tion, the soil should be in good condition. Select a spot by itself, dig it deeply, and manure it liberally. If the roots be large, cut them into sets, containing one, two, or three eyes; and in the latter end of February, or during March, plant the sets in shallow trenches four inches deep, two feet apart, and the sets eighteen inches asunder in the rows. A small bed, 20 feet long, by 6 feet wide, will produce a considerable supply. In almost every particular, observe the directions given for planting the potatoe (208); keep the ground free from weeds; and in November, when the stalks become completely dry, cut them off, and dig up the roots. Clear the bed entirely, if possible, letting none of the tubers remain; manure and plant it afresh the following spring, and thus the evil will be prevented which attends the spreading of the roots, when they are left to grow in a disorderly manner. The tubers may be preserved in dry sand all the winter.

To cook the tuber to perfection, the larger only should be selected, and peeled prior to boiling. The form and colour is then equal to those of fine white turnips, and the flavour is pure, and much more agreeable than when the roots are boiled without removing the peel.

PART II.

OPERATIONS IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN, FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.

216. Sow-Indian corn, the dwarf variety (258), as early in the month as possible; kidney-beans, the dwarfs (31, 32), for a full crop, about the first week, and again towards the end of the month.

Scarlet and white runners, either in drills or seed beds (32); in the second week.

Peas and beans (24), for succession crops, as the earlier sowings appear above ground.

Carrots (76), for drawing young; once or twice.

Broccoli, purple cape (123), for autumnal supply; in the third or fourth week.

Portsmouth, white and purple (124), for the following spring; in the first week.

Borecole (118), Brussels sprouts (117), and any of the brassica tribe (108 to 110), for succession crops; during the month.

Turnip, the Dutch and Swedish; once or twice (332–334). Cucumbers, either for picklers or for late supply: about the second week.

Vegetable marrow-set out the plants over manured beds. Onions, for drawing while young, or for bulbs, to plant in the spring; in the third week.

Lettuce, the cos, or capuchin, for salad; at any time.

Scorzonera, salsafy, skirret; in the first or second week. Plant potatoes (206), the winter main crops; throughout the month.

Transplant cabbages from the seed beds (110); cauliflower (121). Celery into nursery rows; or some of the strongest plants into the final trenches, for early autumnal use; in the fourth week.

Attend to all the operations consistent with regularity, order, and neatness, according to the directions of the preceding months.

SECTION III.
PART I.

NATURAL HISTORY AND CULTIVATION OF THE PLUM-TREE. 217. THE PLUM,-Prunus Domestica. Rosacea. Class xii. Order i. Icosandria Monogynia, of Linnæus,

is a naturalized, if not a native tree. The genus Prunus includes the plum-tree, cherry, laurel, and several other cultivated trees, which are not indigenous, besides the following, which, being enumerated, and described by Sir J. E. Smith, in the English Flora, may be reckoned natives of the British Isles:-Prunus Padus, the bird cherry; P. Cerasus, the wild cherry; P. Domestica, the wild plumtree; P. Insititia, the wild bullace; and P. Spinosa, the sloe, or black thorn. The Prunus Domestica is considered by some as the origin of all the cultivated plums; it is found wild in our hedges; but its original country is supposed to be Asia; and, according to Pliny, "it was brought from Syria into Greece, and thence into Italy."

The cultivated plum-tree comprises a great number of varieties: these according to Loudon, amount to nearly one hundred. Tusser enumerates ten; Parkinson, sixty; Miller, only thirty-seven; the catalogue in the Encyclopædia of Gardening contains forty. In the Library of Entertaining Knowledge, we read-" There are nearly three hundred varieties of plums, many of which are, perhaps, only dissimilar in name. The Washington, a modern variety, which is stated in the Pomological Magazine not to be surpassed in richness of flavour, beauty, and other good qualities, by any, is curious in its

origin. The parent tree was purchased in the market of New York, some time in the end of the last century. It remained barren several years, till, during a violent thunder storm, the whole tree was struck to the earth and destroyed. The root afterwards threw out a number of vigorous shoots, all of which were allowed to remain, and finally produced fruit. It is, therefore, to be presumed, that the stock of the barren kind was the parent of this. Trees were sent to Mr. Robert Barclay, of Bury Hill, in 1819; and, in 1821, several others were sent to the Horticultural Society, by Dr. Hosach."(Fruits, 316.)

218. Selection of varieties recommended by Forsyth for a small garden :

To these add, the Downton Imperatrice, a cross between magnum bonum and the old imperatrice, by F. A. Knight, Esq. It was exhibited in 1823, (see LINDLEY's Guide, p. 462,) and

Coe's Golden Drop, a fine plum, retaining the form of the magnum bonum, but possessing much of the flavour of the green-gage. It was raised by the late Jervaise Coe, a market-gardener of Bury St. Edmonds, in Suffolk, more than thirty years ago, from the stone of a green-gage, the blossom of which he supposed, had been fertilized by the white magnum bonum, the two trees of which grew nearly in contact. Requires an east or west wall. (See Idem. No. 45, 462.)

219. Propagation and Culture.-Most of the varieties are propagated by grafting or budding on the muscle, or any other free-growing plum-stock, raised from the stone of the fruit, or from suckers; the former method is considered the best for permanent plantations. Grafting is said to be commonly practised in America. The common sorts, as the bullace and damson, are raised from suckers.

Grafting is performed in February and March; budding, in July and August, either very low in the stock, that is, within five or six inches from the ground, for dwarf wall-trees, or, at from four to six feet high, for half and full standards. When the first shoots from graft or bud, attain a year's growth, cut them down to a few eyes, to produce lateral shoots for training; and in two years the trees may be finally planted in the border where they are to remain.

Plum-trees produce their fruit on small natural spurs from the ends, and all along the sides of the bearing shoots. In pruning, therefore, the branches should not be shortened; but all fore-sigh

and back-shoots should be carefully removed, and the branches trained against the wall as regularly as possible. These trees may be trained as espaliers; in which case, the directions for pruning and training the espalier apple-tree (39) will apply to the plum

tree.

220. Forsyth and others decidedly prefer the horizontal method of training, and they direct, to "head down the leading upright shoot twice a year, till the wall be filled to the top." Forsyth says, "Never cut the stems of young plum-trees when first planted, but leave them till the buds begin to break; then, you may head them down to five or more eyes, always observing to leave an odd one for the leading shoot; remember to cut sloping towards the wall, and as near to an eye as possible; and thus managed, the shoots will soon fill the wall with fine wood. If you find that some of the shoots are too luxuriant, you may pinch them off with your finger and thumb, about the beginning of June, in the first year after planting; by doing which, you will obtain plenty of wood to fill the bottom of the wall. A great deal depends on the first and second years' management of your trees."

It is a question, now, whether a tree fresh planted, should be headed down, or curtailed in the first spring, or left till the spring of the second year. I have practised both methods with equal success; but upon the reflection that the equality of roots and branches ought to be maintained, it has appeared more rational to head down the maiden tree, and closely to cut in one already trained, just as the buds are inclined to break in the first March after planting; for then, if care has been taken to plant and fix the root with judgment, both roots and buds will start together, and the balance will, probably, be secured from the first.

221. Pruning.-The summer pruning is intended to regulate useless growths of the same spring, and may be commenced in May or June; and having taken off the misplaced shoots and fore-rights, retain a good supply of well placed branches, and train them carefully against the wall.

The winter pruning may be performed between November and March. Retrench superabundant wood, and cut out the worn out bearers, and all decayed wood, retaining well placed and healthy shoots. If vacancies occur, a strong young shoot may fill up the vacant place.-(ABERCROMBIE.)

M Phael recommends, that "when these trees are trained, the spurs should never be suffered to extend far from the wall, for then the fruit in general will not derive much benefit from it, and the tree will be liable to harbour insects of various kinds." "When

plum-trees are planted as standards or dwarfs, to grow and spread their branches nearly in a natural way; after they begin to bear fruit, they require no more pruning, than yearly to cut out the dead branches, and any superfluous ones which begin to crowd the bearing wood, or those which take the lead of others, and would disfigure the tree, and hinder the under branches from bearing."-(Gard. Rem. 134.)

222. Soil and Aspect.-Miller recommends a medium soil, neither too heavy and wet, nor too light and dry. Abercrombie prefers the soil of any fertile meadow or orchard; or if to be made, to take one half of fresh loam, one fourth of sharp sand, one sixth of road stuff, and one-twelfth of vegetable remains, decomposed dung, or animal matter. M'Phael says, that plums grow best in a brownish mellow, moderately light loam, rather sandy than clayey, of not less than three feet in depth. The aspect of the better sorts should be east, or south-east: other exposures may produce good plums of the less valuable kinds.

223. Insects, Diseases, &c.—The acarus, or red spider, is one of the most noxious enemies to the plum-tribe. Canker, and an exusion of the plum-tree gum are common diseases. For the insect, the solution of sulphuret of lime mentioned at No. 49, will probably prove the most effectual remedy. To cure the disease, it may be needful to head down the whole tree. In this case, according to Abercrombie, the soil being removed, and fresh added, as the young wood of plum-trees is apt to shoot very luxuriantly, it will be advisable to let the replacing soil be but moderately rich, so as to prevent in a degree this redundant luxuriancy.

224. Further Observations.-The plum is one of the trees which generally appears to be the most neglected: it is ill trained, carelessly pruned, and very frequently permitted to assume a loose and straggling growth. Even the directions for its culture and training are more loose and indeterminate than the quality of the fruit appears to deserve. In the foregoing paragraphs, the reader will find those general directions which are given by writers of the old school there is an exception, however, with respect to those contained in No. 219, which point out the advantage of the horizontal mode of training, a method that, if well understood, and steadily pursued, will not fail to produce handsome trees, and a large supply of fruit. At the time I arranged the foregoing directions, I had not seen a treatise on fruit-trees, which I subsequently have perused and studied with great and increasing interest. In it, the method of training the plum-tree horizontally, is laid down with much accuracy and judgment. The author is Mr. Charles Harrison, late