lO 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



October, 



A Lost Summer. 

 We scarce could tell the hour sweet Summer died, 



Nature told on her rosary of flowers; 

 Pale Lily, Rose and pm-ple Pansles died. 



And birds still sang as in Spring's banished hours. 

 But yet we kuow that Summer's soul has fled; 



That requiem winds in umrmurs hoarse and rude 

 Would chant above the grave of flowrets dead. 



And strew with leaves the haunted solitude. 



-j.H. a. 



" Ragged Sailors." 



Reddest Roses, bluest Pansies— 

 No such posies Betty fancies. 

 " Ragged Sailors " she loves best. 

 What's the reason, Betty West? 

 " 'Cause they're ragged as can be; 

 Wear old dresses just like me! 

 " Poor old Sailors, darlln' posies! 

 We don't go with dressed-up Roses." 



» — Wide Awake. 



Within the solemn woods of Ash deep crimsoned. 

 And silvery Beech, and Maple yellow-leaved. 

 There Autumn, like a faint old man, sits down 

 By the wayside a-weary. 



— Longfellow. 



Air the winter plants freely. 



October for surface manuring. 



Eruises in fruit hastens decay. 



Shallow bins are safest against I'ot. 



Ferns are not much subject to insects. 



Hyacinths succeed well in hanging baskets. 



What this journal needs is more subscriber. 



The fall winds are always blowing about some- 

 thing. 



Let us have more notes of experience from 

 readers. 



It is a mistake to think that ferneries need no 

 drainage. 



A Pear tree at Danvers, Miiss., is more than 2.50 

 yearj old. 



Kansas hsis a 4^36 acre Apple orchard, owned by 

 Judge P. Wellhousc, of Fairmont. 



Will our friends see to it that this journars sub- 

 scription list is doubled by January ne.vt? 



A Rule for the Florist: Comparative dryness 

 is favorable to flowering; moisture to growth. 



Frequent hilling, the Gardener's Monthly says, 

 is the golden rule in successful Celery culture. 



The Adiantums and some other flue Ferns are 

 often injured by wetting the foliage without the 

 real cause being surmised. 



Mountain Ash berries may be cured fin' winter 

 decoration by tying in bunches and hanging 

 these with the berries down. 



The idea of nurse trees, that is, trees of free 

 growth set among young trees, and to be later 

 removed, is worthy of more attention. 



In watering bulbous plants bear in mind that 

 the bulb itself takes up no water; but the roots 

 only, and these are mainly at the pot's edge. 



The Point of View. Some people are always 

 tlnding fault with Nature for putting thorns on 

 Roses, but 1 always thank her for ha\iug put 

 Roses on thorns. — Urijant. 



By loosely turning over patches of the worst 

 wee<ls, like Quack Grass and Canada Thistles, so 

 late in the fall that the root-s cannot take a new 

 hold they will often get winter killed. 



The watering of Amaryllis should keep pace 

 with their growth, excepting the evergreen 

 species, which may receive an occasional touch 

 of water even during the season of rest. 



Winter Blooming Fuchsias. I find that in ad- 

 diticm to Speciosa and Serratifolia, Earl of Bea- 

 consfield and Storm King (Frau Emma TopfCr) 

 are also excellent. Last winter the latter variety 

 bloomed continuously with me, and being double 

 makes it doubly valuable. Black Prince is also a 

 very early spring flower with Tae.—Mansfldd 

 MiUon, i'oungstmmi, Ohiii. 



An Improved Watering Can. What is known 

 as the Jubilee Watering Can in England is shown 

 figured on this page. In shape it differs materi- 

 ally from the ordinary form. That this can pos- 

 sesses cert.ain advantages we have no doubt. 

 Those who have used it sum up its advantages 

 as follows: Easier to carry, easier to tip, and 

 there is little chance of slopping. 



The Glass Cannot Slip. Messrs. H. W. Eames 

 & Co., of Milford, Mass., seem to have developed 

 a good idea in their twin glazier points shown 

 illustrated opposite. Every florist understands 

 the difhculty of glass slipping, which these aim 

 to overcome. From a long experience with glass 

 structures, we cannot but think well of such a 

 device. For dri%'ing the tacks a special tool is 

 used, and this is also shown in the engraving. 

 The device has been patented. 



lohn B. Moore, This well-known horticulturist 

 died at his home in Concord, Mass., on Sunday, 

 August 31, aged 70 years. He has long been 

 prominent as a horticulturist and originator of 

 improved varieties, among which are numbered 

 the Moore's Early Grape and Moore's Early Corn. 

 Grapes and Hardy Roses were his especial favor- 

 ites, and his Hybrid Perpetual Roses have long 

 been known as among the best coming to Boston. 

 He was president of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society for several terms. 



Value of Deep Cultivation. The excellent notes 

 in the Complete Garden serial last month on this 

 subject leads me to tell some of my experience 

 with an Onion crop that followed Celery: Two 

 rows were Just over last year's Celery trench and 

 three over the intervening space left compara- 

 tively unbroken. The two rows over the trench 

 are far ahead of the others, and I have noted for 

 years that such rows maintain their superiority 

 to the end of the season. Labor and manure be- 

 stowed on a first crop must not be thought to be 

 lost beyond the use of one crop; they will show 

 for years.— James MUier, Tioga Co., Pa. 



Ants and Aphis. Do ants destroy the green 

 lice which thickly cover young Apple trees, etc.? 

 A French horticultural writer of large experi- 

 ence claims that the ants do not destroy the lice, 

 but " mUk " them, thus rendering them all the 

 more voracious and destructive. My observation 

 of a number of trees planted this season indicated 

 that the work of the ants was beneficial to the 

 growing foliage, rather than otherwise. Where 

 there were but few or no ants the leaves were 

 densely covered with lice, while the trees upon 

 which the ants swarmed in large numbers were 

 comparatively free from lice, indicating that the 

 ants had destroyed the lice. H. H. Boardman, 

 PnivUlcnce Co., B. I. 



This paper costs a fraction above eight cents 

 per number to yearly subscribers, a dollar for the 

 annual volume, index included. Considering its 

 character throughout, every one knows that this 

 is cheap, very cheap, and as such it can only be 

 successfully published on the basis of very many 

 cash subscribers. Need we give any further hint 

 to the friends of horticulture than this? What 

 is really needed is that every person who reads 

 these lines, whether now a subscriber or not, see 

 to it first that their names are on our books as 

 paid up subscribers; second, that they interest 

 themselves in getting their friends everywhere to 

 subscribe. This journal should have a greatly 

 increased subscription list. 



A Great Work. There has been received at 

 this office by the courtesy of Mr. J. Wm. Sims, 

 of Topeka, Kansas, the Biennial Report of the 

 Kansas State Board of Agriculture, for 188.5-6. 

 and which is one of the most satisfactory public 

 documents we have ever met. It is a well-bound 

 volume of 843 large octavo pages, containing 

 colored maps of each county, colored by towns, 

 with section lines, streams, post-f)ffices. churches, 

 schools, etc., all marked down in their proper 

 places. An edition of 20,000 copies has been 

 published we have been informed, and at a cost 

 of more than $30,000, but as a work setting forth 

 the advantages of Kansas as a place of residence 

 and business it wiU undoubtedly be worth 

 twenty fold what it cost to that commonwealth. 



Enhancing the Effect. It is a great thing to 

 ' discern and bring out the most ornamental effect 

 of any flower, and especially of such as are called 

 common flowers, in arranging them. This 

 thought arises through i-ecalling some arrange- 

 ments of Sweet Peas lately. Arranged in solid 

 clumps, these flowers are never as lovely as 

 when seen uncrowded on the native vines. But 

 use them iii a cut state in connection with Mig- 

 nonette or some other similar light flower, and 

 they may be very handsomely disposed of. The 



Mignonette should be taken for a foundation of 

 the bouquet, and just enough of the Peas be in- 

 termi.xed to show to advantage. Then the beauty 

 of both is brought out as it would not otherwise 

 be. For such light flowers a delicate vase is the 

 most appropriate for use. 



Charles M. Hovey. Massachusetts has been 

 unfortunate in the loss of several of her most 

 able horticulturists within a short time, but none 

 will be moi-e missed than the venerable Cbas. M. 

 Hovey, who died in August last, at the advanced 

 age of 77 years. From boyhood he had a taste 

 for gardening, and at the early age of 15 he began 

 to lay the foundation of a nursery business which 

 has acquired a world-wide reputation since then. 

 During his whole career hybridization was his 

 favorite work, and by it he secured many fine 

 results. He was the originator of the Boston 

 Pine and Hovey's Seedling Strawberries, besides 

 numerous improved Camellias, Azaleas, LUies, 

 and other flower's. In 1835 he founded the Maga- 

 zine of Hoi-ticultiire, of which he remained the 

 editor during its existence of 34 years. For .54 

 years he was a member of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, and its president froml8t>3 

 to 1860 inclusive. 



Boses from Seed: Blooms the First Year. Mr. 

 F. W. Washington, of Rutherford Co.. Tenn., not 

 having seen anything on this subject in our 

 columns, kindly favors us with his experience, 

 as follows: "I placed the seed in a cloth bag, 

 burying it six inches deep, last November. Ex- 

 amining the seeds in February, I found them 

 sprouted. I then took them from the bags and 

 planted them in cold frames, and here they came 

 up in two days. The plantlets were transplanted 

 to the open ground about April 1st, setting them 

 in rows three feet apart, the plants one foot 

 apart in the row. During the season they have 

 made a fine growth of from one to three feet in 

 height, and about half have bloomed, some very 

 profusely, one with as many as 25 blooms at one 

 time. They have passed through the most severe 

 drought we have ever had in Tennessee without 

 watering, and they are now looking well and 

 some are stiU in bloom. I send this because aU 

 the books say they will not bloom the first year." 



Narcissus is an admirable bulb for forcing and 

 is remarkable for flowering better the second 

 year it is forced than the first, so that they 

 should not be thrown away after the first flower- 

 ing. The Paper White is the best variety for the 

 purpose, in beauty and fragrance vieing with 

 the choicest of flowers. Narcissus can be forced 

 like Hyacinths, and by planting the choicer 

 kinds in a warm border they flower later than 

 the forced ones, giving a succession. Narcissus 

 flowers of all sorts have the good quality of last- 

 ing long in water. Cut spikes will remain fresh 

 a fortnight and longer. It is best to cut flower 

 spikes as soon as the flrst buds gain full size. 

 They bear packing better then than when fully 



Tlic Jiihiltc Watering Can. 



open, and never fail to open in water in success- 

 ion, as well or better than on the plants. N. bi- 

 fiorus, bearing two white flowers on a scape ; N. 

 poeticus, and N. gracilis are favorites no collec- 

 tion should be without. N. incompaiabUis ivith 

 its white flowers three inches across is fine for 

 flower work or decoration in pots. Several of the 

 white starry varieties compare with Bucharis 

 and Gardenia in bouquets.— S««on Powers. 



The Siberian Squill. One of the minute gems 

 among spring flowering bulbs that should be set 

 in the fall is the subject of this sketch, and of 

 which an engraving is annexed. It is known bo- 

 tanlcally as SciUa Siberica. Its flowers are among 

 the earliest of the spring, and they ai-e so beau- 

 tiful, and withal come on under such easy treat- 

 ment, that no rock-work or garden should be 

 considered complete if they are missing. Their 

 season is that of the Crocus, but the flowers ai'C 

 far more lasting than those of the flower named. 

 What gives them a special charm is a striking 

 and peculiar shade of porcelain blue which dis- 

 tinguishes them from the other species. It is 

 quite hardy, and also succeeds well in pot cult- 



