178 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



bushes are often loaded with fruit when those in 

 the swamps and low grounds are barren because 

 late frosts killed the flowers. Plants found grow- 

 ing: on high, dry ground can be taken up with 

 less labor than those growing in low gi'ound, and 

 usually with a ball of earth about their roots. 

 There is no risk in nio\ing such plants; at least 

 I never had a plant fail when moved in early 

 spring, and I have handled many a hundred dur- 

 ing the last twenty years. A Huckleberry plan- 

 tation is very much like an Asparagus bed as to 

 permanency, for with ordinary care either will 

 last a lifetime.— A. S. Fuller in N. Y. Tribune. 



Preserved Khubarb. Unless we preserve some 

 Rhubiui) for autumn and ^vinter use, weshall be 

 unable to partake of one of the most healthful 

 and blood-purif.ving dishes known. To have a 

 supply of this wholesome fruit, cut the Rhubarb 

 as for tarts, and to every quart give one pound 

 of sugar. Put the sugar over the Rhubarb and 

 leave it twenty-four hours to draw out the.1uice. 

 Boil the juice and sugar together for twenty 

 minutes or so. After it begins to boil fast at the 

 edges of the pan, add the Rhubarb, and boil it 

 slowly for twent.v minutes longer. By this way 

 of doing the preserve, the pieces of Rhubarb re- 

 main separate from each other. No need to stir 

 the syrup or preserve if slowly boiled. The Rhu- 

 barb and sugar do not require a warm jilace to 

 draw out the .iuice. This keeps in a dry place, 

 and is a good relish.— Horticultural Times. 



Evaporating Fruit. Prof. Arnold, in the New 

 York Tribune, says evaporating fruit has lieen a 

 god-send to horticulture and to the human race, 

 b.v converting thousands upon thousjinds of 

 bushels of fruit every year into wholesome and 

 delicious food which would otherwise have been 

 lost. Farmers all through Western New York 

 find that evaporators suited to their needs pay 

 better than selling the green fruit, and far better 

 than making it into cider to prove a curse to the 

 consumer. An evatiorator will cost about $5 for 

 each bushel of Apples it will dry per day. The 

 " running expense " in labor and fuel for evapor- 

 ating Apples is 10 to 12 cents a bushel; Raspber- 

 ries, 4 to .'> mills per quart; Peaches, 25 to 35 cents 

 a bushel. In a large way it. costs less than in a 

 small one. 



Akebia Quinata. We could hardly spare this 

 useful and pretty vine. Its trifoliate leaves, 

 apparently so tender when young, are sturdy 

 enough for any weather, and the plant itself de- 

 ties oia- most severe winters. Its rapid growth 

 and its early plum-colored flowers, with their de- 

 licious fragrance, make it altogether desirable. 

 When jilanted where thick yet not dense shade 

 is required no vine is ra<:»re etfective. (^ne of the 

 best ways to propagate the Akebia is to take half 

 ripened wood in midsummer, cut into lengths of 

 from one to two eyes each, and insert them in 

 pans of sand and water. — Garden and Forest. 



The Barren Qarden. I know wealthy farmers 

 who never make more than one planting of Peas, 

 who never provide for a succession of any garden 

 crop; who have no Asparagus bed, who ne\'er 

 think of raising Celery, Cauliflower or any of the 

 more deliuat« vegetables, who never have a 

 Strawlierry on the table except the wild ones oc- 

 casionally found in the meadows, or a Raspberry 

 except the Blackcaps along the fence rows. A 

 well-tended garden pays in money, not to speak 

 of comfort and health.— Corr. Philadelphia Press. 



Contageons Diseases of Insects. The entomol- 

 ogists, mien iscopists and bacteriol( igists working 

 in harmony may yet be able to cause the destruc- 

 tion of man.v species of injurious insects by in- 

 troducing among them certain fungi or bacteria. 

 We now use Paris green for poisoning the food 

 of insects. But imagine a solution sprayed upon 

 trees or flowers, which, though perfectly harm- 

 less to man and plant, is death to the insect, and 

 exerts its influence through diffusion and heredi- 

 ty to destroy the species.— Stephen A. Forbes. 



Small Core of the Baldwin. The seedsareina 

 heap, are few in number, and thus for the size of 

 the fruit allow an unusually large proportion to 

 be eaten. This is perhaps one reason why the 

 Baldwin has attained so great popularity. Its 

 quality is perhaps not of the best, but its fine 

 cfilor and great yields make it a favorite with both 

 the consumer and the grower.— Am. Cultivator. 



Soot as a Fertilizer. Save it caretull.^■ from 

 stove and pipes, and on a calm, damp morning 

 scatter it thinly o\-er grassplots and beds of earl.v 

 sown \'egetables. It is excellent as a manure, 

 and, besides, is destructive to slugs and other 

 vermin that go abroad in the dark, eating the 

 seedling plants as they come up. It checks the 

 growth of moss among grass.— PhiladelphiaPress. 



Dwarf Apples. We have never seen an Apple 

 on Paradise stock except upon our own grounds, 

 where we have about one dozen trees. They are 

 wonderfully prolific. An Alexander has borne 

 full crops each season for about 10 years. It is 

 necessary to thin out the fi*uit severely, and even 

 then often to prop up the branches as a support 

 to the large, fine fruit.— Rural New Yorker. 



Asparagus Beetle. Dry caustic lime scattered 

 over the plants in the morning when wet with 

 dew is a remedy. The lar^a of the Asparagus 

 beetle is a small, soft, naked, thin-skinned grub, 

 and the least particle of lime coming in contact 

 with this causes almost instant death. If the 

 grubs are killed there will be no beetles.— Ameri- 

 can Agiiculturist. 



Small Accumnlations are a Power. A lady 

 writes that she lays away five cents each day for 

 the purpose of buying fruit jilants, vines and 

 trees for her home. Ought this not to shame 

 those men who smoke $50 worth of cigars each 

 year, and have no money to .spare for this better 

 purpose. — Green's Fruit Grower. 



Equality in the Garden. A white Lily or a Rose 

 or a Pansy beside the cottage door may be as fine 

 as the Lily or the Rose or the Pansies in a queen's 

 garden.— F. W. Burbidge. 



Rich Soil; Fine Roses. There is no plant that en- 

 joys plenty of good manure more than the Rose, and a 

 lack of this will always result in scraggy plants and 

 miserable blooms. —London Garden. 



The school grounds all over Connecticut have, 

 through Arbor Da.v, been changed from plain, cheerless, 

 uninviting i/anJs to attractive, shady parks and groves. 

 — B. G. Northiup. 



Sharpen Them Up. A grindstone is not the best 

 instrument for sharpening hoes and similar tools. 

 Fasten in a vise, and use a large fiat file.— Dr. Hoskins. 



Grood Tillage. One acre of land well prepared and 

 cultivated produces more than two which receive only 

 the same amount of labor used on one.- New South. 



The Monster. Don't buy a green-flowered Rose be 

 cause it looks like a monstrosity, and is neither beau- 

 tiful or ornamental.- Rural New Yorker. 



A Hint for Gardeners. There is nothing like having 

 a reputation for doing things well.— Rural World. 



Florida has about two himdred and fifty varieties of 

 Oranges.— Philadelphia Record. 



The tree is father of the rain.— Old Proverb. 



Vegetable Products on the Table. 



Apple Lemon Pie. The rind and juice of <me 

 Lemon, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, two 

 Apples chopped fine, one egg one cup of sugar. 



Strawberry Dumplings. Make crust same as 

 for short-cake; roll half an inch thick; put about 

 a gill of berries for each d umpling. Bake, steam, 

 or boil half an hour. 



Horse-Radish Sauce. To one tablespoonful of 

 grated Horse-radish add one teaspoonful of made 

 mustard, one teaspoonful of granulated sugar, 

 and four tablespoonfuls of vinegar; beat all 

 thoroughl.v together. This sauce is especially 

 good with rotist pork. 



Potato Custard. firat<? six large Pfitatoes and 

 add to them one quart of boiling milk; stir in 

 three beaten eggs and one-quarter of a pound of 

 sugar; boil seven minutes, taking care not to let 

 it burn, then add one-half cup of butter. This 

 will make three good-sized custards. 



Date Pie, One pound of dates, one quart of 

 milk and three eggs. Season the same as for 

 Squash pie. It needs no sweetening. Put the 

 dates in the milk and heat until they are soft 

 enough to sift. This makes two good-sized pies. 

 Use one crust, the same as for Squash. 



Sante Sweet Potatoes, The " left over " Sweet 

 Potatoes are palatable thus prepared : Fry a slice 

 of salt pork and pour off a part of the fat, then 

 fry two slices of Onion; remove these and put in 

 the Potatoes cut into dice and fry, seasoning 

 with salt, pepper and butter, and turn out on to 

 a hot dish. A little chopped Celery or Parsley 

 added give variety to this breakfast dish. 



Salsify or Oyster Plant. Scrape and cut into 

 convenient pieces and throw at once into cold 

 water, in which a little flour has been stirred (to 

 keep from discoloring). Boil in salted water lui- 

 til tender; drain, melt some butter, stir into it 

 some flour; let it get yellow, not brown, pour 

 into it some boiling water, or milk, if preferred, 

 season with salt, pepper, and finely minced Pai'S- 

 ley, put into it the drained Oyster plant, boil 

 uj) and serve.— Mrs. L. B. 



Celery Salad. One head of Cabbage, three 

 bunches (d Celery chopped very fine; take one 

 teacup of ^•inegar, lump of butter the size of an 

 egg, yolks of two eggs, one teaspoonful each of 



mustard and salt, a pinch of cayenne pepi>er, two 

 teaspoonfuls of sugar; mix well, then put on the 

 fire and heat until it thickens, stirring all the 

 time; when cold, add two tablespoonfuls of thick 

 cream, pour over the salad, and if it is not moist 

 enough add a little cold vinegar.— Cultivator. 



Apple Pudding, For a (luart of bread crumbs 

 take a full quart of sliced Apples; put int« a 

 battered pudding dish a layer of Apples then a 

 layer of bread crumbs, with butter, sugar and a 

 sprinkling of nutmeg over each until all is used 

 or the dish is full; have a layer of Apple for the 

 top and a good supply of butter and sugar. Cover 

 your dish and bake one hour, then frost it and 

 put in the oven to brown; if too rich add a little 

 milk in place of the butter— just enough to 

 moisten. Serve cold or hot.— Florida Dispatch. 



Clifton Potatoes. Choose eight medium-sized 

 Potatoes, see that the skins are smooth and firm, 

 wash well, and bake them. When nearly done 

 cut a slice from the top, take out the Potatoes 

 without breaking the skins, beat up with a little 

 cream the whites of two eggs, a little salt and 

 pepper, and about an ounce of butter. Replace 

 the Potatoes in their skins, rub the slices of the 

 Potatoes which you cut off with a little of the 

 white of egg, and replace them like covers on 

 each Potato, put them back into the oven, and 

 finish baking for about ten minutes.— L. D. 



HOUSE PLANTS. 



Begonias (->f the flowering section to l>c kept insi<le 

 durmg the sunuiier will need ample light, hut no direct 

 sunshine. A sunny window kept lightly shaded will 

 .lust suit. The showy leaf section will stand even less 

 Sim than the preceding. 



Cactus. Such as require a .shift should receive it now 

 at the beginuiug of the season's growth. Man.v of these 

 Interesting plants bed out well. 



Camellias may be moved out Into some shady place, 

 sheltered from winds. Water and sprinkle freel.v. 



Chrysanthemums will now be growing rapidly. 

 .Shift whenever dense masses of roots appear on the 

 ball of earth. 



Cyclamens. Some of our best gardeners manage 

 them through summer by planting them out this 

 month In the flower border. 



Hydrangeas should now go out. Treated to an oc- 

 casional dose of liquid manure, the growth will be 

 stronger and the flowers very much flner. 



Ixias. See the directions given below for Oxalls. 



Oleander. Directions for Hydrangeas will apply. 



Oxalis that are done flowering should have the pots 

 turned on the side to ripen the roots; later, shake out, 

 wrap lu paper, keeping them dr.v. 



Palms. Shift, If needing It. when moving the plants 

 out. Unless growing very fast they do not require this 

 oftener than once every other year. 



Shifting of all large subjects is best done just as the 

 season's growth begins. Where one has fine plants, 

 neat tubs or boxes add much to their beaut.v. 



Summering. During this month all plants may he 

 moved to their summer quarters; the hardier ones like 

 Agaves, Azaleas, Oleanders, Hydrangeas, Laurestlnus, 

 Daphnes, etc., first, followed b.v the more tender ones 

 at the end of the month. Most kinds do best In partial 

 shade. To plunge such as are In pots. In soil, sand or 

 coal ashes will save much labor In their care. Arrange 

 them with tast* according to size and appearance. 



LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN. 



Annuals of all kinds ma.v now be sown outdwirs. 

 See directions given last month. 



Caladium esculentum rejoices In nothing more than 

 In a very rich soil- It may be one-half manure— and In 

 plenty of water. Then Its growth will be a marvel. 



Cannas. See note ou Caladium, which will apply. 



Climbers. Tender ones, such as Cobsea, Pllogyne, 

 Madeira or Mignonette vine, potted Clematis, etc., may 

 go out when hard frosts are past. 



Culture. For the care of flower beds we want noth- 

 ing better than a narrow rake and hoe combined, the 

 rake part of which is used by far the most. The surface 

 of the bed should frequentl.v be gone over, say when- 

 ever small weeds appear, and after each rain, to break 

 the crust of earth. 



Dutch Bulbs. After blooming, and when ready to 

 set other plants In the beds, dig the bulbs, carefully 

 preserving the tops and whatever soil adheres to the 

 roots, and heel In In some (Ult-of-the-way i>lace, so that 



