus, is bloom-
ed by house culture in water, in deep glasses known as bulb-
glasses. These are filled, and the bottom of the bulb placed
so as that it just and scarcely touches the water into which its
roots descend, and the flower-stem is soon thrown up. The
only precautions necessary are to start the growth slowly and
at a low temperature, gradually raising it to ordinary house
warmth (65°), and keeping it pretty even ; change the water
every three or four days, taking care that what you put in is
as warm as that which you throw out. It is a highly exhaust-
ive process, which can not be successfully repeated upon the
same root for several years ; but if such roots, after their blos-
soms decay, are thrown into water and allowed to remain un-
til the leaves die, the roots, after being dried, may be planted
in the open ground in the fall ; but to reproduce a fine large
bulb, the blossom stems for one or two years must be broken
off as they start, just as what are called rare-ripe onions are
raised of marketable size by breaking out the seed-pipes.

TULIPS may be planted and arranged precisely as above di-
rected for Hyacinths in the open ground ; but, instead of or-
dinary bulbous-root compost, the soil of the tulip-bed should
be almost exclusively good surface loam, the sod being chop-
ped and rotted, with one third road- wash or sand, and, if a
little manure is added, let it be perfectly-rotted cow-manure,
and dig it deeply in. Whenever there is special danger from
mice or moles, hardy bulbs may be planted in pretty large pots,
sunk where they are intended to bloom, which may either be
taken up after the blooming or remain over.

As soon as the flower falls, snap off the seed-vessel to aid the
growth of the bulb.

Tulips have a habit of change, technically called running,
in which the striping and brightness of the flower disappear
in one dull muddy color, while the roots become multiplied and

450 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

strong. To counteract this tendency, and to preserve and im-
prove the beauty of the flowers, " tulip-fanciers" pursue a sys-
tem of artificial treatment by which the root is weakened, and,
in fact, diseased ; the bulbs, being taken up every year as soon
as the tops die, are dried and planted again in the fall. This
annual drying of the roots is usually found sufficient to pre-
serve their character, except in wet seasons or too rich soils ;
but, in order to improve them or to originate new varieties,
seedlings are raised, or certain kinds of superior form are se-
lected, and the drying, accompanied by change of soil and
other means, is carried to an extreme, the change caused by
the process being technically called " breaking."

With seedlings, which, for this purpose, are always raised
from finely-formed " selfs" — that is, flowers of one color with-
out striping, the process is ordinarily continued for seven or
eight years before they break into their proper colors, or attain
a sufficient degree of fixedness in their habit.

Sometimes tulips break naturally; the cultivator finds a
flower which, from its exquisite beauty, he does not at once
recognize, and marks it for special preservation ; but when, in
due season, he digs for the root, it is found to be entirely de-
cayed : the process of improvement had been carried to its cli-
max. It was the hue of beauty on the cheek of death, exqui-
site loveliness linked to extreme fragility.

Persons often become enthusiastic in their admiration of
these flowers, and very expert in their proper arrangement in
the bed, which, under such hands, becomes one of the finest of
floral exhibitions. With this view it is made seven rows wide,
the taller-growing varieties occupying the centre or fourth row,
and being known as " fourth-row flowers ;" those somewhat
shorter, or the weaker roots of the former varieties, being set
on either side, and known as third-row flowers ; and so on to the
first row or outside flowers, the disposal of colors for the pro-
duction of effect being also carefully attended to.

Double tulips seldom deserve culture, being coarse, formless,
and generally thick colored. The double yellow rose-scented,
the golden-centred crimson, and the bright red-striped " Ma-
riage de ma fille," may be reckoned as exceptions.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 451

TENDER BULBOUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.
SPRING AND SUMMER FLOWERING.

SIX KINDS.

1. Anemone, Hortensis, &c. A rather peculiar bulb or
tuber resembling ginger-root, requiring care in planting, so
that they be set right side up. They yield flowers of great
variety and brilliancy of color.

2. GLADIOLUS or Sword Lily. A showy popular flower, .1
few varieties of which are fine, but many lack clearness of color.

3. LILY, JACOBEAN, Amaryllis Formosissima. A fine, rich,
deep scarlet flower.

4. RANUNCULUS. A fine flower of varied forms, cupped,
globular, &c., and of bright scarlet, crimson, and other colors.

5. TIGRIDA PAVONIA, or Mexican-tiger Flower. The va-
riety known as Conchiflora is the finest, There are many
flowers in succession, each lasting from early morning until
afternoon. If cut before opening and kept in entire darkness,
they may be preserved until evening, and will then open in
the light.

6. TUBEROSE, Tuberosa. A rather tall, free-growing flower,
creamy white and fragrant, on which account it is esteemed.
It may be started early in pots and turned out in season, or
planted as directed below.

In planting tender bulbs, let them be covered carefully about
two inches above the crown, pressing the earth upon them.
The Ranunculus and the Anemone require planting in the
fall in rich, strong, loamy soil, but must be protected through
the winter of the North by a covering of leaves, or mulch in a
cold bed ; or, with care, the roots may be preserved through
winter and planted in very early spring in a bed from which
the frost has been excluded, receiving any necessary defense
against recurring severity of cold in spring.

The others may be planted in the open ground when spring
frosts are passed, and, being kept clean by occasional hoeing
and weeding, will give their beauty or their fragance in its
season. They should all be dressed with liquid manure when
they are in bud. Before winter, let the roots be taken up and

452 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

dried, and preserve them for replanting in boxes or paper bags
in a dry, cool place, out of the reach of frost.

TUBEROUS-ROOTED FLOWERS.
DAHLIAS.

TWENTY-ONE VARIETIES.

Single-flowering Dahlias have entirely disappeared from
cultivation, and double ones, which florists wrote of as rarities
thirty years ago, are found to-day in almost innumerable vari-
eties. The following list, though choice, is given only as an
assortment of colors.

1. Gem of the Grove, nearly black, i 13. Ansel's Unique, yellow, edged

2. Beeswing, dark red.

with scarlet.

14. Mrs. Hansard, yellow, white tip.

15. Striata Perfects, lilac, striped

and flecked with crimson.

16. Lilac King, finest of lilacs.

17. Elizabeth, amethyst, white tipped.

18. Rachel Rawlings, peach-blossom.

19. Blanchefieur, pure white.

20. Prince Albert, white, edged with

lavender.

21. Empress Eugenie, white, edged

with amaranth.

3. Bathonia, dark maroon.

4. Sir Charles Napier, dark scarlet.

5. Grenadier, bright crimson.

6. Brilliant, fine scarlet.

7. Sir R. Whittington, ruby crim-

son.

8. Latour d'Auvergne, orange scar-

let.

9. Gasperine, maroon, white tipped.

10. Kossuth, scarlet, white tipped.

11. Cleopatra, cleaj yellow.

12. Oriflame, splendid orange.

Dahlias are of most easy culture, reconciling themselves to
almost any soil, and poor soil is sometimes prescribed for them.
It is possible that very tall, strong-growing kinds may bo
dwarfed and brought more readily into flower by this treat-
ment ; but it will be found safer to select moderate-growing
kinds, and give them pretty high culture. With this, a dozen
plants of different kinds will furnish a good variety and plenty
of flowers.

To treat them properly, make holes of at least fifteen inches
diameter and fifteen to eighteen inches deep ; put into each
about a peck of half-rotted manure, just such as you would use
for hilling potatoes or corn ; mix the earth through it, and chop
it well up with the spade ; fill up the hole a little above the
natural level, and with a crowbar set a strong stake as deep
as the bottom of your hole, and a little back of the centre.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 453

This being done, and not before, open a small hole in the cen-
tre with your hand or a trowel, and set the plant in, an inch
or two deeper than it has previously stood, or if it be a root not
yet grown, set the crown the same depth below the surface,
press the earth firmly about it, level the surface nicely, and it
is in order.

At every six inches of its subsequent growth tie the main
stem carefully, but not tightly, to the stake with strong bass-
mat strips or cotton wick, colored if you prefer it. Hoe often
around it while young, and nip the side shoots entirely, but
not the stem-leaves, from the two lower joints of the stem.
As the other side shoots grow, put an outer band or two around
them, not binding them out of their natural position unless
you wish to, but staying them against winds. Nineteen twen-
tieths of your flowers will be due to your stakes and bands.

In the course of the season, when buds are forming freely,
give them one or two dressings of liquid manure, and, if a
drought occurs at this period, mulch them thickly. When the
frost kills the foliage, hill a little earth around the plants if
they are not mulched, and let them stand until the near ap-
proach of winter ; then, in the morning of a fine dry day, cut
off the tops, take them up, and, having shaken the earth from
them, let them stand to dry for a few hours ; then, carefully
labeling each, put them into a barrel, and in a few days cover
them over with a little straw and earth, or set them compact-
ly upon the floor of a dry, cool cellar, and cover them lightly
with earth or sand.

Just at the opening of spring, and not too early, take them
out and set them close together, but singly, m a light hot bed,
or immediately upon a few inches of warm manure, or in a
warm spot without manure ; cover them just over the crowns
with good earth ; keep them well watered, and shield them
with a blanket or other defense from cold nights and storms.

When they have sprouted three or four inches, take them out
on a warm day, and cut them apart, splitting first right through
the centre of the old stem. Leave no more than one shoot to a
plant, making cuttings of any surplus shoots. If you do not
wish to divide the entire plant at once, uncover the crown

454 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

lightly, and cut off from the root the longer shoots, each with a
tuber or more, or with only a small portion of the crown of the
old plant. The tubers are of no consequence to the young
plant after it strikes its own roots, and generally the less of the
old tuber you plant the better, if you either pot the young
shoots until they root, or plant them at once and shade them
till they start. If you wish to increase them largely, each
shoot may be thus cut out, as the eyes of potatoes are cut out
for planting in times of scarcity, or you may still farther mul-
tiply them by making cuttings of them all. For this purpose,
cut off each young shoot just above the crown, leaving the low-
er circle of incipient buds on the old root. Set each cutting
thus obtained singly in a half-pint pot, and place them in a
moderate and shaded hot bed, with plenty of air, until they are
well started, which may require a week or two, when they are
ready for setting out. When your old roots have thrown new
shoots from the collar buds you left, cut your second and more
numerous crop in the same manner, leaving just the collar cir-
cle of each, and treat them as the first. This may be contin-
ued and repeated far into the season, only taking care not to
force the growth of shoots too fast, so as to destroy the stamina
of the cutting.

At the close of the cutting season the old roots may be
taken out and divided as first directed.

Dahlias are also readily raised from seed, which, though suf-
ficiently abundant in the poorer sorts, is scantily yielded by
the very finest varieties of this flower ; but upon plants of the
very best character certain comparatively imperfect blossoms
will appear in the course of the season, and the earlier of these
will generally furnish a few perfect and ripened seeds. These
may be sown early in spring, in a box or hot bed, and should be
transplanted while small into half-pint pots, and treated in all
respects as directed for cuttings. With early sowing and care
they will often blossom the first season, and always in the sec-
ond, yet so large a proportion of seedling flowers prove of infe-
rior character that private cultivators seldom find it worth
while to raise them.

Dahlias are sometimes grafted upon tubers of common kinds.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 455

For this purpose, cut the top of a single tuber horizontally ; cut
a small and rather thin slice of an inch or two in length from
one side ; take a young shoot and cut it into the form of a
shouldered crown graft, making the shoulder-cut close to a bud
— See page 233 ; let this shoulder-bud rest upon the head of
your stock tuber, and fit the rinds together as in tongue graft-
ing, but without tongueing ; bind it, and pot it, and set it in a
hot bed as a cutting. This may be done for curiosity, but as a
matter of business it is worthless. " Le jeU ne vaux pas la
chandelle" Other tuberous-rooted flowers are included in An-,
nuals, Biennials, &c.

ANNUALS.

All annual flowers may be sown in the spring months, or
even in June, and brought into bloom by care in their cultiva-
tion, few kinds requiring more than two months to produce
flowers. For rules as to depth of sowing, &c., see page 84.

There are some kinds which shed their seeds and produce
young plants in the fall, which continue through the winter,
thus becoming in a sense biennial ; others shed their seeds,
which commonly sprout abundantly in spring, but any plants
that may grow in the fall are killed by the winter. Li the
following lists the former are marked " self-sowing in the fall,"
the latter " Sfelf-sowing in the spring." Of either class abun-
dance of plants may generally be obtained after spring opens
from any spot where they grew the previous year. Of the an-
nuals named below, none will be found without merit, though
some of them may, in certain sections, be so common as not to
require cultivation. A few more might have been added, but
if these are tastefully arranged and well cultivated, the flower-
garden will be adequately supplied with this class of flowers.
To economize space, detailed descriptions are omitted.

ANNUAL FLOWERS.

THIRTY-FOUR VARIETIES.

1. AGERATUM, BLUE, Ageratum odoratum. Pretty and
sweet, about eighteen inches high.

2. ALYSSUM, WHITE SWEET, Alyssum maritimum. About

456 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

six inches high, simple and fragrant. Self-sowing in the
spring.

3. ASTER, CHINA, Aster Sinensis. Fine varied colors, grow-
ing from twelve to fifteen inches high. Sometimes self-sow-
ing in the spring.

4. BARTONIA, GOLDEN, Bartonia aurea. Spreading, but
rising to the height of six inches.

5. BACHELOR'S BUTTON, Gomphrena globosa. White or
purplish-crimson; globular or clover-like flowers, pretty for
drying ; a foot high.

6. Calendrina grandiflora, &c. A showy lilac flower, re-
quiring to be sown very early in rich soil.

7. CANDYTUFT, White, Crimson, Iberis coronaria, speciosa.
Simple border or edging flowers, six or eight inches high.

8. CENTRANTHUS, Long-tubed, Centranthus macrosiphoii.
A very pretty clear pink flower, about a foot high, a constant
bloomer ; does not well bear transplanting. Self-sowing in the
spring.

9. COREOPSIS, GOLDEN, Calliopsis tricolor (heretofore .Core-
opsis tinctoria). Showy and fine, two to three feet high.
Self-sowing in the fall.

10. COCKSCOMB, Buff, Crimson, Celosia cristata. From six
inches to two feet high. Sow early in hot bed.

11. CLARKEA, Lilac-pink, Clarkea pulchella. Curious and
pretty, six to eight inches high.

12. ETERNAL, GOLDEN, Heliclirysum bracteatum. Pretty
for drying ; from two to three feet high. Sow early in hot bed.

13. EUPHORBIA, Variegated, Quaker's Daughter, Euphorbia
variegata. Showy and peculiar, two feet high. Sometimes
self-sowing in the spring.

14. GOLDEN CUP, Chriseis crocea (formerly Esscholtzia).
Flower and foliage superior.

If the plants become straggling, cut them clean to the ground
in July, and they will grow again and afford their finest flowers
in the fall.

It often survives the winter, and is also self-sowing in the
spring. About a foot high, Chriseis alba is similar except
in color.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 457

15. FOUR-O'CLOCK, Common, Sweet-scented, Mirabilis ja-
lapa, longiflora. The former well known, two feet high ; the
latter spreading, and reaching sometimes a foot high : a long-
tubed, pale pink fragrant flower. Tuberous-rooted, and may
be wintered as dahlias.

16. HAWKWEED, Golden, Crepis barbata. A beautiful
morning flower, but closing in the strong sunlight; six or
eight inches high ; trails.

17. HIBISCUS, African (a large flower of an hour), Hibiscus
Africanus. A pretty morning flower, fading by noon, about a
foot high. Self-sowing in the spring.

18. ICE PLANT, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. Cu-
rious and pretty. Sow early in hot bed. Trailing.

19. LADIES' SLIPPER, or Balsam, Balsamina hortensis.
From a foot to two feet high. The double or camellia-flowered
varieties are showy and fine, but readily deteriorate if inferior
flowers are allowed to open their blossoms near them.

20. MALOPE, Crimson, Malope grandiflora. Showy, grow-
ing from a foot to two feet high.

21. MIGNONNETTE, Beseda odorata. A simple fragrant
flower, six inches to a foot high, and trailing, deserving the
name which French taste has given it.

22. MONKEY FLOWER, Mimulus. Peculiar showy tubu-
lar flowers, from light yellow to deep orange, with spots and
blotches of crimson ; blooms the first season, and is sometimes
self-sowing ; easily propagated by slip cuttings ; requires shade
and plenty of water in summer.

23. MORNING GLORY, Dwarf blue, Convolvulus minor. A
beautiful morning flower, a foot high, but trailing.

24. NEMOPHILA, Blue, or Love Grove, Nemophila insignis.
Beautiful ; requires shade and moisture ; about six inches high.

25. PINK, French, or Ragged Sailor, Cyanus minor. Of fine
varied colors, eighteen inches high. Self-sowing in the fall.

26. POPPY, Fringed, &c., Papaver fimbriatum, &c. Many
varieties, very showy, from a foot to two feet high, and of all
colors. Self-sowing in the fall or spring.

The Papaver Orientalis is a hardy perennial Poppy, very
large and coarse, but showy.

U

458 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

27. POPPY, Mexican, Argemone grandiflora. A rather
handsome white flower, with a profusion of yellow stamens,
blooming as an annual, but its roots may be wintered in a cel-
lar and replanted.

28. PETUNIA, White, Purple, &c., Petunia alba, Phoenicia,
&c. A showy constant flower from May to winter, about a foot
high, and trailing. Self-sowing in the spring.

There are double varieties, which, as yet, are inferior to the
single ones.

29. PHLOX, Drummond's, Phlox Drummondii. A fine va-
riable pink flower, about a foot high.

30. PORTULACCA, Purple, White, &c., Portulacca splendens,
alba, &c. Extremely showy, opening in the sunlight, about six
inches high, and trailing. Self-sowing freely in the spring.

31. ROSE OF HEAVEN, Viscaria oculata. A simple, pret-
ty, varied pink flower, with a dark eye.

32. SCHIZANTHUS, Schizanthus venustus, &c. Several va-
rieties of delicate flowers, finely penciled and spotted, from
eighteen inches to two feet high ; a free and constant bloomer.

33. SENSITIVE PLANT, Mimosa sensitiva. Pretty foliage,
which shrinks on being touched.

34. TASSEL FLOWER, Scarlet, Caccalia coccinea. A bright
scarlet flower, of a tassel or brush form ; pretty ; from a foot
to eighteen inches high.

CLIMBING ANNUALS.

SIX VARIETIES.

1. Co BE A, Climbing, Cobea scandens. Coarse but curi-
ous ; dull jpurple, goblet-formed flowers.

2. CYPRESS VINE, Ipomcea quamoclit. A native at the
South ; both flower and foliage beautiful. Pour boiling water
upon the seed, stirring it ; pour it off in a few minutes, and
sow immediately half an inch deep.

3. MORNING GLORY, Purple, &c., Convolvulus major.
MORNING GLORY, Large dark purple, Ipomcea atropurpu-

rea.

MORNING GLORY, Scarlet, Ipomcea coccinea. Self-sowing
in spring.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 459

4. MAURANDYA, Purple, Maurandya Bardayana. A
beautiful perennial vine, tender, but growing well and bloom-
ing abundantly as an annual ; its flowers are pendent tubes of
a fine deep purple. There are also white, and mixed muddy
varieties of little value.

5. PEAS, Sweet, Latliyrus odoratus. Fine fragrant flow-
ers of various colors, running about four feet high.

6. THUNBERGIA, Buff, &c., Thunbergia alata, alba, &c.
A pretty runner, bearing abundance of white, nankin, and or-
ange-colored tubed flowers, with a dark puce-colored throat,
looking like the pupil of an eye.

BIENNIALS.

TWELVE KINDS.

Biennials should be sown in the latter half of May, and by
the first of August, or whenever they are of sufficient size, they
may be transplanted into their permanent places. Shade them
for a few days after setting out, and hoe and weed them often
through the fall. In the spring clean them perfectly, digging
lightly around them until they begin to throw up their blos-
som-stems. Such of them as generally or often bloom the first
season are noted in the list.

1. CANTERBURY BELLS, Blue, &c., Campanula medium.
Showy bell or goblet formed flowers, generally admired ; from
a foot to eighteen inches high. Self-sowing in the fall.

2. COMMELINA, Blue, Commelina celestis. A plant of little
show except in masses, with broad grass-like leaves, the ex-
quisite tint of its rather scattered flowers constituting its only
claim to cultivation. Though generally raised and treated as
an annual or biennial, it is tuberous-rooted, and may be pre-
served as dahlias or potatoes. From a foot to two feet high.

3. FOXGLOVE, Purple, White, Digitalis purpurea, alba. A
coarse mullein-like plant, throwing up strong spikes of light
purple or white tubular flowers, the inside of the purple variety
being spotted. Self-sowing in the fall ; two to four feet high.

4. HONESTY, or Satin Flower, Lunaria biennis. An early
flower, of a rich though not very clear purple color, but deriving
its name and credit chiefly from the thin transparent mem-

460 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

brane which remains after the seeds are shed. It somewhat
resembles a small battledoor, having the texture of satin, and.
like honesty, showing the same on both sides ; about eighteen
inches high.

5. HOLLYHOCK, Althea rosea. A strong-growing coarse
plant and flower, but often of fine colors ; very showy when
blooming among shrubbery or by carriage-ways ; three to six
feet high. It may be perpetuated by slip-cuttings.

6. LARKSPUR, Delphinium Ajads, consolida, &c. These are
showy biennial flowers, which also bloom as annuals, and often
become favorites ; none of them are comparable to the Chinese
Larkspur in its varieties, which has the same habit of free
blooming and self-sowing. See page 463.

7. MONKSHOOD, Aconitum napellus. A tall, strong stem,
faring flowers of blue and white, with a tinge of yellow in-
side, of a curious double-hood form, whence its name. It ranks
as a perennial, but is more properly a biennial that often holds
over. Self-sowing in the fall or spring ; two to three feet
high or more..

8. MOURNING BRIDE, Sweet Scabious, Scabiosa atropur-
purea, &c. There are various shades of this flower, from a
rich deep maroon to a poor lilac. Its fragrance is very pleas-
ant, and is accompanied by a very slight pungency. It is an
old and worthy favorite, often blooming the first year. Self-
sowing in the fall ; about two feet high.

9. PINK, China, Diantlius Chinensis or annuus. A pretty
little plant, yielding variously colored single and double flow-
ers the first year from the seed, but blooming also the second
year, and may be perpetuated by cuttings. They are also
freely self-sown ; eight inches to a foot high.

10. PANSIES, Heartsease, Viola tricolor. A very common
ancl very beautiful family of plants, both wild and cultivated,
some of each being fragrant. Blooming the first year from
seed, and easily preserved from year to year by slip cuttings, if
desired ; a few inches high ; are abundantly self-sown.

11. SWEET WILLIAM, Dianthus barbatus. Some varieties
of this flower are remarkably fine, having colors of almost daz-
zling brightness ; but less care than it deserves has been given

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 461

to it, and inferior kinds abound. No garden should be with-
out the finer kinds. A foot high ; self-sowing freely.

12. SNAPDRAGON, Antirrhinum speciosum, &c. The snap-
dragon is a lip or mouth-formed flower of various and fine col-
ors, having the amusing fashion of opening its mouth when
pinched " back of the ears." The Speciosum is pure white,
with lips of fine crimson. From a foot to eighteen inches
high. They are freely self-sown, and sometimes the plants
bloom the first year.

PERENNIALS.

TWENTY-SIX KINDS.

The seeds of perennials or herbaceous plants may be sown
at any time through the spring, and the young plants, when
of sufficient size, transplanted as directed for biennials, or they
may be left in the seed-rows until the next spring.

For particular species of plants in the following brief list,
special directions are given as tcr the modes by which they
may be increased, but, in general, this is easily done by dividing
the crowns of the roots either when they have ceased growing
in the fall, or after they start in the spring. Usually, at this
latter period, each spear, if separated with ever so small a por-
tion of the root, or even slipped off without root, will grow, if
proper care be given to shade and water it ; but the inexperi-
enced cultivator should be content with a moderate division of
the rooted pieces.

1. ADAM'S THREAD AND NEEDLE, Yucca filamentosa and
T. gloriosa. Almost entirely hardy aloe-like plants, produc-
ing upon a branching stem a multitude of white bell-shaped
flowers. The first blooms most freely. At the North a little
straw covering in winter is desirable.

2. ARTEMISIA or CHRYSANTHEMUM. Many varieties, with
large or small flowers ; all showy, and some of them fine ; they
are our latest fall flower.

The Paper White, the White Quilled, the Golden Lotus, the
Straw and the Rose colored, and the Crimson or Purple, may
be named.

For house-blooming, make cuttings early in August of about

462 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

eight inches of the point of each of the young shoots ; pot them
as soon as they are well rooted in compost No. 1 or 4, pages
443, 444, and keep them regularly watered, and a fine show of
blossom may be expected with a moderate growth of stem. The
stems from which the cuttings were taken will also branch
and blossom in their season.

3. BAPTISIA, Indigo-plant, Baptisia atro-cerulea. One of
the most beautiful of native herbaceous plants, taking care of
itself when once planted ; two feet high.

4. BLOODROOT, Sanguinaria Americana. A well-known
wild plant, with clear white flower and pretty foliage, bloom-
ing in the earliest spring. It should have a cool, moist place
in every garden, where such can be found. It is tuberous-
rooted.

5. COLUMBINE, Wild, Garden, Aquilegia Canadensis, Vul-
garis glandulosa, &c. All the varieties of Aquilegia are pret-
ty, but none prettier than the wild, unless the Glandulosa, with
its calyx-skirt of sky-blue covering a pure white " dimity" co-
rolla, may be thought to excel it. The Aguilegia Siberica also
is a rather peculiar variety, yielding its erect crimped double
blue flowers profusely. From a foot to two feet high ; self-sow-
ing in the fall.

6. COWSLIP, AMERICAN, Dodecatheon media. An early-
flowering, lettuce- leaved plant of much prettiness ; a native of
Pennsylvania and the Southwest ; flower - stems about six
inches high.

7. CHINESE DIELYTRA, Dielytra spectabilis. A new, beau-
tiful, and perfectly hardy Chinese plant, with curious rose-col-
ored flowers. It is of the very easiest cultivation, blooming in
early spring, and may be continued in succession through the
season by slipping off a few cuttings from the crown of the
plant in April, May, and June, or even July ; the later ones
may be potted for house-blooming. About two feet high ; it
will become a universal favorite.

8. DAY LILY, White, Yellow, Blue, Hemerocallis japonica,
flava, cerulea. The first pure white, the second clear lem-
on-yellow, and both of exquisite fragrance. The blue is not
fragrant, but is admired. From a foot to two feet high.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 463

S

9. DRAGON'S HEAD VIRGINIAN, Dracocephalum Virginia-
num. A wild plant of Pennsylvania and southward, bearing
spikes of light lilac tubular flowers, finely and curiously spot-
ted inside. Grows about two feet high, and needs care to
prevent it spreading itself too freely.

10. EUPATORIUM, Blue, Eupatorium celestinum. A wild
plant of the South and Southwest, of a beautiful sky-blue ;
nearly two feet high ; increased by its roots too freely.

11. FEVERFEW, DOUBLE, or LAFAYETTE DAISY, Pyrethrum
parthenium plena. A very pretty pure white flower, bloom-
ing freely in the green-house or garden. The old plants are
apt to winter-kill, but young plants from cuttings are quite
hardy. Common or slip cuttings root without care if planted
in the shade.

12. FRAXINELLA, Red, White, Dictamnus fraxinella. A
peculiar and strongly fragrant plant, its smell producing in
some persons nervous headache. Its blossoms give out an in-
flammable gas.

13. GENTIAN, FRINGED, Gentiana crinita. An upright
tubed flower, of an exceedingly fine pale blue, the edges being
delicately fringed. Found every where in the shady spots of
moist meadows in early fall, growing from six inches to a foot
high. It is one of the most beautiful of flowers.

14. IRIS, Fleur de Lis, Purple, White, &c., Iris purpurea,
celestina, alba, &c. Of these there are many showy and fra-
grant varieties. The dwarf purple, 'Iris humilis, makes a good
edging for paths. Six inches to two feet high.

15. LARKSPUR, CHINESE, &c., Delphinium Sinensis, &c.
The flower of the Chinese Larkspur is sometimes white, but
mostly of various fine shades of blue.

The young plants bloom freely the first season, continuing
till quite late, and from year to year it will be found one of
the chief and most constant ornaments of a garden.

The Double Chinese and Breck's Seedlings are superb vari-
eties of this flower.

16. LILY OF THE VALLEY, Convallaria majalis. A low-
growing, small, white, bell-formed flower, of pleasant fragrance
and beauty.

4(14 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

17. LYCHNIS, SCARLET, Lychnis Ckalcedonica. The fine
bright scarlet of the flower, rivaling the Chalcedony, is its
chief recommendation. From a foot to two feet high.

18. PEONY, large Crimson, Rose, White, Chinese Tree, &c.,
Pceonia officinalis, rosea, Whitlijii, Moutan, &c. A well-
known and large class of showy flowers, many of them fragrant.
The last, Pceonia Moutan, is a low shrub, yielding an abund-
ance of large rose-colored flowers. It is increased by layers
and offshoots, the former rooting rather slowly.

19. PHLOX, Crimson, Striped, White, Pink, &c., Phlox spe-
ciosa, Van Houtii, pyramidalis, stolonifera, &c. The last,
Phlox stolonifera, is a trailing variety, one of our earliest
spring flowers ; the others are summer or fall flowers, of all
hues, and well worth the little culture they require. The
whole family belong to our continent, but they are sometimes
known as French or Spanish lilacs. The " grass pink" used
for edging is the Phlox subulata.

20. PINKS, PICOTEES, CARNATIONS, Dianthus plumarius,
caryophillus, &c. Varieties of the garden Pink, Dianthus
plumarius, are more or less common every where ; but the
larger Picotee, or " spotted" Pink, and the striped, or Carna-
tion, are comparatively rare, from causes which are, however,
easily obviated. In general, the odor of the pink is increased
with the depth of its color, and the dark crimson Carnations
are called cloves from their strong spicy fragrance.

Some very double flowers are liable to burst on one side, and
become irregular and unsightly. If such are cultivated, the
divisions of the calyx, or flower-case, should be cut open equal-
ly with a pen-knife about a quarter of an inch down, and a
band of yarn or narrow bass strip tied around the middle of the
bud to stay it. Fancy cultivators slip a circular card, with a
cross-cut opening in the centre, over the main bud, to be drawn
up to form a tablet for the flower when it opens, trimming off
also all side blossoms to strengthen this one. All the varieties
may be increased by seeds, by cuttings, or by layers.

The natural state of almost all flowers is single, or, at most,
semi-double ; and most pinks raised from seed yield single
flowers, which, though sweet, are not esteemed ; but a few fine,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 465

and sometimes superior flowers are also obtained. Seeds should
be sown in spring in good soil, and lightly covered, and the
young plants transplanted when about two inches high. To
make a pink cutting of the larger varieties, take off the young
tender shoot before it starts to run up to blossom ; uncover the
lower buds or joints by stripping off a few of the older leaves ;
then, with a keen knife, cut the stem clean off very close be-
low the slightly swollen ring or joint of the stem ; trim off the
next one or two pair of leaves just where they begin to diverge
from the stem, and shorten the points of the rest an inch or
two, if at all spreading, by a single cut. See Fig. 303 e, p.
438. Set the cutting in good light earth, or compost No. 2,
p. 443, from an inch to two inches deep, according to the
strength of the growth and length of the shank ; press the
earth firmly about it with your thumb and finger ; water it
moderately, and cover it either with sash, or hand-glass, or
bell-glass, or tumbler, or simply set it in the shade, and, in
general, you will succeed to your satisfaction. Cultivators
sometimes slit the butt of the cutting between the buds, about
half an inch up, with a view to induce an outgrowth of roots
from each, one side only throwing out roots when it is left
whole, which yet, upon other accounts, is to be generally pre-
ferred, unless in skillful hands. The smaller varieties are cut
in the same manner, but require less trimming. See Fig. 303
/, page 438.

Pink cuttings are also called " pipings," from the stem be-
ing entirely sheathed by each pair of leaves, which are left in
a pipe or tube form, when the cuttings are made by simply
drawing out -the heart-growth down to the desired joint, as is
sometimes practiced with the garden pink, Fig. 303 g, h, p.
438. Layers are made as directed page 441.

Both cuttings and layers should be made in June, just at
the time of blossoming, and must be watched and watered once
or twice with weak liquid manure, and shaded or mulched, be-
ing also examined occasionally, so that, as soon as they are well
rooted, which will be in a month or six weeks, they may be
transplanted carefully and shaded till they take hold. If in-
tended for winter blossoming, they may be potted at once.

U2

466 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

In one or other of these modes they should be renewed every
year. The plants raised by layers are not quite so hardy as
those from cuttings or seeds ; but the young strong plants of
almost all of them bear the winter about as well as grass, while
the old ones of the larger kinds require to be housed, and even
those of the smaller kinds suffer by exposure.

Skillful florists of taste and fancy, who take pride in floral
exhibitions, practice various arts in preparing flowers for show,
known technically as " dressing" them. By means of a pair
of long and delicate tweezers, or tongs, usually of wire, with
flattened and smoothly-finished ends, the petals are arranged
to the very best advantage ; any curled, or imperfect, or mis-
placed petals are removed, and, if need be, substitutes from an-
other flower inserted. It is the careful, and not always hon-
est toilet of the flower, that it may catch the eye and secure the
conquest.

Pinks, Picotees, and Carnations are peculiarly liable to be
made the subjects of these manipulations, although, perhaps,
no class of show flowers is entirely exempted from them.

21. PRIMROSE, &c., Primula. This class of flowers, includ-
ing the Primrose, Polyanthus, Cowslip, &c., are, like the Dais}7
and Pansy, early and very pretty, though at the north the win-
ter is too severe for some of them if unprotected. They are
increased by dividing the plant when it has done flowering for
the season, shading the young ones for a while.

22. SAGE, Blue-flowering, Salvia angustifolia. The flow-
er is of an extremely fine shade. See also page 472.

23. SPIKE FLOWER, Steeple-top, Veronica spicata, varie-
gata, &c. Simple pretty flowers of numerous varieties, some
growing three or four feet high, and others hiding their mi-
nute and delicate beauty among the short grass by the way-
side.

24. SPIRAEA FILIPENDULA. A small, pure white double
flower, of peculiar delicacy of habit, yet hardy and easily raised
if slightly shaded from the strong sun. It has small tuberous
roots, and is increased by dividing from the crown.

25. SUN-FLOWER, DOUBLE PERENNIAL, Helianthus multi-
florus pleno. A tuberous-rooted sun-flower, bearing numer-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 467

ous double yellow blossoms, of the size of dahlias, in early fall.
Grows about four feet high.

26. VIOLET, Poetic or Single Purple, Double Purple, Double
Blue, or Neapolitan, Viola odorata in vars. All delightfully
fragrant. The Double Blue requires winter protection, and the
Double Purple is liable to suffer if entirely unsheltered. Either
of the latter may be bloomed in pots in the house.

GREEN-HOUSE PLANTS.

Scientific cultivators divide wjiat are commonly called
" Green-house Plants" into two classes : " Stove Plants,"
that is, intertropical plants, which require a higher tempera-
ture or a longer continuance of heat than even our New York
summers afford, in order to their healthful growth ; and Green-
house Plants proper, or such as, being natives of the warmer
portions of the temperate zones, require only protection through
the winters of the colder latitudes.

There are many elaborate treatises on the construction of
green-houses, with the various modes of heating, and the prop-
er cultivation of plants in them, of which those who desire to
obtain detailed and precise instructions in this department may
avail themselves. The limits of this work will permit only a
reference to the more familiar varieties, and the simplest ar-
rangements for their winter protection or culture.

SHRUBS FOR THE GREEN-HOUSE.

EIGHTEEN KINDS.

1. ABUTILON STRIATUM, Striped Abutilon. One of the
most elegant and free-blooming of green-house shrubs. It is
increased from cuttings almost as readily as the willow. There
are larger flowering varieties not so pretty.

2. AZALEA INDICA, PHOENICIA, &c. The pretty wild vari-
eties of Azalea are known as the May-apple, Honeysuckle, &c. ;
but there are many fine varieties for green-house culture, of
which the Phoenicia is perhaps the most generally admired.
It is a purple. They are increased by layers, or by cuttings in
sandy with heat under them, as immediately over the flue or
pipes, £c., in the green-house, or in a light hot bed, and cov-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ered with a bell-glass. Seedlings are also raised in sand and
peat under a bell-glass with care.

3. BIGNONIA VENUSTA, &c., Beautiful Bignonia. A fine,
tender trumpet flower for a green-house climber. Increased
by layers or cuttings.

4. CAMELLIA JAPONIC A, Japan rose. The varieties of this
splendid flower are without number. A pretty full assortment
of them would require a large green-house. If only a few are
desired, Alba plena, the old double white ; imbricata, crim-
son and white ; Jejfersonii, bright crimson ; Washington, deep
crimson ; and Americana, blush dashed with rose, all of fine
form and free bloomers, may do well for a beginning. Camel-
lias are capable of bearing slight frosts with but little, if any
injury. They are increased by layers, cuttings, and seeds
sown as soon as they are ripe, or by tongue grafting, or inarch-
ing upon stocks of single-flowering kinds provided for the pur-
pose. ~.c •'>>•

5. CITRUS, Orange, Lemon, &c. See page 362.

6. CYTISUS RACEMOSUS, &c. A pretty class of bushy,
small, yellow, pea-blossomed shrubs. Increased by layers, off-
shoots, and cuttings.

7. DAPHNE ODORA, Sweet Daphne. A shrub of which the
flowers are very fragrant. Increased by cuttings under glass.

8. DEUTZIA SCABRA, D. GRACILIS. Hardy shrubs abound-
ing with pure white blossoms, either potted in the green-house
or set in the open garden. Increased by offshoots, layers, or
cuttings.

9. GARDENIA FLORIDA, Florida jasmine. A shrub with
white fragrant rose-like flowers. Increased by layers or cut-
tings under glass.

10. HOYA CARNOSA, Wax-plant. Quite a pretty and pe-
culiar climber, with panicles of wax-like honeyed flowers, and
thick, fleshy leaves, which root when planted as cuttings. It
is also increased by ordinary cuttings, layers, or offshoots.

11. LAGERSTREMIA INDIC A, Crape Myrtle. A shrub which
at the South is hardy, bearing abundance of clear pink blos-
soms, delicately fringed or cut, with a crinkled, crape-like ap-
pearance. It is improved by pretty close winter pruning. In-
creased by cuttings under glass.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

1 2. LA VANDULA SPIC ATA, Lavender. A small shrub class-
ed among herbs, modest but worthy, bearing short spiked pale
blue flowers, of a fine delicate odor, which they preserve when
dried, and yield freely by distillation. The perfume is much
used in making Eau de Cologne. It is hardy south of New
York, and may be raised from seed, as sage (see p. 176), or by
common or slip cuttings.

13. NERIUM OLEANDER, &c., Oleander. Several varieties
of a showy and free-growing plant, with rose or crimson flow-
ers, &c., well known under its common name. Increased by
offshoots, layers, or cuttings in earth or water.

14. PASSIFLORA C^ERULEA, &<c., Passion Flower. Several
of the tender varieties are singularly fine. Increased by off-
shoots or layers, and cuttings of the very young growth will
root pretty well under glass.

15. PITTOSPORUM TOBIRA, Pittosporum. A pretty large
green-house shrub, with glossy laurel-like leaves and single
white flowers in small bunches, having a piny fragrance. In-
creased by layers or cuttings.

16. Rosa, RCSE in varieties. Lamarque, Solfatarre, Chro-
matella, among running roses, and Hermosa, Devoniensis, La
Heine, and Souvenir de Malmaison among those of bush growth,
may be named, to which additions may be made to such extent
as individual taste may prompt. Young budded plants gen-
erally bloom well in the house or green-house.

17. SPIRAEA REEVESII, &c., Reeves' s Spiraea. A- hardy
shrub, with abundance of pure white flowers in green-house or
garden. Spiraea prunifolia forms a small and rather compact
bush, which covers itself with small double white flowers. In-
creased by offshoots, layers, or cuttings.

18. VIBURNUM TINUS, Laurustinus. A pretty evergreen
shrub, hardy at the South, with panicles of delicate white
flowers. It is quite ornamental. Increased by offshoots, lay-
ers, or cuttings shaded under glass.

All the above " shrubs for the green-house" that are not
entirely hardy may be wintered safely, with a little care, in a
common cellar with air and light.

470 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

PLANTS OF SMALLER GROWTH FOR THE GREEN-HOUSE.

TWENTY KINDS.

1. ALOYZIA CRITIODORA, Lemon Plant. A well-known old
favorite. The lemon fragrance of its foliage has given it a
name. Its flower is simple, but pretty. Increased by layers ;
or cuttings of the last year's growth root freely, with or with-
out glass, particularly if taken before they start in the spring
from plants that have rested from growth through winter.

2. AMARYLLIS FORMOSISSIMA, Jacobean Lily. A fine deep
scarlet lily, blooming freely potted in compost No. 3 ; bulbous.

3. BEGONIA SANGUINE A, &c., Crimson-leaved Begonia. A
peculiar soft-stemmed plant, with red leaves or leaf- veins, and
delicate pink or flesh-colored wax-like flowers. Increased by
offshoots or cuttings.

4. CALCEOLARIA, Purse Flower. There are many varieties
of this plant, some of which are herbaceous, others woody.
They all bear flowers of a peculiar bag form, and in general are
finely colored or spotted. Pretty in green-house or garden, but
do not bear exposure to a strong sun. Increased by seeds or
cuttings.

5. CALLA ETHIOPICA, Lily of tJie Nile. The well-known
pure white funnel-formed Ethiopian Lily. Increased freely by
offshoots if kept moist.

6. CINERARIA. A numerous family of very showy house
plants, which bear profusely their star-like flowers, generally
edged with various shades of crimson, and purple, and lilac
around a white centre. Increased by cuttings, and in some
varieties freely by offshoots.

7. DIELYTRA SPECTABILTS, Beautiful Dielytra. A hardy
plant, but making one of the finest ornaments of the green-
house. See page 462.

8. FABIANA IMBRICATA. A delicate heath-like plant, cover-
ing itself with small white tubular blossoms. Cuttings root
freely under bell-glass in the shade.

9. FUCHSIA, Ladies' Ear-drop. Of this old and favorite
house-plant there is now a large number of new varieties, some
of them very beautiful, some only peculiar, and some coarse end

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 471

lacking almost entirely the grace that distinguished the older
kinds. They are all readily increased by cuttings.

10. HELIOTROPIUM, Heliotrope. A common house plant,
with light or dark lilac blossoms of delightful fragrance. In-
creased readily by cuttings.

11. IPOM^EA. There are several varieties that make desira-
ble climbers for the green-house ; their flowers resemble the
Convolvulus, but are of surpassingly fine colors. Increased by
cuttings set in sand under a bell-glass, in a warm but shaded
spot.

12. JASMINUM REVOLUTUM, YeUotv Jasmine. A semi-
climbing plant, bearing yellow tubular flowers, the margin of
which is rolled a little backward. Increased readily by cut-
tings.

13. LONICERA JAPONIC A, Japan Honeysuckle. A favorite
fragrant climber. Increased by cuttings.

14. LOPHOSPERMUM ERUBESCENS, Pink Lophospermum.
A rather delicate climber, bearing somewhat sparsely fine light
pink flowers of a tubular form ; sometimes set in open borders
in summer.

15. MAURANDYA BARCLAYANA, Purple Maurandya. A
rapid and showy climber, with rather large tubed flowers of a
fine purple color ; often raised as an annual — see page 459.
Increased by seeds or cuttings.

16. MIGNONNETTE. Sown in pots, and not permitted to seed,
it will continue to grow and blossom throughout the year.

17. PELARGONIUM, Geranium. Of these plants there are
innumerable varieties, many of them of great beauty, and a
number with fine fragrance both of the leaf and blossom. All
of them are increased freely by cuttings. When these are
taken off very young, or from the fleshy-growing kinds, the cut
ends should be suffered to dry a little before they are planted,
to prevent rotting. Some of the kinds may also be raised read-
ily from cuttings of the root.

18. PETUNIA ALBA, &c., Petunias. These showy annuals
may be made to ornament the green-house or parlor by potting
either old or young plants or cuttings in the fall, having first
pretty thoroughly trimmed them ; they will grow afresh, and

472 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

blossom freely throughout the winter with ordinary house
treatment.

19. SALVIA SPLENDENS, FULGENS, &c., Scarlet Sage, &c.
The green-house varieties of Sage, which also flower freely in
summer borders, afford flowers remarkable for the richness of
their colors. They are easily increased by cuttings, and some
varieties by seeds.

20. VIOLA ODORATA, Violets. Sweet Violets, blue or pur-
ple, single or double, should have a place in every green-house
or parlor as well as garden, for their exquisite odor.

Almost all the above, as noted under each, may be raised
from cuttings planted in June, and shaded either under glass
or without it. As soon as they begin to root they should be
potted in suitable compost — see page 443 — taking care to put
small sherds, or stones, or broken shells into the bottom of each
pot for proper drainage ; trim the young roots, if they have
become long ; fill up the pot sufficiently before putting in the
plant ; set its roots naturally, and fill the pot up carefully,
shaking it a little from time to time, and pressing the earth
moderately around the roots with the hand. Shade and water
them carefully for a few days until they start afresh. If they
are first set in small pots, they will require repotting with the
older plants in August or September, preparatory to taking
them in for winter. At this time let all straggling growth be
removed, and all excess shortened, and the plants, both old and
young, be brought into snug compass and neat condition. Let
all matted roots also be cut away, and long ones be shortened ;
remove a considerable portion of the old earth, and replace it
with fresh compost. Shade and water them with special care
until they recover from the operation, and before taking them
in for winter, pick off all dead or faded leaves, and burn them.

If it be proposed simply to preserve the plants of this class
through the winter, the shrubs and many of the smaller plants
may be kept in a light, airy cellar ; but it is better that they
be placed at once in a pit so graded as that the tops are eight
or ten inches below the glass. The pit being properly banked
around, the sashes may be put on when found necessary for
the defense of the plants, and shutters, or straw mats, or both,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 473

added as the cold becomes more severe, covering still thicker,
if required, with long stable-manure. Keep these coverings
dry from the first by spreading over all, and carefully fasten-
ing, a strong canvas or India-rubber sheet that will shed the
rain, and with which any ordinary snow can be rolled off as
soon as the storm ceases. Open the front of the sashes to give
air in mild weather, but keep them closed at all other times,
letting in the shaded light occasionally, in bright moderate
weather, at midday. As spring approaches, lessen the cov-
ering, and gradually increase the air and light given until it
is time to take them out for the summer.

If it is intended to keep and bloom them in the house, they
may be placed in a cold bed until the severe frost approaches,
and then be transferred to a well-lighted room, without heat,
and placed on their stands with castors ; or they may be at
once taken to such a room in early fall, leaving it open day
and night when the weather is not too severe ; into this room,
by means of a drum, or register, or small stove, introduce only
just so much warmth as will exclude frost until about mid-
winter, then very gradually increase the heat until it rises to
about 65° in the day ; let it sink in the night, but not lower
than to about 40° at the lowest. If the thermometer goes
above 70°? let in air carefully at the top of your windows.
Never permit sudden variations of temperature ; if these oc-
cur to any considerable extent, they will prove as injurious as
a frost. Remove all decaying leaves, and keep the plants
clean by washing them off with tepid water at least once a
week if they become dusty : this may be effected by dipping
their tops in a tub of water and moving them gently in it, or,
if needful, the cleansing may be aided by the careful light use
of a soft brush or fine sponge ; or set them one or two at a
time in the tub, and shower them with the common rose water-
ing-pot, held two or three feet above them, adding to this also,
if necessary, the use of the brush or sponge.

If a room heated by a drum or register is appropriated ex-
clusively to them, and they do not become dusty, water may
be given moderately upon the surface of the earth in the pots
once in three or four days, if it seems to be getting dry ; but

474 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

do not suffer water to stand in the saucers unless it be for bulb-
ous roots or water-plants, as the Calla, when blossoming. Let
light and air be admitted as freely as is found safe. With care
in this respect, any arrangement by which the room can be
filled with the steam of clear water twice a week, for a few
hours at a time, until it moistens the leaves, will preserve the
plants in perfect health. For this purpose, a flexible steam-
tube, that will fit on to the steam-tube of a kitchen boiler-cover,
may be bought for about twenty cents a foot. If, however,
they are in the parlor, this can not be done, and, whether there
be dust or not, showering or dipping will be essential, or the
more tedious process of washing each plant leaf by leaf with a
soft sponge.

All winter watering and washing of plants should be done
in the morning, or at least when the heat is rising ; but the
steam may be let in at night, and, if desired, form an impor-
tant part of the heating medium during that time.

Upon the south side of any dwelling a conservatory or plant-
room may be made, in which plants will grow and bloom finely
through the winter with no more artificial heat than may be
afforded by a register from the adjoining room, and the occa-
sional use of steam as above directed. For such a room or
conservatory the sashes should be glazed on both sides, about
an inch space intervening between the panes ; and, as this
double glazing makes the sashes heavy, provision for admit-
ting air should be made by having one or two of them short,
and arranged to slide horizontally.

No shutters are needed, but shades will be found essential ;
for, if the full sunlight be admitted, the oft-repeated and great
fluctuations of temperature between noon and midnight, or be-
tween the warmer and colder days of winter, will forbid success,
except with the very hardiest plants. An equable but grad-
ually advancing temperature must by all means be secured.

If a cheap green-house is desired, one may be built precise-
ly as directed for a cold grapery, page 355. Arrange the
" staging" for your plants, consisting of shelves, placed stair
fashion, six inches wide, and varying from seven to ten inches
high, leaving a broad platform toward the back wall, upon

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

475

which the larger plants may be set. Place other shelves, as
may be found convenient, along the front, or in any spare spaqe,
for smaller plants or cuttings.

It may be heated by a small common brick flue running en-
tirely around it under the staging, rising a little as it goes,
and connecting with a chimney at the end. If the draught is
insufficient, it may be increased by a pretty high wooden ex-
tension of the chimney, to be well secured against the wind.
If preferred, the heating apparatus figured and described below
may be introduced.

Fig. SOT.

a. A small copper cylinder furnace, with common stove draught, of which the fire-cham-
ber is thirteen inches deep and nine inches diameter, surrounded by a copper water-cham-
ber ; whole diameter eleven inches. The draught and fire managed as in a common stove.

&. The boiler, placed a little higher than the furnace. It may be a barrel, or a metallic
vessel, which will radiate more heat.

c. c. Iron circulating tubes from the water-chamber to the boiler.

d. Water-tank, to be kept filled.

e. Supply-pipe from tank to boiler, to be governed by a floating ball or other arrange-
ment in the boiler.

The above apparatus, which may cost some $10, was, I be-
lieve, originally intended to be used with tubes only a few
inches long, for heating water for domestic uses ; but it serves
admirably for a small green-house, in which it may be all hid-
den by the staging, &c., except the furnace. Let the arrange-
ment be such as to make the course of the circulating tubes as
direct as possible between the water-chamber and boiler, rising
a little toward the latter. The only danger is of collapse from
exhaustion of the water in the boiler below the mouth of the
upper tube, and this is entirely removed by attention to filling
the tank regularly, and as often as is necessary. A little ex-
perience will enable you to regulate the degree of fire to be
kept up. A barrel of water, at a distance of sixteen to twenty

476 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN".

feet, may be boiled in about an hour, and an escape tube should
be fixed so as to carry the steam entirely outside when not re-
quired for heating, &c.

When using it for any purpose within the house, fix the cov-
ering, &c., of the boiler so that the escaping steam will not
strike any plant directly. When it is thus permitted to escape
during the night, your plants, on opening the house in the
morning, will generally appear as if covered with the heavy
dew of a cool night in early fall. They will not need syrin-
ging, but perhaps a little care to place any plants that may be
disposed to suffer from moisture near to the furnace, where they
will dry off quickly. Let your sashes be well glazed ; cover
them with good shutters or straw mats, or use double glazed
sashes and shades, and give attention to the gradual increase
of the temperature as above directed for house treatment. Wa-
ter moderately in the morning once or twice a week, as may be
found requisite, rather giving too little than too much at any
one time. If the temperature rise to 70°, give air at the back
ventilators ; and if higher, admit a little also at the door or
lower ventilators, or both.

The green-house is sometimes troubled with a small bright
red spider, which is very injurious to the plants. Moisture
prevents it ; but if it appear, the house should be whitewashed
while the wash is still hot, mixing into each pailful about a
pound of sulphur. If aphides or other insects infest the plants,
close the house carefully, and burn tobacco in a small furnace
or otherwise in it, until completely filled with the smoke, al-
lowing it to remain thick for fifteen or twenty minutes ; then
open the house and syringe it thoroughly.

With the same view, single plants may be set in a covered
barrel containing tobacco, which may be rapidly burned by
blowing through a small draught-hole left for the purpose near
the bottom ; or the same end may be attained by setting a few
sticks around the plant, and throwing a cloth over and around
it, burning the tobacco underneath. For large plants an um-
brella may be used, with a stick of sufficient length spliced for
the time to its handle, and a cast-off skirt, hooped if conven-
ient, with the gathers taken out, run on to its outer edge ; this

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 477

being set over the plant by fixing the lower end of the stick in
the earth, the tobacco-burning proceeds.

Dipping the plants in tobacco infusion or weak ley may be
substituted ; but, whatever course is adopted, the plants must
be dipped in, or showered, or syringed with clear water almost
immediately afterward, and the plants so treated will not con-
tinue free from these pests unless kept in vigorous health by
increased care.

If earth-worms become troublesome, water the pots a few
times with lime-water.

In the spring, when the plants are taken out for the season,
clear them perfectly from dead leaves, &c. ; wash the outside
of the pots ; clean the house thoroughly, and let all the gath-
ered rubbish be carefully burned. In the fall when they are
taken in again, repeat these operations.

HARDY SHRUBS.

TWENTY-FIVE KINDS.

All flowering shrubs and plants that bear their blossoms
upon the young growth of the season, as the Althea, or August
flower, the Rose, &c., should be carefully and pretty closely
trimmed every winter or spring. Others, that produce their
flowers on the branches of the previous season's growth, should
only be pruned so much as is needful to secure compactness
and symmetry of form.

1 . ALMOND DWARF, DOUBLE-FLOWERING, Amygdolus Per-
sica. A very showy early flowering shrub. Raised from off-
shoots or layers. »

2. BUFFALO BERRY, Shepardia argentea. This is classed
among fruit-bearing shrubs, but it is also quite ornamental.
Increased by layers or seeds.

3. BURNING BUSH, Euonymus Americanus. Its common
name is derived from the profusion of bright red angular ber-
ries which it bears in the fall. Raised from seeds or layers.

4. BUSH HONEYSUCKLE, Lonicera. Several pretty pink
flowering varieties. Increased readily from offshoots, layers,
or cuttings.

5. CHINESE WEIGELA, Weigela rosea, W. amabilis. A new

478 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

hardy shrub from Northern China, with a profusion of single
rose-colored flowers, somewhat resembling the smaller Rose
Bay or Rhododendron. Increased by offshoots or layers.

6. DEUTZIA, Large-flowering, Deutzia scabra ; Small-flow-
ering, Deutzia gracilis. These very pretty shrubs are of simi-
lar habit in every respect, except the size of their blossoms and
growth. Their abounding pure white flowers resemble a mul-
titude of snow-drops hung gracefully upon the branches, one
of which might well suffice to form a bridal wreath. Increased
from offshoots, layers, or cuttings.

7. FALSE INDIGO, Amorpha fruticosa. A wild shrub of
Pennsylvania, bearing spikes of blue flowers in July. In-
creased by layers, cuttings, or seeds.

8. FLOWERING CURRANT, Rocky Mountain Currant ; Ribes
aureum, Golden Flowering ; Atro sanguineum, Scarlet. Very
showy shrubs, that are increased by layers or cuttings, and al-
most too readily from offshoots.

9. FORSYTHIA, CHINESE, Forsytliia viridissima. A showy
early-flowering shrub, its branches seeming ruffled with the
abundance of its curious crumpled yellow blossoms. The foli-
age which comes after the flowers is of a fine deep green, and
the whole plant ornamental. Increased by offshoots, layers, or
cuttings.

10. FRINGE -TREE, Rims cotinus, Venetian sumach. A
shrub rather curious than pretty.

11. FRINGE-TREE, THE AMERICAN, Chionanthus Virginica.
Common about New York and southward. Bearing a profusion
of white fringe-like flowers in the spring. Increased by off-
shoots or layers.

12. GLOBE FLOWER, Kerria japonica. A showy yellow
flowering shrub of willowy growth, spreading so much from the
roots as often to be deemed a pest.

13. LILAC, COMMON AND PERSIAN, Purple, White, Syringa
grandiflora, Persica. Well-known flowering shrubs. All are
increased by offshoots or layers. The common white and the
Persian, both white and purple, are worthy of more extended
cultivation.

14. MAY- APPLE, Azalea nudiflora. Known also as " Hon-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 479

eysuckle," " Pinxter Blomache," and " Swamp Pink." There
are many hardy varieties of these pretty shrubs, all which may
be increased from layers or seeds. Prune closely, or cut them
clean down if transplanting them from the swamps or woods.

15. MEZEREUM, Daphne mezereum. Except the wild Yel-
low-root and the Leather-wood, this is the earliest shrub that
puts forth. Its blossoms are purplish, showy, and very fragrant.
Increased freely from its pretty red berries, if sown as soon as
they drop. It should have a deep, dry, loamy soil.

16. OSAGE ORANGE, Madura aurantica. A thorny shrub,
with foliage and worthless fruit resembling the orange. It is
ornamental, but is chiefly used for hedges, which, when made,
should always be trimmed pyramidally — that is, broad at the
bottom, and gradually narrowing to the top, otherwise the over-
shadowing top will kill the undergrowth and spoil the beauty
of the hedge. Increased by seeds, layers, and cuttings.

17. PRIVET, PRIM, Ligustrum vulgare. A small, pretty
semi -evergreen shrub, used for ornamental hedges or singly.
Increased from offshoots, layers, or cuttings, planted in the fall.

18. ROSES, Rosa Damascena, &c. Annual Roses bloom
but once a year, in spring or early summer, and hence are often
called June Roses. Autumnal and ever-blooming Roses blos-
som most heavily at this season, but bloom again more or less
freely, according to soil, climate, and treatment, throughout
the summer and fall, which gives them their peculiar value.
The fragrance of the Annual Roses, as a class, is very distinct
from the perfume of the old Monthly or the more tender and
highly-scented Tea Roses, &c., and it has been so long con-
nected with recurring spring or opening summer that it is
highly esteemed, not only for its intrinsic character, but also
for its pleasant associations. Many of the stronger-growing
autumnal Roses are of similar odor, and, though blooming in
late summer or fall, bring back, as we gather them, all the fresh-
ness of the opening season. The kinds named below are se-
lected from various classes of Roses known as Bourbons, Per-
petuals, Remontants, Hybrids, &c., &c., the distinctions between
which are -arbitrary, and unintelligible to all but the florist or
amateur, and are therefore entirely disregarded.

480 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

ANNUAL EOSES.

EIGHTEEN VARIETIES.
DARK.

Tuscany, Black Tuscany, dark velvety purple.
Rivers' George IV. (pillar), rich violet-crimson.
Dutch Velvet, bright carmine.
Gloire de Colmar, deep crimson.

ROSE COLOR.

Maiden, deep rose.

Moss, Common Blush, rose.

Moss, Crested, rose.

Cabbage Provence, rose.

Coup d'Hebe (pillar), bright pink.

YELLOW.

Persian Yellow, golden color (not fragrant).

Harrison, bright straw color.

Madam Stolz, pale straw color.

Fortune's Yellow, yellow, tinged with red — a free bloomer.

WHITE, CREAMY.

Unique, or White Provence, white.

Clementine, pure white.

Count Plater, cream color.

Bouquet (tout fait), pillar, creamy white, clustered, and very fragrant.

STRIPED.

Tout Parfait, white varied with rose and crimson ; the best known striped

EVER-BLOOMING AND AUTUMNAL EOSES.

THIRTY VARIETIES.

Agrippina, bright scarlet.

Giant of the Battles, glowing scarlet.

Jules Margottin, bright scarlet.

Count de Paris, bright crimson.

Prince Albert, crimson purple.

Edward Jesse, deep purplish-crimson.

Paul Joseph, rosy-crimson.

Bouquet de Flore, deep carmine.

La Keine, brilliant glossy rose color ; large.

Madam Ory, bright rose; mossy.

Belmont (pillar), bright rose (a fac simile of the old China Monthly).

Prince Leon, bright cherry.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 481

Baronne Prevost (pillar), brilliant rose color.
Lady Alice Peel, rosy-carmine.
Robin Hood (pillar), rosy- carmine.
Dr. Marx, bright rosy-carmine.
Bernard, salmon-pink.

Hermosa, pale rose ; known sometimes as the Monthly Cabbage Rose, com-
mon, but one of the finest of roses.
Odorata, old tea-scented, light pink.
Rivers', rose shaded with buff.
William Griffiths, bright lilac-rose.
Souvenir de Malmaisou, pale flesh color; large.
Madam Bosanquet, light flesh color.
Eliza Sauvage, pale yellow, orange centre.
Solfatarre, sulphur yellow ; very fragrant.
Lamarque, very pale straw color.
Devoniensis, creamy white.
Acidalie (pillar), white.
Eliza Balcombe, white, blooming in clusters.
Eponine, pure white ; clusters.

Annual roses are increased by offshoots or by layers. Most
of the kinds throw up the former too freely, but the Moss, the
Maiden, and some other valuable kinds require careful layering
in a warm, sandy soil, or in compost No. 2, which may be per-
formed either in fall or early spring, or in June upon the young
growth of the season.

Of the Autumnal and Ever-blooming Roses, all may be in-
creased by layers ; some throw up offshoots as freely as the An-
nuals, and the more delicate kinds may be readily raised from
cuttings. Some of them are hardy any where, but others re-
quire banking with earth or careful coating with straw north
of Philadelphia, and a few, as Solfatarre and Devoniensis, even
somewhat south of that point. Wherever this is necessary,
the best and most convenient mode will generally be to bend
the whole plant down and cover it with the common earth six
or eight inches deep. Open and set them into place early in
the spring, and prune carefully and pretty closely.

Autumnal and Ever-blooming Roses, in order to secure the
highest success in their summer and fall flowering, require to
be managed with some care, otherwise their heavy spring crop
of blossoms will so far exhaust them that but few will be sub-
sequently yielded. If, however, certain selected bushes be pre-

A.

482 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

vented from blooming in spring or early summer by plucking
the incipient buds, or by deferring their winter pruning until
the leaf is putting forth, and then cutting them closely back,
they will- probably furnish abundance of blossoms late in sum-
mer or in the fall. Transplanting or root pruning, with cut-
ting back in the fall or very early spring, will be found con-
ducive to the same result ; but any or all of these means should
be accompanied by high compost or liquid manuring and clean
and careful culture. For Running Roses, see page 484.

Rose-bushes are infested with various insects, particularly
the Aphis and Scale insect, for which the remedies directed
pages 264 and 265 may be used. The Rose wrorm or slug, larva
of Selandria (Blennocampa) Rosae, is still more injurious. It is
a small, greenish, smooth, semitransparent worm, resembling
the Cherry slug, page 275, about half an inch long, found often
in June on the under side of the leaves of rose-bushes, which
it eats until only the veins and the thin skin of the upper side
of the leaf are left. They do not generally eat over the whole
leaf, but spot it ; but in moist seasons they abound, and will
then sweep the rose foliage as if fire had scorched it.

Sowing slaked lime, or dry ashes, or sulphur upon the
bushes, or syringing them with weak ley or whale-oil soap may
destroy the worm, but vigorous health in the plants generally
prevents it.

19. ROSE OF SHARON, Hibiscus Syriacus, known also as
Althea, or August Flower. Increased from layers, cuttings, or
seeds.

20. SCARLET QUINCE, Cydonia japonica (formerly Pyrus
japonica). Increased by cuttings of the root or by layers,
and sparingly by offshoots. Extremely showy and of pretty
foliage.

21. SPIRE A, Reeves's, Double-blossomed, &c., Spirea Eeve-
sii, prunifolia flore pleno, &c. A class of pretty white-
flowering shrubs, spreading freely by offshoots, or increased by
layers.

22. SNOWBALL, Guelder Rose, Viburnam opulus. An old
and well-known shrub ; increased from offshoots, and still more
readily by layers.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 483

23. SNOWBERRY, Symphoria racemosa. A simple shrub,
bearing bunches of white berries until late in the season. Its
numerous offshoots become troublesome.

24. SYRINGA, Pliiladelplius coronarius, Philadelphus gran-
diflora. The former is universally known for its fragrance.
The latter has larger similar flowers, but lacks odor. Increased
by offshoots, layers, or cuttings.

25. SWEET-SCENTED SHRUB, Calycantlms Icevigatus. A
native of the Southern States, widely known for its " apple" or
" strawberry"-scented maroon-colored blossoms. Increased by
offshoots, layers, and with care by cuttings.

CLIMBING SHRUBS.

TWELVE KINDS.

All the following climbing shrubs, as well as- those for the
green-house, may be increased by layering in the ordinary mode,
or by span layering, some by offshoots, and most of them, also,
by cuttings planted in a cold bed in October, and protected a
little through winter, and shaded and aired through spring ;
or in the green-house at any time from November to April ;
or in a light hot bed, made for the purpose, in the spring or
summer, and kept carefully watered, and shaded, and aired
after the cuttings are planted.

1. BITTERSWEET, Celastrus scandens. A common but beau-
tiful winding wild climber.

2. CLEMATIS, White, or Virgin's Bower, Blue, Sweet-scent-
ed, &c., Clematis Virginica, cerulea, flammula, &c. Slender
and graceful tendril climbers ; the first a hardy wild plant, the
last an exotic, tender at the North, but of delightful fragrance.
Clematis Sieboldii is a fine Japanese species, also tender.

3. HONEYSUCKLE, Scarlet Trumpet, Yellow Trumpet, Chi-
nese Evergreen, &c., Lonicera semper vir ens, flava, Sinensis,
&c. Ornamental and perfectly hardy winding climbers ; the
last, Sinensis, being of beautiful foliage and excellent fra-
grance, almost an evergreen.

4. IVY, Irish, European, Hedera Hibernica and H. helix.
A creeping, rooting climber, with deep green glossy leaves,
sometimes planted to run on church edifices, but having, at

484 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

the North, a sorry appearance when winter has browned the
foliage. It is pretty in pots as a house plant.

5. IVY, AMERICAN, or Virginian Creeper, Ampehpsis quin-
quefolia. A very fine ornamental rooting climber, growing
wild over a wide region. It is often found in company with
the Poison Vine, Rhus Toxicodendron, and not unfrequently
mistaken for it, yet is easily distinguishable, each leaf having
Jive leaflets, rather narrow and toothed, while the Poison Vine
has but three, which are broader and smooth-edged.

6. JASMINE, White, Sweet, &c., Jasminum officinale, &c. A
simple, fragrant, and pretty runner, but requires training, hav-
ing neither tendrils nor other effective means of self-support.
At the North it is only half hardy ; it may be laid down, and
either covered with straw or banked with earth.

7. MILK VINE, Virginia Silk, Periploca Grceca. A wild
climber, with rather pretty, clean foliage and purple blossoms,
abounding south of New Jersey.

8. PASSION FLOWER, Blue Hardy, Passiflora cerulea. A
free-growing slender tendril climber, called hardy, requiring
protection from the severity of winter north of Philadelphia,
but springing up from the root annually, and blooming freely.
Its flowers, like all of its class, are peculiar and striking.

9. ROSES, Running, Rosa. Belmont (see page 480) ; Prai-
rie Queen, bright rose-color ; Laura Davoust, white, becoming
pink ; Baltimore Belle, delicate blush, large clusters, not fra-
grant ; Garland, white — the well-known old white trellis Rose ;
Rampant, pure white ; blooms late.

There are many other fine varieties, tender at the North,
which, however, may be successfully grown if laid down for
winter like tender grape-vines, and covered thoroughly with
earth.

10. TRUMPET CREEPER, Common, Chinese Great Flowering,
&c., Bignonia radicans, grandiflora, &c. Very strong, luxu-
riant-growing rooting climbers. The last is somewhat new,
having large dull orange-colored blossoms. The flowers of the
Common are scarlet, and more compact.

11. VINE, Grape, Vitis. The value of the grape as a fruit
is perhaps leading us to overlook the beauty of the vine as a

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 485

climber, and to forget its fragrance, in which it is almost sin-
gular among our wild climbing shrubs. It is really one of the
very finest of climbers, perfectly hardy and vigorous ; and, when
left to the complete abandon of its natural growth, there is an
extreme wealth of picturesque beauty in its graceful convolu-
tions, as well as in the profusion and richness of its diversified
forms of foliage, while no perfume floats upon the summer air
more delicious than the odor of its blossoms.

Its varieties, both fruit -bearing and fruitless, are numerous ;
and the wild, fruitless, gash-leaved vine ( Vitis riparia) is pe-
culiarly fragrant.

12. WISTARIA, Blue Chinese, Wistaria Sinensis. A per-
fectly hardy and very rapid winding runner, having a peculiar
pair of hooks, turning backward, at each joint, which some-
times aid its ascent. It bears a perfect burden of large pen-
dent racemes of pale lilac or blue flowers, of a peculiar and
delicate fragrance, which come out before the foliage expands
in the spring. The absence of green leaves with the blossoms
is a drawback upon its beauty which in some localities might
be obviated by arranging it so as to intermingle its growth
with an evergreen, though its own foliage is fine when it ap-
pears. If the young shoots are nipped at about two feet long in
June or July, a considerable second crop of blossoms will be
yielded in August.

Many of these climbers may be planted to run upon trees,
either deciduous or evergreen. They show finely in combina-
tion with either, but those which wind should not be set by
trees while young, lest they cut in and destroy them. They
may also be made to overrun rocks, or rough stone fences
which it is desired to blind.

Artificial rock*-work is sometimes made for ornament by
throwing together loose stones or rocks in such forms as fancy
dictates, and mixing with them just enough of leaf-mould and
loam to afford support to small plants. For these the various
kinds of Stonecrop may be used, interspersed with Columbines,
Wood Anemones, &c. If it be desired to cover them, plant
some of the above climbers, or Petunias, Portulacca, &c., among
them. The plant known in European agriculture as Esparsette,

48(5 AMEEICAN HOME GARDEN.

or Saintfoin, is also useful in this way, its flowers and foliage
being quite pretty, and its roots running so that it is almost
impossible to destroy them. Hops answer a similar purpose.

EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS.

FOURTEEN KINDS.

1. ARBOR VIT^], American (Savin), Thuya Occidentals ;
Chinese, Thuya Orientalis ; Siberian, Thuya Siberica. All
pretty evergreens, often used for hedges ; but the Chinese is
rather tender, and unsightly in winter.

2. BALSAM FIR, American, Picea balsamea. A common
but fine tree.

3. BOX-TREE, Buxus arborescens, &c. A fine ornamental
evergreen, with silver or golden striped varieties, resembling
somewhat the common garden box, but of freer and larger
growth, and not so hardy. Increased by layers.

4. CEDAR, INDIAN, Cedrus deodara. A fine drooping ev-
ergreen, growing late in the fall, and often injured by the cold
of winter at the North.

5. CEDAR, RED, Juniperus Virginiana. Too common to
be esteemed as it deserves. Good for ornamental hedges, and
excellent for shelter.

6. CEDAR OF LEBANON, Cedrus Libani ; Silver-leaved, Ce-
drus argentea. Fine trees, but of slow growth. The Cedar
of Lebanon is, however, worthy of cultivation for its associa-
tions. Its seeds are borne in fine large cones.

7. COTONEASTER, Small-leaved, Cotoneaster microphylla.
A small, pretty shrub. Increased by layers.

8. HOLLY, American, Ilex opaca ; European, Ilex aquifo-
lium. The European Holly has a very deep green foliage, and
the variegated kinds are pretty and desirable wherever the win-
ters are not too severe. They are grafted upon stocks of the
green varieties, generally by tongue-grafting, a little «xtra care
being used in the operation.

9. MAHONIA, Holly-leaved, Mahonia aquifolia. A showy
shrub three or four feet high, especially gay in the fall, but
having its foliage injured in the winter at the North, unless
covered from the sun.. Increased by layers.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 487

10. PINE, White or Weymouth, Pinus strobus ; California,
Pinus Bentliamana ; Grand Pacific, Pinus Lambertiana, often
grows two hundred feet high ; Long-leaved, Pinus larico ; Nut,
Pinus cembra, growing only fifteen to twenty feet, having a
large cone with edible seeds.

There are many other varieties of Pines, several of them new
and very beautiful.

11. SPRUCE, Hemlock (common Hemlock), Abies Canaden-
sis ; Norway, Abies excelsa. Among the noblest of evergreen
trees. The former, when tasseled with its young spring growth,
is peculiarly beautiful.

12. JAPAN DOGWOOD, Euonymus japonicus. Pretty, but
tender at the North. Increased by offshoots, layers, or cuttings.

13. LAUREL, Kalmia latifolia. The beautiful wild Laurel
of our woods, which, as it disappears before cultivation, should
be transferred to the lawn and garden. Its unfading green-
ness, and the composition of its blossom-tuft by the union of an
indefinite number of star-like flower-buds, each perfect in itself,
render it by no means an inappropriate floral emblem of our
national Union. Increased by layers or seeds.

14. ROSE BAY, Catawba Rose Bay, Rhododendron Cataw-
biense • Great Laurel or Larger Rose Bay, Hhododendron
maximum. Fine flowering wild swamp shrubs, requiring,
when cultivated, some shade and moisture. The first, which is
the finest of its tribe, may need a little winter protection in
certain localities. They thrive in leaf mould, or peat, or sweet-
ened swamp muck. Increased by layers, and sometimes by
seeds.

SHADE AND ORNAMENTAL TREES.

TWENTY-FOUR KINDS.

Almost all our shade and ornamental trees, as well as shrubs
and evergreens, may be raised from seed by those who have pa-
tience to wait for their growth.

If possible, the drying and storing of their seeds should be
avoided. All those which are naturally shed in the fall, as
chestnuts, acorns, maple and ash " keys," &c., should either be
sown in the fall, or mixed with earth and buried out of doors

488 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

until spring ; and those which usually retain their own cover-
ing until spring, as the Catalpa, the Hemlock, the various
Pines, the Locust, the Tulip- tree, &c., may be sown at the
earliest opening of spring directly from the tree, or may be col-
lected in the fall or winter, and kept in their pods or cones till
wanted.

Some seeds of trees and shrubs are difficult to sprout, as the
Locust and some others, which, when not sown until spring, are
benefited by being first scalded by pouring hot water upon
them while stirred, and suffering them to cool. Others, as the
seeds of the Rose and the various berry-bearing Thorns, require
to be sown or buried in their first season, but do not vegetate
until the second year.

Evergreens are apt to be extremely feeble when they first
spring from seed, and require special care. All the seedlings,
whether of evergreens or deciduous trees, should be transplanted
carefully at one or two years old, and subsequently every third
or fourth year, having their roots shortened at each removal, to
prepare them for final setting out. See page 492.

FORMING AND PRUNING.

The proper formation and pruning of the head of young
shade and ornamental trees is of great importance. We do not
look for our return in fruit, but in beauty from these, and if the
main limbs are permitted to start at acute angles, so that as
they enlarge they will touch and rub, the tree, when of full size,
or before, will become diseased, and liable to be split in pieces
by a single gust of wind. It may be well to bolt them strong-
ly when they begin to crack, as is sometimes done to save fine
shade-trees in our city streets, but it is much better to prevent
the necessity for such a course. You may do what you will
with them while they are young. Never, therefore, let the
principal branches spring as the fingers spring from the palm,
but compel them to put forth rather as the arms stand out
from the shoulders when the hands are raised above the head.

Except in the case of the grape-vine, it is not common to at-
tempt to combine profit with ornament in tree-planting, yet
certainly many varieties of fruit-trees are highly ornamental,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 489

and some of them are also, on various accounts, well suited to
the lawn. Among others, that bearing the rather small, pretty
sweet apple, called by Duhamel the " Pigeonnette" which is a
beautifully-formed tree, with clean, expanding arms and free
habit, and, though the fruit may be kept into winter, yet it be-
gins to ripen early, and is admirably adapted to the use of
children, as it falls gradually from the tree.

Along our country roads, too, fruit-trees might to some ex-
tent be properly planted, not only for ornament, but use, to be
reckoned, like our wild fruits, as common property.

Besides those named above, our woods furnish a great variety
of fine ornamental trees, which are easily obtained. The Chest-
nut, Castanea Americana ; the various Oaks, particularly the
White Oak, Quercus alba, and the Rock Oak, Quercus monta-
na, both yielding also solid and useful timber ; the American
Linden or Basswood, Tilia glabra ; the Wild Cherry, Prunus
Virginiana ; the Hop Hornbeam or Ironwood, Ostrya Vir-
ginica ; the Shad Flower, Aroma botryapium, and many oth-
ers, which the following list does not include.

1. ASH, Weeping, Fraxinus pendula. A curious and pret-
ty ash, readily increased by side grafting upon the common
kinds.

2. BEECH, Copper-colored or Purple, Fagus purpurea ; Red,
Fagus ferruginea ; Common, Fagus sylvatica. The two lat-
ter are common in our woods, and are clean and beautiful for^-
est trees. The first, which is curious, may be grafted upon
them by tongue or side grafting.

3. BIRCH, White, Betula alba ; Red, Betula rubra ; Yel-
low, Betula excelsa ; Paper, Betula papyracea. All common,
abounding, and beautiful.

4. CATALPA, or Cigar-tree, Catalpa syringcefolia. A fine
flowering tree, easily raised from seeds sown in the spring.

5. CHERRIES, Large Double-flowering, Cerasus sylvestris
pleno ; Weeping, Cerasus vulgaris semperftorens. May be
grafted on any common kind.

6. CHINESE KOLREUTERIA, Kolreuteria paniculata. A
pretty tree, with a profusion of yellow blossoms in the latter
part of summer. Increased by layers.

X2

490 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

7. DOGWOOD, Cornus florida, Common Dogwood ; Cornus
sericea, Red Osier. Both pretty, and easily obtained from the
woods.

8. ELM, Ulmus Americana, &c. There are many varieties,
all ornamental and some fanciful. Increased by seeds, layers,
or by grafting one kind upon another.

9. GOLDEN CHAIN, Cytisus laburnam. A small tree, of
pretty foliage and rather weeping habit, bearing large racemes
or hanging bunches of golden-yellow flowers. It is a univer-
sal favorite. Increased by seeds.

10. HORSE CHESTNUT, JEsculus liippocastanum. A very
fine ornamental tree, blooming freely. The Buckeye, ^Esculus
gldbra, is a rather smaller and more compact-growing kind.
The Rubicunda is a red-flowering variety. The two former
are increased from seed, and the latter may be grafted upon
them.

11. LARCH, Pinus larix. An exotic deciduous Pine, near
akin to the Tamarack or Hackmatack and the Red Larch of our
swamps, but thought by some to be prettier. Increased from

12. LOCUST, Rose-colored, Robinia Jiispida ; Flesh -colored,
Robinia viscosa. Both of these are pretty, the former espe-
cially so when grafted high upon the common locust. Increased
by offshoots. Robinia pseudacacia is the common but beauti-
ful and fragrant Locust-tree. Increased by seeds, or offshoots,
or root cuttings, which can easily be transported to almost any
distance.

13. MAGNOLIA, Magnolia glauca, Beaver-tree, Swamp Lau-
rel ; Magnolia acuminata, Cucumber-tree ; Magnolia tripeta-
la, Umbrella-tree ; Magnolia grandiflora, Big Laurel, Magno-
lia. All these are found in swamps or woods south of New
York, the last being the large fragrant Magnolia of the South.
There are also several fine kinds from China, where it is called
the Lily-tree. Of these, or seedlings from them, Magnolia con-
spicua and Magnolia Soulangiana are large-flowering showy va-
rieties, blooming before the foliage appears. All are increased
by layers, and most of them by seeds. They may also be
grafted on the common varieties.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 491

14. MAPLE, Red, Acer rubra ; Sugar, Acer saccharinum •
Larger, Acer major. The latter is the European Sycamore,
the two former well-known and favorite shade-trees. All in-
crease rapidly from seeds.

15. MOUNTAIN ASH, Sorbus (or Pyrus) aucuparia. A
tree of pretty growth and foliage, bearing numerous white blos-
soms, like the Elder, from which large bunches of berries are
produced, that become of a shining orange- scarlet color in the
fall. Increased by seeds or common and hill-layers.

16. MULBERRY, Morus rubra. Common Red Mulberry of
the woods. A desirable tree, where the fruit-stain may not be
objectionable. - The Paper Mulberry somewhat resembles it in
growth, but soon becomes a nuisance from its numerous off-
shoots. Morus Multicaulis is also well known, and, by some,
still better remembered. Increased from layers, or offshoots,
or seeds. Ranks among fruits. See page 358.

17. PAULO WNIA, Japanese, Paulownia imperialis. A fine,
rapid-growing shade-tree, with heart-shaped leaves, which,
upon young growth, sometimes measure two feet across. Its
blossom-buds are formed in the fall, in spikes, each bud being
inclosed in a fawn-colored covering of finer texture than the
finest doeskin cloth, but are often killed by the winter north
of New York. Its flowers, which are put forth before the fo-
liage, are not unlike those of the Catalpa in general form and
style of growth, but are of a fine light blue, and very fragrant.
Increased by offshoots, hill-layers, and cuttiilgs of the root.

18. PEACH, Double Blossomed, Persica vulgaris pleno. A
very pretty pink rose-like flower is borne by this tree in the
usual profusion of peach blossoms, and sometimes three or four
angular fruit are produced from one blossom. Increased by
budding on peach or plum stocks.

19. PEPPERIDGE, Nyssa villosa. A common tree, but very
ornamental, both in its summer growth, and when the frost
makes its leaves vermilion colored in the fall. Readily obtain-
ed from the woods. It would make ornamental hedges of great
beauty.

20. PRIDE OF INDIA, Melia azedarach. A splendid flower-
ing tree of the South, with large divided leaves, and clusters

492 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

of fragrant lilac flowers at the extremities of its branches, well
known in the latitudes to which it is suited. Increased freely
by seeds or layers.

21. SASSAFRAS, Laurus sassafras. A sweet, aromatic, and
pretty tree, worthy of a place wherever ornamental shrubs are
planted. Increased by layers, offshoots, or root cuttings. It
can be obtained from the woods.

22. THORN, Cratcegus, cocd7wa,pleno, Double Scarlet Haw-
thorn. A very delicate and pretty deep pink or scarlet flower-
ing thorn. Increased by grafting on the common Hawthorn.

23. TULIP-TREE, Whitewood, Liriodendron tulipifera. One
of the noblest and most beautiful of flowering trees, often cov-
ering itself with its green and orange blossoms. When not
crowded its head forms a handsome cone, but in the woods it
sometimes runs a clean column eighty feet high. Increased
by hill-layers or by seeds, which seldom vegetate until the
second year.

24. WILLOW, Weeping, &c.? Salix Babylonica, &c. The
Weeping Willow, the Golden Twigged, and the Golden Flow-
ering Willows, and other varieties, are quite ornamental. The
Osier Willows form an article of commerce. In Belgium they
are sometimes so planted as to be mowed from year to year.

REMOVING ORNAMENTAL TREES, EVERGREENS, &c.

Ornamental or forest trees or shrubs and evergreens very
often fail to live when removed, and still oftener only just
live and linger along, making but feeble growth for years. To
prevent this, and secure vigor as well as life after removal,
some preparation is desirable. In all well-managed nurseries
this preparation is given by repeatedly transplanting trees of
this class, shortening their roots from time to time, so as to
limit the growth of single strong roots, and increase and con-
centrate fibrous ones around the collar and the short main roots
proceeding from it. If we do not form a nursery, but take trees
from the woods and swamps, we may meet the difficulty either
by removing them in the winter with large masses of frozen
earth, or by cutting clean around the trees we intend to remove
two or three years before transplanting them, cutting off the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 493

horizontal roots at such a distance as may seem judicious, and,
if we find but few of these, proceed farther and open the trench,
so that the downward roots may be- partially or wholly cut off.
Repeat and perfect the operation in the following year or years,
and, if it has been skillfully performed, your tree may be re-
moved without difficulty in the fall or spring of the third or
fourth year.

If the subsoil be such that you know the roots do not go far
down, as is common in swamp trees, the root-cutting may be
effected by a single deep cut with a spade around the tree as
directed for root-pruning, page 255.

In preparing trees for transplanting by cutting round them,
or in their actual removal, it will be found a good general rule
to make the diameter of the ball of earth in the proportion of
one foot to one inch diameter in the stem of the tree at a foot
above the collar.

In removing trees, other than evergreens, from the woods, it
is of great practical importance to prune them closely at the
time of transplanting, cutting away from their heads from one
third to one half the weight, carefully shortening and opening
them. All the climbing shrubs so transferred will be benefit-
ed by being cut down to the ground, so that the growth of the ,
plant may be entirely new. The same is true of most varieties
of bush shrubs, particularly the Azaleas, Wild Roses, and the
Laurel (Kalmia), which, though an evergreen, is in this respect
an exception to its class.

This process is not to be rigidly applied to those plants
which we select'for the sake of their stems already formed, but
it will be found good for most kinds and individuals from the
woods, and very often, also, nursery plants, particularly if they
have been over-forced, or are transplanted when in leaf and
wilt upon your hands, or from any cause are weakened before
being reset. It also relieves from the necessity of seeking for
handsome plants, as they will grow naturally, and therefore
prettily, when, having sufficient room, they grow anew.

Evergreens appear to suffer and exhaust with the winter.
Early spring is the season of their peculiar weakness, and if
removed carelessly or harshly then, there is little hope of them.

494 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

They should, therefore, always either be removed in the winter,
with the frozen earth about them, or be so prepared as that
their fibres will hold and carry with them sufficient earth to se-
cure success. It will also be found better, in general, to defer
their removal until late in spring, say to the last of April or
May, and sometimes even to June, or still later.

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 495

CHAPTER XXII.

Brief Notes on Farm Crops, with Table of Quantities of Seed required per
Acre. — Crop estimated by its Money Value, and by its Capacity to support
Animal Life. — Table of average Product of various Farm Crops, and of
their chemical Constituents. — Remarks explanatory of the Table.

BRIEF NOTES ON FARM CROPS.
QUANTITY OF SEED.

THE quantity of seed which it may be desirable or expedient
to sow upon an acre varies materially with the particular kind,
the state of the land, or the period of the season at which it is
sown. The relative size of the seeds, say the number they
will count to the peck, with the mode, of plant-growth, as
branching or otherwise, allowing a little for increased risk of
loss in small seeds, generally determines the first point.

Of the grains, buckwheat is usually sown thinnest, and
needs to be varied only as on poor or rich land ; but, contrary
to the general rule with other grain, it should be sown thicker
on rich land than poor, for the reason that it will otherwise
branch considerably, and be difficult to cradle without loss ;
while, being more thinly sown on poor land, it will still yield
as much as the soil is capable of producing. Winter grain
sown early, or at least seasonably, may be sown thinner on
rich land than on poor, because on the former it will grow and
branch vigorously, and it is plain that one bushel of seed, giv-
ing two ears from a plant, is equal to two bushels giving only
one ear ; but on poor land the plant will not branch much, and
it is therefore desirable to increase somewhat the quantity of
seed sown. Very late-sown winter grain, and all spring-sown
grains, often lack opportunity to branch and strengthen before
they are driven up to seed by the prompt warmth of the open-
ing spring, and on this account they should be sown more
thickly than might otherwise be necessary, due allowance,
however, being still made for the different condition of the
land on which they may be sown.

496 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

• •

In respect to grasses, there is an advantage in thick sow-
ing ; this is not found in a materially increased burden of
grass in favorable circumstances, but in the promptitude with
which the young plants preoccupy the whole ground and pre-
vent the growth of weeds, which, in thin sowing, would be apt
to dispute possession. In this view of the matter, the fact
that half the young grass-plants are afterward smothered by
those which take the lead in growth is entirely unimportant.

From what has been said above, the following table will be
understood as embodying suggestions rather than rules in ref-
erence to this subject. For manner of sowing, see page 82.

For seeding down grass-plot or lawn, a mixture of grass
seeds should be used, say equal parts by weight of Red-top and
Blue Grass, adding White Clover in the proportion of one sixth
of the whole, and half as much Sweet Vernal Grass as Clover.
If the land be wet, Timothy may be substituted for the Blue
Grass in part or wholly. The grass upon a plot or lawn
should never be suffered to go to seed, but should be regularly
and closely mowed when from four to six inches high, or even
while still shorter.

TABLE OF QUANTITIES OF SEEDS, ETC., REQUIRED TO SOW OR

PLANT AN ACRE.

Corn planted in hills 1 to Hpks. peracre.

" drilled for fodder 4 to 6

" sown broadcast 8 to 12

Wheat sown broadcast 4 to 8

Bye " " 4 to 8

Barley " " 6 to 10

Oats " " 8 to 1^

Buckwheat sown broadcast 3 to 6

Peas drilled 4 to 6

" broadcast 12 to 16

Bush Beans drilled 4 to 6

" broadcast, if so sown at all 10 to 12

Rice drilled 8 to 10

Millet broadcast 3 to 5

Bed Clover alone 16 to 20 Ibs.

" " with Timothy 8 to 12 "

Timothy alone 12 to 20 qrts.

" with Bed Clover 8 to 10 "

Bed-top alone 12 to 20 "

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 497

Red-top with Red Clover 8 to 10 qrts. per acre.

Blue Grass \ „ x. ,

-D u (for special purposes or particular

Orchard Grass $ localitie8 10 tO 26 lbs'

White Clover to be added to either of the above... 2 to 4 " "

« " if for any reason sown alone 4 to 6 " "

Broom Corn drilled 4 to 6 pks. "

Flax drilled 4 to 6 "

Potatoes, varying very much, as being in hills or\

drills, small or large, cut or uncut. See p. 171. )

Ruta Baga drilled or broadcast ) ^ to ji UjS «

Common Turnips drilled or broadcast >

Beets drilled... 2 to 4 "

Carrots drilled H to 2 "

Parsneps " 2 to 4 "

Onions " 3 to 5 "

Cabbages : i Ib. of seed, if thinly sown, and escaping the fly, will yield an

abundance of plants for one acre.

ESTIMATE OF CROP.

Crop, or that return for our outlay of manure, and seed, and
labor, which is derived from land, may be estimated either by
its money value or by its capacity to supply the wants of ani-
mal life. If estimated by the former, which always depends
on the relation of supply and demand, it is manifest that it
will be liable to fluctuation from a great variety of causes : the
variations of seasons, difference of localities, failure or super-
abundance of the same crop, or any similar class of crops, in
other sections or countries, &c. Any of these may so affect
this relation that a rich crop will give but a poor return in
money, or that a very moderate crop may prove extremely
profitable ; the very abundance of the yield in the former case,
whether from natural or artificial causes, rendering the product
almost valueless, when the extra labor of gathering and mar-
keting the excess is taken into account.

In general, perishable products, as fruits and vegetables for
consumption in the current season, are most promptly and
largely affected by this cause ; but, in a degree, grain, and the
various dry products that admit of being kept, obey the same
immutable law, and fluctuate, often to the disappointment of
the farmer's hopes or the ruin of the miscalculating speculator.

The lesser or greater distance from market also affects this

498 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

estimate. It may be very profitable to raise carrots, or egg-
plants, or celery near large cities where there is a daily de-
mand for them, while the expense of their transportation from
a distance, with the attendant risks, would reduce them to the
ordinary standard of farm crops.

A difference of latitude of even less than one degree may
occasion an entirely opposite result from the same crop in the
same season. Early peas, or potatoes, or fruits, raised thirty
or more miles south of a given market, securing the highest
price, because maturing at the opening of the season ; while
those raised at an equal distance to the north, or such crops
of late kinds raised at the South, obtain the lowest price, be-
cause coming in when the market is glutted with similar
products from more favorable localities.

The mere money estimate, moreover, may or may not be at
all dependent on any intrinsic capacity in the product to sup-
port animal life ; even things that are almost utterly destitute
of this may become largely profitable, as coffee, from the fact
that it furnishes a pleasant beverage ; or as tobacco, which,
in its various forms, ministers chiefly, if not entirely, to a vi-
tiated taste.

If the estimate be formed upon the basis of the capacity of
the crop to sustain animal life, which really would seem to af-
ford some fixed principles as criteria of its intrinsic value, one
might suppose that with a little experience in the cultivation
of a particular soil, with the gathering and feeding out of its
crops, and a little observation of the climate in which we live,
it might be safely and pretty accurately made. But not only
does the adaptation or non-adaptation of soil and general climate
to particular crops modify this estimate of it, but also the char-
acter and changes of particular seasons whose current climate
may be favorable or unfavorable ; thus hay the growth of a
moist, warm, rapid season, is comparatively poor — in common
phrase, it " does not feed out so well" as that which is raised
in a drier and less growthy spring. It is also affected by the
course of cropping pursued and the character of the manures
applied to the land. All vegetable products show by analysis
chemical differences in various lots of the same kinds of crop,

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 499

which may arise either from the absence of one or more ele-
ments from the soil, necessitating the appropriation of others
as substitutes, or from the simple excess or deficiency of a given
ingredient in such soil inducing a corresponding excess or de-
ficiency in its appropriation by the growing crop.

In order to ascertain correctly the comparative value of va-
rious crops for supplying the wants of animal life, we need, in
addition to chemical analyses, carefully-performed and repeated
experiments in feeding with the products, noting their effects
upon health, with temperature, age of animals, and other cir-
cumstances. No knowledge of constituents, however perfect,
will suffice, for these, even when rich, often become of little
use from lack of adaptation in the form in which they are pre-
sented. Thus dried tea and cabbage leaves are chemically al-
most as rich in protein compounds as beef, but could hardly be
made to supply its place. The corn-stalks from an acre con-
tain generally more food than the corn, but in a form not well
adapted to consumption, even by cattle, and on this account
should always be cut up short and steamed for feeding.

Such experiments as those above referred to should of course
include the cost of production in a given locality or climate,
for it is plain that a crop may be so costly in its production,
owing to climate or other causes, that it would become the part
of wisdom to prefer another, though much lower in the scale of
gross value, on account of its higher nett results. In New York
Sugar Beets would pay better than Sugar-cane.

Though we have by no means full and reliable information
upon all the points involved in this matter, yet, from the vari-
ous experiments and analyses which have been recorded, it is
possible to form such a judgment in the case as may be useful.
We may approximate to a satisfactory estimate of the actual
and relative value of any ordinary crop, on the whole, in the
particular soil and climate in which we labor, a very brief
experience supplying us with the local data necessary to an
intelligent application of the tests which the appended table
of products and their constituents furnishes.

500

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

TABLE or QUANTITIES AND CHEMICAL, COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS CROPS,
OF CONSTITUENTS, AS TO FURNISH DATA FOR CAL-

Corn

DIVISION 1.

DIVISION 2.

DIVISION 3.

Amount of product per
acre.

Water.

Vegetable fibre.

. 1

E-S»

III

•«!

Approximate average
product per acre in
pounds.

Variations in percent-
age of water in di-
vers analyses.

Probable average per-
centage of water.

Total weight of water
in product per acre
in pounds.

Variations in percent-
age of vegetable fibre
in divers analyses.

Probable average per-
csntage of vegetable
fibre.

Total weight of vege-
table fibre in product
per acre in pounds.

30 hush., at 58 Ibs.

1,740
2,500
1,200
2,400
1,120
3,000
1,440
1,500
1,280
2,000
1,200
1,200
1,200
1,750
2,500
4,000
3,000
12,000
20,000

20,000

20,000
20,000
20,000

40,000

ii}@i5}

12 @15
10 @17
12 @15
12 ©15}
12 @15
14 @15£
12 @15
9 @16

12}
m

12}
12}
12}
12}
12}
12}
12}
12}
15
12}
15
15
12*
12*
12*
75
85

90

85
85
76*

90

217}
312}
150
300
140
375
180
187}
160
250
180
150
180
262}
312}
500
375
9,000
17,000

18,000

17,000
17,000
15,300

36,000

4 @15
25 @40
12 ©16

12}
33}
12}
50
8}
45
12}
50
20
45
20
7}
8
4
20
25
30
3 (?)
8(?)

3 (?)

2 9-10(?)
3(?)
5

1*

217}
833}
150
1200
95*
1350
180
750
256
900
240
90
96
70
500
1000
900
360
600

600

580
600
1000

600

Wheat

20 bush., at 60 Ibs.

Wheat Straw
Rye

20 bush., at 56 Ibs.

5 @10
40 @50
8 @15

3 @20
40 @45
14 @27
3i@10}
6}@10
3i@5

Rye Straw

Barley
Barley Straw.
Oats

30 bush., at 48 Ibs.

40 bush., at 32 Ibs.

Buckwheat .
Peas

25 bush., at 48 Ibs.
20 " at 60 "
20 " at 60 "
25 " at 70 "
50 " at 50 "
2 tons.
1} "
200 bush., at 60 Ibs.
10 tons.

10 "

10 "
10 "
10 "

20 "

12 @16
12 ©15}
11 ©20
15 @18

Bush Beans. .
Rice

Millet

Clover Hay. .
Meadow Hay
Potatoes
Ruta Baga. . .
Common "»
Turnips )
Beets

12 ©14
12 @14
68 ©SO
80 @87

85 ©93

80 ©90
80 ©88

2 @10

Carrots
Parsneps . . .
Cahhages ^
without the?
stalks >

83 ©93

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

501

ESTIMATED AT SUCH RATES OF PRODUCT PER ACRE, AND SUCH PERCENTAGES
CULATING THEIR ACTUAL AND RELATIVE VALUES.

MATERIAL FOE RESPIRATION AND FATTENING.

MATERIAL FOE MUSCLE
OE LEAN FLESH.

MATERIAL FOE BONE.

DIVISION 4.

DIVISION 5.

DIVISION 6.

DIVISION 7.

Oily Matter.

Carbonaceous elements
other than oily matter,
comprising sugar, hon-
ey, starch, dextrine, or
gum, &c.

Nitrogenous elements
tnown as " Protein
compounds," compris-
ing gluten, casein, al-
bumen, legumin, ave-
nin, &c.

Saline or inorganic ele-
ments, comprising earths,
alkalies, and metals, us-
ually or always combined
with acids.

Variations in percent-
age of oily matter in
divers analyses.

Probable average per-
centage of oily mat-
ter.

Total weight of oily
matter in product per
acre in pounds.

||J4

H:I

•!l!l

§"s!.s

J lit!

Probable average per-
centage of carbona-
ceous elements.

Total weight of carbon-
aceous elements other
than oily in product
per acre in pounds.

Variations in percent-
age of " Protein com-
pounds" in divers
analyses.

nobable average per-
sentage of " Protein
jompounds."

Total weight of nitro-
genous or " Protein
compounds" in prod-
uct per acre in IDS.

Variations in percent-
age of saline or inor-
ganic elements in di-
vers analyses.

Probable average per-
centage of saline or
inorganic elements.
"Total weight of saline"
or inorganic elements
Mn product per acre
n pounds.

3 @12
1 @ 1*
2 @ 4
l@ 1*
2 @ 3^

7*
1

2*'
1
2*
*
2
*
5
*
*
2*
2*
*(?)
*(?)
3*
3
*
(?)

(?)

1-10
*
(?)

1-10(?)

130*

25
30
24
28
15
281
7*
64
10
6
30
30
81
12*
140
90
30
(?)

(?)

20
50
(?)

40

50@80
50-f-
55@75

60

42|
58
25
63
37*
60
31(?)
45
35
43
50
43
75
45
40
40
18
10

5

9

8*
13*

62-5

1044
1066*
696
600
705^
1125
864
465
576
700
588
600
516
1312*
1125
1600
1200
2160
2000

1000

1800
1650
2700

2560

5 @14
3 @10
10 @16

6*
4*
12*
1*
12*
1*
10
1*
14
1
12*
25
28
4*
18*(?)
9
7
2*
1

*

2
2
2

1*

113
112*

150
36
140
45
144
22i
179*
20
150
300
336
78|
462*
360
210
270
200

100

400
400
400

.600

1 @ 1*
4 ® 6
1.2 @ 2.3
31® 15
1.03 @1.04
2 @ 3'-
3 ® 18
4 ® 5*
2i@ 4
5 @ 7*

1

6
2
10
1
3
3
4*
3^
6
3
2*
3*
1
3i(?)
10
7*
1*
1

H

l

1*

3

*

111

150
24
240
Hi
90
43*
67*
44i
120
36
30
42
17*
87*
400
225
180
200

300

200
300
600

200

60@78

10 @15

2 @ 2*

55@68

40@70

10@14

3 @ 61

13 @19i

50@65

50@62
30@50
75@86

10 @16
16 @26
19 @28
3*@6*
10* (?)

2*@ 3
2 @ 3

*@ 2*

2| @ 3
3 @ 4*

*@ 1

5 @ 10
1!@ 5*
1 @ 2
i@ 1*
1 @ 2*

3 @ 4

2 @5
1-12® *

*® 2*

10@20

*@2-5

li@ 2*
1 @ 4

502 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

This Table has been prepared with considerable care and la-
bor, but I have not thought it worth while to name the authori-
ties consulted and compared ; they include most of the French,
German, English, and American chemists, whose various anal-
yses of farm products constitute the active capital of writers
and speculators upon the subjects to which they relate.

The Table is not assumed — indeed, was not intended to be,
and could not be made absolutely accurate, but it is believed to
come so near to the true standard that, with the explanations
given, no one is likely to be deceived by it ; and the author
will be happy to receive any suggestions by which it may be
made more useful, and give them a place in a future edition,
should such be demanded.

I have not included in it the recently-introduced Chinese
Sugar-cane, or Sorghum saccharatum, because that, so far as I
am advised, no perfect and reliable analysis of it has yet been
made, nor have statements of its average yield of sufficient ac-
curacy and extent yet appeared to form the basis of a conclu-
sion respecting it. From experiments made with it, however,
in various sections, it seems likely to prove valuable for fodder ;
and if it should be found impracticable to extend the culture
of the Sugar-cane sufficiently to meet the growing demand for
its products, persistent efforts will doubtless be made to devise
means for the production of sugar from this very juicy crop.
It may be cultivated in hills or rows, as corn, and. for a fodder
crop it has the advantage of a small and easily-sown seed.

The Chinese Potato, or Yam, Dioscorea Battatas,li&$ been
omitted on account of its sheer worthlessness.

EXPLANATORY REMARKS.

Of the particular quantities given in the first division as
representing the product of an acre, corn may be regarded as
quite low, and oats, millet, potatoes, cabbages, and the root
crops as rather high. For the latter I have taken the average
of the English turnip crop, which, according to Johnston, is
ten tons per acre, though in common turnips we never ap-
proach this, and very rarely in Kuta Baga or the other root
crops. It is seldom, too, that twenty tons of cabbages are

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 503

raised upon an acre, yet it is quite possible to obtain this quan-
tity ; but upon the land that would produce it, twice, or even
thrice the weight of corn and stalks named in the table might
be raised, and harvested at less than half the risk and labor.
I have purposely made the average of corn and stalks very
low, because of my entire conviction of the immense superiority
of the corn crop over all root crops in our climate. The aver-
age of corn in the table must at least be doubled to make the
comparison a fair one with the last six articles. I have en-
deavored so to arrange the percentages adopted that any one
can with ease calculate the value of a larger or smaller product
per acre of any crop given.

Divisions 2 and 3, Water and Vegetable Fibre, represent
constituents of the crop which in ordinary cases simply add to
its bulk. As vehicles of food, or mingled with it, their mere
bulk aids digestion, and thereby promotes health, while they
may also, in extreme cases, become, to a certain extent, available
as nutriment.

Divisions 4, 5j 6, and 7 (omitting the silica in the latter)
contain the materials by which, in combination with water, all
animal bodies are framed, covered with muscle and fat, sup-
ported in growth, their waste resupplied, and warmth and
vigor given to them. The aggregate of the items in these col-
umns indicates the true value of any crop we raise. Milk,
which is the only complete and perfect animal food, contains
them all (with the omission noted), mixed with more or less of
water, and in proportions analogous to those of the general
crops in our table, the wants of the animal economy requiring
larger supplies for respiration and fattening than for muscle
and bone. No one of them, however, could be dispensed with
or ignored. With No. 7 the bones might be formed, and by
the aid of No. 6 be bound in their places and work, as puppets
are worked with cords, but must remain angular, and cold, and
of themselves motionless, unless the supplies from Nos. 4 and
5 lay a* lining of soft cellulose matter beneath the skin, round
the general outlines of the limbs and body, lubricate the joints,
and feed with appropriate fuel the vital furnace in the lungs.

The variations in the percentages of the several constituents

504 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

given by the different chemical authorities, as shown in the
table, are very striking.

Those in the water and vegetable fibre, divisions 2 and 3,
may probably have arisen from actual differences in the dry-
ness of the articles analyzed, or in the amount of their exterior
coating, as might very naturally occur in several of the grains.

Those found in the percentage of oily matter, division 4, may
perhaps be accounted for by supposing the analysts to have ex-
perimented upon different varieties of the same crop ; thus, to
take Corn as an example, it is perfectly comprehensible how
neither Liebig nor any other chemist could find even five per
cent, of oily matter in our light flour Corns, which seem to re-
semble Buckwheat in their character, while Dumas and others
might readily obtain nine or ten per cent, from a strong north-
ern yellow Flint Corn.

This division properly belongs with No. 5, the elements in
both being carbonaceous, but I have given the oily matter a
separate division, because, as the ready-formed fat in food is
most easily appropriated, and, withal, renders important aid in
digestion, the amount of this material found in a given crop
affords a measurable test of its relative value in the fattening
of animals.

The differences found in the percentages of the other car-
bonaceous and the nitrogenous elements, divisions 5 and 6,
may be due, in part, to the same cause as those of the oily
matter, but probably still more to differences of character and
quality, independent of variety of stock, arising from differ-
ences in the feeding and culture of the particular crops from
which the specimens were derived. The manure from a barn-
yard that is very thoroughly leached into the neighboring
brook will not have much material to give stamina and rich-
ness to the crop to which it is applied ; and if, in addition to
this, the season's culture be slighted, a crop relatively rich in
vegetable fibre, and poor in the more important constituents,
may be reasonably expected. *

The variations in the percentages of saline or inorganic el-
ements, division 7, may be traced to the same or analogous
causes. It is well settled that plants, like animals, feed not

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 505

always upon that which is most desirable and proper, but upon
what can be had in their season of need. If, therefore, the
rains have carried off the elements of this and the two preced-
ing divisions from the barn-yard, and they have been previous-
ly largely cropped out of the soil and sold off without return
to the land, no grand and heavy crop can be expected.

Under the general terms saline or inorganic elements are
included, in very various proportions, Silica or Flint, Lime,
Magnesia, Alumina, Potash, Soda, metallic Oxides, Phospho-
ric and Sulphuric Acids, Chlorine, and a few other constitu-
ents ; and, though their aggregates, as shown in this division,
are small as compared with those of Nos. 5 and 6, yet they
are, more or less of them., essential to every crop, and can not
be taken by the plant from the atmosphere, whence much of
the material for the others may probably be derived. Hence
this division becomes of special importance, showing as it does
the total amount of the privation which land sustains by the
loss of these elements in a given crop.

By far the greater portion of these aggregates, however, are
derived from about one half of the elements named above. Of
the 24 Ibs. of inorganic matter given in the table as obtained
from the product of an acre of wheat, about 8J Ibs. may be Sil-
ica, 2 Ibs. Lime, 2 Ibs. Magnesia, 4^ Ibs. Potash, and 5 Ibs.
Soda ; and of the 240 Ibs. yielded by the straw, about 189 Ibs.
may be reckoned as Silica, 16 Ibs. Lime, 2 Ibs. Magnesia, 1J
Ibs. Potash, and 2 Ibs. Soda, with some 10 Ibs. Phosphoric
Acid ; the small remaining balance in both being composed
of minute portions of the other elements. The large predom-
inance of silica and lime is a remarkable feature in this divi-
sion, and may illustrate the natural law by which supply and
demand are regulated in the vegetable and animal kingdoms.
Without the silica, neither corn, grain, nor grass would stand
upright to maturity ; it forms the outer coating and strength-
ener of the stem of these and certain other plants, and may,
without impropriety, be said to furnish to them the bones of
vegetable growth. The lime is equally essential to the forma-
tion and strength of animal bones, of which it constitutes so
large a part. Extraordinary means are sometimes used to

Y

506 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

supply the lack of it when the bones are in the forming state ;
thus the peasant mothers of Germany are said to give lime-
water to their young children ; and when, in raising calves
by hand, milk is economized by the use of hay-tea, &c., it is a
custom, which I think is immemorial, to make up the great
defect of the infusion by giving them chalk to lick, with which
they instinctively supply the necessities of the animal econ-
omy. From the multiplicity of these saline or inorganic con-
stituents of vegetables and their importance, although many
are minute in quantity, it is apparent that very light applica-
tions of such manures as are rich in these elements may be of
essential service to the crop.

A glance at the table shows that hay, and stalks, and
straw contain more of saline or inorganic matters than is
found in the grains, and the same is true of the vines of peas,
potatoes, &c., which are omitted ; to preserve all these with
care, and return them, with suitable additions, to the soil,
may therefore be regarded as one of the first duties of the in-
telligent cultivator.

Where, as in the case of tobacco, almost the wrhole product
is of necessity sent away, the soil must be speedily exhausted,
unless the various elements contained in the crop are replaced
by importation, or by taxing other crops for a supply ; but, in
reference to ordinary farm soils and crops, the case is some-
what different. The elements contained in the various crops
above enumerated may all be replaced, and the general condi-
tion of the farm progressively improved by the accumulations
of a well-managed barn-yard, with the use of ashes, gypsum,
marl, and swamp-muck treated with lime, where these are ob-
tainable ; but especially may this be effected by the frequent
and regular use of clover as green manure ; this, with the ap-
plication of gypsum and occasional dressings of lime, will be
found the cheapest and easiest known mode of resupplying the
draughts made by the various crops, and sustaining and im-
proving the strength and productiveness of the soil.

ADDENDUM.

Forcing Vegetables and Fruits. — Training Fruit-trees.

FORCING AND TRAINING.

FORCING common garden vegetables and forcing or training
ordinary fruit-trees are modes of culture not likely to be very
generally adopted in American home gardens ; but, inasmuch
as they may occasionally be fancied or found desirable, the fol-
lowing brief account of their objects and modes is introduced
here as an addendum to the more valuable and important proc-
esses described in the body of the book.

FORCING.

FORCING is the general term descriptive of the various proc-
esses for raising vegetables, fruits, or flowers out of their natu-
ral or ordinary seasons or climates, by means of carefully-ap-
plied artificial heat under glass, whether in hot bed, or pit, or
grapery, or orchard-house, or green-house, or dwelling.

Among gardeners, success in forcing is an object of ambition,
and its honors are worn with a good deal of professional pride.
Some affect to have peculiar modes of practice, which they hide
carefully from others, but which are often mere worthless con-
ceits.

It will be apparent to any observant mind that crops which
in ordinary culture bear without injury the common vicissi-
tudes of climate in the open air may easily endure the lighter
and less frequent changes to which they are subjected in house
or frame culture, unless a most unnatural system is pursued,
or great carelessness displayed in their treatment.

The beau ideal of forcing is to create artificially a climate so
perfectly resembling that which is natural and congenial to the
plants forced as to induce fair vigorous growth and fruiting un-
der a system of treatment not differing materially in other re-

508 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

spects from high out-door culture. To effect this the chief thing
is to give incessant care to the degree of temperature and moist-
ure which the crop may require, and so to limit the quantity
of fruit permitted to set as to keep it always somewhat below
the bearing capacity of the tree, of which every gardener is
supposed to be capable of judging at a glance, and every culti-
vator may learn to judge by a few careful experiments in fruit-
ing. He can scarcely err injuriously except on one side. If
he leave an excess of fruit upon the tree, the whole crop may
be injured or destroyed, but if he reduce the amount, even much
below the natural or necessary line, the remaining fruit will be
certainly and perhaps greatly improved, and may very possibly
more than make up in its aggregate weight for the excessive
thinning.

Some vegetable plants are forced for use in winter by a
process of simple self-exhaustion. Their strong roots being
transferred in the fall to a cellar, or hot-bed frame, or heated
pit, or green-house, yield a limited crop under the stimulus of
the warmth thus furnished ; this being obtained, the roots thus
taxed are either thrown away or set out again in the spring to.
regain their ordinary strength. Sea-kale, Asparagus, Pie-
plant, Succory, etc., etc., are thus treated where it is deemed
worth while.

The more common vegetables, as Lettuces, Radishes, and cer-
tain small matters for salads, require in their forced production
in hot-bed frames but little if any more or different care, though
longer continued, than is necessary for raising early hot-bed
plants of various vegetables for setting out. See page 30.

Cucumbers and melons are often raised in unfavorable local-
ities by a system of half forcing sometimes called " ridging."
For this purpose a pit or trench of any desired length, about
three feet wide and two feet deep, is dug at the close of spring,
and filled with heating manure in the manner of making hot
bed (see page 30), the manure being covered twelve or fifteen
inches deep with surface earth well enriched with old garden
compost and chopped half-rotted sod, adding sand or road- wash
if the soil be heavy.

Potted plants, previously prepared in hot bed, are set out

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 5UU

carefully along the centre of this ridge, in hills from four to six
feet apart. Set a hand-glass over each hill ; give air and cul-
ture as needed until the vines begin to run freely, then raise
the hand-glasses upon bricks or blocks, that they may pass un-
der ; nip or stop them at about two feet from .the stem, that
they may branch and blossom compactly ; and when the full
summer is upon them remove the hand-glasses entirely, and
give them ordinary but careful culture until the crop perfects.

The plants for ridging or forcing, both of cucumbers and
melons, are in general carefully raised from old seed, that
the vine-growth may be moderate ; or they are produced by
cuttings, particularly if new seed has been sown. The cut-
tings are made in the ordinary manner (see page 438), and
being set two or three in a pot, and placed in the hot bed with
slight shade, will root in a week or so, and soon furnish strong
compact growing plants, which will also, if well raised, be
more hardy than those direct from seed, and less liable to
" damp off," as the stem-rotting of succulent plants in a cool
moist climate is called.

In those climates which discourage or forbid their out-door
cultivation, they are often forced under glass; in hot bed or pit,
throughout their growth and fruiting, requiring peculiar and
extraordinary care in the process.

With this view the hot bed is made as directed page 30, but
with ten or twelve inches' depth of earth, which should consist
of thoroughly-prepared garden compost (page 63), to which an
equal quantity of well -chopped and half-rotted loamy sod is
added. Tfre seeds are planted, or the potted plants set out,
just under the centre of each sash ; and at the appearance of
the third leaf, if they are seedlings, only the two or three best
plants are left in each hill ; the surrounding vacant space, if
such use of it is found desirable, can be temporarily occupied
by pots, in which any kinds of early plants may be raised, to
be taken away as fast as the growth from the central hill de-
mands the room.

The most assiduous daily attention is required, to give air
and tepid water as may be found needful, taking especial care
to furnish both regularly but moderately, according to the va-

510 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

rying condition of the weather and the consequent necessities
of the plants.

Hill them slightly as they grow, and apply light dressings
of liquid manure from time to time to the hills and around
them, but in these and the ordinary waterings avoid much wet-
ting upon the stems or leaves of the plants.

As the vines extend it will become necessary to nip their
points for the purpose of thickening the bearing growth, caus-
ing them to branch from near the root, and also afterward to
" stop" them when they reach the sides of the frame, and,
again, to prevent their becoming over-thickened by their young
side branches, which must be kept thinned out when the fruit
is forming or in growth ; the number of fruit upon each plant
must also be limited if you desire to have them fine; and
when as many as you wish to have are set, nip all subsequent
blossoms before they open.

The general temperature of the hot bed, or pit, should range
from 60 to 80 degrees, and this range be continued as uniform-
ly as possible. In order to secure this object, in addition to
the daily care in airing, etc., it may be found necessary to
" line the bed," that is, when the heat of the bed itself de-
clines, to bank fresh heating manure to the thickness of one
or two feet all around it in the same careful manner as the
hot bed was built at first, repeating this operation time after
time if found necessary, cutting away and removing all the old
manure from the outside of the frame so as to bring the new
warmth as nearly as possible into contact with the body of the
bed which it surrounds ; if thought needful, this lining may
be raised above the level of the bed so as to reach nearly to
the upper edge of the frame, with a slope to throw the water
away from it in rainy weather.

When raised in a " cucumber pit," heated either with ma-
nure, or hot water, or steam, these vegetable fruits are not un-
frequently trained upon trellises, being carefully and pretty
closely pruned, and strictly limited to their proper space, by
which system some room is gained, and the hanging fruit is
also ornamental.

Almost every variety of garden vegetable may be and is

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 511

produced by forcing where the demands of luxury render -the
operation profitable ; but few persons will be likely to attempt
to force these in a plain " home garden."

Fruits are variously forced, either in the -green-house or in
houses specially appropriated to them. For strawberries, steep
single-pitch, narrow, temporary " strawberry houses" are often
made with the glass reaching nearly to the ground. From a
furnace sunk a sufficient depth at one end, a single line of
stove-pipe or small brick flue, slightly raised, runs along the
middle of the floor. The staging is so constructed as to cover
this, and bring the plants within a foot or less of the glass
from top to bottom, the whole looking like a covered strawberry
bed upon a steep slope.

Grapes are more commonly than other fruits forced in the
green-house ; they are, however, more successfully forced by
themselves in a grapery, though strawberries in pots or other-
wise may be conveniently forced with them. Peaches are also
generally forced alone in " peach houses," and these, with some
other varieties, are occasionally forced together in what we have
called "orchard houses." For this purpose they are some-
times, though rarely, planted in the orchard house, as ordinary
dwarf or low-stemmed trees, but generally trained upon upright
trellises by the walls of the house, or inclined or curved ones
in the body of it, and sometimes are cultivated as extra dwarf
trees in pots, or tubs, or boxes.

Fruits so forced require, even more than vegetables, extraor-
dinary and constant care in respect to temperature, moisture,
air, pruning, and fruiting. The preparation of the house bor-
ders, etc., and the general course of treatment required do not
differ greatly from the directions for the grapery, page 357.

Forced vegetables which are raised from seed, etc., are start-
ed at once in summer heat ; but in forcing fruits we seek to
make a mimic spring, beginning at a low temperature, say
35 to 40 degrees, and gradually raising it at the rate of two
or three degrees a week, until, by the time the fruit has set, it
has gone up to 60 degrees in the day ; or at this point and on-
ward it may rise to 70 or 80 degrees if the sunshine carry it
up ; but in this case free ventilation must be given, and a hu-

512 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

mid atmosphere produced by watering or syringing, and spe-
cial care be taken that after such an accession of heat the re-
cession be not sudden. The night temperature may range
uniformly about ten degrees below that of the day, the state
of the house being sedulously watched, its slightest variations
being indicated by a double registering thermometer.

Besides a very severe system of summer pruning, almost
entirely suppressing growth, there are in fruit forcing various
other nice points to be attended to, the detailed minutiae of
which will be found in works specially devoted to this depart-
ment of fancy culture, and these scanty general indications are
all that can be given here.

The ripening of the larger fruits will generally be effected in
about five months from the first application of heat.

TRAINING.

"TRAINING" is any process by which the young growth of
trees or shrubs is diverted from its natural eourse, and made
to take such directions or assume such forms as the fancy
of the cultivator may prescribe. Hence the various kinds of
training are designated as "upright," "horizontal," "'fan-
shaped," " weeping," " coiled," or " winding," etc. For illus-
trations of the two former see Arbor and Trellis Culture of the
Grape, p. 349-50.

Training the larger fruit-trees upon trellises is, in general,
merely a fancy mode of treating dwarf trees like the weeping
cone and other peculiar forms, or it is practiced in preparing
such trees for the ornamentation of path sides, etc. ; but train-
ing such fruits against walls or other shelters is adopted with
a view of producing in ungenial climates fruits not otherwise
producible in them, or to obtain in perfection in unfavorable
localities or soils certain fine varieties of fruits, which even
the processes of dwarfing and summer pruning do not enable
us, under the circumstances, to ripen satisfactorily. It may
be practiced in either or all its forms so far as time, means,
and taste permit or prompt.

Where it is proposed to cultivate " wall fruit," as the prod-
uct of trees so trained is termed, the borders or holes for the

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

513

trees are prepared with more or less care and thoroughness,
somewhat after the mode prescribed for grape borders in house
culture, page 355. If you desire success, prepare them well.
There is an equity in the matter : your pay will be according
to your labor.

Fig. 308.

Fig. 309.

Maiden tree cut back and set out for
fan training.

Young fan-trained tree with its first year1 3
growth of three shoots.

The first step in training is to plant a tree of one year's
growth from the bud, technically called a " maiden tree,"
against a wall or trellis, having first cut it back, if intended
to be fan-formed, to within one, or two, or three inches of the
point of junction with the stock. Fig. 308.

In planting it, let it be set so that the head of the stock
where it was cut down after budding and the face of the new
cut made in cutting back the young tree may be toward the
wall, and the swell of the original bud growth, with its nu-
merous undeveloped buds, be thrown outward to furnish shoots
to radiate from that point for training if it be cut very closely
back.

The precise number of buds that are permitted to start the
first year may vary, but for illustration I have chosen three as
a sufficient and convenient number (Fig. 309).

These are to be laid carefully to their proper places as their
growth proceeds by nailing them by means of small bands of
cloth or leather placed around them, forming, when nailed,

Y 2

514

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

loose loops, through which the shoot runs ; and it will gener-
ally be found convenient to alternate the sides on which the
nails are driven, so that the shoot may be strained in any de-
sired direction. In training immediately upon brick walls,
small cast nails are used like those which bootmakers call
" sparrow-bills," but larger ; but to avoid the necessity of
nailing into brick, a frame or trellis, as in open culture, is
often set between the wall and the tree, upon which the young
shoots may be tied securely but not tightly to their places by
strips of bass mat or other material.

All growth shoots thrown directly forward from the face of
the tree, and all branching growth from the young shoots that
are laid into place, must be suppressed as soon as they start,
and all over-luxuriance or disproportion in the growth of any
one or more of the shoots of the season must be prevented by
watchful summer pruning.

In the winter pruning these shoots of the season are cut
back, according to the vigor of their growth, to the length of
from ten to fifteen inches, more or less, as shown in Fig. 310.

Fig. 310.

Tig. 811.

Young fan-trained tree with its first year's
growth cut back at the winter pruning.

Young fan-trained tree with its second
year's growth, each main shoot having
thrown out two secondary ones.

From each of them the next season three shoots, a main
and two opposite side shoots, may be suffered to grow, as Fig.
311. These, like the former year's shoots, are to be laid into
place, summer pruned with the same care, and nailed or tied

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

515

as above directed ; cut back each of them at the winter prun-
ing according to the strength of the individual shoot, shorten-
ing the secondary shoots in general to about half the length
allowed to the main ones, or cutting them nearly as far back
as to where the main shoots of the season started, as shown in
horizontal training, Fig. 315.

This process is continued from year to year, permitting sec-
ondary side shoots to branch off from the main ones as the
spaces between them widen with their extension, until the
whole surface appropriated to the tree is covered with its
growth, regularly laid in against the wall, or fence, or trellis,
in a flat fan form, as Fig. 312.

rig. 312.

A full-sized fan-formed tree, cr, a.

Dotted line showing the point to which a diseased tree
may be cut back.

When trained trees have thus filled up their allotted space,
they must be absolutely limited to their specific boundaries,
and only so much wood permitted to grow from year to year
as may be required to fill up the blank spots made by the win-
ter pruning. From the very first the trees are to be carefully

516 AMERICAN HOME GARDEN*.

summer pruned, as directed for dwarf trees, page 255 ; with
proper attention to this, so that no shoot is suffered to grow
with disproportionate vigor, it will generally be found suffi-
cient, while the tree is forming, to cut annually from the
young shoots at the winter pruning about one third or one
half the length of the season's growth.

By this course, steadily pursued, the burden of fruit which
the tree may become capable of bearing will be concentrated
upon and sometimes seem to cover its. whole area as it hangs
from the numerous fruit branches.

If it is intended to train the tree horizontally, it may either
be cut back as above directed for fan training, or may be left
six or eight inches long from the bud at the setting out, as
shown in Fig. 313.

Fig. 313. Tig. 314

Maiden tree cnt back and
set out for horizontal Yonng horizontal-trained tree with its first year's growth of
training. three shoots shown as cut back at the winter pruning.

One upright leader, with not more than two opposite main
side shoots, may be allowed to start the first year, the latter
to be trained horizontally, and at the winter pruning each
must be cut back as shown in Fig. 314 a.

In the second year these lengthen from the extreme bud of
each, but are not permitted to form secondary side shoots,
which, if they put forth, must be nipped throughout the sum-
mer ; two other main side shoots are also formed and trained

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

517

horizontally as they grow. See Fig. 315 a, a. These are all
shortened at the winter pruning, as also shown in Fig. 315,
each shoot being kept about the length of one year's pruned
growth behind its predecessor.

Fig. 315.

Young horizontal-trained tree with its second year's growth shown as cut back at the
winter pruning, ft, 6, b, b. Spurs with their bunches of blossom buds.

This process, like that of fan-training, with similar care in
respect to summer pruning, is continued from year to year un-
til the tree attains its full size (Fig. 316), after which it is
simply limited to its appropriate . space, and permitted annu-
ally to renew by its growth the wastage of its winter pruning.

Under skillful treatment its branches will become studded
in the fall with "spurs," which are short stiff shoots from
half an inch to four inches long, ending in bunches of full
rounded "blossom buds" (Fig. 315 &), the ordinary growth or
leaf buds being of a more pointed form. Upon these spurs, or
from buds set immediately upon the branches (Fig. 316), its
burden of fruit will be annually produced, but special care is
required in the pruning and general management of trained
trees to secure regularly upon them a full but not excessive
annual crop of fruit.

The directions given above for regulating the growth and
training of the trees are not to be considered absolute ; the ar-
rangement may be changed or inverted at the pleasure of the

518

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN.

cultivator, the horizontal tree being permitted to form second-
ary side shoots, and the fan-formed one being limited to main
shoots and spurs.

Fig. 316.

Full-sized horizontal-trained tree covered with fruit buds.
a. A main shoot cut clean out, and a new one forming.
&, 6. Dotted lines showing the cutting back of diseased trees.

Under this non-natural course of treatment trees are more
than commonly liable to become diseased. Sometimes it is
necessary, and still oftener expedient, to renew certain por-
tions of a trained tree by cutting an old main shoot clean out,
and forming a new one in its place by gradually carrying a
young shoot from the central radiating point, or from the up-
right leader, annually shortening and pruning it as in forming
the tree at first. See Fig. 316 a.

If a tree indicates general weakness or disease, and ordinary
means fail to renovate it, cut back the whole growth from one
third to one half, less or more according to your judgment, as
indicated by the dotted lines, figures 312 a, 316 b. Shorten
at the same time the side shoots of the remainder ; clear it
of insects if infested, by the use of some suitable wash (see
page 284) ; change the surface earth around it, substituting
fresh surface loam and rotted sod, and, if it seem requisite,
give an extra application of liquid manure occasionally, espe-

AMERICAN HOME GARDEN. 519

cially toward the extremities of its roots ; examine its deep
roots, and if the disease is caused by their entering a cold or
poisonous subsoil, cut them off; or, if the case prove inveterate,
take up the tree, remove the subsoil as extensively as you find
necessary, pave or concrete the bottom of the hole thus made,
fill it with good compost, etc., and replant the tree carefully.

INDEX.

A.

Almond, 287 ; Earth Almond... 360
Alternating System of Grape

Culture 351

American Span Layering 440

Annual Flowers 436

Annual Flowers, Time of Sow-
ing, &c 455

Annual Flowers, List of 34 Kinds 455

Annular Budding .223

Aphides on Garden Vegetables. . 91

" on Fruit-trees 264

Appendages to the Garden 26

Apple Blossom, a perfect or bi-
sexual Flower 74

Apples 288

" Gathering and Wintering

of 289

Apples, Selection of fifty Kinds.. 290

1. Early May 290

2. " Strawberry 291

3. " Harvest 291

4. Sweet Bough 292

5. Red Astrakhan 293

6. Summer Rose 294

7. Williams's Favorite 294

8. Summer Pippin 295

9. Gloucester Cheese 296

10. American Pearmain 297

11. Jersey Sweeting 298

Maiden's Blush 298

Porter 299

Gravenstein 300

Hawley.. 301

Page
Page 26. Peck's Pleasant 310

27. Jonathan 310

28. Rambo 311

29. Westfield Seek-no-further 312

30. Broadwell Sweet 312

31. American Golden Russet . 313

32. Wagener 314

33. Rhode Island Greening... 315

34. Yellow Belle Fleur 315

•35. Danvers Sweet 316

36. Ortley 317

37. Baldwin 318

38. Wine Apple 319

39. Swaar 319

40. Red Canada 320

41. Lady Apple 321

42. Pryor's Red 321

43. Northern Spy 322

44. Wood's Greening 323

45. Yellow Newtown Pippin.. 323

46. Ladies' Sweeting 324

47. Raule's Janet 325

48. Boston Russet 326

49. Poughkeepsie Russet 326

50. Tewkesbury Winter Blush 327
Apples, Varieties of, for the East-

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

19. Vandervere 304

20. Dyer 305

21. Hubbardston Nonsuch 306

22. Minister 306

23. Hurlbut 307

24. Male Carle 308

25. Chandler 309

Fall Pippin 302

Fameuse 303

Mother .. 303

era and Northern States 328

Apples for the Middle States 328

" for the Western States... 329
" for the Southern and

Southwestern States 329

Apple-tree Borers and parent

Bugs 266

Apricot, eight Varieties of 330

Arbor for the Grape-vine 349

Arrangement of Garden .......... 15

\rrangement and Distance of

Fruit-trees in Plot or Orchard 247

Artemisias 461

Artichoke, Globe 114

Jerusalem 115

Asparagus 115

Assortment of Garden Seeds for

a Familv Garden 188

522

INDEX.

Page |

Autumnal and Ever - blooming I Bud Worm and parent Moth ....
Roses, thirty Varieties 480 Bulbous Roots, Selection of ten

Page

268

Average Product of various) 500
Farm Crops, Table of ) 501

B.

hardy Kinds 447

Bulbous Roots, Selection of six

Beets.

120

" Forms of. 121

Bee Worm Ill

Bell Glass 35

Bene Plant..., .... 124

Berberry

Biennials...

331
436

" Selection of 12 Kinds.. 459

Binding Buds 222-3

" and covering Grafts 238

Blackberry 332

Black Knot 260

Blanching 136

Blind Ditches 20

Blossoms, perfect, &c 74

" of Strawberries 429

Borecole 147

Botanical Peculiarities of Straw-
berry Blossoms 428

Box Edging for Paths 16

Box Wheelbarrow 33

Branch Cuttings 197

Brief Notes on Farm Crops 495

Brine Wash 283

Brocoli 124

Brussels Sprouts 125

Bud Cuttings 196

Budding, Annular 223

Knives 211

Nature of. 218

Process of 220

Time of 223

and grafting flowering
and ornamental Shrubs and

Trees 441

Buds, After-treatment of 224

Bud Scion and Buds 220

Bursting of the Bark of Fruit-
trees

Bush Scythe

tender Kinds
Bulbous Root Compost.

Bandages for Buds 220 Bulbs .7.

Band Labels 215

Beans, English 117

" Bush

" Pole US

Bearing Qualities of various

Fruit-trees 193

Bedding Seedling Plants of Veg-
etables

Bedding System of Strawberry
Culture..., .. 426

Hook

451
444
436

260
53
53

C.

and parent

Cabbage, Early...

" Late....

" Worms

Butterflies

Camellia

Canker Worm and parent Moth

Cardoon

Carrot..'....

Forms of .

Cauliflower

Celeriac

Celery

Chemical Constituents of vari-^
ous Farm Crops classed, Ta- >•
bleof )

Cherries

" Select List of sixteen
Varieties.

1. Purple Guigne

2. Mayduke

3. Elton

4. Knight's Early Black

5. Black Heart

6. Black Tartarian

7. Holland Bigarreau

8. Graffion

9. Black Eagle

10. Downton

11. Downer's Late

12. Florence

13. Early Richmond

14. Carnation

15. Plum-stone Morello........

16. Rumsey's Morello

Cherry Worm or Slug

Chervil

Chinese Layering

" Potato or Yam, Diosco-

reaBattatas

Chinese Sugar - cane, Soryhuin.
saccharatum

126
127

104
468
269
130
130
131
133
137
135

500
501

333

334
334
335
335
336
336
336
337
337
338
338
338
339
339
340
340
340
275
137
440

502
502

INDEX.

523

Chisel, Pruning

Cistern

Citron

Citron Watermelon 137,

Gives or Chives '.

Cleaning and scraping Fruit-
trees

Climbers

' ' Selection of six Kinds of

annual

Climbing Shrubs, 12 Kinds..

Cold Bed

" in Pit

Color of Vegetables

" Fruits

Combination of Vegetable Crops
" of Fruit-trees . 249

" of Strawberries

Compost, Ash ,

Bulbous Root

Flower

Garden

Guano

Layer and Cutting

Plant

Rose

Conservatory or Plant-room

Contents, general

Core Worm and parent Moth....

Corn

Corn Grubs and parent Bugs....?

Corn Planter

Corn Salad

Covered and Pipe Drains..

Cranberry

Crop, estimated by its Money

Value

Crop, estimated by its Capacity

to support Animal Life

Crop Hilling

Hoeing

" Time for

Plowing

Ridging

Watering

Crowbar

Cucumber Blossom moncecious...

Cucumber, Varieties, &c

" Borer

" Bug

' ' Fly or jumping Beetle

Cultivator '.

Currants

Currant Worm or Borer...;

Page) Page

207 Cuttings of Fruit-trees 195

31 • " of flowering and herba-

362 ceous Plants 438

152 Cutworm 107

137 D.

256 Dahlias, Modes of increasing

437 " twenty-one Varieties....

Dedication

458 Deterioration, the natural Tend-
483 ency to, in Vegetables, how

29 stimulated.

28 Dibber

71 Difficulties met with in raising
191 the Strawberry explained

85 Digging

-251 Dioecious Blossoms

429 Diseases of Fruit-trees and Fruits

64 Dock

444 Double glazing Sashes

444 Draining

63 Drawing-knife

64 Dressing Flowers for Exhibition
443 Dressing Shears

443 Dwarfing Stocks

444 Dwarf Trees, planting

" pruning

474

7

270

E.

138 Edging for Paths

105 Egg-plant

46 Elements of Plant Life

139 " AnimalLife

21 Enarching, see Inarching ..»

341 Endive

Estimates of Crop Values

497 Ever - blooming and Autumnal

Roses, thirty Varieties

498 Evergreens

90 Evergreen Trees and Shrubs, 14

92 Kinds

93 Evergreen Trees and Shrubs,

91 Time and Mode of removing..
90 Explanatory Remarks on Table

of Crops, &c

453

452

72
58

428

21

74

2f><)

141

474

19

208

466

209

206

244

255

16

141

59

59

235
142
497

480
437

486
492

502

F.

139 Farm Culture of the Strawber-

107 ry 427

100 Fencing the Garden 17

1 0 1 Fertilization, Organs of 74

44 a. Perfect or bisexual Flower 74

341 b. Monoscio.us Flower's 74

275 c. Direcious Flowers., 74

524

INDEX.

Fertilization necessary to Pro-
duction of the Seed

Fertilization not absolutely nec-
essary to the Production of

Fruit

Fertilization as related to the In-
termixture of Kinds

Fertilization, natural Modes of...
" artificial Modes of.

Field Mice

Fig

Fig Apple i

Flavor of Fruits, Peculiarities of

Flower and Seed Scissors

Flower Compost

Flower Pots

Flower Transplanter

Flowers, hardy and tender

Flowers, Shrubs, &c., Classes of.
" Modes of

increasing

Flowers, Shrubs, &c., Choice of.

Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, &c.,

blooming at corresponding

Times, or Interlinking, List of

Flowers, Transplanting

" hardy bulbous - rooted,

10 Kinds

Flowers, tender, 6 Kinds

" tuberous, 21 Varieties..

Forcing and Training

" Fruits

" Vegetables

Fork, 3 Kinds of.

Fruit Cellar

Fruit Crack

Fruit Gatherer

Fruiting, doubtful Views respect-
ing

Fruiting, healthful natural Tend-
ency to

Fruiting, the Law of premature

or forced

Fruiting, how forced ;....

Fruit-room

Fruits, Classification of

' Color of

' Effect of Soil upon

" Climate upon...
" the Stock upon.

' Flavor of

' Production of new

Shape of

' Specifi c Gravity of

Page
76

76

77
78
78
285
343
76
191
209
444
36
52
445
434

437

435

446
445

447
451
452
507
511
508
54
26
259
211

256
257

257
258
26
189
191
189
190
219
191
194
191
19?

Page
Fruits, Theory of improving 1 94
" transfer of N. andS.. 190, 192
Fruit-trees, After-culture in Plot
or Orchard 248

Fruit-trees, Arrangement and) 247
Distances, with Tables ) 248

Fruit-trees, bearing Qualities .... 193
" Combinations of,) 249
with Plans, 1, 2 J 251
Fruit-trees Habits of 192

" Modes of Growth of. 193
" ornamental 488

" preparing Holes for
and planting 245

a By Cuttings. ... . 195

b ByLavers 198

c By Seeds 204

Fruit-trees, selecting Varieties
of 192

Fruit-trees setting out 243

Fruit-trees, shortening Roots and
Top 244

Fruit-trees, Stocks for budding
and grafting 204

G.

Garden Diagram of 13

" Form, Aspect, and Ar-
rangement .. 14

Garden Engine 34

Garden Frame with Sashes 28

Garden House with Fruit-room
and Cellar . . 26

Garden Rakes 56

Garden Shovel 48

Garden Trowels 52

Garlic . 1 43

Gathering Apples, Time and Or-
der of 289

Gathering and ripening Pears ... 368
Gauge ^V^heel and Rack 45

Girdled Trees how to save 286

Gooseberry, three Varieties of... 345
Gooseberry AVorm . 2 75

" smaller 276

Goose-necked Garden Hoe 50

" Cranesbill Hoe.... 51
Grafting 225

" large Trees by Install-
ments 220

Grafting Modes of 228

a " Single Bud" 228

b. "Side"... .. 229

INDEX.

525

c. "Saddle"

d. "Cleft"

" on large Trees

e. "Crown"

f. "Tongue"

Grafting by Approach, or "In-
arching"

Grafting, Time for

Grafting Compositions, Nos. 1,

2,3

Grafting Knife

" Mortar

" Stiletto •

" Tool..

Grafts, Preparation of

" binding and covering

' ' After-treatment of

" transporting

Grains, various, sowing

Grape, 13 Varieties of.

" manuring

" Modes of Culture

1. Arbor

2. Trellis

3. Stakes.. :

Grape, Spur System of pruning

the

Grape, Alternating System

" Training the

* ' Summer-pruning the

" Winter-pruning the

Grape House, Culture in

Grape Scissors

Grape Worms

Grass Edger

Grasses, mixed for Lawn

" sowing

Grass Hook

Grasshopper

Grass Scythe

Green-house

Plants, &c .437,

" Shrubs, 18 Kinds....
" Plants of smaller

Growth, 20 Kinds

Green-house Plants, wintering in

Cellar or a Pit

Green-house Plants, wintering in

Dwelling-house

Green-house Plants, steaming ...
Green-house Plants, wintering in

Green-house

Greens, 15 Kinds

Grouting

Pagel

229 Growth of wild Plant and Seed .

230 Growth of cultivated Plant and

232
233
234

235

237

239

212

240 Hand "Marker" 57

213
214
227

238 Harrowing 22

240 Harrows 42-3

228 Hatchet... .. 207

495
347
349
349
349

54
496
496

467

470
472

Seed

Page
67

67

H.

Habit of blossoming of certain
Fruit-trees ... . 193

Half Axe 207

Hammer 207

Hand Fork 54

Hand Glasses..., . 34-5

Hand Seed-sower 46

Hardy Shrubs, 25 Kinds, with
Treatment of, &c 477

Heart Worm 109

Heating Apparatus for Green-
house, &c 475

Hedges, various Plants for 17

Height of Stem for Fruit-trees... 241

350 Herbs, 18 Kinds 144

Hilling (Crops) 90

Hilling Hoe '. 49

Hilling System for the Strawberry 425

Hill Layering Trees, &c 200

" herbaceous Plants 441

Hoeing Crops 92

Hoes (6 Varieties) 49-51

Hook, Potato 55

351

350
351
349
352
354
355
209
276 Hop Blossom, Fertilizer, > Dice-

Hop.

146

Fertile, j cious 74

Hop Worm 109

Horse Eadish ... .146

54 Hot Bed
103

30

" made in Pit 28

53 Hyacinths 448

474

I.

467 Ice-house 32

Imperfect Blossoms of the Straw-

berry

429

Implements of common Culture. 38

" for Budding, Graft-
ing, Pruning, &c 207

473 Index 507

473 Insects, Life, Periods of 94

; Breathing, Circulation,

474 and Digestion of 94

143 Insects, Changes of 95

; Periodical Prevalence of 95

INDEX.

Insects vary in Kind according
to Climate, Locality, and Crop

Insects, Means of Defense and Of-
fense against

1. Natural Enemies

2. Changing Sowing Time....

3. Their Tastes or Distastes . .

4. Means of injuring or de-

stroying them

5. A Limit to wise Labor in

Reference to them

Insects injurious to Fruit-trees

and Fruit

Insects injurious to Vegetables ..
Insects on Green-house Plants...
Intermixture of Vegetables

K

Kale or Borecole

Knives for Budding, &c

Knives, various

Kohl Eabi (or Turnip Cabbage).

L.

Labels, Band

" Stake

Labeling and Diagram to be)

attended to j

Large Trees as Stocks

" Grafting

Layering, Modes of,

Page

95

96 Manure

' American Span"

Chinese'

Common"

;Hill" (herbaceous)

Hill" (Trees, &c.)

Layer and Cutting Compost

Layers of Shrubs, &c...

Layers properly Branch. Cuttings

Layer Stocks for Fruit-trees

Lawn, mixed Grasses for

Leaf Blight

Leaf Mould

Leek

Lemon

Lettuce

Ley Wash

Lime

Line Reel and Line

List of Trees and Shrubs, Peren-
nials, &c., that correspond in

their Times of blossoming

Loam ..

443
439
199

446
442

Page

M.

Manure Fork

Heap

96 Manures, Classes of

97 " Application of.

97 " certain, free from Weed

Seeds

97 Manures suited to certain Soils..

" liquid

98 " " how prepared....
Manuring and Manures

263 Manuring Fruit-trees

99 " the Strawberry

476 Marker, Hand

77 " Horse

Mattock

Means by which the various El-
147 ements of the Soil are returned

211 to it

212 Mechanical Preparation of vari-
147 ous Soils

Melon, Musk

Water

215 Mice, Field

217 Mildew. ,

215 Milk the sole perfect Compound
251 for Animal Support and

225 Growth

226 Missionary Hoe

198 Model Trees in Form, &c

440 Modes of Growth in Fruit-trees .

440 Moles, Injuries and Benefits of..
198 Monoecious Blossoms

441 Money Estimate of Crop Values
200 Mulberry.

Mushrooms

Musk Melon.

Spawn for ...

203 Mustard

496

261

442 Nasturtium.

148

N.

Natural Fertilization

362 Nectarine.
148
284
362
57

" 8 Varieties of

Nest Worm, Eggs, and parent

Moths

Net Worm and parent Moth

New Varieties of Vegetables.....

a. By Selection

b. By Intermixture

c. By Transfer or foreign Ac-

climation...

54
63
60
62

62
61
64
65
60
248
427
57
42
48

59

18
150
152
285
261

503
51
368
193
113
74
497
357
153
153
150
154

155

78
359
360

271

272
79
80
80

81

INDEX.

527

d. By Disease

e. By Introduction from other

Countries

Notch Worm and parent Moths .
Nuts, 13 Kinds

O.
Offshoots or Stem-sucker Stocks

Okra

Olive

Onion

" Forms of....

" Sets

" Escallions

" Top

" Potato

" Welsh

Orange, Lemon, Lime, Citron, >

and Shaddock )

Organs of Fertilization, with their

Petals

Organs of Fertilization, without

Petals

Ornamental Trees and Shrubs...

P.

Palmer Worm and parent Moth

Parsley

Parsley Worm

Parsnep

" Forms of

Pea Bug

Peach

' Classes of v

' Decay of.

' Disease of.

' Forms of

' Growth and Culture of ....

1 24 Varieties of

Peach Worm, with Chrysalis and

parent Flies

Pears

difficult to select

Distances for

Gathering and Ripening . .

Growth of Roots of

Model Trees of

Pruning

Soil suitable for

Winter Varieties of

Selection of forty Varieties

1. Madeline '.

2. Bloodgood

3. Dearborn's Seedling

Page
81

81
273
360

203
155
361
156
157
158
158
158
159
160
362
363

74

75
437

367

368
368

4. Julienne

5. Tyson

6. Rostiezer

7. Summer Franc Real

8. Bartlett

9. Canandaigua

10. Vanilla

1 1 . Stevens's Genesee

12. Dunmore

13. Heathcot

14. Fond ante d'Automne

15. Lodge

16. Flemish Beauty

17. Maria Louisa

18. Ananas

19. Louise Bonne de Jersey...

20. Beurre' Bosc

21. Urbaniste ,...

22. Petre

23. Seckel

24. Virgalieu (or White Doy-

enne)

25. Gray Virgalieu (or GraJ

Doyenne) ;....

26. Beurre' Die!

27. Duchesse d'Angouleme ...
274 28. Dix

160 29. Onondaga

110 30. Oswego Beurre'

161 31. Beurre d'Aremberg

161 32. Glout Morceau

101 33. Passe Colmar

363 34. Lawrence

363 35. Columbia

365 36. Knight's Monarch

262 37. Chaumontelle

363 38. Winter Nelis

365 39. Winter Bell

366 40. Easter Beurre'

Pear-tree Worm and parent Bee-

276 tie

367 Peas, early

367 " late

368 Peat or Swamp Muck

368 Peppergrass

Peppers

368 Perennials

" Selection of 26 Kinds
Perfect or bisexual Blossoms

368 Pickaxe

369 Pickles, various

370 Pie-plant

370 Pinks, Picotees, Carnations

371 Pipe or covered Drains

Page
371
372
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387

'888
389

390

390
391
392
393
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
.403
404
404
406

278

163

163

442

166

165

436

461

74

47

167

168

464

21

INDEX.

Page

Pit 26

Plan of Garden 13

Plant Compost 443

Planting Fruit-trees 243

Plant-room or Conservatory 474

Plowing 21

" in Crops .'. 91

" Subsoil .. 23

" Trench

Plows, 7 Varieties 38, 42

Plum, the 407

Distances for 407

Planting and Pruning .... 407

Qualities of 407

Soil suited to 407

Varieties of for Drying ... 407
Plums, Selection of 25 Varieties 407

1. Ottoman 408

2. Hudson Gage 408

3. Peach

4. Duane's Purple 409

5. Schenectady 410

6r M'Laughlin 410

7. Green Gage 410

8. Lawrence's Favorite 411

9. Washington 411

10. Lombard 412

11. Bleecker's Gage

12. Smith's Orleans 412

13. Cruger's Scarlet 413

14. Columbian Gage 414

15. Jefferson 414

16. Imperial Gage 415

17. Purple Gage 415

18. Manning's Long Blue 415

19. Dominie Dull 416

20. Catharine 416

21. Coe's Golden Drop 417

22. Coe's Late Bed

23. Blue Imperatrice 418

24. Frost Gage 418

25. Ickworth

Plum Worm (Curculio) with pa-
rent Bug , 278

Pomegranate 419

Potato 170

1 ' combined with Pole Beans 171

" Hook 55

" Size for Sets of.... 171

Potting seedling Vegetables

Preface .,.. 5

Premature Fruiting ..,

Preparation of Scions and Grafts 227
Preparation of Soils for Garden. 18

Preparatory Steps for final Trans-
planting of seedling Vegeta-
bles

1. Bedding

2. Potting.

3. Grouting

Preparing Holes and planting

Trees

23 Production of new Varieties of

Vegetables

Propagation of Fruit-trees

" Flowers

Shrubs

Protection of Garden

Pruning, opposite Purposes of, &c.

" dwarf Trees

" ornamental Shrubs, &c.
" and Forming of Fruit

and Shade Trees 254,

409 Pruning, "Root"

" Summer"

"Winter"

" excessive....

Chisel

Knife

Saw

Shears, 3 Sizes

412 Pumpkin

Q.

Quantities of various Seeds re-
quired to sow or plant an Acre,

Table of

Quantity of Grain Seed per Acre
Quince, Varieties and Culture of

R.
Rack and Gauge Wheel

Page

87
87
87
88

245

79
195
437
437

17
251
255
477

488
255
254
252
253
207
211
208
209
172

496
495
420

417 Radish

Forms of

Rake, 3 Varieties of....

419 Rape or Colewort

Raspberry

Varieties

Modes of planting

Soil for

pruning the

Frame for

Red Worm, or Wire Worm

87 Removing Evergreens, Time and

Mode of, &c

257 Removing ornamental Trees, &c.

a. Practice of Nurserymen ....

b. Preparation for

45
173
173

56
175
422
422
423
423
423
424
111

492
492
492
492

INDEX.

529

Page
Reproduction, Tendency to in

Vegetables 66

Reproduction effected principally

in a single Channel 66

Reproductive Tendency weaken-
ed in certain Cases by Cultiva-
tion... 67

Page

Selections of Varieties of the Ap-
ple for various States 328

a. For the Eastern and North-

ern States 328

b. For the Middle States 328

c. For the Western States 32i>

d. For the Southern States ... 329

Ridging Soils for Winter 22 , Setting out Fruit-trees 243

" Crops 90] " Shade and orna-

Road Wash 442

Rocambole 143

Rock Work... 485

Root Pruning 255 Shade Trees

Root Stocks ........................... 201

Root Worms .......................... 110

Roquette ............................... 176

Rose Bug .............................. 282

Rose Compost ........................ 444

Roses, Everblooming and Au-

tumnal, 30 Varieties ............. 480

Roses, "June", or Summer-

blooming, 18 Varieties .......... 480

Roses, Running, 6 Varieties ...... 484

Rose Worm or Slug ................ 482

S.
Saddle Grafting ..................... 229

Sage .................................... 176

Salsafy ................................ 176

Sand

442

mental Trees 492

Seventeen-year Locust 280

Shaddock.. .. 363

437
Seedlings of ......... 487

' ' Selection of twenty-
four Kinds ......................... 489

Shallots ................................ 178

Shape of Fruit, desirable .......... 191

Shears. Dressing ..................... 209

" Pruning, 3 Sizes .......... 209

Shovel, 3 Forms of. ................. 48

Shrubs ................................. 437

" for Green-house, 18 Kinds 467
" hardy, 25 Kinds ............ 477

" climbing, 12 Kinds ........ 483

Shrubs, &c., Propagation of...... 437

Side Grafting ........................ 229

Sieves of 2 sizes ......... ,t ............ 35

" for Flower Seeds ........... 36

Single Bud Grafting ................ 228

Sashes, Size for, &c., &c ........... 29]Size of Fruit, desirable ............. 194

Scale Insects 265

Scions and Buds prepared for

Budding . 220 Soils

Scissors, Flower and Seed 209

" Grape 209

Scorzonera 177

Scraper, Tree 208

Scythe, Bush 63

Seed and Plant, wild, of meagre

Growth 67 Sour-sap Blight

Seed and Plant enlarged by Cul-
tivation 67

Seedling Shade Trees 487

Seedling Stocks 204

Seeds of Fruit-trees 204

Soapsuds Wash 284

Soft Soap " 284

442

Loam 442

Leaf Mould 442

Peat or Swamp Muck 442

Road Wash 442

Sand... .. 442

" Grass 53 Soils, Effect of, upon Fruits 189

Sea Kale 177 Sorel : 178

Sources of Vegetation 59

Shade Trees 487JSpade

261

Sowing, Manner of. 82

Time of 83

Depth of 84

in Hot Bed 30

Sowing Tube 46

48

Seed Sower, Hand 46

" Horse (or Corn

Planter) 46

Seeds, Vitality of. 67

Selecting Fruits 190-2

Spade-fork 54

Specific Gravity of Fruits 192

Spinach 179

" New Zealand 179

Spur Pruning of the Grape 350

530

INDEX.

Page

Squash Bug 102

Squash, Summer 180

" Winter 181

Stake Labels 21

Stakes for Grape-vines 35 1

Steaming Green-house 476

Stem-sucker Stocks, or Offshoots 203
"Stock" or Character of Vege-
tables defined 73

Stock Knife 212

Stock Splitter 215

Stocks for Fruit-trees 201

Incongruous 201

Root 201

Sucker : 202

Stem-sucker, or Offshoots 203

Layer • 203 Thrust Hoe (see Hoe)

C3^^^n:«~ on^ ^ '

Seedling 204

for weak or irregular

Thyme

Ties, various Materials for.

Stocks for Dwarfing 206

Stocks, suitable, prepared, bud- ) 221
ded,&c j 222

206 Time of Budding.

Strawberry, the 425 Tobacco Water Wash

ties of the.

botanical Peculiari-

•••• 4:28 Tongue Grafting...

Strawberry, Classes of the 429 Training the Grape

Combination of « r>fEV™ «•_«•!

Classes of the 429

Strawberry, Difficulties in rais-

ing the.

Strawberry, Farm Culture of the 427

" Manuring the 427

" Selection of 4 Va-]
rieties of each Class of the, (
with additions to each t

named .... ]

Strawberry, Systems of Culture
of the..., .. 425

430
to
434

T.

Table of Arrangement, DisO
tances, Area, &c., for plant- >
ing Fruit-trees )

Table of Combination of Fruit- )

trees

Table of various Farm and
Root Crops, giving estimated
Yield per Acre and chemic-
al Analysis, with explana-
tory Remarks

Page

247

248

249
251

500
501

Table of Quantities of various
Seeds required to sow or plant
an Acre, with Explanations...

Tank

Theory of Advancement in Fruits

Grafting
Tobacco Smoke for Plants.
Tobacco Wash..,

Tomato

of Fruit-trees, fan form
" •" " horizontal
Transplanter, Flower.

428 Transplanting, Effect and Im-

496
33

194
51

183
218
223

237
476
285
284
183
234
349
515
516
52

portance of to Vegetables, &c. 86

Transplanting, Mode of final 89

preparing seed-
ling Vegetables for final....

Transplanting Flowers

Fruit-trees .........

shade, ornament-
al, and evergreen Trees, &c...

425 Tree Scraper

Trees, evergreen.

shade and ornamental ....

b. Bedding 426

Straw Mats (Mode of making). . 36-7

Stub Hoe 47 Trellis for the Grape

Subsoil Plowing 23 Trench Plowing,

Succession of Flowers 446 Trenching

Sucker Stocks 202 Trowels, GaVden" I'.'.'.'.'.'

Sulphur Paint Wash 285 Tulips

Sulphur Wash 285 Turnip Bug 'or' Flv.'. '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.

Summer Pruning 254, 352 Turnips .".

Summer Savory 181 " Forms of

Sweet Basil 182

Sweet Marjoram 182 V.

Sweet Potato 1 82 Vegetable Forms, Advantages

Syringe .34' and Disadvantages ot'certnin .

87
445
243

492

208

486

487

350

23

23

52

449

102

185

186

INDEX.

531

Vegetable Forms, Changes in....
" Importance of

" Original

Vegetables alphabetically ar-
ranged for the Garden, with

Directions for Culture, &c

Vegetables, Color of

" Production of new

Varieties of

Vine Borer

Vitality of Seeds

Continuance of

Conditions of

Causes which injure or de-
stroy

Various effects of weakening

W.
Washes to destroy Insects

1. Brine Wash

2. Soap-suds Wash

3. Ley Wash

4. Soft Soap Wash

5. Whale-oil Soap Wash

Page Page

69 6. Tobacco Water 284

69 7. Tobacco Wash (or Mixture) 285

69 8. Sulphur Paint Wash 285

9. Sulphur Wash 285

Water Cress... 188

114 Watering Crops 93

71 Watering Pot 34

Whale-oil Soap Wash 284

79 Wheelbarrow, Canal and Box ... 33
276 Winged Insects on Fruit-trees... 280

67 Wintering Green-house Plants in

68 Cellar or Pit 472

68 Wintering half-hardy Plants in

Pit 28

68 Winter Pears 368

68 Winter Pruning Orchard 252

" the Grape 354

Wire Worm or Red Worm Ill

283 Worms or Larvae on Fruit-trees,

&c 266

Worms or Larva? on Vegetables 104

283
284
284
284

284

Y.

Yellows in the Peach ... . . 262

THE END.

CURTIS'S HISTORY

OF THE

CONSTITUTION.

HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN, FORMATION, AND ADOP-
TION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED
STATES. By GEORGE TICKNOR CURTIS. Complete in 2 vols.
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AND

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Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa. Being a

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VAUTS ARCHITECTURE.

VILLAS AND COTTAGES : A Series of Designs Prepared for
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