l82 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



71". Chinese Lily Treatment. We presume by 

 " Chinese Lily " you mean Ifarvisfus Pa^etta rar. 

 If the.y are still in the water fill up the vessel 

 with earth, then drain off the water so as to leave 

 the earth in a moist lump, which can be readily 

 transferred from the vessel to the j^arden ground. 

 Plant in this way in a shady, sheltered spot, and 

 don't disturb the bulbs tor a year or two. They 

 will now be so enervated as to be of little use for 

 winter-forcing next winter. — W. F. 



53.5. Draining the Orchard. We think it would 

 be unsafe to set the trees before draining. For 

 leisure is uncertain help, coming as it usually 

 does (if at all) to the back door, weary from a 

 long journey, seeking rest. If the slope of the 

 land admits of drainage (otherwise the work 

 would be useless), make the drains the same dis- 

 tance apart that you wish to set the trees. Then 

 put the ground in good condition, as for a crop 

 of r'orn; get your trees from a local nurseryman 

 who can vouch for their correct naming, and set 

 them in a workman-like manner midway between 

 the drains, stake and mulch them, and continue 

 your acquaintance with them by good cultiva- 

 tion, as though they were something which you 

 love, and take an interest in giving them if possi- 

 ble a yearly dressing of wood ashes and ground 

 bone. Then you may e.vpect to enjoy some of 

 the fruit before the coming generation takes 

 your place.— SnB.scRiBER. 



713. Mulching Newly-planted Trees. All such 

 are benefited by a layer of manure being laid on 

 the soil immediately over the roots before the 

 heat and drought of summer comes, and the 

 larger the trees the more necessary it is to take 

 care of the roots, for if the roots can be kept 

 right the branches will be able to take care of 

 themselves. Trees that are to receive this atten- 

 tion should have it at once, and if the soil is at 

 all dry round the roots it should be well watered 

 before the mulch is laid on. Newly-planted beds 

 or borders of shrubs should have the whole of 

 the surface covered. Single specimen trees 

 standing on grass in positions where both the sun 

 and air can play on the soil over the roots should 

 have a thicker layer than small shrubs which 

 stand nearer to each other. Good half-rotten 

 manure should be used in preference ta an.v other 

 material when available, but where it is not tan 

 or short grass may be used with a fair measure 

 of success. It must not be understood that 

 mulchings of any sort will render any further 

 waterings unnecessary. It will not do that, but 

 it certainly will lessen the quantity required to 

 keep the soil moist in periods of prolonged 

 drought, and what is equally as important, it will 

 prevent, to a certain extent, the evaporation 

 from the soil of the moisture which is applied to 

 it, so that the soU will be more uniformly moist 

 for a long time after it is watered than would 

 otherwise be the case. When it is found neces- 

 sary to give further watering to an.y thing that 

 has been mulched it is a very simple matter to 

 draw on one side the material and replace it again 

 when the watering has been done. 



718. Wallflower Culture. To ensure strou^ plants 

 for flowering n?xt year, .sow at once in the open bor- 

 der, and transplant when large enough to a bed In 

 which they can remain until the autumn. The mistake 

 is frequently made in the cultivation of Wallflowers of 

 deferring the sowing of the seed until the summer, with 

 the result that the plants are not strong enough in the 

 spring following to bloom satisfactorily.— A. H. E. 



73U. Fragrant Herb. This is Sweet Basil iOcymum 

 basilictcm ), a dellciously fragrant plant, an annual, and 

 well worth growing among mixed plants in the flower 

 border. Of the easiest cultivation, but of no commer- 

 cial value.— W. F. 



7.^1. Gladiolus Query. The Lemoine Hybritltiladio- 

 iuses are hybrids between purpurea-auratus and Gan- 

 davensis, or some of its numerous varieties.- C. E. P. 



A Manure-Heated Pit. 



L. L. ESENBERNER, BERKS CO.. PA. 



We enclose a sketch of a forcing pit which 

 we have in use. It is in fact a greenhouse, 

 depending on the slow combustion of fer- 

 menting substances for its 

 heat instead of tire. The 

 walls you will note are 

 built of brick, for although 

 costing more to build, 

 such will outlast many 

 wooden structures. 



The back wall is four 

 feet above the level of the 

 ground, and forms the 

 southern fence of the barn 

 yard. The pit measures. 

 ten feet from front to back 

 wall, inside measure, the „. , .„, „ 



- . , „ , Ftu.'i. The Manure 



root IS composed of sash. Bole and Shutter. 



the same as an ordinary hot-bed. 



There are two openings in the back wall 

 to throw in fermenting material. The shut- 

 ters used to close these up when not wanted 



are somewhat novel, consisting of a frame 

 of .some durable wood, (Yellow Pine will do), 

 two feet wide and three feet long. The 

 shutters are fastened in a recess of this 

 frame h with the hinges of the Inner one f? 

 below. The top of this one when closed is 

 about six inches above the level of the 

 ground, and to its top is fastened with 

 hinges the outer shutter e, so that when the 

 shutter is opened, in the funnel shaped hole 

 dug for it, the upper shutter will lie reclining 

 to the ground. In closing, the inner shutter 

 will describe a circle having the hinges for 

 its center, thus making the upper board look 

 like a cellar door when closed. The design 

 of this is to shed rain, and keep the hole 



Fiy. 1. A Manure-Heated Pit. 



from filling with snow, etc. The upper 

 board keeps the shutters closed by slipping 

 over an iron pin driven into the ground at ;/. 



The benches are above the level of the 

 outer soil, and the space below is high 

 enough for a man to get under and stand 

 conveniently. The walk is made of two 

 boards each twelve inches wide, and two 

 cleats nailed so as to come one on each side 

 of every post, and rest on blocks fastened 

 firmly to the posts; the boards must be cut 

 the right length so as to end right at a post, 

 and a cleat nailed there. The side boards 

 (to keep the heat under the benches) are 

 screwed to the posts, with the upper one 

 hinged to the lower, and kept in place with 

 a button, so as to readily open and close, as 

 required. 



This pit ought to be started eai'ly, as it will 

 take some time before enough heat is gen- 

 erated to be continuous; but as all the house 

 manure is to be dumped In whenever the 

 stables are cleaned out, the temperature is 

 steady when once attained. 



It might appear at first sight as though a 

 great deal of heat was lost on account of the 

 manure being so far from the beds, but such 

 is not the case, the distance keeping the beds 

 from the first intense heat of the fermenting 

 manure, and as fresh material is continually 

 being added, the heat is kept steady; In the 

 fall the manure is taken out, and will be 

 found in much better condition as a fertilizer 

 than that which has been exposed to the 

 weather; in this alone there is a great gain. 

 This house will give excellent results; can 

 be used for all tank propagating, etc. It 

 would be more economical perhaps to use 

 cloth instead of glass, the house would be 

 kept mtich warmer at night, and in ordinary 

 cases diffused light is as good as the direct 

 light. 



The Adirondack Forests Threatened. 

 The importance of tree and forest planting 

 in America deserves all the agitation which 

 has of late been bestowed upon it by the 

 press and the friends of trees. But it appears 

 from investigations recently made by Garden 

 and Forest that if special attention is not 

 given to arresting the destruction going on 

 in the Adirondack reserve, that a degree of 

 damage to the interests of the state and 

 nation is likely to follow which no amount 

 of ordinary planting could soon offset. 

 And even if it could, that should be no 

 argument for permitting the Adirondack 

 forests to be wasted; these in their place 



are needed, while new plantings are neces- 

 sary for the re-wooding, in a measure, of 

 the cleared-up parts of the country. 



As the journal referred to further states: 

 The preservation of the Adirondack forests 

 is a matter of national importance. One of 

 the principal commercial rivers of the world 

 depends upon these forests for its existence; 

 their value as a health resort for people from 

 all parts of the United States is incalculable. 

 Their preservation, therefore, is a matter 

 which concerns the whole country. 



Never have these forests been threatened, 

 goes on the same article to say, with such 

 danger as now menaces them from every 

 side. Railroads are being built or are about 

 to be built into the wilderness in every di- 

 rection. The promoters of the Schenectady 

 and Ogdensburg Railroad Company propose 

 to build a line this sumtner directly through 

 the heart of the Adirondacks. to serve as a 

 feeder for the Canadian Pacific and bring 

 that road into direct connection with New 

 York and Boston. The Chateaugay Rail- 

 road Company is extending its line into the 

 forest. Its last station is only eight miles 

 from Lake Placid and within six miles of 

 Paul Smith's, tipon St. Regis Lake. Adir- 

 ondack Lodge, one of the wildest and most 

 picturesque spots in (he whole region, is 

 now but fifteen miles distant from the rail- 

 road. The Northern Adirondack Railroad 

 has penetrated through the forest almost as 

 far south as Paul Smith's. Another road 

 runs from Carthage, in Jefferson County, 

 into the forest region to Jayville, St. Law- 

 rence County, and a further extension is 

 proposed. 



The building of railroads through a forest 

 in this country means its extermination. 

 This is particularly true of the Adirondack 

 forest. Its escape from extermination in the 

 past is due to the single fact that the hard 

 woods of which it is principally composed 

 could not be got to market from lack of 

 transportation. If transportation is fur- 

 nished it is merely a question of time when 

 every tree will be constimed in the saw-mill, 

 the paper factory and the charcoal furnace. 

 Railroads will increase, too, the number of 

 forest fires and thus hasten extermination. 



There is but one way to save what now 

 remains of the Adirondack forests. The 

 enactment of a law which shall prohibit the 

 location of any railroad under any circum- 

 stances upon the State lands which are 

 widely scattered through the entire region 

 will prevent its ruin. No other measure 

 less sweeping in its restrictions can accom- 

 plish this. There is a Board of Forest Com- 

 missioners in this State. It is the duty of 

 these Commissioners to devise measures for 

 the protection of the State forests and to see 

 that these laws are put into execution. It 

 is their duty to enlighten the people of the 

 State upon the condition of the State forests 

 and the dangers which threaten them. 



Have these Commissioners performed 

 these duties ? 



The only activity displayed, so far as the 

 public is informed, is manifested in their 

 attempt to secure from the present Legisla- 

 ture the passage of a bill authorizing them 

 to lease to "individuals or clubs for pleasure 

 re.sorts or camping purposes," portions of 

 the public domain for periods not exceeding 

 five years' duration. Authority should not 

 be given to the Commission. It will be im- 

 possible to protect the .State forests if the 

 Commissioners are allowed this privilege. 



The actual condition of the Adiiondack 

 forests and the doings of the Forest Commis- 

 sioners during the three years they have 

 held office need investigation. Much is at 

 stake in this matter. The public must be 

 enlightened and aroused to active interest 

 in the matter; and the concerted and ener- 

 getic action of the press of the whole country 

 can alone accomplish this. 



