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POPULAR GARDENING. 



October, 



long time. When cold weather arrives carry the 

 box outside and let it freeze solid for a week or 

 more; then bnng it inside to thaw and the seeds 

 soon come ui> thickly and may later be potted off 

 and ready to transplant in June. — William Parry 

 in Rural New Yorker. 



Bex Begonias. They endure the changeable 

 temperature of our rooms so well, and are so 

 stately and ornamental in appearance, that no 

 plant window should be without one or two speci- 

 mens. The large, glossy leaves make a splendid 

 contrast with other plants and set off the whole 

 collection. The variety Decasiana is in our esti- 

 mation the best and most beautiful, and the most 

 hardy and easily grown. The leaves grow to an 

 immense size, and are marked with metallic green 

 on a silver}' ground, and lovely shades of purple. 

 Unlike most of the rex varieties, its variegations 

 are along the veins. When the leaves become full 

 grown it casts all other varieties in the shade for 

 beauty. It should be grown in a moist, shady lo- 

 cation, and likes plenty of moisture at the roots 

 and rather large pots. Wash the leaves occasion- 

 ally by showering, not letting the sun shine on 

 them while wet; indeed, the plants do better 

 where they receive only good north light. Large 

 pots, shade and moisture is the secret of growing 

 fine specimens of Re.\ Begonias to astonish the 

 amateur florist. There is nothing in the kingdom 

 of Nature that will equal the Rex Begonia Jules 

 Cretien. The color is a changeable Strawberr.y 

 and crimson, overlaying a bronze-green ground, 

 the whole leaf changing in color as the light 

 strikes it from different points.— Indiana Farmer. 



Medicinal Qualities of Fruits. Of all fruits the 

 Peach is the most delicious and digestible. There 

 is nothing more palatable, wholesome, and medi- 

 cinal than good ripe Peaches. It is a mis- 

 taken idea that no f r^lit should be eaten at break- 

 fast. In the morning there is an acrid state of 

 the secretions, and nothing is so well calculated 

 to correct this as cooling sub-acid fruits, such as 

 Peaches, Apples, etc. The Apple is one of the 

 best of fruits. Baked or stewed Apples generally 

 agree with the most delicate stomach, and are an 

 excellent medicine in some cases. Green or half- 

 ripe Apples st«wed and sweetened are pleasant, 

 cooling, laxative, far superior in many cases, to 

 salts and oil in fever and other diseases. Raw 

 Apples stewed are better for constipation than 

 pills. Oranges ha\nng the acid alluded to are 

 acceptable to most stomachs, but the juice alone 

 should be taken. The same of Lemons, pome- 

 granates, and all that class. Lemonade is the best 

 drink in fevers, and when thickened with sugar 

 it is better than syrup of squills, and other nause- 

 ants in many cases of cough. Tomatoes act on 

 the liver and bowels, and are safer than blue 

 mass. All the small-seeded fruits, such as Black- 

 berries, Figs, etc., are among the best foods and 

 medicines. The sugar in them is nutritious, the 

 acid is cool and purifying, and the seeds are 

 laxative. We will be much the gainers if we 

 look more to our orchards and gardens for our 

 medicines and less to drug stores. To cure fever, 

 or act on the kidneys, no thing is superior to 

 watermelons, which may with few exceptions be 

 taken in sickness and in health with positive 

 benefit. But the juice should be taken, exclud- 

 ing the pulp; and the melon should be fresh and 

 ripe.— Journal of Health. 



Improved Asparagus Culture. Mr. Van Sic- 

 len, of Long Island, has made the growing of As- 

 paragus a specialty for twenty years, probably in 

 that time selling more Asparagus in the markets 

 of New York than any other man. His method 

 of growing it is simple, and in some respects new 

 to me. To begin, he sows his seeds in rich, sandy 

 loam in April, in rows one foot apart and two 

 inches in depth, dropping the seeds so that they 

 may be distributed evenly about half an inch 

 apart; the plants are cultivated by hoeing be- 

 tween the rows and keeping them clear of weeds 

 by hand picking. In the spring following he sets 

 his plants, now one year old, which are in his ex- 

 perience preferable to those two years old. His 

 mode of planting differs in setting the roots much 

 wider apart than usual; six feet between the rows 

 and four feet between the plants, making less 

 than two thousand plants to an acre. In prepar- 

 ing the land he merely plows to the depth of a 

 foot or so; his soft, sandy subsoil rendering the 

 subsoil plow not necessary, as in soils less favored. 

 In preparing to plant he turns out a furrow with 

 a double mold-board plow, so that at its deepest 

 part it is nearly twelve inches deep; a good 

 shovelful of thoroughly rotted manure is then 

 placed in the furrow, at distances of four feet, 

 and spread to make a layer of three inches or so; 

 and in this an inch or two of sou, and the Aspar- 



agus planted on top ^vith its crown six or seven 

 inches below the surface level. The plant is now 

 only covered two or three inches, until it starts, 

 when the furrows are thrown in by the plow so 

 that the whole surface is leveled, which places 

 the crowns six or seven inches under the surface. 

 This would be, perhaps, four inches too deep for 

 heavj' soils. The third year after planting a par- 

 tial crop is taken, although the beds are not con- 

 sidered to be at their best until the sixth or 

 seventh year. Their productiveness may be 

 continued for twenty years by this wide system 

 of planting, recourse being had to manuring 

 freely annually, by digging or plowing it in 

 around the roots before the crop has started to 

 grow, or after it is cut.— "Gardening for Profit." 



THE CULINARY DEPARTMENT. 



Corn Pudding.— Grate the Corn from a dozen 

 ears, season with salt, pepper, and a little sugar; 

 add the yolks of four Eggs, two ounces of butter, 

 a quart of new milk; bake in a slow oven; when 

 done beat the whites of Eggs, pour over the top, 

 and brown. 



Boiling Vegetables —Put them at once into 

 fast boUing water, and bring it to boil again as 

 soon as possible. If left to steep in hot water 

 before boiling they are rendered tough, and the 

 color and flavor are destroyed. So says Popular 

 Science News. 



Sweet Potato Pie.— Boil the Potatoes till done, 

 peel and strain through a colander. Add milk 

 till it is thin enough, and for every quart of the 

 mixture add three well-beaten eggs, with sugar 

 and seasoning to taste. Line the bottom of pie- 

 plates with dough, fill with the mixture and bake. 



Peach Cnstard Pie.— Use one crust; peel and 

 halve Peaches and turn the hollow side upward; 

 sweeten as you would a peach pie; take one egg, 

 a pinch of salt, one tablespoonful sugar; beat, 

 add milk enough to cover the peaches, and bake. 

 Eat when partly cool. Canned Peaches wiU 

 answer as well as fresh. 



Peach Tapioca.— Soak some Tapioca over 

 night and in the morning boil until it is perfectly 

 clear, adding more water from time to time as 

 needed; slice five nice Peaches and sprinkle lib- 

 erally with sugar; when you take the Tapioca 

 from the stove, stir the Peaches into it. Eat 

 cold with sugar and cream. 



Stewed Lettuce.— If the Lettuce is not delicate 

 enough for salad, cut it in pieces and boil it soft 

 in water slightl.v salted; when cooked, drain 

 every drop of water from the leaves. Put some 

 flour with some butter in a pan on the fire, and 

 let it boil. Pour some stock over the Lettuce; let 

 it boil once again, and just before serving pour 

 in a little cream. A little nutmeg is sometimes 

 Uked.— American Cultivator. 



Bread and Fruit Pudding.— Trim off the crust 

 from a quantity of dry bread and grate the re- 

 maining white pai't of it; add to a pint of it one 

 quart of hot boiled milk, two ounces of butter, 

 four ounces of sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt 

 and a heaping tablespoonful of mixed ground 

 spice. When cool, whisk into it four well-beaten 

 eggs. Peel and slice a dozen fine Peaches, (or 

 any other fruit vrUl do); add them to the mixture, 

 pour it into a brown bread or deep pudding 

 mould, place it in a pot of hot water and steam 

 three hours. Serve either hot or cold and with 

 an egg or cream sauce, flavored with lemon or 

 vanilla. Canned fruits may also be thus used. 



Cauliflowers and Tomato Sauce.— One of the 

 prettiest dishes of vegetaliles consists of a Cauli- 

 flower of ivory whiteness resting upon a bed of 

 well-made Tomato sauce. To boil a Cauliflower 

 after it has been trimmed and soaked in salted 

 water for some time, it should be put iu plenty 

 of fast-boiling water, with a due (juantity of 

 salt. Care should be taken not to overboil it. 

 Try the stem with a thin iron skewer, and the 

 moment it is soft remove the saucepan from the 

 fire, and put the Cauliflower to drain on a sieve. 

 When two or more Cauliflowers are used, the.v 

 should be molded into one for serving. To do 

 this, when they are boiled cut off the stalk, and 

 dispose the pieces of Cauliflower head downwards 

 in a basin, press them gently together, turn them 

 out dexterously on a dish, and two or three small 

 Cauliflowers will by this means present the ap- 

 pearance of one large one. Care must be taken 

 to have the basin quite hot, and to operate 

 quickly. This may be applied to Broccoli like- 

 wise. The sauce should be put into the dish and 

 the Cauliflowers laid upon it; but if the molding 

 process has not been successful, or if the Cauli- 

 flowers are not very nice-looking, then pour the 

 sauce over them so as to hide their deformity. 



PREPARED FROM DIARY NOTES BY CHAS. E. PARNELL, 

 t^UEENS, N. Y. 



HOUSE PLANTS. 



Abntilons. Nip back the leading shoots occas- 

 ionally to secure bushy specimens. 



Achyranthes for winter show require warmth. 

 Pinch back the leading shoots to secure good 

 form. Water ivith care and keep down red spider. 



Aucubas and other leathery-leaved plants will 

 be the better for a soap wash at intervals. 



Begonias of the flowering section to be given 

 plenty of light and Uquid manure with blooming. 



Cuphea platycentra is disposed to flower for 

 some time to come, if kept in a light, sunny situ- 

 ation. Pinch in the leading shoots occasionally. 



Cyperus alternifolius variegata. In lieu of 

 frequent repotting, give liquid manure. Rather 

 close pot room is favorable to fine appearance. 



Echeverias. Water sparingly from now on. 



Epipbyllum truncatum and its varieties 

 should be placed in a light sunny situation if 

 possible. Give liquid manure occasionally. 



Ferns can be placed in any cool, light window. 

 Water thoroughly at the roots, never overhead. 

 Pteris argyrea, cretica albi lineata, Pserrulata 

 eristala,Nephrolepis exaltata and Lomaria Gibba, 

 are aU superior for a window. 



Fuchsias. See Plant Culture Under Glass. 



Hoya Carnosa now requires but little moisture 

 at the roots, but loves heat. 



Jasminum grandiflorum now blooming freely 

 will be benefited by liquid manure at times. 



Jerusalem Cherries. See Plants Under Glass. 



Justica carnea, will produce its spikes of rosy 

 pink flowers more or less all winter if grown in a 

 well drained pot of rich loamy soil. For winter 

 blooming repot and start up now. 



Nirembergia frutescens and gracilis, If care- 



full.v lifted and potted before severe frosts, will 

 flower freely for a good while in the window. 



Oleanders can be wintered in a cool, light cel- 

 lar from now on, if the room is needed. Keep 

 rather dry at the roots. Treat as for Aucubas. 



Pittosporums same as Aucubas. 

 Bivini humilis from now on will do best in a 

 sunny window. Some liquid manure at times. 



LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN. 



Aucubas and similar half hardy plants can be 

 taken up, placed in cold pits, where they can be 

 protected somewhat in severe weather. 



Bulb Planting of the Hyacinth and Tulip class 

 to he finished speedily; not but that it can be done 

 for some time yet, but early planting is better. 



Caladiums of Bedding Sorts As soon as injured 

 by frost or bad weather to have the leaves re- 

 moved, and then three or four days afterward be 

 carefully lifted, dried, and stored in sand in a dry, 

 cool cellar, or underneath the stage. 



Cannas. See under Caladiums. 



Crape Myrtle to be taken up, potted or placed 

 in boxes, and then placed in a dry, cool cellar, 

 and keeping almost dry at the root. 



Dahlias, Treat as advised for Caladiums, but 

 store in barrels in a dry, frost-proof cellar. See 

 that the tubers are securely labeled. 



Erythrinas. When injured by frost, cut the 

 plants back to a proper shape, lift carefully, 

 place in bo.xes in a dry frost proof cellar. 



Euonymus. Treat as directed for Aucubas. 



Flower Beds and Borders. Let tidiness adorn 

 these by renn^ving the plants as the.v receive in- 

 jury from frost, and neatl.\ leveUng off the sur- 

 face. Herbaceous plants to have the ripened 

 leaves and stalks promptly removed. Have re- 

 gard to proper labeling. 



Gladiolus. After some sharp frosts take up 

 the bulbs, dry, clean off, place in paper bags and 

 store in a dry, cool situation away from frost. 



Hardy Herbaceous Plants. Early October is a 

 good season to take up, di\ ide and reset many of 

 these, and Pa'onias (.'spctially. Before replants 

 inu'. let tin- borders or l)cd be properly manin-ed, 

 and worked o\t'r; srting to it in the planting 

 that the siinie kind does liot come to its old siiot. 



Hydrangeas. Treat like Crape Myrtle. 

 Lemon Verbenas. Treat like Crape Myrtle. 



