Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-04-13
Garden, Farm andFiG|d.
BY JOHN ]. GILL.
The Poor Gardener.

The poor gardener is the counter
part of the poor farmer. He has
great expectations and as many dis
appointments. After ~neglecting to
clean up and manure his garden in
the fall he gets into a rush in the
spring. The departure of winter, the
increasing warmth of the sun, the
revival of verdure and the sons of
birds all create desire in him to be
in harmony with his surroundings
and do something to promote the
resurrection nature has commenced.
He is thus stirred to action, and
without repairing its fence or even
thinking of its loose palings and
open holes he breaks up his garden
before its soil is in condition to be
reduced to filth. From want of ma
nure his asparagus is spindling and
unmarketable, his pie plant short
and uninviting, and his small fruits
backward and unpromising; his hot
beds are cold and the plants in them
weak and feeble through neglect, and
his wife's enterprising chickens
scratch up the seed he has sown for
the production Of stronger ones.
Sometimes, but not often, he renews
effort, repairs the garden fence and
stops its holes, purchases plants he
should have raised and sets them
out in his lily prepared and cloddy
soil where it is impossible, even
with cultivation, to produce thrifty
growth. Then he encounters grub
worms and bugs, whose attacks his
plants might have escaped or out
grown had they been early and
thrifty. The striped bug destroys
his vines, butterflies attack the cab
bages the cut-worms spared and
his wife's poultry depredate his to-
matoes. His garden is a failure and
he abandons it to the weeds with
the avowed determination of never
again exposing himself to such a
u of bad luck, preferring that his
wife shall manage thereafter both
garden and poultry.
OUNCES.
Preserved, the ounce is a delic-
ious fruit. Uncooked it cannot be
eaten. Mixed with apples when be-
ing prepared for dessert it imparts
its peculiar flavor to them. On ac-
count of the small market demand
for this fruit it is not extensively
grown. A few ounce trees, how
ever, should find place in every Or
chard for home use. 1t is a native
of Europe, where it has been extern
cultivated for centuries. 1t
a light, rich, warm, deep and
well drained loan. 1t is propagated
by layers, stools and gratis. 1t
grows naturally as a large shrub
but it is best to reduce it to tree
as in that shape it can be j
more easily kept free from borers. j
should be planted in squares of
about twelve feet when extensively
grown, as it sometimes is in the ;
neighborhood of large cities. Little
Or no pruning is required after the
tree form is established, except to
cut of suckers as they appear on
trunk or roots. Under favor
able surrounding the ounce usually
to bear remunerating crops
in from four to six years. No fruit
responds more quickly and free to
good cultivation and manure or con-
tinues with good treatment to pro-
duce fruit longer. Orange, Reas and
Champion are good varieties. The
pear shape is the old sort.
THE GoosEBERRY.
The gooseberry does not find
ready sale except in its green state,
and therefore is not extensively Gull
tivated except in the neighborhood
of cities. 1t should be in all gar
dens, however, as its fruit, when
green, makes nice pies and is pleas
ant to eat When ripe. Among the
best natives are Downing and
Smiths improved. The English
varieties are large but subject to
mildew.
MELONS.
There are few persons that do not
enioy- melons weather
when they are ripe, fresh and cold.
Many are brought from the South,
but home grown melons, taken fresh
from the vines while the dew is on
then, ARE infinitely the best, as every
darkey knows, when they can be
had in season. To have early
melons plant their seed in pots or
upon inverted pieces of turf in hot