POPULAR GARDENING 



AND FRUIT GROWING. 



''ACCUSE NOT NATURE, SHE HATH DONE HER PART; DO THOU BUT THiiOT."— MiLTOB. 



Vol. III. 



.A.:F'ieiL, 1888 



No. 7. 



Springtime Is here ! 

 Stout March, with his bluster. 



Has well eleart'tl the way 

 For sweet, tearful April 



And suuuy-facetl May. 

 old Winter's Krlm forces unwilliuKly retreat. 

 The lonp prisoned streams their deliverer Kreet, 

 The sun rises early, the squirrels dodge out. 

 The brave pussy-willows take courage and sprout ! 



From Winter's cold heart 



Nature wakes with a start- 

 Fair springtime, rare springtime, blithe springtime is 

 here ! —Qood Cheer. 



BiTLB Beds. The beds of spring-fiowering: 

 bulbs shoiihi have their surface stirred ^vith a 

 I'uko once or twice before the time of bloom. 



Advance on the Weeds. Cultivation is easier 

 done before a crop is planted than after, and 

 labor spent in fitting the soil in the best possible 

 manner before the crop is planted is so much 

 done towards its cultivation. Herein lies one of 

 the advantages of small areas of crops: more time 

 can be spent in fitting the soil before planting. 



PnoTECTiON Against Hail. Something- less 

 than a year ago the Florists' Hail Association was 

 established. It has been in practical operation 

 most of the time since, and during last year paid 

 a number of claims for losses. It is desired by 

 the directors that all who feel an interest in this 

 protective work will co-operate with the as.socia- 

 tion by joining it without delay. A first step 

 should be to procure the constitution and by-laws 

 with application blanks. These, together with 

 all necessary information, can be had by address- 

 ing Secretary .Tohn G. Esler, Saddle Ki\cr, N. J. 



Arbor Day. The interest in the Arbor Day 

 and School Yard Improvement movements is so 

 rapidly on the increase that we are sure the 

 special attention given to these subjects in the 

 present i-ssue will be widely appreciated. The.se 

 matters are of such vast importance to the well- 

 fare of our country, and the season of planting 

 is so brief, that we feel to urge the utmost 

 promptness, vigor, and, need we say also, miself- 

 ishness in the carrying out of such impro\'ements. 

 Every friend of trees should be ready to give, 

 not only one day of the year to the setting of 

 forest and ornamental trees and shrubs, but what 

 may often help even more, be prepared to pay 

 out a little money for the common good. 



Cheaper Postaqe foe Seeds, etc. Frac- 

 tional Currency. At this writing the prospects 

 of a reduction in the postage on seeds, plants, 

 bulbs and scions, to one cent for each four 

 ounces (four cents a pound) look very favorable. 

 The Senate postal committee has reported favor- 

 ably on .such a bill, and while a majority of the 

 House committee favors fixing the rate at one 

 cent for each two ounces, a strong minority con- 

 curs with the Senate committee in favor of a 

 lower rate. An added argument in the same line 

 is furnished by the postal treaty with Canada, in 

 effect March 1, by which seeds and plants can be 

 mailed from there to any part of this country at 

 a four cents per pound rate, while we have to 

 pay 111 cents. The dut.v on seeds, plants, etc., is 

 small (a i)ending hill repeals it) and if we are to 

 compete with Canada, we must at least have as 

 low postage. The bill for the issue of Fractional 

 Currency in ^.'j, 1.5 and In cent denominations of 

 silver certificates pjissed the House on March 1!*, 

 by the extraordinary majority of 177 .yeas to (i7 

 nays. With these denominations, any combina- 

 tion on five can be made, so that they cover the 

 necessity of fractional currency for use in the 

 mails. Rut neither of these important meas- 

 ures has yet fully become a law, hence we again 

 urge ever.v one of our readei"S to write to their 

 Kepresentatives and Senators, asking them to do 

 all in then' power for securing the passage of 

 these bills. 



Horticultural Notes by Samuel Miller, 

 Montgomery Co., Missouri. 



Eauly Melons. To have this delicious 

 fruit at least two weeks earlier than by out- 

 door planting, start on sods six inches scjuare 

 and three inches thick. Cut the sods of 

 exact size and put them in a box five inches 

 deep, sticking a little peg in the middle of 

 each sod, then cover half an inch with rich, 

 mellow ground; stick the seeds around this 

 peg an inch from it. four or live to each. 

 Then cover an inch with good soil, pack 

 down tight and place the box in the hot-l)ed 

 as early as practicable. When the plants are 

 up and starting the third leaf fill up to 

 within an inch of the leaves. By the time 

 that the grotmd and weather is fit to plant 

 in the field these ■will be ready to run. Carry 

 the box to the field where to be planted, cut 

 down with a thin sharp knife between the 

 rows, and lift the plants out carefully and 

 set in the hill, leveling up and pressing the 

 ground firmly around them. Do this in the 

 evening and the plants will hardly feel the 

 move. Be sure, however, to temper the plants 

 to the sun, so that they can stand the full 

 ray.s for several days before taking them 

 out. WTien they have well started pull up 

 all but the two best plants. Of course the 

 land to receive them must be rich and in 

 good mellow condition. 



Plums and Nuts Without Planting. I 

 have been clearing land lately upon which 

 there are handsome Plum and Hickory trees. 

 These are left standing for the purpose of 

 grafting— the Plums with such varieties 

 as do well; and the Hickory with choice 

 Hickory nuts and Pecans. The latter we 

 now know will grow on Hickory. Have 

 now two grafts grown on Hickory of Niis- 

 baum's Hybrid Pecan, a peculiar, and, in 

 my opinion, a very valuable nut. In a 

 few years these will bear when grafted on 

 young Hickory, which will beat planting the 

 nuts or yoimg trees. I would advise those 

 who are clearing woodland upfin which 

 there are thi'if ty young Hickories, to let them 

 stand for the purpose of grafting Pecan or 

 good varieties of Shellbark upon, which will 

 in a few years be as valuable as any other 

 kind of orchard. 



Multiplying Potatoes. When these new 

 brag varieties come out, for which we pay 

 from .50 cents to .?1 per pound, it is an object 

 to make the most of them. To do this treat 

 them same as we do Sweet Potatoes, taking 

 off the sprouts when sLx inches high. The 

 first Early Rose Potatoes I ever got were 

 seven medium sized tubers, from which I 

 took the sprouts, then cut the.se up and 

 planted each piece that had an eye in it. 

 The result w a.s just three btishels of splendid 

 Potatoes. In taking off the sprouts be care- 

 ful not to disturb the Potato's germ. 



Heading Bai k Peach Tijees. A private 

 correspondent tells me that in heading back 

 Peach trees to the bud, that there wa.s a ma- 

 terial difference between those cut back 

 when the grovnul was frozen and those done 

 when the frost was out; the latter always 

 making a better growth. And then a.sks 

 whether the pruning of Grape-vines when 

 the ground is frozen may not have an in- 

 jurious eft'ect. I think not, unless the wood 

 of the vine is frozen at the time, as the cut- 

 ting is too far from the ground to have any 



effect. The Peach buds are usually inserted 

 but a few inches from the ground, which if 

 frozen must hold the tree in nearly the same 

 condition, besides if the trees are headed 

 back so early the stock dries back so as to 

 dimini.sh the vigor of the buds. I never head 

 back to l)uds when the ground is frozen, but 

 have often pruned vines when so, but on 

 mild days when the wood upon the vines 

 was thawed out I cut them closer. 



fiii.\i"E Grafting. As regular as the sea- 

 son comes around I am asked to describe the 

 mode. By the time this gets before our 

 readers some who are in a hurry may have 

 already done the work. After many years 

 of experience, doing the work at all times 

 from February, when the frost was out of 

 the ground, until the vines have made shoots 

 a foot long, with varied success, I have come 

 to the conclusion that the best time is when 

 the vines are started to grow, the grafts 

 being kept in a cool shady place so that they 

 were a little behind the stock in starting. 

 To keep them entirely dormant in an ice 

 house, as some recommend, is wrong. I have 

 had the buds on the grafts swollen ready to 

 burst when inserted that started to grow in 

 a week after. Clear the ground away from 

 the root three or four inches deep, saw off 

 at a smooth place at the bottom. If no 

 smooth place can be found, saw into the 

 stump instead of splitting as usual. A thick, 

 wide-set saw I prefer to the knife, even in a 

 straight stump. Shave your graft to fit the 

 cut with a shoulder, tie if the stock is less 

 than an inch in diameter, then fill in the 

 earth carefully, press firmly, but do not 

 move graft. Hill up to the upper bud, 

 stick a peg one inch from each graft on one 

 side, always on the same, so you can tell 

 exactly where the graft is. Then cover the 

 eye over with a handful of sawdust; throw 

 a little mulch on and leave it until the 

 grafts begin to grow. I use two-eyed grafts, 

 unless the wood is long-jointed and thick, 

 when one eye will answer. When the grafts 

 begin to grow the suckers must be kept off, 

 or they will keep the grafts from growing. 

 As soon as the graft begins to grow it must 

 be tied up to a stake to keep the wind 

 from blowing it down. In this way I nearly 

 always get fruit a little sooner than when I 

 buy a small vine. Have now strong vines of 

 Empire State that were set in spring of 1886; 

 bore fruit last year, while three vines planted 

 the year before that cost me si.\ dollars 

 have not borne a bunch of fruit yet, and not 

 much show of doing it the coming season. 

 I cannot see the policy of digging worthle.ss 

 vines up and planting others in their place. 

 Graft them with something better. 



fiRAFTiNG WAX. How to make this is 

 often asked, and while there are many re- 

 ceipts given, the one that I like best after 

 forty years of experience is made as follows: 

 Use 1 pint Lin.seed Oil, 4 lbs. resin, 1 lb. bees- 

 wax. Melt all over a slow fire; stir well and 

 jiour on water, when cool enough to work 

 grease the hands well and work it like shoe- 

 maker's wax or taffy. Then roll balls of 

 convenient size for putting into the vessel 

 used when grafting. It should be heated 

 over a moderate fire and put on the grafts 

 thin, but not too hot. This wa.\ will not 

 crack in cold weather, nor run, even if the 

 weather gets up to 100' in the shade. 



