The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-06-29
of the dry season, every Summer, eveu if
it continues until September. -Nichigan
Horticultarist.
Sod Making.

IhIc. jSoeHtialS LOT securing d me,
close sod by seeding are:-Rich ground
of a suitable character, seed of good
quality, thickly sown and frequent now
ing.
In preparing the soil for tbs sowing, it
pays to be at a good deal of pains at the
start. Results extending through years
of time will depend chiefly on this part.
with plough or spade the surface should
be worked over to the depth of one foot
at least. If it could be three or six
inches deeper yet, all the better. Along
with this process some finely divided
manure, say at the rate of a good two-
horse load to each four square rods of
land, should be worked into the soil.
AS the bed is finished it must be seen
that at least six inches of good soil (that
is, not sterile subsoiD is present in all
such lawns as are not to be kept watcrcd
in dry weather: but this is quite as essen
tial to those made by turing as any
others. Wherever the surface is broken
by walks, drives, flower beds and the like
the edges next to these should be made
of sod to u width of six or more inches.
This will keep the sowcd parts from
breaking away, as it would do if not thus
protected. All stones lying at or near
the general surface must be cleared away,
the area be made even and firm with the
proper implements and the surface be
worked up fine by the use of a rake or
light harrow-the finer the better.
Use good seed and plenty of it, apply
ing at the rate of one quart and one
fourth per square rod. AS for seed, the
follow 6 is u superior and inexpensive
"mixture":-Two parts june or blue
grass to one part red top or Dent grass.
Sow evenly; this may be done by double
sowing. BY this We mean to divide the
seed needed for q given area into two
equal lots, sowing one-half of it over the
plot, walking back and forth across it
one way, and then the remainder by
wall ug crosswise of the first sowing.
After this rake the entire surface lightly,
then roll.
Pruning Currant and Gooseberry Bushes
l notice advice on pruning currants US
follows, writes a New York corrcspon-
dent. "Prune out old canes and train up
new shoots" But permit me to give YOU
a modern Canadian plan of pruning that
has proved very successful, viz: Cut
back one-half of the new growth on the
top of the bush each year after they arc
old enough to bear, and only leave one
or two young shoots each year from the
bottom. By this method the following
advantages are gained:
First-Strong growth in the fruiting
part of:the bush, at the top. D.
Second-Rank foliage that will not
fall off until frost comes, thus keeping
the fruit from sun scalding and having to
be picked early in the season to save
them.
Third - Larger fruit and longer
punches, because all the small c%urrants
and short punches are produced near the
terminal buds, and these being pruned
Off give us nothing but the largest fruit,
and as it is the seed that exhausts the
plant, and small currants have just as
many seeds as large, so when they are
disposed of the plant will bear its burden
of fruit each year without exhaustion
and thus allow a better growth and
thicker, stronger foliage, for it is a set
tied fact that any kind of currant can be
exhausted by one or two heavy crops,
and thereby will have to lie idle for a
year or two to recruit, and often never
regain its proper vigor.
Fourth-Regular bearing, for a strong,
healthy bush will bear every year unless
it has grown too much to wood from too
close pruning, in which case one year
without pruning back will balance it
again.
Fifth-Bushes pruned in this way
grow year after year and become much
larger than when pruned in the old way,
and where bushes can be grown to a
large size they can be planted, say, six
feet each way and produce more fruit
than the old style, thus a great saving
in plants, and when planted this way
can be cultivated both ways, which is
also a saving of one-half the hand work
and hoeing.
sixth-By this mode of pruning all
them medium sized, heavy bearing vari
ties, such as Mays Victoria, Versailles,
Baby Castle, red Dutch and black cur