198 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



:::^ClGHT 'x^Hf SOCIETIES 



e.^^^^ TO SEvnoeLYKHOWt^ 



Potash for Peaches. 

 Henry W. Comfort, of the 

 Pennsylvania Horticul- 

 ture Society, recommends 

 the application of potash 

 to Peach trees to secure 

 the best results. He uses 

 muriate of potash and 

 acidulated South Carolina rock. 



Maine Apples. It is but a few years since our 

 markets extended only to the larger and distant 

 cities. Now Maine Apples are quoted in foreign 

 markets, and higher than those of any other State. 

 —President Pnpe of tlie Maine Pomolnfjical Hociety. 



Improved Orape bags. Bags made of si)ecially 

 prepared paper — water-proof and practically 

 indestructible — were shown by President A. W. 

 Pearson to the members of the N. J. State Hor- 

 ticultural Society at the last meeting- in Trenton. 

 They are manufactured by a firm in Philadelphia. 



Climbing Boses A jiretty effect is produced 

 by planting a Queen and Belle together and al- 

 lowing them to twine together over the same 

 support. Flowering at the same time, the white 

 flowers of the one mingled with the bright red of 

 the other makes a very attracti^"e combination.— 

 Hubert Miliken. 



American Association of Nurserymen. The 

 thirteenth annual meeting will be held in Fra- 

 ternity Hall, Detroit, Mich., commencing Wed- 

 nesday, June 20, 1888, at 10.30 A. M., and continu- 

 ing three days. The objects of the Association 

 are well known. It is sufficient to say that this 

 will be one of the most impoi-tant and satisfactory 

 meetings ever held. An interesting and varied 

 program is being prepared. The usual question 

 box will be provided. Reports from the several 

 committees on stock will be called for. The E.x- 

 hibition of new varieties of fruits, trees, imple- 

 ments, devices, etc., is invited, on which special 

 reports will be made. The names of all who be- 

 come members previous to June 4 will be in- 

 serted in the badge book. For further particular's, 

 address D. Wilraot Scott, Galena, Illinois. 



Culture in Drought. J. S. Browne.— If the sur- 

 face soil is loose and there are no weeds do not 

 cultivate during drought. It Is a mistake to sup- 

 pose that the ground absorbs moisture from the 

 air during the night in summer, for the tempera- 

 ture of the soil is always higher than the air 

 immediately above it at night. The object in 

 keeping the ground loose and mellow is not to al- 

 low the air to permeate it and thus deposit mois- 

 tiu'C, but by the diffusion of the i>articles of eai'th 

 capillary atiraction is retarded and the moisture 

 in the soil is retained for the use of the plants 

 growing in it. E. A. Kiehl.— Strawberries ought 

 not to be ciilti\'ate<l in dry weather. Vauden- 

 burg.— I wo\dd cuUuatc always, it makes them 

 grow better. Browne.— I don't approve of this, 

 it is a Wiiste of muistiire. —Dmciinxkm Inj Altim, 

 Iliiniiiti, (j^rinvern. 



Transplanting Flowers. When transplanting 

 plants, whethei- grown from seeds or cuttings, to 

 the open ground care should be taken to press 

 the earth firmly down upf>n the roots and to give 

 a thori lugh watering afterwards. A iiartial shad- 

 ing during the heat of the day is neces.sai"y initil 

 the plants seem at home in their new location and 

 begin to push their roots into the siUToiuiding 

 soil, and a mulching of some light material, such 

 as spent hops from the brewery, old leaves or 

 even sand, is of great benefit, as it prevents the 

 soil from drying and shrinking away from the 

 young plants before they have time to settle 

 themselves and go to grooving. If after the suc- 

 cessful planting is accomplished, the ordinary 

 araf)unt of care, in watering, weeding and lioeing, 

 is given, thei'e can scarcely be a failure in the 

 production of an abundance of bloom.- ^Vr.s. Ed- 

 'W(ird.-< before the Viinutauqua Co., N. 1'., Society. 



Strawberry Culture. I used to plant in rows 

 four feet afiart and eighteen to two feet in the 

 row, but have gradually made the rows nai'rower 

 and lessened the distance between tlie plants un- 

 til now I make the rows two feet nine inches 

 apart and the plants one foot in the row. I do 

 not commence cultivating until the weeds begin 

 to show themselves for I want the plants to get 

 a good start before they are disturbed; keep all 

 runners cut off until the last of July, for the 

 newly-set plant is no more able to make moi'e 

 plants before this time than it is to bear fruit. 



By doing this very few weeds will have to be 

 pulled by hand, for by the time you are ready 

 to let the plant make runners you will have the 

 weeds all killed. If the surface soil is loose and 

 there are no weeds do not cultivate during 

 drought. I plant as early in the spring as possi- 

 ble; b.v preparing the ground in the fall a gain 

 of two weeks can be made. I prefer to plant be- 

 fore any growth is made. If the matted sys- 

 tem is followed, do not let the plants crowd each 

 other, for this not only reduces the quantity of 

 the fruit, but the quality.— J. S. Browne before 

 tfie Alton, Illinois Society. 



Plants from Seed. Amongst armuals, I find 

 Petunias, Portulacas, Zinnias, and various Ama- 

 ranths, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Phlox Brum- 

 mondi, to be most successful under what might be 

 rather adverse circumstances. With good soil 

 and thorough culture they may give a good 

 return and render the garden bright and cheerful, 

 in the driest of seasons. A bed of Phlox Drum- 

 mondi is a sight to dazzle the e.ves with its brillian- 

 cy and it is seldom too wet or to dry for Petunias. 

 The blotched and striped are brilliant and varied 

 in the extreme. The granditiora section is par- 

 ticularly striking in the form and marking of its 

 magnificent flowers. With protection from 

 destructive winds, especially if facilities are 

 available for watering in dry weather, success 

 may be had with Asters, Balsams, Candytuft, 

 Pansies, and a few others. These aie well worthy 

 of a little extra care. Of florist or bedding plants, 

 Ageratum, Sweet Alyssum, Daisies, Feverfew, 

 Lobelias, and Verbenas, can be grown from seed 

 and treated as annuals, and will flower the first 

 year. But Geraniums, Coleus, Chrysanthemums, 

 Carnations, Heliotrope, and many others, can not 

 be grown from seed profitably, and should be 

 procured from the nearest florist. They are 

 mostly of easy culture. There is a large list of 

 perennials which I think tleserving of more at- 

 tention than they have been rceiving of late. 

 Columbines, Snapdragons, Larkspurs, Pinks in 

 great variety, Pajonies, Phloxes, etc. These re- 

 quire but little care, and increase in strength and 

 beauty from year to year, only needing to be 

 taken up and di\ided once in three or four years. 

 —R. Mililicn before the Kan.'icw State Society. 



Forestry Gleams. From the report of the 

 Michigan State Forestry Convention we gather 

 the following: Martin Conrad, of Chicago, a 

 wagon manufacturer, said: " Five kinds of tim- 

 ber are foremost in the construction of wagons, 

 viz: White Oak, which requires 80 years to ma- 

 ture; Shellbark Hickory, 30 to 50 years; White 

 Ash, "30 years; Tulip tree, or Whitewood, 60 years; 

 and Red or Norway Pine, 60 years. An acre of 

 timber artificially grown is worth five times as 

 much iis an acre of the natural wood. Prof. T. J. 

 Burrill, of the Illinois University, expressed the 

 belief that forest^tree planting is not profitable 

 iis a farm crop on land suited to the growth of 

 wheat or corn. President WiUits, of the Mich- 

 igan Agricultural College, took the stand that 

 planting trees over the arid plains of the west to 

 bring rain is going to make a great change there. 

 B. E. Fernow state<l that seven times sis much 

 wood is used as fuel in this country as for all 

 other purposes. The consumption of wood is on 

 the increase, notwithstanding the use of coal. 

 Mr. Davenport, of Barry county, alarge producer 

 of maple sugar, in an interesting paper on the 

 Sugar Maple advised its more general planting, 

 for both the sugar and wood. Chas. W. Garfield, 

 a member of the State Forestry Commission, 

 read a pajjer advocating one or more forestry re- 

 ser\'es in the State. One tract of six townships 

 in Roscommon county, containing two lakes, 

 could easily be set apart as a natural park where 

 the native animals and birds could remain. B. E. 

 Fernow, United States Commissioner of Forestry, 

 read a paper on " The Proper Basis for Forestry 

 Legislation." He advised the appointment of a 

 State Forestry Commissioner. Last year there 

 was $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 worth of forests de- 

 stroyed in the State. The interest on that sum 

 applied to protection from fires would prevent 

 neai'ly or quite the entire loss. Instead of laws 

 to encourage the planting of trees, he advised 

 the free distribution of tree seeds and seedUngs, 

 together with information as to how to plant 

 and how to care for them after they are started. 



Pears for Profit. In answer to the question of 

 what \arieties to plant for marketing profitably 

 over a long season Mr. C. E. Randall said before 

 the Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Society: It makes 

 considerable difference how far distant the 

 market is, for some good profitable pears for a 

 near market are worthless for one more distant, 

 spoiling before reaching the market. The Bart- 



lett our most popular pear can be shipped to a 

 distance only by picking before fully matured. It 

 is excellent for all purposes except canning, for 

 which it is too soft and sweet. The Bartlett is an 

 early pear, and as the next standard is consider- 

 able later, the interim must be filled with dwarfs. 

 Next in order of ripening is the Flemish Beauty 

 a good pear, but succeeding best on clay. On 

 gravel it becomes covered with a black fun- 

 goid growth which injures the fruit. Many 

 recommend Clapp's Favorite; I do not. The fruit 

 has a fine appearance, but is a poor keeper, rot- 

 ting at the core, and a poor shipper. After 

 Flemish Beauty, Sheldon, then Buerre d' Anjou, 

 a fine late pear, even better than the Bartlett. 

 Buerre Deil is a fine pear, about Thanksgiving. 

 It is a little coarse grained, but well worth cultiva- 

 ting. Kiefler Hybrid is not a family pear, but 

 seems to sell well on its fine appearance. It is a 

 good canning pear, but I do not want to eat it 

 before it is canned. I have tried Le Conte, but do 

 not like it. The Seckel is a fine pear, save as 

 regards size. It always brings fair prices and is 

 the finest flavored pear we have. It needs good 

 culture. Plant it on strong soil. The earliest 

 pear I have is Doyenne d' Ete, ripening early in 

 August. This pear has afforded me twice as much 

 profit as any other in my orchard; yet early 

 pears could be easily overstocked. It is a medium 

 to small sized pear. My best four standards are 

 Bartlett, Flemish Beauty, Seckel and Sheldon. 

 But that leaves out the winter pears. My best 

 winter pear is Winter Nells. Some sorts will not 

 do well unless grafted on the Quince, hence I ad- 

 vise the planting of dwarfs. My favorite dwarfs 

 are Louise Bonne de Jersey, Buerre de Anjou, 

 Duchess and Buffum. 



The Garden Culture of Roses. 



{Continued from page 177.) 



Varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals. An exhibi- 

 tion of Hoses is not always the best place to 

 select varieties for general culture, as the exhib- 

 itor is forced to take whatever is at hand on the 

 required day; it might perhaps be a single bloom 

 of Horace Vernet, and the only one of the season, 

 or perhaps Gloire de Bourg-la-Reine or Mme. 

 Margaret Dombrain. Another instance is Mme. 

 Lachanue, of which the essayist could not re- 

 member having ever seen more than one show 

 specimen in our exhibition hall. 



Mr. Spooner next desciibed about a hundred 

 varieties of what he deemed the most desirable 

 Roses for cultivation, giving the name of the or- 

 iginator and date of origin of each, but we regret 

 that want of space prevents us from giving the 

 full description. They were arranged under their 

 typical forms, adopting the standard of the Na- 

 tional Rose Society of England, as follows; 



Class 1. Oitppcd, as Baroness Rothschild. 



GloAs 2. Imbricated, as A. K. Williams. 



Claxs 3. Globular, as Pierre Netting. 



Qn-w 4. aiiibular, high center, as Alfred Col- 

 omb. 



Clcuis 5. Plat, as Mile. Annie Wood, Boieldieu 

 antl Souvenir de Malmaison. 



The number prefixed to the names in the fol- 

 lowing lists designate to which of the above- 

 named classes they belong. The firet list com- 

 prises those considered by Mr. Spooner the best 

 twelve: 

 4. Alfred Colomb. A. Mme. Gabriel Luizet. 



2. Ciis. Lefebvre. :i. Mine. Victor Verdter. 



3. Johu Hopper. 1. Merveille de Lyon. 



3. Hippolyte Janiain. 1. Prince Camille de Rohau. 



3. Marie Bauniann. 1. Ulrieh Bruuner. 



Mile. Anuie Wood. 4. Victor Verdler. 



For the best twenty-fl\e Roses the foregoing 

 list, with the addition of — 

 1. Annade Dicsbaeh. 3. La France. 



1. Baroness Rothschild. 1. Mable Morrison. 



2. Dr. Audry. 4. Marquise de Castellane. 



3. Duehesse de Vallom- 3. Mile. Eugenie Verdler. 



brosa. 5. Mons. Boncenne. 



3. Dupuy Jamain. 3. Paul Neron. 



2. Jules Margottiu. 4. Prince Arthur. 



For the best thirty-six Boses the forgoing and— 



3. Catherine Soupert. 3. Francois Miehelou. 

 1. Candlle Bernardln. 3. Louis Van Houtte. 

 1. Cuuntess of Rosebery. 3. Maurice Bernardln. 



4. Duke of Edinburgh. 3. Pierre Nottlng. 

 1. Etli'une Levet. Thomas Mills. 



1. Fisher Holmes. 



The remainder of the hundred consisted of the 

 following selection ; 



In the First Class— 



Alphonse Soupert, Duke of Wellington, 



Bessie Johnson. Firebrand, 



Boule de Nelge, Marechal Valllant, 



Captalu Christy. Marie Ve.-dier, 



Countess of Oxford, Pride of Waltham. 



Celine Forestler, Pel f ection de Lyon, 



