i88 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



thorough soakings, such as would have 

 saved his trees, whereas he lost a large 

 share of them. 



Another plan which applies equally well 

 in either a wet or dry season is to plant trees, 

 shrubs, vines, etc., early, whereby they may 

 become established and start to grow before 

 severe hot weather. 



I believe it would also be beneficial to 

 sprinkle or spray the leaves and branches of 

 the trees, as well as to water the roots, al- 

 though I have never practiced it. 



WALKS AND JOTTINGS. 



BY A. M. PITRDT, PAT.MTRA, N. T. 



Annuals, Nip off aU annuals at tip now, it 

 you want tbem to ^row stocky and flower pro- 

 fusely. 



Whitewash bodies with lime whitewash, put- 

 ting a spoonful of carbolic acid in a pail of 

 whitewash. 



Prnning Peach Trees. Cut back one-third to 

 one-half of last year's j^rowth on Peach trees, 

 and you will get finer fruit and as much of it in 

 bulk. 



Worms. Don't forget to syringe the Currant 

 and Gooseberry bushes with white powdered 

 hellebore dissolved in water — say a spoonful to a 

 pail of water, to keep off or destroy the worms. 



Loose Bark. F. N. lost a number of Cherry 

 trees by the bark becoming loose from the 

 ground up for about a foot and a half. " Froz- 

 en to death is our verdict. It is hard to save 

 such trees, and the only chance is to plaster on 

 the bodies fresh cow dung mixed with clay mud 

 and bind leather around this, and leave for one 

 season. 



To Extend the Crop. Picking off the first 

 blossoms would make no perceptible difference, 

 only if soil is poor the last benies would be more 

 fully developed, and finer fruit, but if land is 

 strong there is nothing gained. The best way to 

 have late fruit is to mulch the surface heavil.v 

 with new mown grass, or short hay or straw, or 

 even old spent tan bark or rotted sawdust with 

 some salt mi,\ed through, it will be found good. 



Transplanting Old Plants. Strong Strawber- 

 ry plants, set a year ago, and bearing a few ber- 

 ries this season, are not as good as this year's 

 new plants. Plants that yield fruit are exhaust- 

 ed, and require some time after fruiting season 

 to make new roots. However, if in setting them 

 one cuts off all of the old leaves close to crown, 

 and wets the roots thoroughly when transplant- 

 ed, they wiU make good plants for fruiting next 

 year. 



Seedling Strawberries. It does not pay onLy 

 for those who have plent.v of spare time and 

 who are willing to get one fair to good sort out 

 of a hundred seedhugs, or perhaps one extra 

 sort out of 6,000 to 10,0000 seedlings. They do not 

 reproduce the same once in a thousand times. 

 But where one desires to do so let them take 

 ripe Strawberries, mash them on thick paper and 

 dry in a shady place, and sow in light, loamy 

 soil under glass and keep surface moist. 



Bedding Pansies. Those who have seen 

 Pansies massed, have no idea of their great 

 beauty. They are thorough we weather plants, 

 i. c, tuey are not destroyed by wind or rain, as 

 most bedding plants are; and not only that, but 

 they are so easily grown. We planted last sea- 

 son about 7,000 different violas. One border, 

 about 400 yards long, and 24 feet wide, planted 

 with Pansies and Geraniums, and having a sin- 

 gle row of pyramidal shaped Zonalc Geraniums 

 in pots, at intervals of ten feet, was the admira- 

 tion of every one who saw it. 



Baspberries Banning Out. People talk about 

 black Raspberries running out and deteriorat- 

 ing. So they will if not properly cared for, but 

 just try giving the hills a good lot of compost 

 every year in the fall or early in the spring so 

 as to give the new canes a luxuriant growth, 

 and you will find a plantation will last years. 

 We have an old plantation of Greggs heavily 

 manured for two years past and it was better 

 last year than the year before and will be better 

 tills year than last. And, too, we hear the 

 theory (especially from those who happen to 

 have only young plantatiuns) that such only are 

 fit to take plants from for setting. Nonsense! 

 We don't care how old a plant is. If it has been 

 weU manured and growing luxuriantly, the tips 

 from these are as good as from one year old 

 plants. 



Irrigation, We hear much said and see much 

 written about watering trees and plants, that is 

 doing more harm than good. A smaU quantity 

 of water sprinkled over the gi-ound around the 

 plants in hot, dry weather, is of no use, and, in 

 fact, a detriment and damage, for the reason 

 that it leaves a hard, dry crust around the 

 plants; Don't do it unless your ground or plants 

 are well mulched— then "baking" or "crusting" 

 is preventee. In sections where a constant sup- 

 ply of water can be run over the ground 

 through channels, as is done in many sections in 

 the Territories and Pacific States, good is done 

 even if not mulched. Remember, if ice!! 

 mulched, a little water does great good, but if 

 not mulched positive harm unless earth is drawn 

 away, and after water is poured on, the earth 

 pushed back. 



CROWDING LAND. 



Yes, land may be crowded if it is fed in 

 proportion and the right care is given. 



We are often asked "can I plant Rasp- 

 berries or Blackberries and Strawberries on 

 the same ground? " As a rule we have not 

 advised it, but necessity will set us to think- 

 ing and by practicing the same bring about 

 practical results. We are setting a large 

 number of Black Raspberries this spring, 

 and being short of land for Strawberries we 

 propose to experiment as follows: Our 

 Raspberries are set 3 to 3}:: feet apart in the 

 rows and rows ()}{ to 7 feet apart. Half way 

 between we propose to set a row of Straw- 

 berries. The growth the Raspberries make 

 this year bear but a small crop next year 

 and the bushes are but small, while the 

 Strawberries yield a full crop. Many advo- 

 cate getting but one crop of Strawberries 

 and then plougliing under. To this class 

 this plan will work well, as Strawberries 

 being half way between the Raspberries can 

 be easily turned under as quick as through 

 bearing, just as Raspberries begin to ripen. 



However, if both Strawberries and Rasp- 

 berries are well manured the first can stand 

 two years by not allowing rows to mat out 

 too wide, and thus get two full crops of 

 Strawberries, the last crop coming the same 

 season as the first full crop of Raspberries, 

 and by ploughing under as soon as last 

 picking is made they are out of the way of 

 the Raspberries. Of course, in growing this 

 way, one should not depend on layering the 

 Raspberry tips, but keep them well and 

 timely cut back while growing, .so as to 

 make the canes tliree or four feet high and 

 stocky and stout. Tips may be grown from 

 the plants the first year by layering close in 

 the Raspberry rows, and also the second 

 year by layering the same way; but we 

 would advise layering but the first year, 

 unless the Strawberries are allowed to yield 

 but one crop and then if ploughed under of 

 course tips can be grown. 



The safest and best way to grow Black 

 Raspberries and Blackberries for fruit is to 

 plant thick and cut back thoroughly, mak; 

 ing a perfect hedge of canes that are strong 

 and stocky. Of course, in growing two 

 crops together as described above compost 

 or manure must be used freely, also mulch. 



COMPOSTING HEN MANUP.E. 



H. L. E., of Massachusetts, wants advice 

 as to the best method of composting hen 

 manure for general use in garden and field 

 and estimates on the quantity safe per hill. 



Plaster and lime are the best substances 

 for composting hen manure, since the litter 

 contains such an excess of ammonia that it 

 is liable to poison the plant somewhat, or 

 cause too rank a growth of stalk. The lime 

 is of no value in eliminating and holding 

 the superabundance of ammonia, and its 

 relation to the phosphates is similar. The 

 lime also rots the maniu-e quickly, render- 

 ing it usalsle by plants. The hen manure is 

 excessively rich and needs a dilutant. One 

 part of the manure to eight or ten part« of 



plaster is a good proportion for the mixture, 

 although this may be varied to adapt it bet- 

 ter for different soils and different crops. 

 For a very limy soil use less lime in the com- 

 post, and for a clay soil as much as ten parts 

 of plaster to one of manure. This prepara- 

 tion had better be applied wet or allowed to 

 rot a week before using. It is preferable to 

 place it not in contact with the seeds but 

 beneath them, where their roots will find it, 

 and after the plants are up if they seem 

 weak and sickly it may be applied to the 

 surface of the ground above the hill. The 

 quantity used should vary according to the 

 needs of each particular kind of soil or crop, 

 but generally a large handful of this mixture 

 may be used in each hill. 



With this as a general rule you can ascer- 

 tain how much land your stock of manure 

 will supply, and you see it will depend on 

 the number of hills per acre, which differ 

 for each of the different crops you mention. 



SMALL FRUITS ON POOR SOIL. 



S. R. J. has a very poor piece of sandy 

 soil, hardly strong enough to grow enough 

 white beans to pay for expenses of cultiva- 

 tion. He wants to know if he can use it for 

 any kinds of small fruits, and if so, what ? 



Many soils may be considered poor that 

 have had a shallow cultivation for years and 

 years— or even quite a deep cultivation— and 

 yet underlying all are elements that roots of 

 certain plants, like the Grape, seek after. 



We remember digging a well at the M'est, 

 in "burr oak soil " that had been run from 

 2.5 to 30 years. The corn growing on said 

 land was hardly worth cutting. On the 

 bank of earth thrown out from digging the 

 well some Corn and other seed was planted, 

 and finer Corn and plants were never seen 

 than that grown on this earth from a depth 

 of twelve to fifteen feet. And, too, fruit 

 will many times grow luxuriantly if well 

 cultivated, on many soils that have seemed 

 to "run out." 



We should have no hesitation in planting 

 on your soil Grapes, Riuspberries and Black- 

 berries, and even Strawberries. Good, deep 

 plowing and thorough cultivation afterr 

 wards, with your compost scattered around 

 the plants, will give you finer fruits than 

 you have any idea. In fact, as fine Black- 

 berries and Grapes as we have ever grown, 

 was on soil that had been "run" thirty 

 years, and would hardly sprout white Beans. 

 In obtaining said crops, however, we plied 

 the hoe, and cultivated faithfully. 



Producing Seedling Strawberries. 



J. e. HAYNES, DELPHI. IND. 



The origination of new varieties of fruit is 

 becoming so common that the question is 

 pertinent whether the increase in merit is 

 equal to the increase in varieties. Many 

 new kinds are thrown on the market each 

 year only to drop into oblivion after one or 

 two seasons. Accidental seedlings are sel- 

 dom found with merits sufficient to warrant 

 their dissemination, and only by careful 

 efforts of intelligent workers can we hope to 

 better the kinds now in use. 



In our own efforts in this line we have 

 aimed to map out our expectations before 

 seeing our productions, and pretty generally 

 we have been successful in this. It is only 

 by securing the best varieties for parentage 

 and by careful crossing that we can hope to 

 succeed. From the product in new seedlings 

 we save only such plants as prove superior 

 to the parents. Superior not alone in plant 

 but in quality, size and beauty of fruit, and 

 ability to resist drought and moisture. 



We grow under glass almost exclusively 

 such berries as we use for seedlings. So far 

 success has crowned our efforts in the pro- 

 duction of several very choice seedlings. 



