1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



123 



WALKS AND JOTTINGS. 



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



Evaporated Ra.spbehries. In answer to 

 several enquiries as to wliy Red Raspberries 

 sell so ninch liigher than black, we would 

 say, that it takes abo)it }i more fresh fruit 

 to make a pound of dried fruit. Tlie best 

 Red Raspberry we have tried for drying is 

 the Cuthbert. Of course twenty pounds of 

 blacks are dried to one pound of reds, and 

 too blacks grow and yield on soil and in 

 localities where the reds are not productive. 

 Now we would say in answer to one enquirer 

 that our harvested Raspl)erries dried sold 

 for about 20 per cent less than the hand 

 picked, but considering that the cost of liar- 

 vesting is not over one-fourth as much, t)ie 

 difference in profits is in favor of the former. 

 Strawberries in Matted Hills. These 

 are gown by setting strong plants 3 feet apart 

 each way and keeping them thoroughly cult i- 

 vated both ways. As they begin to throw 

 out runners the cultivator must be kept 

 going quite often both ways so as to prevent 

 the young plants from setting far away from 

 the old plants. By fall the young plants 

 setting around near the original plant form 

 a compact, matted hill 12 to 18 inches .square. 

 These matted hill beds yield as much fruit 

 in bulk as matted rows, and of larger and 

 more uniform size, while the work of linger 

 picking is not near as much. Try a plot the 

 coming season and see if you don't like it. 

 The following season they will be allowed 

 to run one way and form matted rows. 



Covering Strawberries. If not done 

 before it should be at once if growing on 

 land that is liable to heave. It's the early 

 spring thawing and freezing that does the 

 great damage, and mulching prevents this. 

 Grapes Under Glass. How many old 

 greenhouses there are that might liave two 

 to four of the more tender and delicious 

 Grapes growing under them, and yet not 

 interfere in the least with growing or forcing 

 plants in the beds. 



Boiled Cider. A Chicago commission 

 merchant informed us that he was getting 

 quite a sale for boiled cider, say boiled down 

 7.5 per cent. We trust some such trade may 

 be started up as it would be a great help to 

 evaporating fruits in using up skins, cores 

 and trimmings by pressing them into cider 

 and boiling this down. There ought to be a 

 good trade worked up, as all favor boiled 

 cider for making sauce, vinegar, etc. 



Peach growing is made more successful 

 by Mr. Rutter of Pennsylvania by throwing 

 up against each tree half a peck of unslacked 

 lime, say twice a year, and covering this 

 over with a little earth. Thus covered it 

 slacks slowly and scalds out the grub. A 

 certain writer says he tried to kill a few 

 Peach trees by shoveling up against the 

 bodies quick lime, and when, during a rain, 

 he saw the trees enveloped in smoke for half 

 an hour he thought they were gone sure, but 

 it proved a great benefit to the trees. We 

 know of no better or safer way to keep 

 grubs out of Peach trees than to dig earth 

 away for two inches below surface and mud 

 tree loosely with tar paper, and draw earth 

 up against this. Of course the tarred side 

 of the paper should be out and not in or 

 against the bark of the tree. 



Forcing Cucimbers, Melons, Etc. Be 

 sure to put a few inverted sods in the hot- 

 bed or greenhouse and plant on these seed, 

 and when soils are planted outdoors cover 

 them over with small square frames covered 

 with glass or cloth. 



Large Versus S.mall Trees. No greater 

 mistake is made by a large number than 

 ordering the largest or " bearing " size trees 

 and vines. It's a well known fact that no 

 nurseryman can take nyi large trees and 

 save or retain a large proportion of the roots, 

 especially of the finer roots or fibers, as the.se 

 grow at the extremities of the roots and are 



generally out off in digging, while with 

 small trees the roots are close together and 

 the fibers mostly gnarled. Thirty years ago 

 we set out an orchard of two, three and four 

 year trees. Within five years time the 

 youngest trees were as large as the others, 

 and much fairer and healthier every way, 

 and we know that none could have taken 

 more pams to dig and set them than did we. 



Cutting back Blackberries and Rasp- 

 berries should be attended to this month, 

 say fully one-half of the side branches. Cut 

 worms are cut back and killed out largely 

 by early spring plowing. 



Salsify or Vegetable Oy.ster should be 

 grown in every garden. The same rules for 

 growing good Parsnips answer for this de- 

 licious vegetable. The seed should be sown 

 as early in the spring as soil will do to work. 

 The soil cannot be made too rich. Plant in 

 rows 18 inches apart and two to three seed 

 to the inch, and these thinned when growing 

 nicely to .3 inches apart. Like Parsnips they 

 can be left in the ground all winter. 



Hastening Beets and Onions. This may 

 be done by soaking seeds in water for a day 

 or two: then pour off water and mix in dry 

 sand, rubbing well together and then sow- 

 ing in hot-beds thickly, and rows close to- 

 gether in the hot-bed, and as soon as settled 

 weather comes in the spring transplant otit- 

 doors. Many contend that the work of 

 transplanting is not so much as weeding and 

 thinning out where sowed in the field, and 

 also the larger percentage of seed that is 

 thus wasted, and besides at least three to 

 four weeks is gained by starting them thus 

 early, and too by ground being freshly 

 plowed and" prepared when transplanted 

 the weeds are easily kept down and the 

 Onions and Beets get a nice start of such. 



growing there. Of Strawberries we recom- 

 mend those sorts that make runners freely, 

 like Crescent, Hoffman, Crystal City and 

 May King. So far as we observed the larger 

 fair sorts of tlie North, like Sharpless, Chas. 

 Downing, etc., did not succeed well South. 

 For the South we would recommend hill 

 culture for Raspberries so that they can 

 be kept well worked out both ways. 



GROWING BERRIES SOUTH. 



Since our former article relative to grow- 

 ing trees south, we have received numerous 

 inquiries as to growing small fruits, market- 

 ing, etc. In answer to these we would say, 

 first, that until railroad and express com- 

 panies get to be more reasonable in their 

 charges and more reliable as to quick trans- 

 portation, we cannot conscientiously recom- 

 mend any person to go into the business of 

 growing small fruits to ship north for profit. 

 As a specimen, from our grounds in High 

 Point, N. C, we have to pay .*3..50 to ^.00 

 per 100 lbs. to Philadelphia and New York, 

 and worse than this we have had crates of 

 berries setting on the platform, all billed 

 for northern points, and the express mes- 

 senger refusing to take them on, saying that 

 they could not take any more. As to 

 Peaches, we have known parties there that 

 have bought the best Peaches for 50 cents 

 per bushel and ship them north, when they 

 sold from *2..50 to $3.00, and yet when re- 

 turns came back they had not a cent of 

 profit. The only chance for Peach growers 

 South at present is to evaporate them, which 

 we propose to do from our 3.500 trees. 



As to growing small fruits we advise fer- 

 tilizing the soil with cow-yard manure or 

 bone dust right under the roots; that is, for 

 Strawberries plow furrows 3,'. J to 4 feet apart 

 and scatter in bottom of them above, and 

 then cover over with soil, and on this set 

 the plants. For Raspberries mark out one 

 way 3V.J to 4 feet with a marker and plough 

 out furrows the other way, and in each place 

 where the mark crosses the furrow, scatter 

 the manure or bone dust and set the plants. 

 This is much better than scattering the 

 manure broad cast, for two important reas- 

 ons. The strong main wood will be made 

 right at the "hill" where the manure is 

 dropped, and suckers will not sprout up 

 much outside of this. 



The Ttirner and Cuthbert are best red, and 

 Tyler and Ohio best black sorts we saw 



INTRODUCING A NEW ORAPK. 



Toronto, Canada. 



Dear Sir :— I have a seedling G rape from either 

 Mcrriinae, Wilder or Salem. Small hlack fruit, 

 medium sized; close, heavy bunch; very early, 

 ripens end of Augrust; thin skin, occasionally 

 when dead ripe skin cracks, fruit then very sweet; 

 yields a dark, i-uby-colored juice. Makes a rich, 

 hitfh-colored, pretty wine or jelly. Vine perfectly 

 hardy, free from mildew, si)ot or blight; rather 

 large leaf, productive and easy to propagate. 

 This vine, although allowed to grow almost wild 

 amidst surrounding shrubs and in rough grass, 

 yearly jiroduces an abundant crop of fruit. The 

 women folks prefer it to any other varieties, on 

 account of the superior wine and jelly it makes. 

 As a table Grape it is worthless, but for wine or 

 jelly I think it is worth i)ropagating. I should 

 like your opinion of my seedling. W. J. M. 



This is a sample of many letters that I re- 

 ceive regarding new Grapes, small fruits, 

 etc. To be candid with our friend, we reply 

 that we do not think it will pay him to in- 

 troduce his Grape. This introducing new 

 fruit in the way it is being done is being 

 overdone, and not one introducer in fifty 

 ever realizes enough to pay expenses. The 

 proper course to take is to send a vine to 

 competent judges like Samuel MiUer, of 

 Mo., Campbell of Ohio, Garfield of Mich., 

 Meehan of Pa., and others, and if a large 

 share of these report favorably you may 

 stand one chance in ten of making money. 



R. I. We do not advise drawing out muck from 

 the swamp directly on the ground where it is to 

 be appUed. It should be hauled out in heaps with 

 lime, coal ashes, common soil or manure mixed 

 with it, and the pile lay a year at least before use. 

 Thos. W. W. It will be safe to plant out small 

 fruits on land that will grow good Com and Po- 

 tatoes, near a market where Strawberries and 

 other berries do not get below .5 to 6 cents per 

 quart. If you can get 8 to 10 cents you can go 

 ahead with assurances of success. 



R. T. has three old Pear trees that have about 

 run out, and asks if they can be made to renew 

 their age. Try the plan of digging a shallow 

 trench, say one foot deep, six to eight feet away 

 from the body of the tree, and throwing into this 

 a bberal supply of sods, leaf mold, ashes, lime 

 and manure and covering with earth, and then 

 cut away aU dead Umbs and give the body and 

 Umbsagood coat of whitewash. We have seen 

 old Peach trees renewed beyond belief by the 

 process. It your orchard of sixteen years is so 

 luxuriant and does not yield fruit, and the 

 branches are running together, cut out every 

 other tree and trim trees so as to give the sun a 

 chance to the soU and fruit or blossoms. 



E. B. J. Yes, you can grow the hai-dy sorts of 

 Blackberries, like Snyder, Western Triumph and 

 Taylor successfully, even it they will not stand 

 your winter in Minnesota exposed. This is done 

 by simply digging under one side of the roots and 

 bending them over and covering with earth Just 

 befoi-e winter sets in. 



E. W. Oneida Co., N. Y. You will find Hall's 

 Japan Honeysuckle the best running rine for 

 screens, as it holds its leaves all winter and does 

 not drop them till the new leaves take their 

 place. It is delightfully fragrant and very pro- 

 fuse in blossoming, every alternate flower being 

 white and yellow. It is also very hardy and a 

 rampant grower. 



.1. F. asks if the Pear will succeed grafted on 

 Apple stock. We have tried it repeatedly but 

 without success, and to the same correspondent 

 we would say that the party in Wisconsin who 

 is so successful in growing Blackberries by high 

 manuring and laying down in the winter, grows 

 only the dwarf kinds like Snyder and Stone's 

 Hardy. High manuring of such kinds as the 

 Kittatinn.\- will destroy them for fruitfulness. 



