Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-16
Orchard and Garden.

very best materials for mulching. In a succession of fruits the strawberry comes first, then the raspberry and the blackberry followed by the grape. In small fruit culture better profit may be realized by cultivating choice va rieties that ripen when no one else has any. f-s71
 A good way to plant grapes Is to set them feet apart in the rows and trafnE on galvanized wire fastened to locust posts.
 Grapes are perhaps the most profitable | and at the same time nthe most ,easilyi raised of sH our small fruits. '>k One decided advantage in having the manure used in the garden thoroughly routed and fined is that the weed seedS l are killed.
 During the winter, Is the best time for grafting little care and experience are all that is necessary in learning to graft properly. - It is claimed that ifipeach trees arel grafted on plum stock 4 or 5 feet above | the ground they will live as long as the I plum. .4.s.y = n 4, When the trees are not frozen is a good l time to prune, trim up and clean up the l orchard. This should be done before the | other work comes. 4, IA The more plants there are together the more moisture they -furinsh each sotheEss | u l plants has some advantage.
 An unfruitful orchard can often be l brought into bearing by good appllca-
 l ton of manure spread broadcast. The l winter is good time to apply.
 l The fruiting of an orchard is the end
 1 of it's culture, and everything should tend
 l to this end. .i..,s.:
 Trim and clean up the orchard, gather l up and haul out the trash to some open l place and burn it. '@7tH'
 Mulching, quince trees with coal ashes l is claimed to be a good means of prevent l ing injury by borers.
 The value of wood ashes in the garden and of coal ashes on heavy clay soil can | hardly be overestimated.
 If leftover seeds are to be depended | upon for planting in the garden they | should be carefully tested in order to make sure of their vitality.
 Since with good management, an apple or pear orchard can be made to last a | lifetime, it is essential that good care be | taken in the selection of varieties The culture of 'raspberries and black berries is almost Identical. The same di- rections will apply to both, except that raspberres will bear closer planting. Cranberry culture is profitable in many sections, especially where there is piece | of low, swampy land. Properly man | aged, cranberry culture can be made profitable.
 While there is time it will be we'll to plan out the garden for the next season and to ascertain what seeds and how much will be needed, so that they can be secured in good season.
 Grapevines are the most easily propa- gated of all the small fruits They are propagated by cuttings. These may be taken now at any time when the vines are not frozen.
 nn cba <r hox he v,1r, of the orchard during the winter. There is too much risk of their eating the bark of the trees, and as they are not particular as to the size of the tree, considerable damage is often done.
 The most productive of all raspberries is the Columbian, according to compara- tive trial at the New York experiment station. It is a purple variety. The plants produced their first crop this sea- son, yet 1t ranks second in productive
 ness among the raspberries fruited. giv- ing yield of thirty-four pounds from row 35 feet long. This is promising variety, and is worthy of extended trial. Once a year at least, and twice is bet-' ter, examine the fruit trees for borers, and cut them out and kill them, removing at the same time all suckers starting up around the roots. If the codlin moth or' curculio are on the shrubs spray freelyf with Paris green and do not give them a good foothold. sSpray tffe trees soon af-' ter the fruits have set Tn the spring or . the year. The leaf and twig blight and scab which appear upon the fruit must be conquered by spraying freely with the Bordeaux mixture. The scab in particu- lar must be kept under control, as 1t ruins more fruit than little. For growing onion sets. which can be made a most profitable crop In the south,
 select a fertile, sandy loam free from
 weed seed. trash and coarse gravel In
 early spring prepare a smooth. mellow
 seed bed with the best implements you
 have. To get sets of proper size the seed must be sown thickly.' The amount of seed required will be about fifty pounds to an acre. Sow the seed thickly in rows about 12 inches apart, scattering the seed in the row so that 1t makes belt or rib bon about inches in width. It is best to SOW with common garden drill and cultivate with a garden wheel hoe. In midsummer, when the top begins to de down. the sets are harvested either by lifting them with an implement made especially for that purpose or by raking them in,winrows. They are left on the ground two or three days to cure, then takenunder shelter and spread out on the rv&r- I-A ky.r