i8g6. 



GARDENING. 



153 



two or three times a week, and shake or 

 tap the plant occasionallv with the hand 

 todistributc the pollen, which will ferti- 

 lize the blosscinis; this is best done about 

 noon, wliiii tin- air is (by and the sun 

 shining. C.ive tlain jik-nty of air when 

 the weather is favorable (but avoid 

 <haughts) whieh \j\\\ enable them to 

 make a good stockv growth. 



TllOM.\S (ImiFIN. 

 Westbnrv Station, X. V. 



G. \V. C. B., Baltimore, Maryland, 

 writes: "In somesectionsofcountry pump- 

 kins, or at least such as are recognized as 

 such in other sections are called squashes 

 and then again in other sections this order 

 of recognition is exactly reversed. Will you 

 please define the difference between pump- 

 kins and squashes, so we novices can 

 make the distinction also." 



We submitted your inquiry to Prof L 

 II. Bailey of Cornell University, who 

 kindly replies as follows: 



It is impossible to give any distinctions 

 between pumpkins and stjuashes be- 

 cause the vernacular names are used very 

 indiscriminately. Ordinarily, what people 

 in Europe call pumpkins are what we 

 call squashes. Perhaps I can best answer 

 by sayirg that there are three types of 

 pumpkin-like plants which we grow. One 

 type is characterized by a soft, round 

 stem to the fruit, and to this type belong 

 the true squashes, like the Hubbard, 

 Boston Marrow, Turban, Mammoth 

 Chili, and the like. This species is Cucur- 

 hita maxima. Another type is character- 

 ized by a very hard and deep-five-cornered 

 stem, and this includes the true field 

 pumpkins which are used so much for 

 stock and for pies. To this type also 

 belong the summer bush squashes like the 

 Crookneck, and scallop varieties. This 

 type is Cucurbita Pepo. This third type 

 is characterized by a ratherfirm, cylindri- 

 cal stem which has a large expansion 

 where it joins the fruit and it includes the 

 Cushaw, Canada Crookneck and Japan 

 Crookneck types. This tvpe is Cucurbita 

 moschata. L. H. B.\iley. 



Glode Artichokes.— a reader asks: 

 "Can I grow these here in northern 

 Massachusetts?" Ans. Yes, perfectly. 

 Cut them over about November 1, and 

 pile leaves on top of them two feet deep 

 so a* to keep hard frost outof the ground. 

 Don't uncover them till April, till danger 

 from sharp frost (say 5° or 10° or more) 

 is past. They should do well in your part 

 of the country. But give them deep, well 

 drained soil in a warm sunny exposure if 

 j)ractieable. 



Sea Kale.— The same reader asks 

 about growing this vegetable, and writes: 

 "I have a large basement cellar under the 

 stable and carriage house and which isn't 

 c|uite frost proof in winter. Using a 

 manure bed there couldn't I force seakale 

 in it in spring?" Ans. Yes, you can grow 

 it very well. If vou cannot get thongs or 

 young crowns in spring to make a planta- 

 tion with, get some seed. One year old 

 seedlings will give nice little kale, but 

 nothing like so good as two year old 

 crowns. If from seed, grow them in rows 

 2 feet apart and the plants 6 inches asun- 

 der. About November 1 cut them over, 

 draw some loam up over the crowns with 

 a hoe (if in the field plow a furrow over 

 them), then put a ridge of litter or old 

 manure along over top of the row. All of 

 this is to help against hard frost, foryour 

 climate is rather severe. Ivarlv ncxtspring 



dig out every second crown and plant it 

 in another row, this will leave your 

 plants 2x1 foot apart in summer. For 

 forcing in winter dig up the crowns in 

 early November and store them in earth 

 in a cool place in a shed or heeled in close 

 together out of doors under a pile of 

 leaves, there to be kept till needed for 

 forcing. Make a hotbed in the cellar with 

 a bed of earth on it and in this set the 

 seakale roots pretty close together, then 

 put on the frame, using close fitting 

 shutters instead of sashes, and yoi- should 

 get fine kale. Asparagus, rhubarb, 

 ehickory, and mushrooms ma» also be 

 grown in this frame. A little banking of 

 manure around the frame and some hay 

 or straw over the sash or shutter will 

 make it snug from frost. 



Mushrooms. 



"SHOT" HOLES IN MUSHROOMS. 



J. C, Pencoyd, Pa., writes: "I send to 

 you a small box containing some dis- 

 eased mushrooms. My first experience 

 with this pest was noticeable on some of 

 the last cutting of my first bed, the first 

 cutting, say till December, had no signs of 

 it. My second bed (bearing a fine croj)) 

 is nearly all affected like the specimens 

 sent to you. I find by disturbing the 

 cavity that it is full of tiny spider-like 

 insects that are visible to the naked eye. 

 What is it, and what can I do to save my 

 crop?" 



Ans. It looks to us like an aggravateji 

 case of "bullet" or shot holes, which you 

 will find described in our book "Mush- 

 rooms: How to grow them," page 128. 

 They are caused by a species of slug that 

 eats a narrow hole through or deep into 

 the cap of the young mushrooms. The 

 spider like insects you refer to simply 

 inhabit the holes and are the effect, not 

 the cause of the trouble; they are almost 

 always found in wounds in mushrooms, 

 especially in the burst stems, but they do 

 very little harm. Go into the cellars at 

 night with your lantern and search for 

 and kill the slugs. Sprinkle oven-dried 

 fine salt all over the walls, floors, etc.; 

 even if a little of it falls on the beds it 

 won't hurt the mushrooms. Fresh lime 

 miy also be sprinkled on every b ire sur- 

 face but be careful to keep it away from 

 the beds. "Catch them with younglettuce 

 leaves" some one may tell us. Well, at 

 this time of year lettuces are generally 

 less plentiful than mushrooms. 



MUSHROOMS, QUBSTIONS ABOUT. 



W. H., Hillsdale, Mich., asks as follows: 



"The Y'ield in pounds of mushrooms 

 t3 100 square feet of bed if a fair average 

 crop is obtained?" 



Ans. About three-fifths of a pound per 

 square foot is a good average crop. 



'Average price at wholesale during 

 the winter?" 



Ans. The price to-day is 50 to 60 cents. 

 It fluctuates greatly however, according 

 to supply and demand and quality ot 

 mushrooms ofiered, say from 15 to 05 

 cents. 



"French and English Spawn, com- 

 parative yield?" 



Ans. We get nearly twice as much in 

 weight from English as from French 

 spawn. Most market growers stick to 

 the English spawn; still the French article 

 has its friends, and its white skinned 

 mushrooms when they attain a fair size 

 are preferred in the market. 



"Packing i-dr shipment, best method?" 



.4ns. In small chip baskets or light 

 boxes, and these packed in larger crates. 

 Consult your commission man, and pack 

 as he advises you to. Pack in such away 

 as he can best dispose of the mushrooms. 



MUSHROOM QUESTIONS. 



C. D. Heath, Vpsilanti, Mich., asks: 1. 

 "How long after s|ia\vning a bed at SO" 

 should it lie before the nuishrooms appear 

 in a house temperature of 50°? 2. Will 

 a bed spawned at 89° (5 inches below the 

 surface, in a house temperature of 50°, 30 

 days after spawning with temperature 3 

 inches below surface of bed 57°, grow 

 mushrooms, beds being covered with rye 

 straw? If they will not grown ushrooms, 

 I can sow lettuce by starting hot water 

 pipes." . 



1. At this time of year probably seven 

 to eight weeks. 



2. Yes. But you should have had that 

 bed covered up long ago with enough 

 straw to prevent the inside of it falling 

 lower than 65°, then mushrooms would 

 have showed much sooner. If it will pay 

 you to use fire heat in your greenhouse 

 for lettuces it surely won't pay you to 

 sacrifice a mushroom crop rather than 

 give it a little heat too. 



Mushrooms in the Greenhouse.— G. 

 E. B., Brooklyn, writes:" lam a commer- 

 cial florist and have an old greenhouse 

 now about empty; would it pay me to 

 plant it to mushrooms now, say before 

 the middle of February?" Ans. Be care- 

 ful. A mushroom crop is expen ive. To 

 fill that house would cost you $25 ir $30 

 for spawn, let alone fire heat, labor, etc. 

 As a catch crop under the benches, we 

 would say, go ahead. But if vou mean to 

 fill the upper benches as well as under 

 them, you may have a great success, per- 

 h ips as great a failure. Better take a run 

 out to see C. H. Allen, he is having fine 

 success with them under his carnation 

 benches, or to Thomas Griffin, his cellars 

 are now a sight woith seeing. 



Words of Praise. — George S. Conover, 

 the veteran horticulturist and historian 

 of Geneva, N. Y., writes to tell us that 

 Mr. Trumpy's article on "Select hardy 

 trees," page 134, was one of the best he 

 ever read, and he prays for more of it. 

 Mr. John McElvery of Flatbush, Brook- 

 lyn, one of the most eminent, experienced 

 and enthusiastic of water lilv growers in 

 the country, says "That article of Mr. 

 Bisset's on 'Aquatics' in last Garden- 

 ing (pages 121-2) is splendid — the best I 

 ever read. It hits the nail plump on the 

 head; it is the precise truth from the first 

 to the last, and told in a way that the 

 most inexperienced can understand. Old 

 lily man as I am, I read that article over 

 twice before I laid the the paper down — 

 couldn't help it." Mr. C. W Redfern of 

 Michigan was so interested in Mr. Gar- 

 diner's article on "Greenhouse grapes," 

 page 139, that he has resolved to go and 

 do likewise. These words of appreciation 

 are very gratifying to us, and the writers 

 of the articles in question deserved them. 

 But it is so all through Gardeni.ng; we 

 give our readers the most trustworthy 

 information obtainable — the voice of 

 .-ictual experience We have no theory, 

 no argument, no padding; we have no 

 time or space for anything but pointed 

 information, helpful to our readers. 



We are always deeply interested in 

 everything in Gardening. We have taken 

 it from the first, and find it our best per- 

 manent advertising medium. 



Wm. H. Harrison & Sons. 



Lebanon Springs, N. Y., Oct. 25, '95. 



