62 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



463. Plants for Bockwork. For ai species well 

 suited to this purpose we would name Thrift 

 fArmcria vuloarix); Wooly Milfoil lAcMUea 

 tomcrilosa); Alyssum saxatile: Acjuilegia Cana- 

 densis; Rock Cress {Arabia Alpixa): Sandwort 

 (^7-C7i07-io); Meadow Saffron (Biilhocodium ver- 

 mim); Aubretia; Harebell iCamiminila rntundi- 

 fnlia); Cerastium tomentosum; Spring Beauty 

 laaytonia Viryinica); Herbaceous Oematis; 

 Gentiana acaulis; Ground Ivy [Nepeta Olcchoma); 

 niuets (Hiiu.itiinia cirnika); Lychnises, Oxalis 

 Violacea; Penstcmon acuminatus: Low Phloxes; 

 Saxifragas in variety; Seduras in variety; Silene 

 Alpestris: Alpine Speedwell {Vetrmica Alpina). 



513. Dwarf Apples for Profit. We do not ad- 

 vise setting these for market. They are fine as 

 ornaments, and when large trees cannot be well 

 grown a few dwarfs may be for fruit.— A. M. P. 



512. Pears for Market. We can find nothing 

 better for standard than Bartlett, Sheldon, Seckle, 

 Howell, Lawrence and Mt. Vernon; and for 

 dwarfs, Duchess de Angoulema, Louise Bonne de 

 Jersey, Buerre de Anjou, and Howell.— A. M. P. 



.533. Baspberries for Canada. Both Marlboro 

 and Turner are perfectly hardy in Western New 

 York, and should be in Southern Canada. Han- 

 sell has the reputation of being hardy. 



446. Grubs in Strawberry Land, I would plow 

 the land as thoroughly and deeply this fall as late 

 as possible, and then give a heavy dressing of 

 lime, wood ashes or any other concentrated or 

 commercial fertilizer. Allow It to remain In this 

 rough condition aU winter. A moderate dressing 

 of salt applied in the same way would probably 

 be beneficial.— C. E. P. 



527. Market for Herbs. We do not beUeve 

 there is any large market for any of these herbs 

 —or even a small one— only a few bunches are 

 of such things sold, even in New York.— P. H. 



531. Blackberry, Stayman's Early. This Black- 

 berry appears to be of no value on our grounds. 

 It kills back considerably in winter and matures 

 very little f ruit.— E. S. Goff, Genera, N. Y. 



.532. Baspberry, Crimson Beauty. As grown at 

 the Station this variety is fuUy up to the average 

 of the Red Raspberries tested. It is a very rtgor- 

 ous grower, the fruit is large, rather deeper red 

 and rather softer than that of the Cuthbert, of 

 excellent flavor, and is produced abundantly. 

 The tips killed back slightly last winter, but not 

 sufficient to prevent an excellent crop the past 

 season.— E. S. Goff, Staff Farm, Ocnera, N. Y. 



498. Market Gardening Questions. The best 

 early Beet for market is Eclipse. The best late 

 Half Long Blood Beets, or where a round beet is 

 preferred. Blood Turnip Beet. White Sugar Beet 

 where it does well is preferable to any other. For 

 the last two years the most profitable sweet Corn 

 with me has been the Marblehead for early and 

 the Landreth for second. In my market garden- 

 ing business these two varieties have given me 

 better returns than any others tried.— M. M. 



,504. Mildew and Aphis on Boses. Dust 

 over the whole plant with tobacco dust and 

 flowers of sulphur united. I find it checks or pre- 

 vents these on every plant subject to them; only, 

 with this as with all other remedies, the applica- 

 tions have to be kept up. No single application 

 of anything is effectual.— Mansfield Milton. 



480. Boot Pruning Fruit Trees. In an orchard 

 here the Apple trees are about a dozen yeare 

 planted. Soil sandy and richly manured, and we 

 crop between the trees with vegetables. The 

 trees grow a good deal but do not fruit enough to 

 please me. Last Seiitcmher I root pruned sixty 

 trees— described a circle around the trees 4 to 6 

 feet away from the stem, according to the size of 

 the tree, and threw out a 3 feet deep trench which 

 was Immediately filled up again. I want to stop 

 this ovcr-lu.xurianee. If I get the trees once into 

 the way of heavy bearing, I can keep them so, 

 and manure and cultivate the ground between 

 too. By summer pruning I can check luxuriance 

 in Pear trees enough and get them weU filled with 

 fruit spurs without any root jiruning.— W. F. 



485. Planting Onions in Fall. I plant Danvers and 

 Wethersfleld C)nious iu September In ground too light 

 for seed Onions In spring. The.v now are up some six 

 or seven Inches. The.v live well and are sure to yield a 

 good crop. If the ground is empty In September what's 

 the use of .saving the sets In the house over winter? No, 

 plant them iu the fall, they U<> lully ;i-^ well and It's so 

 much work past. But as Potato < uiiutisllke rieh heavy 

 land, and they are not ai)t tosi)r"ut if kept indooisover 

 winter. I .lehiy planting; them till .\prll. But I have 



planted them in tlu- fall with k i etii.ii^'h sueeess. I 



wouldn't bother with top ouions.— W. v.. Lung Island. 



506. Everbearing Strawberry. Yes, there are sev- 

 eral of them, but In my opinion the best of them Is poor 

 enough. I have a bed of them here, and I can pick a 

 dish of berries from it most any ilay from Juue till 

 October, but they are small and poor, and for all the 

 crop they bear, not worth growing.— W. Falconer. 



528. TJse of Pine Needles. Don't use them among 

 leaves for leaf nuthl. Don't burn them If you can use 

 them as an ab.sorbent In the manure yard or as bedding 

 In the hog or cattle yards. If you cannot use them In 

 this way cart them Into a heap In some hollow and let 

 Ihem rot there, and a year hence spread them on the 



? round as a foundation for a manure pile. Don't let 

 hem lie on the gra-ss around the trees as they will In- 

 jure the grass. Better rake them off and use a scatter- 



ing of rotted manure instead. They are a capital 

 mulching for trees of their kind, and before they begin 

 to rot. for vigorous herbaceous perennials as (^yprlpe- 

 dlums, Bellworts, Triliiums and the like whose crowns 

 need a little protertion from sunshine in winter; also, 

 if thinlv used, over dwarf evergreen plants as Veroni- 

 cas. Dianthus and other alplnesthat are perfectly hardy 

 so far as Inteuslt.v of cold is concerned, but need a little 

 shading in frosty weather.— W. Falconer. 



Laying Out the Front Yard, 



The accompanying engraving sketched 

 from an actual e.^ample shows what can 

 be done to render even a small-sized front 

 yard attractive by judicious methods. The 

 original of our sketch is a town lot about 35 

 feet in width by upwards of .50 feet long. 



It is seen that a large assortment of hardy 

 shrubs (fi8 in all) are introduced, mainly In 

 the outskirts of the place, besides an oval 

 bed planted to Roses, several other flower 

 beds, half a dozen ornamental and shade 



LAYING OUT THE FRONT YARD 



trees, and yet space for ample stretches of 

 lawn is afforded, and there are plenty of 

 good walks, also. 



The chief merit of this plan lies in its gen- 

 eral simplicity, and in the fact that the 

 central space is in the main unoccupied with 

 shrubs and trees. The small oval plat in 

 the front half, and which is planted to Roses, 

 affords an exception to the prevailing prin- 

 ciple referred to. But this is in such a mod- 

 ified form that it tends to enhance rather 

 than diminish the fine general effect. 



Concerning the principle of a compara- 

 tively open center, such as is here seen, we 

 never tire of calling to it the attention of 

 all planters. Its advantages: It affords an 

 extended view of the entire area, giving an 

 i idea of breadth and repose without which 

 no garden can be satisfactory. The shrubs 

 and trees are advantageously located in a 

 more or less continuous line towards the 

 outskirts, affording the best possible oppor- 

 tunity for being seen to advantage, both 

 individually and collectively. 



Something may be said in favor of the 

 walk arrangement here shown. It is, that 

 the walks, with being double in character, 

 provide a pleasing balance to the parts of 

 the lot, besides permitting the center of the 

 area to be in grass, an arrangement which, 

 without any exception, is an advantage for 

 fine appearances. In such a case the walks 

 when well kept— and they must under such 

 circumstances be well kept — in themselves 

 also serve a distinctly ornamental purpose. 

 The idea of a somewhat increased expense 

 in making and keeping them must, how- 

 ever, not be lost sight of by economical 

 gardeners. Such might prefer a single walk, 

 keeping it somewhat to one side of the 



middle of the lot. Even in that case it 

 might by the introduction of one or more 

 graceful curves, with a group or two of 

 shrubs in each bend, be made to present 

 altogether a pleasing appearance. 



How to get a Large Crop of Straw- 

 berries. 



J. M. SMITH, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, 



In answer to inquiry No. 53.5 I would say 

 that my system of preparing the ground 

 and setting and growing a crop of Straw- 

 berries is as follows; My soil is a rich sandy 

 loam, and made yearly richer by heavy 

 manuring with stable and barnyard ma- 

 nures, it ibeing put on at the rate of .35 or 40 

 two-horse loads per acre. Generally we put 

 about one half of what we design for the 

 beds upon the surface and plow it under, 

 and the balance is put on after plowing and 

 harrowed in. The last named should be 

 well rotted and thoroughly mixed with the 

 soil, otherwise it will be very troublesome 

 in setting and tending the plants. 



If my soU was a heavy clay, I should 

 prefer fall plowing; but being it is not, I 

 cannot yet see that it is improved by pursu- 

 ing such a course. But whether the soil be 

 a heavy clay or something else, it must be 

 put iu the best of order before any plants are 

 put in the ground. It must be well drained. 

 K it has been previously underdi'ained, all 

 the better; but it must be well surface 

 drained, for the plants will not do anything 

 like their best if their roots are for any 

 length of time in a soil that is thoroughly 

 saturated with water. 



When the beds are ready for setting they 

 are marked off' in rows two feet apart each 

 way. And now comes the important ques- 

 tion. What shall we set ? I have spent much 

 time and money within the last 35 years try- 

 ing to get something that would do better 

 with me than the Wilson, but have not yet 

 succeeded, unless the Manchester, which I 

 have had on trial tor some years past, shall 

 prove to be its superior. 



In selecting plants for setting take none 

 that have ever borne fruit. Select good, 

 medium sized runners of the previous fall's 

 growth, and set as marked, two feet apart 

 each way. Cultivate carefully during the 

 summer. Pick off the blossoms, and keep 

 the entire growth and strength confined to 

 the plants. As they throw out runners 

 train them around the parent plant in a 

 circle like the spokes of a wheel, the plant 

 being the centre. Allow no weeds to grow. 



When the ground becomes sufficiently 

 frozen to allow a team to go over it, cover 

 the plants with marsh hay, though straw is 

 equally good provided there are no foul seeds 

 in it. Cover the plants sufficiently deep to 

 hide them from view. The follow iug spring 

 after the ground is done freezing and thaw- 

 ing, take off the cover and put it in a stack, 

 and it may be used again the next winter. 

 Clean out all the weeds that make their ap- 

 pearance, being careful not to hoe too deep, 

 or so deep as to injure the roots of the plants. 



Now comes the picking season. If they 

 have done well, the beds are nearly full of 

 strong healthy plants and they are full of 

 fruit in all stages of ripening, from the oc- 

 casional blossom to the occasional ripe berry. 

 It needs care to get through them without 

 injuring the fruit. 



But your query was concerning the getting 

 of a large crop, and by following the above 

 plan I rarely fail to get from a large to a 

 very large one. If Crescents or any of the 

 stronger growing varieties are used, three 

 feet apart each way is sufficiently near. 

 They will cover the ground. By following 

 the above plan I do not consider 300 bushels 

 per acre an extra large crop. In fact the 

 yield on my ground for the last two years 

 has exceeded that amount, although the 

 drought has been the worst ever known. 



