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POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



77i/s being the People's Paper, it it open to all their 

 Jncfuiries benrinQ on gardening. Cor^cHpondents are 

 urged to anticipate the season in prfitenting questions. To 

 asK, for instance, on April Ih or m irhnt Pens had best be 

 aown. could bHng no answer in the May issue, and none 

 be/ore June, when the answer would be unseasonable 

 Questions received before the wth of any 7nonth stand a good 

 chance of being ansivered in the next paper Kot more than 

 three questions should be sent at one time. Inquiries ap- 

 pearing without name belong to the name next following. 



Replies to Inquiries are earnestly requested from our 

 reorders. In answering such give the number, your 

 locality and name, the latter not for publication, unleaa 

 Ifou desire. Write only on one side of the paper. 



508. Hange of Quinces. Will they do well where it 

 never gets colder than l(j or 15 below zero? 



509. Sweet Potato Culture. Please give directions 

 how to grow Sweet Potatoes, as to kinds to plant, when 

 to plant, kinds of soil, etc. 



TjIO. Grape Question. How much earlier are Wor- 

 deu and Whit* Ann Arbor Grapes than Sweetwater? 



511. Double Glazing. Is such glazing in actual use 

 and satisfactory after extended trial? I have seen it 

 stated that two thicknesses of gla^ss retard the light 

 unfavorably, and also that frost on the outer layer 

 melts so slowly as compared with when there is but 

 one thickness, thus causing quit* an objection. Who 

 can tell?— A. I. Root, Medina, Ohio. 



513. Pears for Market. Would you favor me with a 

 list of some of the better aorts?-S. W.. New York. 



513. Dwarf Apples for Profit. Can you advise set- 

 ting these for profit?— S. R. J., Pennsylvania. 



514. Forcing Bulbs Early. Desiring to have some 

 Hyacinths and other bulbs early in bloom, I write for 

 what treatment should he given them for an early crop 

 of flowers.— C. J. W., Sa)-atoga Sjjrings, N. Y. 



515. Grubs in Cyclamens. The bulbs of my Cycla- 

 mens were so troubled last season with small white 



grubs that I finally threw them out. What could they 

 ave been, and how best destroyed? -Amateur Florist. 



516. Cyclamen Treatment for Continuous Bloom. 

 How should Cyclamens be treated In order to secure 

 flowers for the louge.st season?— C. C. S., Bucks Co., Pa. 



517. Euphorbia Jacquinaeflora Culture. Would 

 you kindly give a new subscriber some instructions on 

 cultivating this plant?— W. W., Penobscot Co., Maine, 



518. The Culture of Peppermint. Will some reader 

 favor me with information on managing this crop, and 

 oblige YousG Gardener. 



519. Saving Zinnia Seed. What Is the best method 

 of gathering these seeds, for I have been puzzled to 

 know?-L. R. D.. West Park, N. Y. 



520. Colored Plates of Fruit. Where can I get some 

 of these of my own selection and not in plate book 

 form?-E. A. S., New Milford, Pa. 



5il. Blackberry, Stayman'sEarly. Is this considered 

 worth growing? With nxe it has done nothing in the 

 several years I have had It. 



:")32. Raspberry, Crimson Beauty. Has this any 

 value for market In any place? Around here it is not 

 much esteemed, the fruit being large but so little of it. 

 Does it need special cotiditions?-(i. K., Hastings, Mich. 



523. Raspberries for Canada. Would the Turner, 

 Marlboro or Hausell stand the winter here if protected? 

 — A. D.. Layicaster, Ontario. 



524. Sources of Vegetable Seed. Will some of your 

 readers kindly Inform me from where the main supplies 

 of these arc drawn?— C. S., Harrisburg, Pa. 



525. Preparing for Strawberries. Please tell me how 

 to prepare a half acre for next spring's planting to se- 

 cure the largest yield. What varieties would you ad- 

 vise?- E. V.H.. Townville, Pa. 



f>2ti. Wormy Apples. Our crop for two years has 

 been wormy and unsound, but otherwise good. Can 

 you give us a pointer?— Cf. C, Council Bluffs, Iowa. 



527. Market for Herbs. Would like to know where 

 I could find market for large quantities of herbs, such 

 as Anise. Balm, Feverfew (green), Hoarhouud, Corian- 

 der, Rue, etc., etc.?— A. L., Atlanta, Ga. 



528. Use of Pine Spines. Are they of value to mix 

 with other leaves In compost making? They accumu- 

 late with the leaves In the gathering. Would it not 

 be better to burn them off, as grass does not grow where 

 they lay? What value for mulching? 



529. Renovating Old Trees. Some Maple trees In my 

 yard are not as thrifty as I desire, and I write to know 

 how to treat them?— A. .J., Sandusky Co., Ohio. 



530. To Build a Brick Flue. What Is the usual size 

 and character of a brick Hue suitable for heating a 

 greenhouse 9 feet by Wi?— YmiNo (A arvenkh, Erie, Pa. 



5^1. Azalea Leaves Dropping. Many leaves have 

 of late fallen from my plants. Can you suggest what 

 the trouble may be?— Anxioi;s, Columbus, Ohio. 



5:J2. Chrysanthemums After Blooming. I should be 

 much obliged for a few directions respecting their 

 treatment now. 1 wish to take some cuttings and grow 

 them for next year. When should 1 take the cuttings? 

 —Young Grower, Springfteld, III. 



533. Blanching Celery. Would some subscriber 

 kindly favor me wlthdlrectionsfor storing with a view 

 to perfect blanching? 1 have been trying It, but always 

 lose a good deal by getting it too wet or too drv.— 

 B.M.T.,Dalton. Oa. 



534. Twig Blight. My orchard four years planted 

 shows a kind of blight at the ends of many limbs. It 

 seems to travel by rows. Ls It a disease, and If so, what 

 Is the remedy?— P. B. W., Montgomery Co., Mo. 



535. Draining the Orchard. I have concluded to set 

 an orchard on land that Is disposed to be rather wet. I 



Intend to drain, but the question Is would It be safe to 

 set out the trees next spring, and wait with the drain- 

 age imtil leisure turns up afterwards for the work?— 

 M.T., Burliuat"n Co.. Vt. 



c-,:u\. Propagating Umbrella Pine. Seeing this tree 

 recently Illustrated, I would enquire by what means it 

 is propagated?— Young Nur.seryman, Rochester, N. Y. 



537. Pruning Evergreens. I planted a number of 

 Evergreens the past spring, all but one of which grew 

 well. Now If I knew how to prune them I should feel 

 fortunate. Will you t^ll how?— G. W.. Charles City, Mo. 



5:^8. Carnations for Cut Flowers. 1 would be glad 

 for ..n outlined course of treating these plants from 

 propagation to maturity.— R. R., Spi-inafleld, Mass. 



53ii. Rhubarb Culture. This vegetable grown on a 

 small scale convinces me that I could grow more with 

 profit, hence I would be thankful for the best methods 

 of proceedure.- J. W, L., Madisoi\, Wis. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



489. Weipelia Sosea for Hedge. Yes, this 

 Weigeiia will make a pretty ornamental hedge if 

 properly pruned and cared for. The plants 

 should be placed from three to four feet apart, 

 according to their size.— C. E. P. 



4KI. Oranges not Setting. If you will place 

 your Orange tree in a sumiy situation and main- 

 tain an average temperature of .55'' when in 

 bloom, at the same time giving air freely, the 

 fruit will set. Carefully avoid extremes of 

 drought and moistui-e also.— ('. E. P. 



4J^1. Wax Plant Management. The Wax 

 Plant, Hoya carnosa, should be given a compost, 

 consisting of two parts turfy loam, one part well 

 decayed leaf mold or cow manure, intermixed 

 with a fair sprinkling of sharp sand. Select a 



porous or soft baked pot, and see that it Is well 

 drained. If the pot is one-third filled with drain- 

 age it is none too much. In potting keep the 

 plant in the centre and pot firm. During the 

 summer, which is its season of growth, it should 

 be given a plentiful supply of water, but in the 

 winter it must be kept rather dry and given an 

 average temperature of .55'^. In a cool place the 

 Hoya is of no use. The flowers show best when 

 the plant is trained overhead, but it can be also 

 trained in any desired manner. Keep the leaves 

 clean of dust, insects, etc.— C. E. P. 



505. Cape Bulb Culture. Ixias are half hardy 

 bulbs, and should be grown in pots in the green- 

 house, where they will bloom about mid^\inter. 

 When done blooming gradually dry oflE and keep 

 in a state of rest until September or October, 

 when they should be repotted and started into 

 growth. Sparaxis succeed well if similarly treated. 

 Allium Moly is perf'>ctly hardy, and succeeds 

 with the treatment given to hardy herbaceous 

 plants. It produces in June hu'ge trusses of 

 golden yellow flowers. Allium Xcni'olitanum is 

 tender and requires the prott\tii in of the green- 

 house. It bears large numbers of pure white 

 flowers, and may be treated as advised for Ixias. 

 Ornithogalums require similar treatment, and so 

 do Freesias. The latter are the most beautiful 

 of all, and as they force very easily can be had in 

 succession from Christmas on. All of these do 

 best in a compost of moderately enriched turfy 

 loam, and require the pots in which they are 

 growing to be well drained. They should be 

 l)otted in September, and then placed in a cool 

 dark situation, in order that their pots may be- 

 conit' wrll tilled with roots before they are started 

 into growth. -C. E. P. 



497. Russian Mulberry Query. Early spring 

 will be the best time to plant them. They can be 

 planted in the same manner as any other tree or 

 shrub. The distance and place will depend on 

 the purpose for which they are wanted.— C. E. P. 



498. Market Gardening Questions. The best 

 varieties of Beets for market are the Eclipse and 

 Early Blood Turnip. The best Sugar Beet is 

 Lane's Imperial. The best vaiieties of Sugar 

 Corn are the Early Minnesota for early. Early 

 Concord f<ir succession, and the Amber Cream 

 and Mammoth Sugar for late. Either of them 

 will answer for home u.-^e anil all arc grown very 

 extensively in thi,' vicinity fi>r the New York 

 market. The best coml)inecI cultivator and drill 

 for garden use is the Planet, Jr.— C. E. P. 



499. Grapes in Florida. By all lueans procure 

 state-grown vines.— ('. E. P. 



503. Liquid Manure Making, Etc. Fresh ma- 

 nure is best for making liquid nmnure. Its 

 efl'ects, if used too freely or too strong;' on Roses, 

 will be shown in the unhealth.\' appearance which 

 they will assume.— C. E. P. 



475. Dividing Tree Faeonies. They can be di- 

 vided, but it should be very carefully done, and 

 as early in the spring as possible. Even then 

 their growth will be most materially interfered 

 with for some two or three years. Tney are gen- 

 erally increased by grafting on the roots of the 

 herbaceous sorts.— C. E. P. 



459. Protection from Eabbits. Kabbits can be 

 readily prevented from <lestroying small trees 

 by siiH'aring witli blood some six or eight inches 

 of their trunk from the gi'<ivind up. Blood can 

 be obtained where animals are slaughtered, and 

 ai)plied with a paint brush.— C. E. P. 



480. Root Pruning Fruit Trees. The object 

 in root i>runing fruit trees is to bring all that are 

 thrifty and of rapid growth into a fruitful con- 

 dition immediately, and is adWsable only on 

 common standard trees, as it somewhat shortens 

 their life. The operation can be performed at 

 any time during the autumn or winter, and con- 

 sists in opening a trench several feet from the 

 trunk and cutting off the principle roots. This 

 not only throws the trees into early leafing, but 

 if repeated at intervals of two or three years 

 causes them to assume a dwarf habit. It is a fair 

 plan for amateui-s, but is hardly practicable on 

 an extensive scale.— C. E. P. 



462. Cultivating the Currant. Currants can 

 be successfully grown in any deep, well enriched 

 soil. And in order that they may be readily cul- 

 tivated, it is best to plant them in rows of not 

 less than four feet apart each way. After plant- 

 ing cultivate freely so as to keep them clean and 

 free from weeds, and every season just before 

 winter sets in spread three or four more shovel- 

 fuls of well decayed manure around the plants, 

 and if ;it all possible fork it in early in the spring. 

 After this all the attention they will require con- 

 sists in keeping them well cultivated and gi\ing 

 the annual dressing of manure. They should be 

 also carefully examined every winter, and all 

 superfluous woorl removed. One year old plants 

 are to be preferred for planting, and this snould 

 be done as e;nly ill the spring as possible. The 

 Cherry, Bed or White Dutch, are the most profit- 

 able varieties for market or home use.— C. E. P. 



471. Moles in Orchard. Procure one or two 

 Isbell mole traps, and faithfully follow the di- 

 rections that accompany them. This may ap- 

 pear slow work, but by the exercise of a litue 

 patience it will prove to be an effectual and safe 

 remedy.— C. E. P. 



473. Foreign Grape Culture. The best vari- 

 eties for a cold grapery are Black Hamburgh, 

 Buckland's Sweetwater, Red, White and Grizzly 

 Frontignan, Rose Chasselas, and White Sweet- 

 water. For a house of thirty vines I would plant 

 sixteen Black Hamburgh, four Buckland's Sweet- 

 water, and select the balance from the remainder 

 of the list. Chorlton's Grape Growers' Guide is 

 an excellent work on the subject.— ('. E. P. 



504. Mildew and Aphis on Roses. For mildew 

 on Roses procure a bottle of Henderson's Mildew 

 Mixture and apply according to the directions 

 which accompany it. For the green aphis dis- 

 solve two ounces of Tobacco soap in a gallon of 

 water, and apply with an ordinary or bellows 

 syringe. Henderson's Insect Death Powder is 

 also an effectual remedy for the aphis. Apply 

 with a powder bellows or gun.— C. E. P. 



474. Northern Exposed Greenhouse. Unless 

 your house is very small and tightly built, you 

 will require something more than an oil stove to 

 heat it. You must not expect manj' flowers 

 from such a house, yet Camellias, Azaleas, Chi- 

 nese Primulas, Oranges, Lemons, Chorozemas, 

 Ericas, Epacris, Pittosporum, Jasminum gran- 

 diflorum, Cestrum aurantiacum, and others, 

 would do very well. But if you could maintain 

 an average temperature of SS'^, Palms, Ferns, 

 cool house Orchids, aud some of the more rare 

 species of Cactus, would prove very satisfactory 

 when grown in such a house.— C. E. P. 



467. Pears from Seedling Trees If you allow 

 them to remain on their own roots they will not 

 fruit until they are eight or ten years old, but if 

 grafted on the extremity of the branches of a 

 bearing tree they will bear the fourth or fifth 

 year,— C. E. P. 



46.5. Pruning Dwarf Pears. I would allow 

 them to take their natural form as fai* as pos- 

 sible, merely removing all weak and crowded 

 branches. AH strong or rank growing shoots 

 should be pinched back when of moderate 

 length.— C. E. P. 



472. Hot-bed in October. You cannot do any- 

 thing with a hot-bed at this season of the year, 

 for from now on they require all the skill and 

 care that experience can bestow upon them 

 when ttiled with iirowing crops. They are more 

 genenilly used tor starting the seeds of vege- 

 table an<i other I'lauts of a troi>ical nature, and 

 growing:' tlieiii (HI in heat until the proper sea- 

 son arrives for jtlaeing them in the open air, and 

 for this i)ur]nise nothing is gained by an inex- 

 I)erienee(l peison starting them 1 efore the mid- 

 dle of March. E\ en then they re<|uire a certain 

 auKiunt of attention, and unless given at the 

 proper time, failure is certain.— C. E. P. 



470. Sweet Peas Failing. They were given 

 too rich a soil. Next season try a deep, but mod- 

 erately enriched soil. It is best to manure the 

 grouncl the year previous in order to avoid too 

 rank a L-^rowth. In very rich soil during a wet 

 season thev are very apt to grow all to straw, 

 and then tney will not flower until the growth 

 is checked.— C. E. P. 



487. Propagating Grapes Out-of-Doors. Plant 

 the e\ittiiigs where they are to remain until well 

 rooted. Let them be about five inches in length 

 aud place iTi rows two feet apart, the cuttings 

 iH'iug two inches apart in the row. Cover with 

 evergre<-ii boughs as soon as the ground freezes, 

 to pre\ cut their being displaced by repeated 

 thawings and freezings.— C. E. P. 



