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POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



Thi8 being the People's Paper, it is open to all their 

 Inquiries bearing on gardening. Correspondents are 

 urged to anticipate the season in presenting questions. To 

 aak^for instance, on April 15 or 20 luhnt Peas had best be 

 sown, could bring no an sjver in the May issue, and none 

 before June, when the answer would be unseasonable 

 Questions received before the \Oth of any month stand a good 

 chance of being answered in the next paper- Not more than 

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

 pearing ipithout name belong to the name next following 



Replies to Inquiries are earnestly requested from our 

 reaiUrs. In answering such give the number, your 

 locality and name, the latter not for publication, unless 

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



578. Land for Strawberries. I intend to embark in 

 Strawberry raising, and have both good high land and 

 good low 'land. On which would you advise me to 

 plant?— C. C. G., Venanao Co., Pa. 



579. Palms for Room Culture. Could you give the 

 names of some of the more suitable varieties? Do the 

 plants require any special preparation to fit them for 

 room culture?— Mrs. G. A.. Monroe Co., N. Y. 



580. The Niagara Plum. Is this as hardy and pro- 

 ductive as Lombard? Hnw much earlier?— W. B. H. 



581. Heating Hot-Bed with Lamp. Is there any 

 way of heating a small hot-bed in this way? Please 

 oblige b.v answering.— J. M., Homewood, Pa. 



582. Keeping the Hibiscus Dwarfed. I have plants 

 six or eight feet high growing in half barrels, with the 

 roots running through beneath into the soil where they 

 are standing. Would it be safe tw out away considera- 

 ble of the roots with a view to keeping down the size 

 of plants? Similar treatment of my Oleanders does not 

 seem to hurt them, and permits of their bein^ grown in 

 smaller earth receptacles.- 1. M. P., Castroville, Te.vas. 



583. "Variegated Umbrella Tree. ' ' I would be glad 

 to know the botanical name and treatment of this plant. 

 With the plain variety I have always had excellent 

 success, but with this one not.— S. L. A., RosJyn, N.Y. 



584. Unhealthy Geraniums. The foliage looks 

 healthy and they appear to be doing well, but when- 

 ever a bud starts out it will grow but a short time and 

 blast and die; they do so every time one starts.— R.H.C., 

 Macon City, Mo. 



585. Fertilizers for Pot Plants. Can you tell me the 

 best nourishment for my house plants? 



58fi. Worms in Flower Pots. What will kill life 

 in the dirt? 1 am annoyed by angle worms.— Mrs.W. M. 



587. Musk Melon for Forcing. What is the best 

 large Musk Melon to start under glass and transplant, 

 and what is the best way of doing it? 



588. Storing Cabbage. What is the best way to .store 

 Cabbage for winter or spring sales, especially for get- 

 ting at in severe weather? Would it do to trim, put in 

 layers in a cold cellar and cover each layer with sand? 



58!). Cauliflower Query. As Cauliflowers are usually 

 shipped in barrels, about how many fill a barrel on an 

 average?— S. W., JBelleview, Mich. 



590. Lice on Fruit Trees. There are many Jice on 

 my Chen-y and Apple trees. What will kill them?— S.L. 



531. Mortgages and Fruit Culture. I would like to 

 extend my orchard somewhat, and also go Into Grape 

 growing to the extent of two or three acres, but to do 

 this must mortgage my farm a little. Would you advise 

 it? Am 13 miles from Detroit.- G. S..Way)i€ Co., Mich. 



592. Scraping Tree Bark. Is it considered a benefit 

 or an in.iury to scrape the old bark from trees. It cer- 

 tainly affords a harbor to insects. 



593. Moss on Trees. What do trees require to keep 

 them clear of muss?— W. P. R., Tioga Co., Pa.. 



594. Amaryllis from Seed. Can some reader tell me 

 when, where and how to plant seeds of Amaryllis hy- 

 brlda?-J. K.. Greenfield, Jowa. 



595. Pruning an Arbor Vitx Hedge. My hedge is 

 two feet higher than I like it; total height flve and one- 

 half feet. Would it injure it to reduce as desired?— 

 B. B. W., Hayesvillc. Ohio. 



596. Plants for Small Conservatory. I have a small 

 conservatory directly off from my sittiug-room, which 

 is heated with a coal stove. I find Geraniums will not 

 succeed well; the temperature is not high enough to 

 secure blossoms during midwinter. Ferns, Primroses, 

 Farfugium and English Ivy do admirably. Will you 

 kindly suggest a half dozen plants that ^vill bloom sat- 

 isfactorily in a slightly lower temperature than Ge- 

 raniums require- E. C. D., Providence. B. I. 



597. Propagating Hydrangea Paniculata. Will you 

 give me some points ou propagating this shrub, and 

 obllge-S. E. C. Rockford, HI 



598. Green Manuring. I have a piece of deep sandy 

 loam somewhat deficient in vegetable matt«r which I 

 desire to improve Ity plowing under several crops of 

 green manure. What will best fill the bill? Am ad- 

 vised to employ Rape but don't know about it, or how 

 many crops lua season.— G., Kankakee Co., III. 



599. Fertilizers for Strawberries. A half acre patch 

 of mine will come into bearing this season, {a) What 

 would be the cheapest and best commercial fertilizer 

 to apr>ly? {h) When and how much? (c) Could it be 

 applied on top of the mulch of straw? 



600. Fertilizer for Raspberry. 1 have Raspberries 

 partly set in the spring of 1887, partly the fall previous, 

 what commercial fertilizer would you recommend for 

 them and litiw to be applied?- E. H., Craicford Co., Pa. 



601. Pears and Plums for Iowa. Kindly name two 

 or three varieties of the earliest and best of each for 

 general planting.— J. J., loica City. Toira. 



tt02. Coal Tar and Peach Trees. Should like to 

 know proper time to apply coal tar to Peach trees. A 

 correspondent recommends it but does not say when 

 to apply.— F. W. R., Bradford, Tcnn. 



ai3. Plums in Sod. On .some thin, gravelly land I 

 sowed orchard grass last spring. How would it do to 

 set Damsou Plums on this piece, Ifi feet each way and 

 not cultivate for a few years to save the grass. 



fi)A. Shropshire Damson Plum. Is this variety more 

 prolific than the old Blue? Would it succeed here? 

 The old Blue pays here.— A. B., Mt. Washington, Ky. 



('■II;"). Lime for Grapes. Is lime beneficial or injurious 

 to Grape-vines when spread thinly and turned in?— 

 .J. M. K., Lindsay, Ontario. 



ti06. Quince on Muck. Will Quince do well on muck 

 that is somewhat moist underneath the surface?- A., 

 Battle Creek, Mich. 



(H.I7. Increasing Nut Trees. I should like to know 

 how this is d(jne. I cleft grafted nine Chestnuts with 

 the Paragou and only got one to grow, and this made a 

 flue growth.— E. C, Euclid, Ohio. 



i'M. Gooseberry for Maine. What would be the best 

 one for us to set out in this State?— C. J. D., Weld, Maine. 



(KI9. Peach from Northern China. D. B. W. speaks 

 of a hardy Peach or Peaches from Northern China, 

 lately introduced. Do you think it would prove hardy 

 here 45'^ N. Latitude, ^xhere we have 45* below zero 

 nearly every winter V—w, S. W., Shaivno, Wis. 



filO. Lettuce in the Greenhouse for Profit. Will 

 you please give instructions on forcing this crop in the 

 greenhouse, and oblige P. H., Satid Beach, Conn. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



510. Grape Question. The Worden Grape is 

 with us just ten days earlier than the Concord. 

 The White Ann Arbor fruited for the first time 

 last season, but was taken by the bii-ds, so I had 

 no opportunity to test it. Sweetwater I have 

 not had for twenty years, hence have forgotten 

 how early or late it is; nor do I care, as Moore's 

 Diamond is equal to it in quality, with the addi- 

 tion of beins" larger and hardy.— y. Miller. 



.526. Wormy Apples. These are caused by the 

 larva of the insect commonly known as the cod- 

 ling moth. The perfect insects, which ai*e small 

 moths, appear in the greatest number on the 

 warm evenings, about the first of June, and lay 

 their eggs in the blossom end of the small fruit. 

 In a short time these eggs hatch and the worm 

 or grub eats its way until it reaches the core, 

 when the fruit npens prematurely and drops to 

 the ground. Then the insect leaves the fruit and 

 creeps into the crevices underneath the rough 

 bark or other hollow places on the tree, and 

 spins its cocoon. In this it remains until the en- 

 suing June, when it emerges as a perfect moth. 

 The readiest way of destroying them will be tu 

 gather u]) and destroy all fallen fruit daily. It 

 is said that if a piece of woolen cloth is tied 

 around the trunk of the tree as soon as the fruit 

 commences to fall the worms will collect under- 

 neath it and in this way many may be caught 

 and destroyed. Cleaning the tree by scraping 

 and washing the tnuik and larger limbs will 

 also destroy many.— C. E. P. 



525. Preparing for Strawberries. In order to 

 secure a satisfactory result the StrawbeiTy must 

 be given a deep, well eniiched soil, and if possi- 

 ble choose land on which some hoed crop, such 

 as Potatoes, Beets or Celery, has been grown the 

 year previous, and this should be given as much 

 well decayed stable or barn-yard manure as can 

 be well worked under with the plow. Plowing 

 should be done as deeply as possible and then a 

 thorough harrowing given, and if convenient 

 finish by rolling, as this will make it much easier 

 to mark out the rows, which may be placed about 

 two feet apart. The i)lants may stand one foot 

 apart in the row. Phintinji' shmild be done as 

 early in the spring as posyililc. Just as soon as the 

 ground can be properly prci)ared and just pre- 

 vious to or after rain. In planting use a dibble, 

 and be careful to keep the roots straight with 

 their full length in the ground. Do not set the 

 plants deeper than they previously stood, and 

 firm the ground around the roots thoroughly. 

 After growth commences the plants must be 

 freely cultivated, and all runners pmmpty cut 

 off as soon as noticed, until the gi-ound lirt-omes 

 frozen in the fall, when a mulch of straw or salt 

 hay should be given. This mulch should be re- 

 moved from the crowns of the plants early in the 

 spring by means of a short stake. The varieties 

 usually "grown for market purposes ai'e the Wil- 

 son, AVarren, Sharplessaud Manchester. Charles 

 Downing and Kentucky are among the best 

 varieties for home use, and a neai'-by market, 

 but rather soft for shipping.— C. E. P. 



576. Cotton Cloth for Hot-beds. Use the thin- 



est unbleached muslin— costing from five to six 

 cents a yard— and tack it tightly over a frame to 

 fit closely the top of the hot-bed. Into a pint of 

 unboiled linseed oil beat one egg thorc)ughly, 

 and with a paint brush, free from paint, give a 

 coating to the top side of the muslin. The oil 

 makes the cloth water-proof, and the e^g ren- 

 ders it translucent. When very cold, or at liight, 

 spread an extra cover over the hot-bed. With 

 such a vttYOv there is no danger from sun-burn- 

 ing, and the plants thrive admirably.— A. H. E. 



572. Pruning the Quince Tree. Quinces, as a 

 rule, do not need much pruning; they merely re- 

 quire the branches to be kept open. The falling 

 off of the fruit before it comes t(.) maturity is 

 probably due to some defect at the root. No 

 amount of pruning will induce your tree to be 

 fruitful; what it requires is more root room and 



more moisture. I have never seen anyone grow 

 Quinces better than cottagers who plant the 

 trees by the side of a hole into which they throw 

 slops from the house, and make heaps of garden 

 refuse over the root.>*. Trees so treated I have 

 seen bending down with fruit in the autumn. 



533. Blanching Celery. Celery keeps best 

 when stored in a trench about ten inches wide and 

 of a depth exactly the height of the Celery. It 

 .should be dug on dry days only, and placed in 

 the trench as near perpendicular as possible. No 

 earth should be taken with the roots, and the 

 plants should be packed closely. That which is 

 wanted for use in December should be placed In 

 the trenches before the first of November. It 

 should then be co\'ered with shutters, placed in 

 such a position as to shed the rain, and on the 

 approach of cold weather gi'adually covered with 

 straw, salt hay or leaves to keei) it from freezing. 

 This covering should be very gi'adually applied 

 in order to prevent heating. Thus treated it will 

 keep well and blanch i)erfectly. For use from 

 the first of January and later on it should not be 

 put in the trenches until after the first of No- 

 \'ember, and care should be taken to ap]>ly the 

 covering gradually until about the first oi Janu- 

 ary, when it should be about a foot in depth. 

 Celery for winter use should never be banked 

 up when growing, but merely handled, and this 

 c< )nsists in drawing only enough earth around the 

 plants to keep them in an upiight position. 

 This handling should not be done until towards 

 the end of September.— Chahles E. Parnell. 



570. Propagating Large-leaved Begonias. 



These, which are often termed fiI:)rous-root*:d. 

 or ornamental-foliaged, Begonias, to distinguish 

 them from the flowering tuberous-rooted section, 

 are increased by layering the leaves on sandy soil 

 in a moderate warmth. Take leaves that are 

 fully developed, or nearly so— old battered leaves 

 should be avoided— with not more than an inch 

 of stalk. Cut through the principal midribs on 

 the back of each in six or eight places, and with 

 some very small hooked wooden pegs, fasten 

 them down to the surface of well-drained boxes 

 or pans of light sandy soil; or a few stones will 

 answer the purpose almost lis well as pegs. 

 Place these in a rather close and moist house at 

 about 70*^, or on a gentle hot-bed, keep the soil 

 just moist; shade from strong sun, and in two or 

 three weeks roots and a small tuber will be 

 formed at each cut, and shortly afterwards a tiny 

 leaf wnll be seen to i-ise, forming the embryo 

 plant. When these are strong enough, divide 

 and pot them off singly, and afterwards shift on 

 as required. About the best mixture in which to 

 root the leaves is composed of equal parts of 

 loam, Cocoanut-fiV)er, and coarse sand, with a 

 httle leaf-mold if this is at hand.— A, H. E. 



552. Wintering Fansies. We think the safest 

 course for you to pursue would be to retain 

 the sash and protect the plants Ughtly with marsh 

 hay, or, better yet, evergreen branches. Then 

 about one mouth before Easter uncover the 

 plants and transfer them with plenty of frozen 

 soil into heat for forcing their bloom. Possibly 

 as far south as your place they might be brought 

 into bloom \\ithout tne aid of artificial heat, but 

 we hardly think so. They could also be grown 

 imder sash, but the management should be such 

 as to prevent the perils of alternate freezing and 

 thawing, a frozen up state being the preferable 

 one. The danger would be from sun excitement, 

 and it would be to prevent this that we would 

 prefer the course suggested.— A. H. E. 



578. Land for Strawberries. Plant on the 

 higher land. Although this fruit dehghts in 

 moisture at the root in fruiting time, still the 

 lilants are not found to succeed on damp alluvial 

 soils, winter heaving being one of the chief diffi- 

 culties. By ha\"ing the soil rich and keeping it 

 well cultivated even the liking for moisture 

 peculiar to the plant at fruiting time can be well 

 proWded for, droughts notwithstanding. 



581. Heating a Hot-bed With Lamp. In last 

 year's volume, February issue, page SO,im engrav- 

 ing of an oil-heated hot-bed was given. The 

 main features were back and front walls of 

 double matched stuff against upright studs, the 

 former being about a foot higher than the latter. 

 On toj) of these the sash bars and sash reclined. 

 In the bottom of the frame was a board floor, 

 and on this an ordinary two-burner oil-stove 

 for providing heat was phiced. Over the stove 

 and about three inches above it a piece of sheet 

 iron was su()ported. which served to diffuse the 

 heat outwardly fmm the top of the lamp. To 

 fiu-ther provide for the even distrit)uti()n of heat 

 a false bottom of tnatched stuft' was placed across 

 the bed abmit one io.)t above the lamp^ forming 

 a lamp (MunpurtuHnt to the bed. This bottom 

 extended t<> witliin three inches of the side of 

 the bed all around and supplied the necessary 

 openings for the heat to ascend at the outside of 

 the bed, where most needed. Some large holes 

 were liorrd about midway between the cent«r 

 and e;u-h side of the bed to further C(iualize the 

 heat distributit n. To this lamp compartment 

 an I'Utsidc diMir was provided through which to 

 manage the lamp and for admitting the light 

 current of air needed for combustion. The bot- 

 tom of the bed which contained the soil or sand 

 (to a depth of six or seven inches) was raised 

 about 8 inches above the false bottom referred to. 



