[86 



GARDENING. 



Mar. 



in order to secure an unerring crop, in 

 setting out a plantation of strawberry 

 plants, if we use pistillate sorts, every 

 thiid row should be of a staminate 

 variety. The staminate flowers are per- 

 fect in themselves and need no outsideaid 

 to help them set a full crop of fruit. 



The above varieties are well tested and 

 adapted to most localities. There are 

 other good kinds having special merit for 

 special locations and taste 



Whatever varieties are selected good 

 roots and vigorous plants are essential. 

 There are "scrubs" in plants, as well as 

 in animals, with samedifTerencein values. 

 Poor plants are dear at any price. Buy 

 plants direct from responsible growers. 

 Set all bush berries in longstraight rows, 

 seven feet apart, and plants three feet 

 asunder in the row. Set strawberries in 

 rows 3I/2 feet apart and two feet apart in 

 the row. Long straight rows are eas ly 

 cultivated and kept free from weeds. Ex- 

 tra care in all details of the garden will 

 increase size and quality of fruit and 

 stimulate a love for the work. 



Sparta, Wis. M. A. Thayer. 



RflSFBBRRIES. 



C. E.S., Chicago, asks about the straw- 

 berrj'-raspberry [Ruhus sorbifolius), the 

 golden raayberry, the Japanese raspberry 

 and the Japanese wineberry. 



Ans. The strawberry-raspberry we can- 

 not speak of from personal experience, 

 and we are not sure of what kind you re- 

 fer to as Japanese raspberry, but wegrow 

 the other two. The golden mayberry is 

 very early fruiting, coming in with straw- 

 berries, and of pretty appearance and 

 mild flavor, but the plants not being very 

 hardy above ground need burying in win- 

 ter. It needs further testing. We believe 

 we have grown the wineberry longerthan 

 any one else in the country. Some people 

 like it very much and otherscannot abuse 

 it enough. It is hardy in some places and 

 in neighboring ones it may perish in win- 

 ter. We don't think any of them are 

 hardy enough for Chicago, but by laying 

 them down and burying them in winter 

 you probably can grow them. Try a few 

 at a time, and by way of experiment, 

 rather than a full crop to begin with. 



The Fruit of Prunus Simoni.— Please 

 say to Mr. Isaac Hicks that if he will 

 first remove the skin from this fruit he 

 will change his opinion (page 121), as 

 the bitter taste is almost entirelv con- 

 tained in the skin. H. A. B. 



Spokane, Washington. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



LIMA BEANS. 



About the end of the first week in May 

 the Lima bean "patch" may begot ready. 

 I set the poles 4- feet between the rows 

 and 3V2 feet apart. I dig a bushel of the 

 finest manure I have around each pole, 

 mixing it thoroughly with the soil. If 

 the soil be heavj' the hill can be raised 

 well up. If it be light or sandy a slight 

 hill is best. Cedar poles make a very 

 neat appearance and should be used in 

 preference to any other if they can be 

 readily obtained. If you cannot get 

 them any other pole will do, giving the 

 preference to those having rough bark. 

 The finest crop of Limas I ever saw was 

 on a lot of poles, hardli'any two of which 

 were alike. 



Nothing is gained by planting Lima 

 beans too early. We usually have in this 



section a cold rain storm about the 10th 

 of May. If you are ready to plant when 

 the weather clears up after that storm 

 you will be as well off as those who 

 "rushed" them in before it. Before rak- 

 ing off the hills I apply a good handful of 

 superphosphate and about a small table- 

 spoonful of nitrate of soda to each hill. 

 Then I plant about eight beans around 

 the pole, "right side up with care." It is 

 much more satisfactory to have three or 

 four beans to spare in a hill than to trans- 

 plant or make a second sowing. Limas 

 should be gone over frequently and the 

 laterals pinched to keep them within 

 bounds, and towards the end of the sea- 

 son when there is not suflicient time for 

 the pods to fill before frost, they should 

 be stopped and the strength of the vine 

 utilized in filling the remaining pods. The 

 old time favorite, the Large White Lima, 

 is now being rapidly superseded by the 

 "Potato Lima," a "variety with much 

 smaller and better filled pods. A point 

 quickly appreciated by the bean buying 

 public. P. F. 



Market gardener, Westchester Co., N. Y. 



DELlCflTfl SQUASH. 



E.J.,Va., wants to know when to plant 

 it for winter use. Ans. "Plant about 

 the middle of May. They are as tender 

 as tomatoes. Near the mountains where 

 I live we generally have a frost about 

 that time, but as soon as all danger from 

 that is past we plant squash and pole 

 Lima beans. Bunch Limas are a little 

 more hardy and so are bunch squashes. 

 We plant 5 feet apart each wav. 



Rockingham Co., Va. ' L. G. C. 



In the warm parts of Virginia, provid- 

 idg the ground is moist enough to give 

 the vines a good start, if sown in June, 

 they will be in time enough for winter. 



Tomatoes.— H. A. B., Spokane, Wash., 

 writes: "I want from 200 to 300 tomato 

 plants for stocking my greenhouse, which 

 will be finished from March 1 to 10. Can 

 you assist me in obtaining the address of 

 one who can furnish them for nie? I 

 think they can be safely shipped in flats 

 this distance, do you?" 



Ans. Write to Amos Bowerman, Med- 

 ical Lake, Washington; if he cannot sup- 

 ply them he probably can tell you from 

 whom you may get them and all about 

 the best variety to have and price to pay. 

 No, we don't think you could get young 

 tomato plants from any one east of the 

 Rocky Mountains, that would be worth 

 planting by the time they could reach 

 you. Young tomato plants are mostly 

 grown for local trade and short distance 

 shipments; they are seldom grown stiflF 

 and sturdy enough to be able to stand a 

 one to two thousand mile journey. Be- 

 sides, you will gain very little. Start 

 some seed in a hotbed or yourgreentouse 

 at once, and likely enough your seedlings 

 will overtake plants obtained from a far- 

 away state. 



Sickness in Greenhouse Lettuce.— 

 A Reader writes. "I had lettuce planted 

 in my greenhouse and there is a sickness 

 on it, the top of the leaves rotting, and 

 more so the center than the outside 

 leaves. Black-seeded Simpson is the var- 

 ity grown. How can I prevent it? What 

 temperature is needed in the greenhouse 

 for lettuces and radishes and what vari- 

 eties of these would you advise me 

 grow?" 



Ans. The rotting is caused by some 

 local condition unknown to us. We 

 should advise you to remove the old soil 

 and use fresh earth, grow the plants as 



near the glass as you can consistently, 

 and in a light airy house— ventilation 

 given at the top only, and with a night 

 temperature of 4-5° to 50° in raid-winter, 

 and 55"^ to 60° now. Give the plants 

 plenty water, but keep them dry over- 

 head and never water them late in the 

 day in winter or in hot sunshine in spring. 

 While we can yet get a crop of lettuces 

 and radishes from the greenhouse, after 

 this time of year we usually plant them 

 in hotbeds. For winter work we like 

 Boston Market, Raw,son's Hothouse, and 

 Denver Market; after March sets in we 

 can grow most anything, and we plant 

 Rawson's, Denver, Big Boston, and Im- 

 proved Salamander; it is now a matter 

 of taste for your own table, or what the 

 people like best in your own market. As 

 a long radish we like Chartier. but market 

 gardeners are partial to the Long Scarlet 

 Short Top; of turnip radishes we have so 

 many of equal merit that it is hard to 

 chose one from among them; besides, their 

 names are a complete muddle. Earliest 

 Carmine Forcing and Extra Early Deep 

 Scarlet Turnip Forcing are good". But 

 just as soon as a turnip radish is big 

 enough to eat, pull and use it, for it soon 

 spoils. 



Hotbeds are now in order. The proper 

 place for one is in a warm sunnv spot 

 facing south or southeast, and sheltered 

 from the north and west winds, and if on 

 rising ground sloping to the south, so 

 much the sunnier and warmer. Hotbeds 

 are of two kinds, one a pit of manure in 

 the ground with frame above ground 

 level; the other on a heap of manure 

 above ground. Where the surface and 

 under drainage are perfect, the pit-bed is 

 best, handiest and most economical; 

 where the drainage ispoor and waterapt 

 to collect in a pit, then it is necessary to 

 make the bed above ground. In making 

 a hotbed use fresh manure well wetted, 

 and have it well shaken up and steaming 

 hot all through. If you put in themanure 

 cold and tread it down firrnly, no matter 

 how fresh it may be it will not heat prop- 

 erly; if it is too dry it will soon bum out. 

 Another point to observe is after making 

 up the bed don't put the earth on till the 

 heat rises again in the manure, which, if 

 the sashes have been put on and kept 

 tight, it will do in a daj' or two. About 

 five inches deep of loam over the manure 

 is deep enough for most anything, to 

 plant lettuce in or sow seeds, in fact less 

 will do for seeds. After planting or sow- 

 ing in a hotbed a good deal of steam is 

 ap to collect in it, which, if it does not 

 find escape, will rot the plants; leave a 

 little chink of ventilation on the hotbeds 

 even at night, to allow this steam to 

 escape, and at the same time cover the 

 sashes and about the frame well with 

 mats, sedge, old carpeting or light shut- 

 ters. 



Mushrooms. 



MUSAROOMS. 



S. E. C, Waterloo, N. Y., writes: "I 



procured mj' spawn from but if 



you manufacture the spawn I shall be 

 glad to try some of yours. I shall put in 

 beds from all the makers in order to find 

 out if one is more productive than that of 

 others. There are various compartments 

 in my house, one 300 square feet I have 

 nearly finished planting. I have four or 

 more times that space to fill." 



Ans. No, we don't either manufacture 



or sell mushroom spawn and haven't the 



least pecuniary interest it as made or sold 



[continued page 188.] 



