When preparing hints for the flower and pleasure grounds, something whispers to us to say everything possible in favor of the birds. Undoubtedly these lovely creatures give a double pleasure to that which the garden itself would afford. But when we come to the fruit and vegetable garden, we should meet with a direful storm if we said much in favor of birds. Of what consequence is the cheerful spring chirp of the English sparrow, if before the spring is over he takes all your peas away? Suppose we admit that the robin lives on the earth-worm and similar things in early spring, what if he leave you never a cherry on your tree? As a lover of nature we sing praises to birds. As a fruit grower and orchardist, it is not easy to decide what song to sing. In the old world, cherry and other fruit growers have to depend on fishing-nets over the trees, unless on a very large scale, when dependence is had on boys with clacquers to drive them away.

In vegetable growing, deep, rich soil, now so generally condemned for fruit gardens, is of the first importance here. Soil cannot be too rich or . too deep, if we would have good vegetables. It is, indeed, remarkable, that in many respects we have to go very differently to work to get good fruits than we have to perfect vegetables. While, for instance, we have to get sunlight to give the best richness to our fruits, our vegetables are usually best when blanched or kept from | the light. So also, as we keep the roots as near the surface as we can in order to favor the woody tissues in trees, we like to let them go deep in vegetables, because this favors succulence.

Where new Asparagus beds are to be made, now is the time; the ground should be rather moist than dry, and be trenched about two feet deep, mixing in with it a good quantity of stable dung, and, if the ground be inclining to sand, add some salt; the beds should be marked out four feet wide, and the alleys about two feet. If pegs are driven down at the corners of the beds permanently, they will assist operations in future years. Having marked the positions of the beds and procured a stock of two-year-old plants, place them on the soil nine inches apart in rows, one foot asunder, making three rows in each bed; then cover the whole with soil from the alleys and rich compost a couple of inches.

In a general way no hints can be given that are applicable to the whole United States, as to times to sow or plant garden seeds. Everybody knows that the sooner after frost is gone, and ground becomes dry enough to work, the hardier kinds of vegetables must be sown, and the more tender ones not set till the ground becomes settled and warm. Nothing is gained by setting things of the tender kind out early, for, though frost may not catch them, they become stunted, and later ones will catch up and outdistance them.