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POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



American Seed Trade Association. 



The annual meeting for 1888 was held 

 with closed doors in Chicago during the 

 second week of June. The first day (Tues- 

 day) was devoted to organization; the real 

 business began on Wednesday, the after- 

 noon being given Jip to action on the report 

 of committees, of which the Association has 

 quite a number, doing excellent work. The 

 completion of unfinished business, and com- 

 munications occupied Thursday's session. 



The following officers were elected: Presi- 

 dent, George S. Haskell, Rockford, 111.; 

 Fir.st Vice-President, John H. Allan, Pic- 

 tou, Ont.; Second Vice-President, H. W. 

 Johnson, Philadelphia. Albert McCul- 

 lough, Cincinnati, was re-elected Secretary 

 and Treasurer — a fitting compliment to his 

 efficient services. F. T. Emerson, Omaha, 

 Neb., was elected Assistant Secretary. The 

 Executive Committee is as follows: William 

 Meggat, Wethersfleld, Conn.; JohnFottler, 

 Jr., Boston; S. F. Leonard, Chicago; S. E. 

 Briggs, Toronto; H. Wood, Richmond, Va. 



The American Nurserymen's Con- 

 vention at Detroit, June 20 

 and 2 1 . 



Of the active members of this Association 

 something over 1.50 were present at the 

 opening of the annual meeting at Detroit. 

 Nearly all parts of the country were repre- 

 sented, but more prominently the North- 

 west. They came not only for business, but 

 to visit points of interest about the "City of 

 Straits," of which there are many. 



Notwithstanding the extremely warm 

 weather, and the Uicl that on account of 

 tliis, three days' session was crowded into 

 one and one-half, the meeting was a success. 

 Excellent papers were prepared by promi- 

 nent horticulturists, and though not all 

 of their authors were present to read them, 

 close interest was taken. 



The officers for the coming year are: 

 President, George A. Sweet, New York; 

 Vice-President, G. J. Carpenter, Nebraska ; 

 Secretary, Charles A. Green, Rochester, N. 

 Y.; Trea.surer, A. R. Whitney, Illinois. 

 Executive Committee: George Wiltz, Ohio; 

 S. D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y.; S. M. Emery, 

 Minnesota. 



The exhibits in the line of nursery stock 

 and horticultural implements, though 

 prol)ably not so extensive as last year, were 

 interesting. Two tree-diggers, one by 

 Hoover & Gaines, the other by N. H. Al- 

 baugh & Son are labor-saving tools, which do 

 effective work. N. H. Albaugh & Son also 

 showed an improved dibble made of steel 

 for planting grafts, the form of blade and 

 handle making it a convenient tool. 



H. S. Anderson, a sample of Roffia of good 

 (luality. This article has partially super- 

 ceded the Bass bark for tying buds and 

 otlier purposes in the nursery, as it is much 

 stronger and cheaper. 



McMaster Floor Plate and Stamp Manu- 

 fjicturing Company, a steel barbed strap for 

 securing packing boxes which is readily ap- 

 [ilied and effective. 



E. H. Ricker & Company, vigorous speci- 

 mens of seedling evergreens, of their own 

 growing. 



James B. Wild & Brothers, stock from 

 their cold storage cellars, in good condition. 

 Also .samples of Mahaleb seedlings of this 

 season's growth, (juite strong considering 

 the season. Also sample trees of Teas' 

 Weeping Mullierry. One four years from 

 graft, well developed, proving it to be an 

 effective ornamental tree. 



J. W. Manning, di.splayed German Iris, 

 with samples from a collection of 40 varieties. 

 The.se combine a gorgeous display of colors 

 grown with great facility in any soil. They 

 are exceedingly ornamental, and for a 

 month or more from last of May are con- 



stantly in bloom. Succeeding the German 

 Iris are the Japanese varieties which carry 

 the bloom late into July. 



Charles A Green had a big box of luscious 

 Strawberries, picked at random from plants 

 of the "Jessie." This is truly a fine berry. 



President Watrous delivered an admir- 

 able address, a SJ^lopsis of which will be 

 given in our next issue. 



Horticultural NotesbySamuel Miller. 



Black Cap Raspberisies. If confined to 

 but three they would be Centennial for early, 

 Hopkins for medium, and Gregg for late, 

 but could hardly leave out Mammoth Clus- 

 ter. Souhegan is as early as Centennial, 

 but is no larger, very thorny and too sour. 

 Hillsboro is a promising new one. Golden 

 Queen is not hardy with me, and in starting 

 with six plants two years ago, cannot see a 

 single living one just now. Crim.son 

 Beauty, Scarlet Gem and Stayman No. 3, 

 are all three hardy and splendid Raspber- 

 ries, and usually have fruit on them nearly 

 all summer. Why they are not more gen- 

 erally tried is strange to me. When it 

 comes to the Red Raspberries that grow 

 from suckers, I consider the Turner worth 

 all the rest put together. Schaffer is next, 

 but is too acid for eating fresh from the 

 plant, yet for preserving and eating wilh ice 

 cream and sugar is hard to beat. 



Marlboro and Cuthbert are counted hardy, 

 while here in the latitude of St. Louis they 

 are not. The two past winters they have 

 both suffered so much in the winter that 

 not 1-16 of a crop has been realized. That 

 the dry, hot summers may have had some- 

 thing to do with this is possible, as when 

 autumn comes the large canes that are ripe 

 and should go to rest, get stimulated by the 

 fall rains, and often warm weather in No- 

 vember, when a severe cold snap comes and 

 they are not in a condition to bear it, 



I am led to this idea from the fact that 

 some of the young shoots that seem to be 

 tempered properly come through the winter 

 safe. ■ That these two are splendid berries 

 no one wUl deny, but if I must lay down 

 and put out Raspberry canes, I will give 

 such as Henrietta, the largest I have yet 

 seen, a first place. Schaffer's Colossal, while 

 not quite hardy, has always enough wood 

 left to bear a fine crop at the proper sesison. 

 and sends up shoots from the ground that 

 will bear splendid fruit long after the others 

 are all gone. 



An Asparagus Knife. I have grown 

 this vegetable for half a century and never 

 yet cut off a stem with a knife. Thumb and 

 finger placed at the steam near the ground, 

 bend with considerable pressure and it will 

 drop off. Then you have a delicious dish 

 instead of the tough, tasteless, and often 

 bitter thing usually found at hotels. Some 

 peal the hard outside shell off. which is no 

 little trouble. 



The idea that it must be white to look 

 well is to me ridiculous. I want something 

 that can be eaten. Who that has tried this 

 will resort to the knife six inches under 

 ground? Will they answer? 



Peach Yellows. I don't know what 

 Peach Yellows is. I beleive that overbear- 

 ing, poor soil and borers at the root often get 

 blamed on the Yellows. 



Pear Bliuht. Soou now is the lime to 

 give the Pear trees a washing; trunk and 

 up at the limbs with lime, sulphur and a 

 little carbolic acid. It docs not smell pleas- 

 ant to some persons, but that will be gone 

 before the fruit is ripe. 



Making them Over. To dig out liealthy 

 trees and vines when the varieties do not 

 suit one is a most useless and to me a stu- 

 pid piece of business. If a man cannot 

 graft himself, get someone to do it for him, 

 thereby saving years of time, cost and labor 



of planting. Particularly is this the case 

 with vineyards of varieties that rot and are 

 not worth .sacking. A man recently told 

 me he had rented an acre of Concords that 

 were only five years old, and that if he had 

 known that they could be grafted with bet- 

 ter varieties he would have had it done. I 

 would not take *:1(X) for an acre of such vines 

 even if they did rot, as the Concord invari- 

 ably does here, but would soon convert it 

 into such as Diamond, Empire State and 

 Niagaras, as well as to operate upon with 

 the new varieties so as always to get fruit 

 the following year. Anyone following the 

 instructions of Dr. Stayman, or mine, in a 

 late number of your excellent paper, can 

 soon have the best of Grapes that will pay 

 to sack. I cannot afford to sack Grapes 

 that will bring but five cents per pound, the 

 price of Concords, and for my own use I 

 want something better to eat. Among my 

 1,000 vines in the vineyard I have but five of 

 them, and these are only kept for Auld Lang 

 Syne. Worden is taking its place, and de- 

 servedly so. In a paper I recently saw 

 where the editor advised a man to dig up an 

 orchard of the Blackman Plum trees, as 

 they <lon't bear. Why not graft them with 

 some good one that will bear? I always 

 have some natural trees coming on to try 

 new ones on, and the same with varieties 

 that don't suit me. 



Fruit Cans vs. Pots for Strawberry 

 Plants. Melt the ends off, and the seam 

 where joined. The can will then spring 

 apart. Have the ground mellow under the 

 runner. Keep the can tied close. Shut 

 it under the plants in the middle. When 

 rooted draw the tie off and your can wiU 

 open again so that you have the roots in the 

 cylinder easily handled. 



This is less trouble than the filling of the 

 pots, and in my opinion is quite as good a 

 plan. I know a Frenchman who never 

 takes more than one crop from a set of 

 plants. Lets them run enough plants, pots 

 them and then digs his old bed under and 

 sets the new ones. His berries always 

 brought the highest price in market, and he 

 seemed to have good crops. That would be 

 too much trouble for me. 



Sometimes when plants are scarce I set 

 them three feet apart in the row, always 

 with the end of the runner when cut off one 

 way, as they always start ont in an opposite 

 direction, so there is no tiouble in laying 

 them in a row. In this way I have had as 

 good a set by fall as when set a foot apart 

 in the spring. As soon as there are runners 

 enougli, stop further progress. 



COMMENTS BY READERS. 



A ih'parfmcut to which all aw invited tnsend nates of 

 e.rpei'ienee and absentation eonceming tajiies that re- 

 centli/ have been treated on in this Journal, Many 

 sueh eontributions monthly would be welronie. 



Zinc Scraps fok Cleaning Flites. L. R. P., 

 page 147, speaks of zinc scraps on bituminous coal 

 fires to clean flues. I have used it for .years. 

 The suli)hurlc acid sras peuerated burns the soot 

 without flame, the ash occupying less than one- 

 third the space of soot, necessitating the clean- 

 ing of flues but once a year.— IT'.JV. Whitiiiy, 

 Tiiiua Onuity, Pa. 



Ueith of Sowing Peas. Tlie writer oii "Deep 

 Sowing for Peas" In the April number did not 

 tell how deep or how shallow the Pens were 

 planted. 1 have planted Peas early, about three 

 or four inches deep, and late plantings aln>ut six 

 inches deep. —£. \f'. L.,Svliciucltuty County, N. T. 



KED llASPBEHRY KOOTS IN AN ASPAKAUUS 



IfED. C()ncerning this trouble wliieh was referred 

 lo by a recent correspondent, I should certainly 

 try a very heavy a|>plication of salt. There is 

 little danger of in.iuring the Asparagus. I lia\X' 

 used salt in this manner to an extent that de- 

 stroyed almost all kinds t>f weeds without the 

 least perceptible injury to the Asparagus. —E.S.G, 

 Weeping Tubes Foil THK West. The suggestive 

 note of D. B. W. in the June number brings to 

 mind the fact that we have very few good weep- 

 ing trees in the West, even when they are propa- 



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