Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-04-18
AGRICULTURAL. &C
Hints About spring Work.
PRUNING.

In the generality of orchards the very i'm
portant process of pruning is too much neg.
lected, the trees being permitted to follow
I their own inclination in the formation of a
head. This should not be so, for the pro-
ductiveness of the tree, and the size and
quality of the fruit depend in great meas
urc on the judicious removal OF useless wood,
and the encouragement of the growth of
those shoots or branches which stand in
their proper place. An unpruned tree gen.
orally forms a thick, bushy head, and pro
duces either profusion of unfruitful Bios
sons, or large amount of fruit inferior IL
size and quality. There is generally more
time for pruning i'll winter or early in the
spring than in summer or autumn, and
there is better opportunity of seeing the
branches when the leaves are off, than when
they are covered with foliage.
RAsPBERRIEs.
Tender varieties, which have been pro-
| tected by covering of some kind during
winter, should be uncovered before vegeta-
| ton commences. If new beds or plants-
tions are to be made, the sooner the plants
are set out the better, for after vegetation
has commenced, it will not be easy to
remove them without breaking the shoots.
The plants should not be set deep in the
soil for the young shoots or suckers do not
come from the roots, and when the latter
are set deep the shoots are sometimes pre-
vented from reaching the surface. AS to
varieties, Brinkle's Orange is a very fine
fruit. but the canes are tender, and the ber
ries do not bear carriage well. The Yellow
and Red Antwerp, Franconia and Philadel.
phia raspberries are valuable, and should
be found in every well assorted garden.
THE STRAWBERRY.
AS soon rs the weather becomes soft, the
covering should he raked off strawberry
beds, and preparation made for supplying
any deficiencies in the beds that may have
occurred by the winter-klling of the plants.
When set out late in the fall, the plants are
liable to be killed by frosts In winter, and
ON this account, the fall planted beds should
be examined in spring and all gaps filled
up, Of varieties, the Wilson's Albany is
generally preferred for market, but Hovey's
Seeding, Jucunda, Boston Pine, Triomphe
de Gand, ETC., are all superior to it in flavor
and are more desirable for amateur culture.
VEGETABLE GARDEN.
AS soon as the frost is out of the ground
preparation should be made for getting in
early vegetables. Psrsnips, peas and beans
radishes, lettuce, onions, satisfy, etc., should
be put in as soon as the soil and weather
wait month than to till the soil when it
is saturated with water. Parsnips and
peas are hardy, and may be put in before
frosts have disappeared. The construction
of hot beds and the sowing of seeds in them
should be proceeded with, and abundance
of plants raised for setting out in proper
season.
ASPARAGUS.
Asparagus beds should be made as soon
as the soil and season are favorable. Every
owner or occupier of a garden should have
a bed os this excellent vegetable. Fine
crops of asparagus may be raised without
the trouble and expense of excavating beds
in the common way. The plants do very
well when grown in drills, in rich, deeply
titled soil. The roots and tops spread con
siderably, and the plants should be set in
drills three feet asunder, and from eighteen
to twenty-four inches apart in The drills
Better asparagus can be obtained in this
way than in the usual mode Of crowding
the plants in beds.
RHUBARB.
Rhubarb, or "pie- plant" is q very yalua
bic and wholesome vegetable, and large
bed of it should be found in every garden
1t requires deep tillage, the deeper the bet
ter, and heavy manuring. The large roots
and leaves require plenty of room to extend
below and above the soil. Some persuus
trench the soil to the depth of two feet,
when preparing to plant rhubarb, but with
out good drainage very deep tillage is use
less If propagated by dividing the roots,
the plants should be set out singly, and not
in threes, as is so often done. One or two
buds is sufficient on each dividing root,
The ordinary varieties are generally planted
in drills two and half or three feet asunder,
the plants similar distance apart in the
rows. Some of the larger varieties require
to be planted much farther apart-say five