1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



i8i 



864. Apples Falling Prematurely. The drop- 

 ping vt the fiiiit is most likely caused b.v the 

 larva of the insect known a.s the eoillinjj: moth. 

 The perfect insects, which are small moths, ap- 

 IK'ar in the greatest numbers on the warm even- 

 ings which we usually have aliout tlie tii-st of 

 Jinie, and lay their eggs in the blossom ends of 

 the small fruits. In a short time the.se eggs 

 hatch, and the worm eats its way \intil it reacnes 

 the core, when the fruit ripens or ilrops off pre- 

 maturely. Then the insect leaves the fruit and 

 creeps into the crevices underneath the rough 

 bark or other hollow places on the tree and spins 

 itfi cocoon. Here it remains initil next June 

 when it emerges a perfect moth. As a pivN'en- 

 tive gather up and destroy all fallen fruit daily, 

 and clean the tree b.v scraping and washing the 

 trunk and large limbs. It is said thai if a strip 

 of woolen cloth is tied around the trunk of the 

 ti'ee as st>on as the fruit commences to fall the 

 worms will collect underneath it and in this 

 way may be caught and flestroyed.— C E. P. 



<)»)•). Violet Culture. As soon as the plants 

 cease flowering they should he divided or sepa- 

 rated into smaller ones of one goinl crown each, 

 and planted out in rows !■'> inches apart, the plants 

 .standing one foot apart in the row. They should 

 be given a deep, modenitely enriched soil, and 

 planted out as early as possible, so that they may 

 lx?come well rooted befme hot dry weather sets 

 in. After being planted they will require no care 

 until September. e.\cept to keep them clear of 

 weeds b.v frequent hoeings. After the first of 

 September the plants should be carotuU.v ex- 

 amined and thinned out to si.\ or eight crown.s, 

 and all runners removed. In the course of two 

 or three weeks they should be dug up carefully 

 and planted in cold frames or on the benches of 

 the greenhouse, giving them about si.\ inches of 

 ordinary potting soil. Shade and water carefully 

 until the plants become well establislied, and 

 afterwards air freely whenever the opportunity 

 offers, and carefully remove all yellow or decay- 

 ing leaves, weeds or rumiers as soon as noticed, 

 to admit air to the plants. For early blooming 

 the plants must be jilaciil where they can be 

 given an average temperat n re < >f from 4o to .50 at 

 night. For late or spring blooming they should 

 be grown In cold frami-s.whert' they will require 

 the treatment usuall.\' applicil to cold frame 

 plants. For propagation I would ahva.\'s choose 

 those plants that have been grown and flowered 

 in a cold frame.— C. E. P. 



675. Bark Lice. Your trees are infested with 

 what is known as the bark louse. To destroy 

 them dissolve two pounds of potash in two gal- 

 lons of water, and apply with a paint brush to all 

 infested parts, or better .vet to all the stems and 

 branches of the trees. This can be applied at 

 any time, but it is best done in the spring before 

 the buds start. One, or at the most two appli- 

 cations will be sufficient.— C. E. P. 



677. Manure for Flowers. There will be no 

 danger in a free use of manure for Geraniums, 

 Carnations, etc., provided it is thoroughly de- 

 cayed, well pulverized and thoroughl.v incor- 

 porated with the soil.— C. E. P. 



667. Forcing Lily of the Valley. The crowns 

 or pips used for forcing are imported from Eu- 

 rope by seedsmen and florists during the autumn 

 months. These crowns or pips are placed in 

 shallow boxes, rather thickl.\' tog<-thcr, using or- 

 dinary potting soil, then tiny shiHild be placed 

 in a cool, moist situation until well rooted. On 

 the approach of cold weather they should be 

 placed m cold frames or cellars, so that tht-y can 

 De easily xiroeured when wanted. When it is de- 

 sired to force them water thoroughly, and very 

 gradually increase the tenii'crature until it 

 reaches 70°. Keep the boxes in a shaded situa- 

 tion until the flower spikes shcjw.- 1". E. P. 



704. Glass for Palm House. Yes, for the roof 

 at least. And if the structure is to be devoted 

 entirely to Palms and other shade-lortng plants 

 as Ferns and Marantas it may also be used for 

 the sides; but if Crotons, Ixoras and other trop- 

 ical plants that love light, though not full ex- 

 posui"e to warm sunshine, are to be grown in it. 

 better glaze the sides with clear ghiss, and, when 

 necessary, use temporary shading material. — 

 W. Falconer. 



705. Practical Strawberry Forcing. Secure 

 the earliest and strongest runners and layer them 

 into 4-inch pots sunk into the ground. When the 

 pots are full of roots and the layers vigorous, 

 sever them, and remove them to a cold frame or 

 some place handy where they can be plunged 

 together, well watered and kept in active growth. 

 In a week or two repot into (i-inch pots, plunge 

 as before and keej) growing. And keep them in 

 the most active and vigt)rous condition until 

 they show signs of starting. Keep them over 

 winter in a cold frame. A little frost and snow- 

 wont hurt them. Only jirotci't them enough to 

 keep the frost from tjui-sting the pots. P^ir fruit 

 to ripen before Easter us<' greenhouses: after 

 that time either glass houses or hot-ln-ds. In 

 forcing Strawberries must be kept near the glass, 

 and have sunshine and ventilation, plenty water 

 and room. If the flowers don't stem to set hel|> 

 them witha camel's-hair lirusli. 'riii\\ will do well 

 in a light, airy house, with a night temperature 

 of 60".— W. Falconer. 



715. Heating with Natural Gas. No special 



construction of a greenhouse is at all necessar.v. 

 I heat about ten thousand feet of glass with 

 :i .5-:tJ meters, using two :Mneh T burners. I use 

 steam for heating, the same being generated by 

 the gius, and e-ould just iLs well heat a third more 

 space with the same quantit.v of gas. It is sate, 

 cheap and reliable, heit'in Pennsyhania at least. 

 The actual cost of gas is about the same as soft 

 coal, Ijut tile greatsaviug of labor, fieedom from 

 s(K)t, ilirt antl dust, tlue cleaning, etc., makes it a 

 boon to the lUirist. It can be used in a good 

 brick Hue to Just as good advantage as in a boiler. 

 The supply or How can be regulalcd so as to have 

 absolute control of the tem}>eratur(' in the cold- 

 est weather, (las is being suc<esstull.v used in 

 a number ot Hues in and around Pittsburgh.— 

 Amieht Williams, Mirrer Cii., Pn. 



(iii'i. Leached Ashes for Strawberries. 1 never 

 tried leached jushes on ]irairic lanci, but would 

 haul tlu-m Hvc miles and pa>" '>0 4-<Mits per load 

 for orcllar<ls and Strawberry beds, unless they 

 were /on /)(7(/li/ /(■(!(■/»(</, a tiiiTig quite possible.— S.M 



tiHl. Mulberries for Profit. Mulberries are not 

 cla.s.seil aml^ng fruits that are profitable to grow 

 for market, indeed wo have never seen the fruit 

 offered for sale. Of the different sorts the Down- 

 ing, or Everbearing, is considered the most de- 

 sirable for its fruit throughout the Northern 

 States. It is greatly superior to the Uus.sian in 

 this respect. The fruit (.f the former is agreeal>le 

 to the taste, being .iuicy, sweet and sprightly, 

 but that of the latter is rather insipid. .\ tree, 

 or se\'ei-al trees, of the Downing, if plaTited on 

 the hoinr grounils, would be found desirable for 

 the fruit tor eating. Birds are fondof the berries 

 of all varieties, hence on their account some 

 Mulberries would have the effect of lessening the 

 loss of mori' ilcsirable products.— A. H. E. 



664. Apples Falling Prematurely. This may 

 have been caused li.v a too rigorous growth of 

 the " wood buds." Where a tree grows in an up- 

 right or perpendicular direction the tendency of 

 the sap is to the extremities of the limbs or ter- 

 minal shoots, which use up the larger part of the 

 sap, leaving but a little for the side branches. 

 This means short life to them. Now when the 

 life of a tree or limb is threatened, the natural 

 tendency is for it to produce seed, but in this 

 case the terminal shoots used up so much of the 

 sap that there was not sufficient left to carry the 

 fruit through to maturity. A remedy would be, 

 when the tree is in bloom, to take off a ring of bark 

 one fourth inch wide all the way around the 

 trunk of the tree. This will check the flow of 

 .saj) and throw the forces of the tree into fruit 

 instead of wood. By autumn the wound will be 

 all healed over, if care is taken to prevent the 

 entrance of borers where the bark is separated. 

 Generally when a tree has once borne a full crop 

 there will not be any need of repeating the oper- 

 ation, as the limbs will become more horizontally 

 inclined, thus checking the flow of sap with their 

 own weight. The above result may be produced 

 by tying down the limbs, or tying on weights,— 

 \V. v., MUhlle.ffr Co., Masf. 



68i. Laying Out Steep Front Yard. We pre- 

 sent a sketch (printed on page 171) for laying out 

 a steep front yard that we think might, with slight 

 variations, prove of use to you. The idea is to 

 have winding walks, which in themselves would 

 serve as a check to the free flow of water, sa.y 

 nothing of the greater length over which it would 

 be distributed. In steep walks, as these at some 

 points might be, it is well to insert some half- 

 steps across the path, both to intercept the flow 

 of water and to make the ascent and descent 

 easier. Such steps may consist of pieces of plank 

 eight inches wide and half sunk Into the gravel, 

 keeping the upjier surface level or a little higher 

 at the outer edge. To keep the steps in place on 

 a steep incline a stake should be driven in at each 

 end to support them. 



6S7. Lady Washington Grape. The Lady 

 Washington Grape appears quite hardy and pro- 

 ductive. The bunches are large, well formed and 

 attractive. The quality is veiT good. Unfor- 

 tunately it is a little too late for the climate of 

 Geneva.— E. S. G. 



671. Bagging Grapes. Paper bags are most 

 commonly useil for bagging Grapes. They 

 should be large enough to enclose the largest 

 bunches. About eight inches long by five in 

 width. The paiH'r does not need to be very 

 heav.v. It is custoraar.v to cut otf one of the lower 

 corners of each bag in order to prevent the ac- 

 cuntulation of water within it. The bag should 

 be put on soon after the bunches are out of blos- 

 souL They are usiuill.v fastened by folding one 

 corner down and fa-stening it with a pin. Where 

 it is desired to inck>se onl.v a few bunches it is 

 vuineccssiiry to procure l>ags, as pieces of news- 

 paper, folded about the bunches and fa.stcned 

 with a pin, answers the purpo.se ver.v well. In- 

 closing the buTiches improves their ap\»earanee 

 mucli, as it pre.ser\'es the bloom. It also protects 

 them in a measure, at least, from rot, as well as 

 from hailstorms and early frosts. It is umpie.s- 

 tionabl.v- w<u-th the trouble for the amateur, but 

 whether it will pay from an econiimicstiuidpoint 

 has not been so well settled.— E. S. G. 



617. Grafting Several Kinds on the same Tree. 

 Several varieties of Pears and Apples can be 

 grown on the siime tree to good advantage, but 

 it is desirable to xuiderstand the habits of growth 

 anil protluctiveness of the varieties used, and 

 graft those which are about ecpudly productive 

 on the same tree, as otherwise those most in- 

 dincil to bear are likel.v to appropiiate the vital 

 power of the ti-ee to the disadvantage of the 

 others, and those which are upright in growth 

 slxiuld be at the top. while those <tf spreading 

 habit nuiy be grafli'd lower. W.F. li,\ssETT. 



6;is. Hen Manure for Grapes. Hen manure 

 sh<aild be applied like ottu-r- iinimai maiuires, ex- 

 cept that, being nuich strongei- than stable ma- 

 nui-e, a much less 'luantit.v is reipiired, but no 

 manure should come in contJict with the roots of 

 frees or vines newly planti'cl, uidess pi-e\ iously 

 well decomooscd. A little may be tlii-own in the 

 bottom of tne hole and coverctl with earth before 

 putting in the tree anil a little after the roots are 

 covered, or it may be dug into the surface after 

 it is planted. Do not mi.\ ashes with it unless it 

 is to be covered immediately, as the ashes will 

 set the ammonia free and it will be lost.— W. F. B. 



721. Guano Query. Perhaps no other fertilizer 

 is by name more familiar than this, owing to the 

 fact that the article or fraufls on the article have 

 been much advertised for years. Concerning its 

 source of supply. Professor Wyatt .sjiys that the 

 principal stock has been derived from Peru, 

 ChiH, Bolivia and the South Sea Islands. The 

 deposits proceed from a species ot sea fowl 

 known as Guanoes, which feed upon the small 

 Hsh that swarm the waters near the coast. The 

 high percentage of nitrogen contained in the 

 Perurian shipments of former years must be 

 attributed to the absence ot rain, which charac- 

 terizes that country; those arriving from other 

 regions having lost a considerable portion of 

 their ammonical salts through the action of 

 the water. There can be no doubt that, for a 

 considerable length of time after its introduc- 

 tion, very marvelous effi-i'ts followed the appli- 

 cation of manure, but the enoruious and contin- 

 ual drain upon the production, and the never- 

 varying result of speculation and .jobbery, would 

 seem to have told a tale ui)On it, and the <iuality 

 is now of a very variable natm-e, with a tendency 

 to become more and more s(», as time goes on. 

 The trade in Peruvian guano is monfq>olized by 

 the Peruvian government, and the immense de- 

 posits sometimes attain a depth of one hundred 

 feet. The value of real guanos from all sources 

 is estimated upon the tjasis of their nitrogen, 

 ammonia, phosphate and organic matter, and 

 when of sound quality they have generally real- 

 ized from S6o to S75 per ton. To show how un- 

 reliable is the quality of the jiroduct at the 

 present time, Mr. Wyatt gives an instance of the 

 anal.vsisof two cargoes i>urporting to be of the 

 same quality and shipyied from the same port at 

 the same time, and in which the nitrogen varied 

 from 15.3)1 per cent in one cargo to ™.70 per cent 

 in the other, and sttluble phosi)hate of lime from 

 6.76 per cent to 0. per cent respectively. As these 

 are pronounced far from exceptif>nable instances, 

 we reel compelled— while adniittinir that no better 

 manure than U'""^ guant> is to lie tound—to ad- 

 vise the discontinuation of their use initil ship- 

 pers guarantee them to contain a stipulate 

 minimum percentage of the active principles. 



634. Dog Nuisance. I can see no good reason 

 why dogs should be allowed to run at large any 

 more than horses and cows, and I think public 

 sentiment will sometime require that the}' should 

 be kept on the owner's premises. Those who 

 have dogs that are of any real value can afford 

 to take care of them, but a large proportion of 

 them are of no earthl.v use, except to breed fleas, 

 run over crops, steal everything within their 

 reach, and bark at every passer-by, and the 

 sooner they are got rid of the lietter. If your 

 neighbors liave valuable dogs that trouble .vou, 

 perhaps it w<iuld be best to enclose ,v our garden 

 with a wire fence, using such as is used for hen 

 yards and this will also exclude fowls, if any run 

 at large; but if it is the worthless sort that do 

 the mischief, a little str.vchnine on a bit of meat 

 is a pretty sure remedy. It rcciuires care, how- 

 ev.^'r, not'to kill valuable dogs or cats, and it is 

 best to w.irn .vour neighbors who have such to 

 keep them fast, and keep your own in.— W. F. B. 



720. Early Tomatoes; Besin Cups. To prepare 

 the paper for cylindei's, two pounds of resin is 

 melted in one ounce of boiled linseed oil, the 

 mixture to be applied while hot with a cloth 

 swab (»n a light weight of paste-bivard. We would 

 not atlvise sowing the seed direct l.v in the cylin- 

 dei-s, but rather to |jrst transi)lant from the seed 

 beds into boxes holdingabovit onehundred plants 

 one and a half by two inches apart, then as they 

 begin to crowd put them into the paper cylinders, 

 to grow until planting-out time, when, if the 

 treatment has been suitable, flue stocky iilants 

 will be had. The al)Ove mixture must become 

 hard when <m the pajier, but shouhl have oil 

 enough to prevent cracking when rolled, and 

 as the cpialit.v *»f rosin varies, so the right pro- 

 portifnis for "each case can only be found by ex- 

 |M?rimenting. A resinous building uaper can be 

 secured at most hardware stores, which perhaps 

 wiaild answer the purpostMts well, with no greater 

 cost.— Elmer E. Su.mmey. 



