154 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



across the way. If we ask her what secret she 

 possesses, she says she has none; put if she has no 

 secret as she calls it, she studies the habits of her 

 plants. For example, they occupy a sunny win- 

 dow, and the curtain is, when drawn, back of the 

 plants. The smaller ones are on brackets and 

 shelves nearest the glass. The sides of the bays 

 contain the larger plants, even out into the room, 

 but only those that can stand partial light— such 

 as India-rubber tree, Euonymous, a Palm and 

 the like. Her theory is to water only when the 

 soil shows signs of dryness, and then thoroughly, 

 so the whole soil is soaked. Another thing, the 

 water is given hot as one's hands can bear. This, 

 she says, has a great tendency to push the flowers 

 out when they are apt to lag. As syringing is 

 out of the question without tiestroying paint or 

 furniture, the leaves of all which have smooth 

 surfaces ai-e sponged. This is a very important 

 feature, and pays well. Every two weeks remove 

 those which cannot be sponged to the bath-tub, 

 and there treat them to a shower bath. Dust 

 stops the pores of the plants. We are satisfied 

 that her success is due to these minutiip. Another 

 lady fnend has unbounded success with single 

 specimen Begonias. These being the only plants 

 grown, are moved from window to window as 

 the sun goes from one to the other. At night 

 they often occupy a conspicuous i>f>sition in the 

 room. Wo suspect the secret here is that the 

 plants grown being few in number, they have 

 abundant breathing room, and can readily obtain 

 all the light and air they can possibly make iise 

 of, just as an isolated forest tree grows and as- 

 sumes the most faultless shape, with liranches 

 sweeping the ground. If this particular tree had 

 to shart' its light and moisture with a lot (»f strug- 

 gling brethren, it would have a naked stem and 

 contorted branches.— Prairie Farmer. 



Vegetable Products on the Table. 



Boiled Sweet Potatoes. Choose Potatoes of 

 iHiiform size, wash and boil twenty minutes; 

 drain and lay in the oven, turning them several 

 times to prevent burning, until they yield readily 

 t<i the touch; serve without paring.— Cultivator. 



Rice and Apples. Core as many nice Apples as 

 will fill the dish; boil them in light molasses; 

 prepare a (piarter of a pound of rice and milk, 

 with sugar and salt; put some of the rice into the 

 dish, then jiut in the Apples, and fill up the inter- 

 vals with rice, and bake to a fine color. 



Potato Omelette. Gi'ate three mealy boiled 

 Pdtatoes, beat three eggs, and mix these with 

 three tablespoonfuls of milk. Add salt, pepiier, 

 and any herb to flavor. Mince three ounces of 

 ham or bacon in small dice, fry these in the jian; 

 add a piece of butter, put in the mixed Potatoes 

 and eggs, stir all until set; then leave it to brown. 

 Fold over and serve. 



Tomatoes and Rice, While sufficient Rice is 

 being boiled, put into a little saucepan three 

 ounces of butter, which should be allowed lo 

 brown slowly; and when that is accomplished— as 

 if it has the merest tinge of "burn " it is spoiled 

 —put into it a lai-ge breakfast-cupful of Tomato 

 juice, which should be left__to simmer for ahout 

 a quarter of an hour. When the I'ice is nit-uly 

 piled on the dish, pour the contents of the sauce- 

 pan over it, and then put it into the oven for a few 

 minutes, because it requires to be served very hot. 



Cooking Onions. Those who like Onions should 

 give tlicm a trial cooked in this way: Mince a 

 pint of peeled Onions and put them over the fire 

 with water enough to cover; simmer five minutes 

 and pour off the water. This will take away the 

 rank taste that they sometimes have in winter. 

 Now add a cup of boiling water, a tablespoonful 

 of butter and a little salt; cook slowly for twenty 

 minutes; add a cup of milk, a teaspoonful of 

 butter rubbed with the same <iuantity of flour 

 and a little minced Parsley. Simmer ffir five 

 minutes and serve at once. Nice with roast beef 

 or steak.— Poultry Monthly. 



Uncovered Apple Pie. For a change ti"om the 

 connnon covered pie, the following is nice. 

 Make a rich crust and cover a deep pie i>late or 

 shallow pudding dish. Sprinkle it thickly with 

 flour and pour in two or three large spoonfuls of 

 molasses. Pare juicy sour Apples, hah'e thera 

 and remove the cores. Place these halves in the 

 dish as close together as possible. Sprinkle the 

 top with sugar, a little nutmeg and small pieces 

 of butter. Bake slowly until the Apples are done. 

 Serve hot with sweet cream, and you will have a 

 pie that rarely fails to please. Another way is to 

 use a top crust and molasses for the sweetening. 

 This too needs to be eaten with cream to be at 

 its best.— Country Gentleman. 



Pineapple Fritters. Make a batter with half a 

 pint of milk, two eggs, and sufficient flour to 

 make it the consistency of thick cream. Have 

 readj- a can of Pineapple— those containing a 

 whole one are much the best. Cut off as many 

 thin slices as you require, and place them into 

 the batter. Drop them, with enough of the batter 

 to quite cover them, into a frying-pan of boiling 

 lard. When it is nicely crisp and brown, take 

 them up and place on some paper on a dish in 

 the oven. When drained pile on a very hot dish, 

 and sift a little crushed sugar over the fritters. 

 A little practice will enable you to fry three or 

 four fritters at the same time. Do not stint the 

 lard for frying; it should quite cover the fritters, 

 and any left in the pan be set by for future use. 



HOUSE PLANTS. 



Bulbous Plants, such as Hyacinths, Tulips, Lily of 

 the Valley, auti of the smaller growing Daffudiis, if 

 brought iu from the cold frames early in the mouth 

 will, throughout the North, grow with great vigor in 

 the window and be some time ahead of out^loor blooms. 



Callas. The best treatment after bloom is to with- 

 hold water somewhat, and then after the weather 

 comes off fairly warm remove them from the pots and 

 plant in a rich bed of soil. Lift in August, remove the 

 small bulblets and repot the old ones. They will drop 

 their old leaves by this course, a matter of no concern. 



Camellias now. more than at any other season, need 

 frequent syringing and sponging off of the leaves. 



Chrysanthemums. Care must be taken that they do 

 not get pot-bound; their growth must be constant. For 

 late plants cuttings may still be struck. 



Climbers. Such as cover the walls of buildings 

 should iu general receive their annual pruning before 

 the buds start. Roses to have the side shoots trimmed 

 back to one or two buds. Those Clematis that llower 

 early in the season should be pruned as suggested for 

 Roses, but the summer and autumn bloomnig class 

 {including Jaekmani)now so popular, should be pruned 

 back to within a short distance of the siu-face of the 

 soil, as this will induce strong side shoots from the 

 base, and an abundance of flowers in season. 



Flowers should now be abundant In the windows. 

 If b^-dding plants are to be bought from the florists, it 

 is well to select some of these now. Keep them in the 

 window for their bloom here until planting-out time. 



Fuchsias in bloom, aside from needing much water, 

 are benefited by an occasional dose of weak liquid ma- 

 nure. On shifting, see Heliotrope. 



Heliotrope. The beauty of this plant depends on 

 never allowing the roots to become pot-bound; before 

 tin's occurs shift. Large shifts suit these plants and 

 some others, like Cinerarias, and so on, admirably. 



Mignonette should be sown where the plants are 

 wanted, whether in pots or in the garden, as few kinds 

 of flowers transplant so badly. 



Oleanders of small size do better for being bedded 

 out for the summer, taking them from the pots. 



Petunias, If old plants have grown unshapely, a 

 thorough cutting in now will improve them much in 

 the course of six weeks or two months. 



Propagation may now be going on with many kinds 

 of plants for stock to bloom next winter. 



Window Boxes. The most satisfactory boxes for 

 summer use are such as are stocked iu May with plants 

 of considerable size that have been earlier brought 

 aloug in good shape by due repotting. This is a hint 

 for now shifting up a lot of plants for that purpose. 



LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN. 



Annuals. Half hardy and tender sorts may be started 

 under glass, or in a sunny spot that is sheltered from 

 the wind by buildings, and which may be sheltered by 

 mats or shutters in cool or frosty nights. Hardy kinds 

 may be sown iu the open air. See Seed Sowing. 



Bedding Plants of all kinds are much better off to be 

 brought on in hot-bedii for the last six weeks before 

 phuitiug. Then iu warm days the glass may be wholly 

 removed, and this will tend directly to the making of 

 strong, robust plants. 



Cold frame plants, such as Carnations, Violets, Roses, 

 etc., should now be hardened off by much exposure. 



Evergreens may be planted some weeks later than 

 is well for deciduous trees. They should be pruned at 

 transplanting, the same as any other kinds. 



Hardy Bulbs. Beds of these should iu all cases be 

 lightly raked over before the plants appear. 



Hedges may now receive their annual pruning. 



In staking trees bind them fast by means of a strip 

 of duck or leather, lather than with a cord. A piece 



of such material brought around the tree and crossed 

 on top of the stake, driving one or two nails through 

 into the stake, is all that is needed. 



Lawn. Mow whenever the grass gets to be near 

 two inches high. Mow carefully, that no uncut strips 

 will ever be seen, and attend to having the gauge 

 wheels elevated alike on both sides. 



Lilies, If to be planted, should have this done early. 

 Fall is a better time, excepting for the old Candldum. 

 which should be transplanted in August. 



Lobelia— the blue kind— as a bedding plant affords a 

 rare color, but it does not remain handsome very long. ' 

 It should be managed by getting up successive propa- 

 gations, replacing the plants in the beds about every 

 two months. Propagate by dlWslon. slips or from seed. 



Roses. Plant hardy ones as early as they can be pro- 

 cured, and the soil is fit to receive them. 



Seed Sowing. This month ts the time for the early 

 sowings of Annuals and other seeds over a large range 

 of our country. We prefer sowing most things in drills, 

 to sowing broadcast. Drills about an Inch deep should 

 be opened in which the seed should be scattered quite 

 thickly. A covering of fine earth should follow; it is a 

 good plan to use some light mold that has been sifted 

 for this purpose. Spat down the covering afterwards 

 with the hoe or the back of a spade. 



Street trees should not be planted unless protected 

 against the gnawing of horses by some kind of guard. 

 Those made of slats or, better yet, woven wire fencing 

 material wound around the trunks, are better than 

 board guards, for injurious in.sects And a .safe retreat 

 behind the latter. 



Tender Bulbs. Such asCanuas, Caladiums, Dahlias, 

 etc., ought to be starting and getting into shape for 

 planting. Gladiolus should be planted at intervals of 

 three weeks until June 1st. Some authorities recom- 

 mend doing early planting for Tuberoses, saying that 

 they flower better if started while the soil is cool. 



Weeds have no place in a well-kept garden. Some 

 kinds, like the Shepherd's Purse, Chickweed, and so 

 on, start up, flower and seed very early; they should be 

 speedily destroyed as soon as seen. Dandelions, Plan- 

 tains.etc, make themselves at home in lawns If allowed, 

 giving them an inferior look. Remedy: Cut with a 

 short, strong-bladed knife, just below the crown. 



PLANT CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 



Alternantheras. By dividing up the stock tm hand 

 in pieces so small that each one has a bit of root, pot- 

 ting separately and setting in a close frame rarely ad- 

 mitting air (they love high heat), each one will make a 

 fine plant for bedding out in six or eight weeks. 



Annuals sown early must not get crowded; trans- 

 plant or thin out; straggling ones should be topped. 



Azaleas. Steadily increase the ventilation of the 

 apartment occupied by these. The plants should now 

 have been cut back, and free airing is essential to 

 healthy wood and a- stocky growth. 



Carnations, if given a top dressing now, will repay 

 the trouble by a great increase of bloom later. 



Climbers for summer, like German Ivy, Maurandya. 

 etc., will be the better for cutting back now. 



Crowding at this season is a connnon foe to the well- 

 doing of plants. Make hot-beds or frames to accom- 

 modate the overplus until planting out time. 



Cuttings lately put in sand should be frequently ex- 

 amined, and immediately that roots, however small, 

 are present, they should go into pots. 



Fall Plants. Propagate for fall use, Alyssum, Helio- 

 trope and any other plants thus needed. 



Ferns. Shift or renew the soil of those in pots; In 

 doing so break up the old outside roots somewhat. 



Fuchsias. The plants require warmth, moisture and 

 shade— the latter must not be too dense. Six weeks 

 must elapse between the last stoppiug and the time 

 they are wanted t<^) be in flower. 



Ivy Geraniums if cut back at once will get into fine 

 shape for summer use by June 1st. 



Orchids. At this season keep up the moisture by 

 sprinkling the paths and shutting up early. Any plants 

 requiring repotting must be attended to as soon as In 

 a growiug state. Shade from the suu. 



Roses are liable to be troubled with fly now: fumiga- 

 tion is the simple and safe remedy. 



Shade Ughtly with whitewash, or with naphtha and 

 whitelead, over Camellias, Azaleas, Fuchsias, Double 

 Primroses, Caladiums, Callas, Fancy Coleus and Ger- 

 aniums, Ferns and other plants liable to spot. Some- 

 times a blister in the glass will cause a streak or spot. 

 Spy it out and paint on the under side. 



Shift all subjects as they require more root room, for 

 if active plants have their roots confined to insufflcient 

 or poor soil, their vigor and beauty will be much im- 

 paired. Use clean pots always; the reason why plants 

 do better in new pots Is because the pores are unelogged. 

 hence air has ready access to the roots, and this is 

 wanted. Thoroughly washed old pots answer nearly 

 as well as new ones. 



Stove Plants. Rapid growers, among these such as 

 Gesnerias, Gloxinias and the like, should now most 

 likely be shifted. If given bottom heat directly after- 

 wards it will be a great help. 



Verbenas propagated the fore part of April will be 

 early enough for making good bedding plants. 



