The most paramount question with the fruit gardener is the destruction of insects. We have to confess to a belief that all schemes for their wholesale destruction have proved failures, and that our best hope is in their individual destruction. The different kinds of moths and flies may be entrapped by the thousand, in a persevering employment of wide mouthed bottles of sweet liquids hung about the trees. The curculio, whose most tempting allurements do not lie like moths in the way of sweet food, but in finding a nice juicy nidus for the deposit of eggs wherewith to perpetuate its species, can be slain by the hundreds, by perseverance in the shaking process. A snag, made by sawing off a small branch a few inches from the main trunk of the tree, should be secured on each, on the point of which to hammer, - otherwise the bark of the tree would be irreparably injured. With a sheet spread under the tree, and a sharp, quick jar with the hammer, all the pests then on the tree may be secured and destroyed. They are rather lazily inclined, but still a few will come from your neighbor's trees; but a few jarrings occasionally will keep them down.

Experience has shown that this course, which only demands a little labor, is much more effectual than the thousand schemes that have been devised for hanging various charms about the branches, and then kneeling down and crying on Hercules for assistance.

When, however, the plum tree grows stout, even the snag plan of jarring is not wholly successful, and the Geneva plan of having a padded end to a long pole - a sort of crutch - by which the larger branches are jarred over the sheet, is found a great improvement.

If large fruit is wanted thinning assists. Strawberries are increased in size by watering in a dry time. Fruit should be allowed to bear only according to their strength. If a transplanted tree grows freely it may bear a few fruits, - but bear in mind growth and great fruitfulness are antagonistic processes.

Handsome forms are as desirable in fruit as in ornamental trees. No winter pruning will do this exclusively. It may furnish the skeleton - but it is summer pinching which clothes the bones with beauty. A strong shoot soon draws all its nutriment to itself. Never allow one shoot to grow that wants to be bigger than others. Equality must be insisted on. Pinch out always, as soon as they appear, such as would push too strongly ahead - and keep doing so till the new buds seem no stronger than the others. Thus the food gets equally distributed.

Where water can be commanded, there is nothing so profitable as to well soak the soil about small fruits; first about the time that they have set their fruit. Much of the value of this operation, however, will depend on the nature of the soil. The advantages are least in a tenacious, and greatest in porous soil. It is said that an animal derives most benefit from food when it is hungry before it begins to eat; it is certainly so with plants. Water applied to soil already wet is an injury; and water never has so telling an advantage on vegetation as when every leaf is about to wither up for the want of it. A plant that never seems to want water is in a very doubtful condition in regard to its health.

In all the best specimens of small fruit or vegetable gardening, however, special efforts are made to see that the soil is not tenacious. Under draining is excellent where water does not run readily away.

In summer pruning or disbudding, it is also worth while to watch for shoots pushing stronger than others, and always take them out. This is the only way that shoots of equal strength can be encouraged in every part of the tree. This is particularly true of grapevines. If a shoot once get the start of the others in strength and vigor, the others will gradually get weaker to the other's increasing luxuriance.

As to the best system of pruning grapes, there are several " schools," all contending that their views are "decidedly best." In such cases we have generally found there is much to admire in them all - situations and peculiar circumstances deciding the point in each individual instance. There are a few points incontrovertible to insure success, and it matters little what system of pruning is followed, so that they are secured. First, a healthy set of roots of the previous year's growth is essential to produce vigorous start of growth the year following. Secondly, after starting, these roots can only be kept vigorous by encouraging an abundance of healthy foliage, to be retained on the vine as long as possible. Thirdly, the leaves of the first growth are at least of double the value to the plant than those from secondary or lateral shoots; they should, therefore, be carefully guarded from injury. Fourthly, checking the strong-growing shoots strengthens the weaker ones, equalizes the flow of sap to every part of the vine, and insures regular and harmonious action between all the parts.

Any system that secures this, does all that is necessary for the general health and vigor of the vine; and where some special objects are desirable, such as dwarfing, particularly early bearing, productiveness at the expense of longevity, special means must be employed to bring them about.

In the cultivation of garden crops, the hoe and rake should be continually at work. Weeds should be taken in hand before they are barely out of the seed-leaf, and one-half the usual labor of vegetable gardening will be avoided. Hoeing or earthing up of most garden crops is of immense advantage in nearly every case. One would suppose that in our hot climate flat culture would be much more beneficial; but a fair trial, say on every other row of a bed of cabbages, will show a great difference in favor of the earthed-up plants. It would be easy to explain the reason of this, but in this column we try to confine ourselves to " hints," and leave reasons to our other departments.

In sowing seeds it is well to remember that though the soil should be deep and finely pulverized, a loose condition is unfavorable to good growth. After the seeds are sown, a heavy rolling would be a great advantage. The farmer knows this, and we have often wondered that the practice never extended to garden work.