Newspaper Page Text
114
tree, which mostly goes to the formation of stalks, with
but little benefit to the pod. Any soil that will grow cot
ton will grow Okra. The pod may be preserver! for win
ter use by putting them down in salt, like cucumbers, or
by splitting the pods and drying them in the shade.—
Communicated by Dr. Camak, from Transactions of the
Southern Central Ag'l Society.
xiisi Fiturr c; ars>iiiv.
The fi gcan still be safely transplanted. Cleft graftingmay
be continued on the apple and pear until the young shoots
be :in to elongate, but it is better to doit earlier in the
season. Newly planted trees, as well as those previously
eel out, if not perfectly erect, should be fastened to firm
ly planted stakes. Those newly planted, it will be well
to mulch directly after rain. As there is still danger of
frost, if your fruit has not been yet destroyed, have pre
pared some fat hghtwood, also some billets of short dry
wood, and piles of wet tan, saw dust, or other damp trash
near at hand, and use as directed in our last number.
Should the new shoots of the vine he frozen, they should
be rubbed ofi, and other shoots will be produced that will
yield a crop. If the first shoots are hut partially killed,
they will not fruit, but will prevent the other buds from
Starting, that would shoot freely if the injured sprouts
were removed, and bear a fair erop a little later than us
ual. Rub oIF superfluous shoots.
Finish pruning over-vigorous trees; also, the peach
which has been delayed for fear of hastening the time of
blooming. When the young'shoots of trees that have
been pruned are an inch in length, suppress all that are
useless, or badly placed, permitting only those to remain
that are needed for fruit, or the beauty of the tree. Re
move and thin out the suckers of the fig, allowing not ov
er four or five to remain. If dwarf pears arc too full of
fruit buds, sometimes no fruit will set, as the strength of
the tree is all exhausted in blooming. Os such, we often
remove one-lmlf, and sometimes two thirds of the buds or
blossoms, and find fruit to set well, and grow finely, on
trees that, without this care, entirely failed. A part is
always better than the whole, when a tree is loaded with
either blossoms or fruit.
Strawberries may still be planted, and Raspberries set out.
Cut down the latter nearly to the ground. Roth will come
into bearing next year.
Finish planting seeds of the Apple and Tear. Attend
to newly grafted trees, filling the cracks in the wax, and
removing suckers and water sprouts, that would abstract
the sap from the graft.
Keep a watch upon insects, and destroy the noxious
ones as they appear. Their name is legion and bv our
clearing up the forest, they arc driven to the orchards and
liuit gardens, and are yearly more and more destructive
Onions. —“ Onions,” says Dr. Ilall, “are one of the most
nutritious, healthful, and detestable articles of food found
in our markets. We never ate one to our knowledge
and never expect to; we can smell them a mile off, per
haps. A few grains of coffee, eaten immediately ’after
waids, or a teaspoon fill of vinegar swallowed, removes at
once the odor of the breath, it onions are half boiled,
and the water thrown away, and then put into soup to be
boiled ‘done,’ the odor will be but little noticed.'’
SOUTITERM CULTIVATOR.
FLOWIiR GARDEN AND SUUUBBLiiY.
In this department, everything should now be in order;
the walks well gravelled and rolled, the turf mown every
fortnight, the edgings trimmed, and the soils in the border
and beds kept light and clean by frequent stirring.
Most hardy annuals liave already been sown and the
ground is now getting so warm that half hardy kinds may
be safely planted in warm borders, where they are to re
main. This class requires even more care than the hardy
annuals, botli in preparing the soil and covering the seed
properly. It is better to start them in March, under glass,
and transfer them the present month to the borders.—
Some of this class, for instance, Double Balsams, (“ Touch
me nots”), Truffauts Asters, Thumbergias, Cypress vinesi
Petunias, and Salpiglossis, are among our prettiest plants.
Indeed, as a class, they surpass in beauty and interest
and continue longer in bloom than the hardy annuals.—
Sow, also, biennial and perennial plants this month.
Verbenas and Petunias should now bo planted where
they are to bloom, and the other bedding plants, likewise,
as soon as the danger of the frost is over. The most use
ful of the latter, are the Lantanas, w hich are pretty, and al
ways in bloom, Oestrum Parqui or Night Smelling .Jas
mine, Aloysia Citriodora, Abutilons, Salvias, Nierembergi.
as, Alonsoas, and Heliotropes, Double Feverfew, Coleus
Varschaffeltii and C. atropurpurea, Verbenas, &c. The
Scarlet Geraniums do not all perfectly succeed with us in
a full exposure, but many kinds prove first rate. Among
the desirable new r plants, are the double Zinnia, and the
double Portulacca from seed, and the Coleus, spoken of
above, of which the dark red foliage is very striking.
J ransplant, when of sufficient size, all seedling ornamen
tal plants, from the nursery beds to the borders, and when
the danger of frost is passed, the half hardy kinds from
the hot beds or pits, to the place where the are to flow’er.
Meanwhile harden them by exposing them by day gradu
all3 T to the sun. Do not take them at once from the pit
to the open ground, but keep them in the pots in a shel
tered spot a few’ days until their leaves have hardened.—
Redding plants from a distance w’ill suffer severely, even
if they finally survive, from being planted out at once,
instead of gradually accustomed to the air and sun.
Plant out Dahlias. Finish at once the planting of all
deciduous shrubs, and evergreens, as it is already .rather
too late, unless in propitious seasons. Gladioles of the
Gandevensis tribe may still be planted. The new varieties
vary much in color, and are beautiful. Os climbing
plants the Manettias, the choicer Morning Glories, as Ipo
mea limbata and I. Lcarii, are very resirable ; so, too, the
Roasas, Maurandias, and Cypress vines. Their training
is a pleasing care to the ladies. Tie up, as they require
it, the plants to suitable stakes.
V hen Deutzias, Cytissus, Mock Orange, Foreythias, Ca
mellias, Azaleas, and all other plants that bloom on the
wood of the proceeding year have dropped their blooms,
it is the proper time for pruning. Such plants must not
be pruned much in winter or early spring, as the knife
cannot be applied without diminishing tlie show of bloom*
Garden Seeds.— We still continue to send out seeds of
the best growers to paities remitting. Papers are of two
sizes, 0* and ten cents. Postage on seeds is now’ but
eight cents per lb. WAR N. WHITE.