1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



29 



reliance should be the garden plan, or if this 

 be small, an enlarged duplicate, aud as 

 many small light stakes, a foot or so in 

 length, and smooth for writing, as there are 

 individual trees, shrubs, etc. It will pay to 

 be at considerable pains in seeing that the 

 plan for this purpose is in good order and 

 on good strong paper, as this will, besides 

 aiding in the planting, serve perpetually as 

 a record of the planting. 



To show my method of employing such a 

 plan see Fig. .36, which applies to a portion 

 of the garden of Fig. 4. It will be observed 

 that of this portion the fruit trees are 

 brought into rows and groups, designated by 

 Icttein from A to O, those of the ornamental 

 parts in group sections separated by heavy 

 dotted lines and designated by letters P and 

 onwards, (double letters AA, etc., after 

 Z). In the respective rows and groups then, 

 individual growths are indicated by naiiihers 

 from 1 upwards. By then getting up a clear 

 record copy of the original order, and having 

 the individual trees, shrubs, etc., of the same 

 represented in each case by the letter of 

 the group section or row in which it is to 

 come, and in addition, by the number of its 

 location in its groujj or row, the place of 

 each one is at once made evident, and the 

 name of any tree on the grounds can after- 

 wards easily be determined by consulting 

 this plan and the accompanying numbered 

 list of kinds. The small stakes provided 

 are to be used thus. There being as many of 

 these as of individual plants to be set, 

 each stake is to have the name of its tree 

 plainly written upon it (first painting the 

 vrriting surface lightly), together with the 

 group or row letter and individual number 

 in each case; then tying the stakes of the 

 respective groups or rows for convenience 

 into separate bundles, until the planting 

 time. Just previous to the receipt of the 

 nursery stock these stakes then may be 

 taken to the grounds and be carefully set, 

 each in the place where the tree or shrub it 

 represents is to come. Planting day at hand, 

 the distribution of all the stock to its exact 

 place becomes a matter of the greatest ease, 

 no matter how extensive may be the quan- 

 tity or how varied the assortment. And 

 always afterward, whether the trees be 

 labeled or not, a simple and reliable record 

 will be at hand to show what is included in 

 the planting of the place. In case of in- 

 ability to obtain certain trees, etc., desired, 

 there need be not the least difficulty in 

 substituting other kinds, by simply changing 

 the names on the record to correspond. 

 (To be ccmtinueil.) 



, 



WALKS AND JOTTINGS. 



BY A. M. PUBDY, PALMYRA, N. Y. 



MORE ABOUT EVAPORATING FRUIT. 



Yes.we use brimstone in bleaching Apples 

 and all kinds of fruit. Care must be used 

 not to have it too strong, or to keep fruit 

 over it too long. It takes but a few moments 

 for the fumes to pass through a half or whole 

 apple. To satisfy yourself on this point cut 

 an apple in halves, hold one half over a 

 lighted match as soon as struck and not the 

 other half and lay the two halves side by 

 side for an hour or two. Apples should be 

 put over the heat as soon after being 

 bleached as possible, though by our plan 

 we run enough through our bleachers 

 through the day to last over night. We pare 

 and core by what is termed the " punched " 

 plan, leaving apples whole to be bleached 

 and then slice as needed. 



If apples burn on one end or side of rack 

 and not on the other it can be prevented by 

 putting a narrow piece of sheet iron over 

 the furnace under the part that burns. This 

 throws heat on opposite side. Also spread 

 the fruit heavier on the end of racks that 

 bum. Don't let the fruit get "chip" dry be- 



fore taking off but just a little "spongy 

 and a trifle moist. You can soon tell how 

 dry to let it get by placing racks out on 

 floor in the different stages of the drying 

 and if they dry in a few minutes so as to be 

 "chippy" they are dry enough. 



The fruit should not be packed as soon as 

 taken from evaporators, but allow them to 

 lay a day or two till they sweat nicely. We 

 usually pack in r>0 lb. boxes or clean apple, 

 sugar or cracker barrels. Barrels are more 

 convenient and less costly than boxes, and 

 fruit sells nearly as well in western markets 

 so, but not as well in eastern cities. 



We always "face" the fruit whether 

 packed in boxes or barrels, and cover with 

 clean white fruiting paper. 



The net weight should be on each package. 

 We prefer to hire help by the day. Paying 

 by the bushel gives dissatisfaction, as apples 

 do not run alike, and you can't always keep 

 all workmen on same lot of apples, and too, 

 they are apt to slight their work. 



We calculate it costs us about eight to ten 

 cents per bushel to prepare the apples. We 

 get about six lbs. from a bushel, and make 

 vinegar from cores and skins. 



We calculate cores and skins if dried to 

 sell at 2 to 2)4 cents per lb. ; will just about 

 pay expense of preparing the apple, leaving 

 six lbs. of evaporated apples to the bushel 

 net, except cost of apples and freight, pack- 

 ages and commission. We run through our 

 four Champion evaporators an average of 

 four hundred bushels per day or about 3400 

 pounds of the dried fruit. 



PRUNING APPLE TREES. 



We prefer cutting away large limbs this 

 month instead of March and April, as is 

 generally practiced, although they may be 

 trimmed safely and without damage to tree 

 any time after April 1.5th to December 1st. 



The great secret of trimming is to make 

 open spreading heads, letting sunshine into 

 the center of the tree. Different sorts grow 

 differently. The Greening and King require 

 but Mttle thinning out in the top, while the 

 N. Spy and Baldwin must be center pruned. 



High colored Apples are what sell best and 

 quickest. We prefer keeping orchards cul- 

 tivated, these to grow in grass or sod, though 

 on the rich soils of the West it may be best 

 to prevent too rapid growth by seeding down. 



We like trimming or heading a tree so that 

 horses can pass under or very near to the 

 body in working among and under the trees. 



We cannot recommend too high cultiire or 

 stimulants. Plant on good corn land and 

 keep well cultivated and trimmed is our 

 rule. Of course cultivating an orchard must 

 cease in aU cases by the middle of August, 

 and the first of August generally is safe. 



" Working round your Peach trees I see at this 

 season of the year? " 



" Yes, now is the time to dig: out and kill the 

 Peach borers. We dig them out with a sharp in- 

 strument, and then as you see, give the trees a 

 good coating of lime whitewash, throwing into 

 each pailful of the whitewash half a gill of salt 

 and a tablespoon of carbolic acid, or a gill of soft 

 soap. This keeps all grubs from working at the 

 trees; we also scatter a handful of salt through 

 the fall or winter around each tree, say from 8 to 

 10 inches away from body." 



" Do you advise working round Peach trees in 

 the fall of the year? " 



" Not until late, say in November or December, 

 if earlier than that it is apt to give them a start 

 to grow, and thereby make the tree very tender. 

 We also cut back at lesist one-half of the past 

 season's growth, and if too thick trim out some." 



" Apples I see are gcfting very ripe." 



"Yes, and therefore a risky season to buy for 

 barreUng purposes, and the result is a large share 

 have to go through the evaporators, which makes 

 a busy season for us. We are now running 

 through our four evaporators here and in Canan- 

 daigua 300 to 400 bushels per day, or making about 

 2000 pounds of evaporated fruit every 24 hours." 



" 1 see you are setting some trees? " 



" Yes, filling up some, necessarily, with the lien 

 Davis Apple. We like fall st^tting, and if banked 

 up with earth just before ground freezes, and 

 this drawn away in the spring early, the.v make 

 a I'ull growth next season. In fact, we prefer 

 fall setting for all kind.s of stock except Straw- 

 berries, if banked up and drawn away as we say." 



" llather late ploughing isn't it? " 



" No, we are getting that ready for setting 

 Strawberries in the spring. We have grown a 

 crop of Hungarian grass or Millett there, and, as 

 you see, ground is clean, and now by ploughing 

 the stubble under and leaving it up loose in the 

 furrows without harrowing the frost puts it in 

 nice shape by spring; and by ploughing it again 

 then it's in splendid condition for planting Straw- 

 berries. And, by the way, we are done planting 

 much surface to Strawberries. Two acres well 

 planted and cared for will yield as much as si.\ to 

 eight acres ordinarily grown. By well cultivated 

 we mean to have ground ploughed as described, 

 well manured, and plants set closely so as to make 

 clean matted rows, and these kept weU hoed and 

 cultivated. One hundred and fifty to two hun- 

 dred bushels per acre of such sorts as Crescents, 

 Wilson's, BidweU's, Sharpless, Downer's Prolific, 

 etc., is not an uncommon yield from plantations 

 thus grown." 



" I see you have not trimmed your Raspberry 

 bushes any? " 



" Only once, when they were about two feet 

 high. We have become satisfied that too late 

 nipping back causes a late fall growth of wood 

 or tips, and that these are easily killed back, es- 

 pecially is this so with the Gregg; but by allow- 

 ing them to grow as you see, and not cutting 

 back the last time till after the growth is stopped, 

 the bush or cane that is left is well ripened and 

 scarcely ever winter kills." 



" I see you allow the old wood to stand yet. 

 You did not do so formerly." 



" No, but in that we have changed our practice, 

 for the reason that the old ones are stiff and 

 strong and prove a support to the new growth 

 when most tender and easily broken down." 



" Some of your Strawben-y plantations must be 

 pretty old? " 



" Yes, four to five years; we find the first ber- 

 ries are what pay us, and we always get the 

 earliest from our old beds. If ground is prepared 

 and plants once set and cared for, as we before 

 suggested, and kejit well cleaned the first year, 

 they wiU keep out grass and weeds pretti' well 

 for three or four years afterwards. The past 

 season we sold one-third of our crop before our 

 neighbor got any to speak (»f in market, and ob- 

 tained for them 9 to 10 cents per quart, when for 

 the other two thirds we netted no more than on 

 the third sold first." 



" Have you ever tried using up your Straw- 

 berries in any other way than to sell fresh? " 



" Yes, we have made them into jelly with good 

 success, putting them up into small tumblers and 

 selling these for 10 to 1.5 cents each through the 

 winter. The tumblers with tin covers can be 

 bought for about $3 per 100." 



" Do you sell Raspberries largely fresh? " 



" Oh no, three-fourths we evaporate. It takes 

 about three quarts to the pound if well ripened, 

 which have never sold for less than IS cents net." 



" What are you doing with your Gei-aniums?" 



" Digging them and cutting off tops and put- 

 ting away in cellar with roots covered in earth." 



"Sweet Potatoes! Why! can you grow such 

 monsters here?" 



" Yes, we gi'ow them easily if planted out from 

 20th of May to first of June. We plow a deep 

 furrow and scatter well rotted manui-e in the 

 bottom, then throw a furrow over this from both 

 ways and plant on top the ridge." 



488. Evergreen Hedge in Shade. The Hem- 

 lock does pretty well under trees where not too 

 much shaded; the Arl)iirvit;c about as well. We 

 know of none that will do Iwtter. We have seen 

 Privet, a sub-evergreen, do <juite nicely in such 

 a position. The variety bearing a white berry is 

 the best.-A. H. E. 



507. Hot-bed in October. We can imagine of 

 no use to which a hot-bed " ready for planting " 

 can be put at this season. The fundamental idea 

 of a hot-bed is to anticipate the growing season 

 of spring and summer by getting an early start 

 for various plants, ami keeping them in healthy 

 growth in heat initil I liev can be launched into 

 the congenial atnii.s|iliiic of May and June. But 

 to start the hot-bed now where would it take the 

 young, deUcate plants to? To the winter season, 

 when the garden is locked up in frost and snow. 

 Start your hot-bed in March of each year and 

 generally you will hit the season about right. 



