66 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



growth of the trees for a few years, while 

 all this time it will he proof against rab- 

 bits and mice, the round-headed borer, and 

 the flat-headed one so far as it reaches. 



Where this is not applied, the grass and 

 weeds should be cleaned away from the trees 

 to guard against the mice, and the trunks 

 smeared with blood to keep off rabbits. 



If a deep snow falls where there was weeds 

 left around the trees in the fall, it should be 

 tramped down, when it will freeze solid and 

 prevent mice from getting near the trees, 

 for it is at such times that they do the most 

 damage. In the East one winter for me the 

 mice barked quite a number of trees that 

 were six inches in diameter clear around for 

 a couple inches in breadth, clear into the 

 solid wood; they would have been kiUed 

 if I had not knovsoi how to treat them. As 

 it was all were saved, as I cared for 

 them, and kept apace with the rest 

 in growth, the only difference per- 

 ceptible being that the girdled trees 

 bore more fruit than the others. 



MissorRi Horticultural So- 

 CIETT. At our State Society's an- 

 nual winter meeting at Booneville. 

 Mo. , recently, there was a large at- 

 tendance and the display of fruit 

 quite good for such a slim crop as 

 we have had. 



Japan Persimmons. Among the 

 new fruits, that attracted more than 

 ordinary attention were some Japan 

 Persimmons 10 inches in circumfer- 

 ence, and weighing 12 oz, some\vith- 

 out seeds and of excellent quality. 



Now we know that the big pictures 

 representing this fruit is no lie; but 

 won't say as much for the agent who 

 seUs the tree for $1 per tree, telling 

 his customers that they can grow 

 them here. Three times have I tried 

 them but they always winter kill. 

 But they would make a splendid 

 tub plant to put in the cellar at 

 approach of winter. 



The friend in the South who kindly 

 sent me the above named, writes that he had 

 a tree three years old with sixty Persimmons 

 on that he intended leaving to see how the 

 cold weather and freezing would affect them. 

 At that time they had the mercury down to 

 27 degrees. Here our coldest was U degrees, 

 and not far from us zero. 



The Japan Plums are also likely to be- 

 come a popular fruit in the South. I have 

 eaten them sent here from California and 

 know that they are the largest (Kelsey's I 

 mean) Plums grown and of excellent quality. 

 But our seasons are too short to ripen this 

 variety here, although I understand that 

 some of the varieties may come to maturity. 



Wild Goose and Marianna Plums. Of 

 our native Plums the Wild Goose still holds 

 the lead for profit, being the surest of all I 

 have tried; but for my own eating I want 

 something much better. 



The much lauded Mariannadoes not come 

 up to the mark laid out for it. Instead of 

 being earlier than Wild Goose it is later; 

 instead of larger it is smaller, and if it is 

 any better, it is so little that I don't see it. 

 Then it was to be Curculio proof, which it 

 is not. My tree, that might have ripened 

 half a bushel of fruit if all had remained 

 that set, did not ripen one; the Curculio 

 stung every one, and they fell untimely, 

 while two large Wild Goose trees not thirty 

 yards from it bore immense crops, and 

 ripened them, too. 



These are the facts as experienced here, 

 and I give them as such. No doubt those who 

 have a large stock of these trees on hand for 

 sale will not like it, but those who had in- 

 tended setting it out largely will perhaps 

 thank me for it. A number of fruit men 

 have written to me stating that my exper- 

 ience may save them a thousand dollars. 



If any one wishes to try every new thing, 

 it is all right, but my advice would be to go 

 slow on such as have never been tried in 

 the vicinity. 



As FOR Strawberries thei-e are several 

 varieties that do well in Illinois a little 

 over one hundred miles from here, but that 

 are worthless with me. Sharplessand Alba- 

 ny are not worth their room; can't keep the 

 plants alive. Among the new ones Jessie 

 pleases me the best of all. It will no doubt 

 be the berry soon. 



It has long been my ambition to grow a 

 Strawberry as large as Cumberland Triumph 

 with the quality of Ladle's Pine. This, I fear 

 is too good a thing to be obtained. The 

 drought last summer killed all my Pines, 

 also the seedlings, hence the end of that. 



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Schoolyard Improvement: Associa- 

 tions for the Work. 



That the American country schoolyard as 

 a rule is in a sad state of neglect in matters 

 of tree and other horticultural embellish- 

 ments is a fact widely apparent. It seems 

 strange indeed that the one yard of a school 

 district, and associated with that which rep- 

 resents the interests and aggregate wealth 

 of an entire district, should so otten be the 

 barest, meanest looking yard, for people of 

 that district. This is the more remarkable, 

 as we consider that it is of the place devoted 

 to educating and cultivating the minds of 

 children, so tender and open to receiving 

 impressions good and bad. 



Were it the case that some great diffi- 

 culty was in the way of adorning school- 

 yards with trees, vines, shrubs, plants, 

 la^vn, etc., not found when we provide 

 these in our own grounds, the view might 

 be different. But such is not to a serious 

 extent true. The task of planting the yard 

 is really a small one in most instances and 

 not at all difficult to handle; the means in 

 every school district are superabundant for 

 the slight outlay required, and there should 

 be enough willing hands for the work in 

 men, women and children, to make it light 

 indeed. The case is too generally merely 

 one of " what is everybody's bu.siness is no- 

 body's business," and the schoolyard re- 

 mains unadorned. 



But a time has come in which there is a 

 wide feeling that a change for the better 

 should be vsTOUght in schoolgrounds. Nat- 

 urally enough it is those who have a warm 

 appreciation of horticulture that seem to be 

 most exercised as to what should be done. 

 The horticultural societies of the country, 

 for example, are taking a hold of the subject 



in a way that promises well for good results. 

 The question of ways and means for the 

 work is one that presents itself at the outset 

 to those who feel an interest here. To our 

 mind a solution is to be found in asso- 

 ciation work for the purpose, in a way 

 similar to that upon which village im- 

 provement associations are so successfully 

 conducted in many places. We are satisfied 

 that much if not all that should be done 

 could in most cases be better done thus 

 by the independent concerted action of the 

 leading families of a school district than by 

 State aid or otherwise. 



Where a live Improvement Association ex- 

 ists at present in a district, the work very 

 properly comes within its province, pro- 

 vided there is no special society. But out- 

 side of this we are in favor of seeing a 

 Schoolyard Improvement Associa- 

 tion in some form, in every school 

 district oiitside of the large towns, to 

 look after this and related school 

 matters. It should easily secure the 

 active support of every man and 

 woman in the district, and there 

 would be no difficulty in getting the 

 children interested in a way to tell 

 well for making and keeping up the 

 improvements from year to year. 



To show what has been done in the 

 instance of one country school dis- 

 trict located in Erie County, N. Y. , by 

 the joint action of the residents and 

 their children very largely, we pre- 

 sent the accompanying engraving of 

 the school grounds of said district 

 somewhat modified. In this case the 

 work was wholly a work of love, with 

 hardly anything like system about 

 it, and yet so long as we were ac- 

 quainted with it the school grove 

 and garden were well kept up, and 

 we presume are to this day. 



The garden features of this yard 

 are sutficiently indicated by our 

 engraving. The gi-ove of trees 

 was a natural one, and which had 

 been chosen originally for the shelter it 

 afforded. The trees had been judiciously 

 thinned so that while heavy gi'oups re- 

 mained, to afford ample shelter, shade and 

 beauty, yet the openings between sufficed to 

 permit the growth of gi'ass for forming ex- 

 cellent sward play-grounds. Here it may 

 be added that this schoolyard is not 

 cramped for room; it covers not far from an 

 acre of groimd in which respect it stands in 

 marked contrast with those small patches of 

 schoolyard everywhere seen in the midst of 

 cheap farm lands, and in which not enough 

 land was originally reserved for giving the 

 grass a chance to form a decent sward. 



But perhaps the most marked featui-e of 

 this embellished schoolyard was the flower 

 garden shown to the left fi-out of the build- 

 ing. This was a fenced in plot, the fence of 

 which was contributed by one resident of 

 the district. The little area was devoted to 

 walks and flower beds throughout. It was 

 looked upon as the special domain of the 

 girls, being on their side of the yard, but the 

 boys were entitled to enter it, and they 

 gladly did a share in keeping it tilled and in 

 shape. The plants and shrubs set out were 

 largely of the hardy class, and had been 

 contributed from the surrounding gardens. 

 Some annuals were raised from seed each 

 year, and numerous Geraniums and similar 

 plants found their way into the flower gar- 

 den from the homes of the scholars. 



This little garden proved to be a school 

 garden in more ways than one. For ex- 

 ample: Along the shady side next to the 

 fence was a favorite place in which to strike 

 plant slips, and many were the lessons in 

 simple propagation that were indirectly im- 

 parted to scholars who met with little en- 

 couragement in such pleasant work at their 



