Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-12-28
q. DIOR the Journal
The Garden and the Orchard.


= FRIEND MAHlN:-I believe that a good
portion of your readers would be glad to see
a column, every week, in your valuable
JouHaAIs on Agriculture and HORTICULTURE.
l take periodicals and papers devoted exclu-
sively to these subjects, containing the best
experience of practical men in New York.
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Iowa; and from
these, sir, you and I may be able make many
extracts, which will be valuable to the farmers
and gardeners Of this vicinity.
Although / believe agriculture to be the
paramount interest of every person in this
North West, you know my speciality is hor-
ticwlture. l love it because l believe the
raising Of fruit is profitable, healthful, luxu-
rious- exercising moral influence over our
children which We do not sufficiently under
stand or appreciate. Towards the close of
winter, q few years ago, said to my child Of
four years: " In few weeks, spring will
come; the snow will be gone; the grass will
be green; the trees will have their green
leaves, and the birds will sing in them; the
flowers and roses will bloom" "Yes," said
said she, land the strawberries, the raspber-
ries and currants will be ripe p-and jumping
up and clapping her hands in great ecstacy-
"then we will 60 out and pick 'em' Child
like; and how simple it is in me to relate
such an instance as this! Two years later,
she knows the name of nearly every apple
she sees, the odd names OF many flowers
which cannot recollect; she knows where
the Early Harvest and Sweet June apple-tree'
stand in the orchard; she has her little hoe
and her little garden patch, with the panses
the roses and the dahlias better employment
, for the health of body and mind than all tn
> contents of q whole drug store and the worl.
of fashion. What is the health of our childre,
worth? Parents, you who have property viii
a bestow it upon your children as valuabl
legacy; and you who have not property cal
bestow upon your children that health Q
= body and mind which is worth more thai
e countless gold, for which our children vii
. bless US in our declining years.
e am, this winter, receiving some valuabl
= letters from experienced fruit growers In ILL
d nois. Some of them are little discourage
l. in raising apples, with the care the orchar
will 5e likely to get from our common farmers
- but they generally agree thai the small fruit
!. can be easily raised-the strawberry, tn
n currant and the grape, with others to fill on
e the whole season. Mr.. Phoenix says: eth
? grape does we'll on the prairie, when sheltered
e and often when not. The grape is the comm
If fruit-king think" So do l. But more o
e this subject at some future time.
If Take care of your orchard; keep the cattl
y out. Trim in June; but you won't be likel
o to do that, so would advise you to trim i
l. February, or, if very cold, wait little, but
e not trim when the sap starts. Look out fc
10 the mice! If you have neglected to clea
It away the grass and weeds around the tire,
Il and throw up little earth around it, go no,
II and clear away the rubbish, and put up eartf
!. or tramp the snow hard around them. Loo
e out for the rabbits! Get little lime, and,
h you can't get that conveniently, take som
a, -four; make strong tea of tobacco, and pu
Re it into a aohjte-soash to keep off the rabbits
n They will not take so filthy thing in thei
e mouths as tobacco. SUSL Foster.