1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



235 



onePlatycerium iilt-iconie.aiul the other Phityce- 

 rium ^rande ; an illustration of the hitter we give 

 with this.— Ed. G. M.] 



Dalmatian Insect Powder. — G. B. B., 

 Hill.sboro, Highland Co., Ohio, says: "Your 

 ]May number speaks of the " Dalmatian Insect 

 Powder." Can you tell me whether it is poi- 

 sonous to human beings, so as to make its use 

 in rooms occupied by children dangerous ? Also, 

 where can it be obtained? We are greatly 

 troubled by Hies and would like to try the pow- 

 der if it will do what is claimed for it." 



[We have always understood that it was one of 

 the merits of Dalmatian powder, and all powders 

 from Pyrethrums, that it was innocuous to all 

 hut the lower order of insects. But for flies, 

 what is better than the common " fly paper " of 

 the grocery stores ? — Ed. G. M.] 



Plants for Back Walls of Greenhouses. 



F. B., Baltimore, asks : " Would you recom- 

 mend a Stephanotus for a back wall of a con- 

 servatory ? I see it recommended in a para- 

 graph copied from an English paper. Will it do 

 as well here as in English greenhouses? I have 

 room for one good plant." 



[The Stephanotus does not flower well till it 

 has reached the top of its support, and has made 

 some pendant branches, from which it flowers. 

 It is a nice sweet thing, but hardly adapted to a 

 back wall. In our country it is ditHcult to keep 

 plants on back walls clear of insects. The Ste- 

 phanotus is particularly sought for by the mealy- 

 bug. We should prefer for your wall some Scar- 

 let Geraniums or Heliotrope as they are more 

 free from insects, and look gay all Winter. — Ed. 



G. M.l 



Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



The cherr}' crop has been more than usually 

 good in most places this year; and even the 

 birds have had to rejoice and seem to sing 

 "cherry-ripe" in every note. But the bird 

 trouljle is getting to be a serious one where there 

 fire but a few trees; there are few left for the 

 owner, robins nnd cat-birds getting nearly all. 

 Some people had an idea that when the sparrows 

 came we should see the native birds fall back to 

 the "original forest" which was once in the 

 state of Ohio, but in our case at least, there are 

 more native birds than ever. They must have 

 made a treaty offensive and defensive, for they 

 live with the sparrows in peace and harmony, 

 and are driven away, no not once. We wish 

 they would drive them a little about cherry time. 

 Kobins, cat-birds, and the like, do an immense 

 amount of good; from the time the frost leaves 

 us till cherries are ripe they live wholly on in- 

 sects — friends and foes — and after the cherries 

 are gone they again take to the grubs and cater- 

 pillars. • But we don't like to lose the cherries. 

 Perhaps we shall have to take to fish netting 

 to keep the birds from the trees and there is the 



additional satisfaction of knowing that this is 

 "the way they do it in Europe." 



Most kinds of fruit promise well for full crops. 

 It is here that trouble often begins, for trees 

 cannot bear forever on nothing, and many for- 

 get to give them food. The wise orchardist 

 has thinned his fruit at an early stage of 

 growth, and will now be looking round for 

 material to fertilize them with. It is not 

 too late to do it yet to advantage. We 

 should surface dress with manure, compost, or 

 rich materials, any time between now and frost; 

 but the earlier the better. There is not much 

 use in putting it on after the soil is frozen. 

 Rains wash its best portions away. As to kind 

 of manure, it makes little difference. If the 

 surface is not disturbed much, the richer the 

 surface soil the better. We have noticed but 

 little difference between animal manure and 

 mineral. Some of the best and healthiest trees 

 we know, stand near the manure heaps in farm 

 yards. 



A little trimming is useful to most trees at this 



season. The blackberry and raspberry may 



have their tops shortened so as to leave the 



' canes about four feet. Some do this earlier in 



