224 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



for a moment the idea that Southern Lettuce 

 could he sctntto the New York market, and com- 

 pete in quality with Northern grown. But they 

 have done it the past Winter, and our principal 

 market tor Winter lettuce that is grown under 

 (rla.«s has felt the influence in low pices, hardly 

 an equal in the memory of the oldest jjardener. 

 What is true of Lettuce is also true of many 

 other vegetables. 



The mode of trading in our markets here has 

 changed in the past few years. Formerly our 

 gardeners drove their teams into South Market 

 street, and sold to the store dealers, which were 

 located in the different parts of Boston and vici- 

 nity, who came to us and traded or bartered for 

 our goods. Now our dealings are carried on 

 largely with the middle men, who swai-m around 

 our trains long before the gray dawn makes its 

 appearance in the East, buying up all the No. 1 

 goods and carrying them to their stores and vici- 

 nity; so when the store dealer makes his appear- 

 ance on the scene, he finds upon our teams noth- 

 ing but third-rate vegetables, vegetables only 

 wanted by the peddlers, which he refuses to buy 

 at any price, and in order to satisfy his customers 

 he finds it necessarry to go to the middle men 

 and pay them an advanced price for what the 

 same goods could be bought from our teams. I 

 say the closer we hold to the store dealers the 

 better we are off, for as I understand there is at 

 the present day a combination among the middle 

 men, an organization with capital to buy up pro- 

 duce with the view of cornerning the market. 



The benefits that we may derive from this asso- 

 ciation are innumerable, and it has sprung into 

 e.\istance none too soon. If ten years ago had 

 seen the same institution we would all he better 

 off to-day. There is one very important matter 

 that this association can do. It can have located 

 in some central point a bulletin board with a 

 semi-daily (|Uotation of the aversige prices cur- 

 rent that day, for the beniflt of those gardeners 

 that are not called to market as often as some 

 others, and are not as familiar with prices. They 

 upon arriving at the market could confer with 

 this bidletin and get somewhere near the market 

 juice for their goods. As it is now, the gardenei-s 

 enumerated above are at the mercy of these 

 same middle men, who have their agents in and 

 about market waiting for just such snaps, at a 

 discount of sometimes twenty-five per cent. All 

 this could be avoided could he confer ivlth some 

 honest authority. 



Chrysanthemum Cultivation by 

 Amateurs. 



iCiintlnucil fnint jjaiic 2(XI.) 

 Training the Large-flowered Section. The 

 dwarfing or oitting down system is practiced 

 rather largely, and for some purposes is useful. 

 I do not advocate cutting down, for the reason 

 that the blooms lack depth and fine finish. When 

 practicable grow them on in the usual way till 

 the beginning of June, and then cut back to 

 within four inches of the pot. After this keep 

 them moderately dry until they begin to break; 

 thin out the shoots, leaving three or four of the 

 strongest, and attend to the plants as usual. 



In dwarf trained specimens the principal points 

 to be aimed at are flue flowers, good foliage, and 

 neat training. Strong plants should be selected 

 early in February; place near the glass in a genial 

 temperature. When about six inches high pinch 

 out the points. Shift into six-inch pots when 

 commencing to break, still keeping them in the 

 same temperature. When becoming established 

 remove to a cold frame. As soon as the shoots 

 are long enough training should be commenced. 

 Fix a wire under the rim of the pot and gently 

 pull down the shoots until they are in the re- 

 (luired position. Admit air on all favorable oc- 

 casions, syringe early in the afternoon, and when 

 more root space is requii-ed ijlaee in eight-inch 

 pots. Attend to the tying down of the shoots as 

 before, hardening off the plants so as to fit them 

 to stand out of-doors early in May. Select a 

 sheltered but light position, and protect from 

 frost. By the second week in June they should 

 be shifted into twelve-inch pots, in which they 

 should remain. Stand them on slates a good dis- 

 tance apart. A wire hoop painted green and 

 placed round them six inches from the pot is the 

 best means of training the shoots. On all fine 

 days syringe in the morning and again in the 

 evening. Stopping the shoots should be discon- 

 tinued by the first week in July or poor flowers 

 will be the result. Willow sticks jiainted green 

 should be used, as they are light and of neat 

 appearance. Weak liciuid manure occasionally 

 applied will greatly assist them. 



Training the Pompon Section. In the produc- 

 tion of fine flowers these arc best struck in Feb- 

 ruary, and stopped once or twice during the 

 spring. Disbudding must not be practiced t« 

 such a great extent as in the case of large-flower- 

 ing soi-ts. but a modei-ate thinning out of the 

 buds will always repay. With reference to liquid 

 manure I have found none to suit Chrysanthe- 

 mums so well as the following preparation: In 

 a large tub place one bushel of soot tied securely 

 in a thin bag, one barrowtul each of thin cow 

 and horse manure: fill with soft water, stir the 

 whole well up before using, strain through a 

 half-inch sieve, dilute \mtil the liquid is of the 

 color of weak tea. Recharge when the manure 

 has become exhausted of its goodness: occasion- 

 ally give them for a change weak guano water, 

 or liciuid manure powder. The g\iano and liquid 

 must be apidied with great care, because of their 

 gi'eat strength. 



Taking in. By the first week in October all 

 the plants should be safely housed. When first 

 taken indoors allow them as much room and air 

 as possible; as they become used to the change 

 they may be stood as close together as the pots 

 will allow. Water when required, but always do 

 the watering in the morning. A little fire heat 

 in damp, cold weather will greatly help to im- 

 prove the quality of the flowers, particularly the 

 Japanese, and with a little top ventilation will 

 act as a preventive of dauiping the petals, which 

 often plays sad havoc with large, massive flowers 

 especially where several to\ich each other. 



Diseases and Enemies. These are numerous 

 m some seiisons. I have always noticed there 

 are more blind and deformed buds after a long 

 spell of hot dry weather than in ordinary seasons. 

 Mildew is sure to make its appearance, more so 

 on some varieties than on others. As a preven- 

 tive, dust occasionally with flowers of sulphur. 

 When in a young state the common green aphis 

 is often very troublesome, by attacking the 

 points 1 if the shoots Strong tobacco water is the 

 safest and best remedy, dipping the plants 

 thoroughly. Syringe two hours after with soft, 

 warm water. Earwigs are also troublesome pests 

 from the time the buds are forming luitil the 

 flowers expand, frequently doing great damage 

 to the petals as they unfold. These must be 

 watched for night and morning. Bean stalks cut 

 in lengths of about six inches make capital traps, 

 placed among the plants. The pests can be 

 readily blown into a pail of hot water in the 

 morning, for they are easily dislodged. I have 

 seen as many as a dozen earwigs blown from one 

 stalk. Another insect, commonly known as the 

 •' jumper," does much mischief to the points and 

 buds. I know of no remedy for this except kill- 

 ing with the thiunb and finger. But the most 

 destructive of all the insect pests that I have met 

 with is an insect which in its young state resem- 

 bles the black aphis, but becomes of a light green 

 color later on. At the later stage it travels i-oimd 

 the shoots very rapidly when disturbed, and when 

 fully developed turns to a soft, brown fly. I 

 know of no remedy for this except catching and 

 killing it. It is a good practice to dust the plants 

 occasionally with tobacco powder, also keep a 

 few leaves on the surface of the soil. 



Cranberry Culture on Cape Cod. 



[Extract from a paper read by O. S, Butter, of 

 Oeorgctown, before the Essex Agricultural Society.] 



The cultivation of the Cranberry on Cape 

 Cotl commenced nearly fifty years ago, in 

 the town of Harwich, by Hiram Hall. The 

 sale of tlie Cranberries has brought more 

 money on the Cape during the last forty 

 years than all other home industries com- 

 bined. The information communicated 

 herewith was derived from visits which re- 

 .sulted in examining 310 separate hogs, 

 ranging in extent from one-third of an acre 

 to 1.50 acres. 



Many cautious farmers think the business of 

 Cranberry raising may be overdone. In many 

 countries of the world the Cranberry is entirely 

 unknown. Ten years ago the Cranberry was not 

 known to any extent in the great city of London. 

 We are assured by the best medical authority 

 that the Cranberry contains the best vegetable 

 acid known to science; and as soon as some en- 

 terprising American shall start the business of 

 canning the Cranberiy in its natural state, a 

 market will be opened up for this fruit in all the 

 armies and navies of the world, while all the 

 hospitals and asylums will adopt its use. 



Soil. The land best adapted to the culture of 

 the ( 'ranberry is not the sandy shores of bays and 

 gulfs and seas. All experiments in growing the 

 Cranberry among the sands of the seashore have 

 been without success. Neither have there been 

 any successful experiments upon high lands 

 where they had moist and springy surfaces. 

 Many persons have supposed that the reason why 

 the Cape Cranberries were so beautiful in form 

 and color was because they were grown on the 

 seashore among the salt sea sand. This theory is 

 entirely erroneous. 



The best lands adapted to the cultivation of 

 the Cranberry are the low swamp lands. Most 

 of the Cranberry bogs of Cape Cod are made on 

 the bottoms of the old Cedar swamps, where they 

 can be easily flowed with water at all seasons. 

 The methods of flowage are various. 



Flowage. The advantages of flowing the bogs 

 with water are many, the first of which is the 

 protection given to the young berries from the 

 late spring frosts, and to the mature berries from 

 the early frosts in the fall. A very shallow sur- 

 face of water will protect the berries entirely 

 from the frost, and not infrequently the 

 flowage of one or two nights will save the en- 

 tire crop. The natural flowage is the cheapest 

 and best if the bog is so situated that the water 

 may be under perfect control. Very many of 

 the smaller bogs (m the Cape are flowed from a 

 reservoir constructed in the ground above the 

 level of the bog. These reservoirs are fille<l with 

 water from wells dug for the purpose, the water 

 being often lifted by windmills. 



Another advantage of flowing is the protection 

 given the Ixjrries from the ravages of noxious 

 insects. The principal one of these pests and the 

 most destructive is the miUer or fly that deposits 

 her eggs in the full grown berry b.^- penetrating 

 its surface, and leaving the eggs to germinate a 

 small worm, that in a few days' time consumes 

 the center of the fruit. The only remedy for 

 this fly is found in flowing the bogs for one or 

 two days when the miller first appears. 



Varieties. There are two of these extensively 

 grown on the Cape. The Bell berry is the best 

 formed, the richest in color, and the finest in 

 flavor, but it requires great care in its cultiva- 

 tion, and is not so prolific a bearer as some others. 

 The early black lierry is an excellent variety, 

 and although it does not grow so large as the 

 beU berry, and is not so well formed, yet it is a 

 sure grower and a prolific cropper, and is here 

 cultivated more largely than any other variety. 

 Preparing the Bogs. The methods of prepar- 

 ing the lands are of great importance. The 

 swamps and bogs arc cleared of all ti-ees and 

 stumps, so that the surface can be made as level 

 and smooth as a floor. This is usually done in 

 the winter, when the swamjis are partially frozen 

 and when labor is at the cheapest. This surface 

 is next covered over with sand to the depth of 

 twelve or eighteen inches, and where convenient 

 the shore sand is preferable. Coarse sand is bet- 

 ter than fine. Good coarse sand is often found 

 in the hills near the bogs. 



The cost of preparing these bogs varies in dif- 

 ferent localities, and varies according to the 

 price of labor. On Cape Cod the cost of prepar- 

 ing their bogs is about $200 an acre, which price 

 Includes the clearing of swamps, the covering 

 with sand, and the setting of the plants. There 

 are bogs costing $X)0 an acre where the sand is 

 brought from a distance. 



Planting. When the bog is fully prepared, 

 then the surface is marked off in rows from 

 twelve to eighteen inches apart. The plants are 

 then set in their places by the use of a sharp- 

 pointed stick, which is used to make the hole in 

 the ground. 



The plants are prepared tor setting by passing 

 through an old-stj'le hay cutter, with a knife 

 moving up and down cutting the plants into the 

 desired length, say four to six inches long. After 

 the plants are set, which is usually done in the 

 spring of the year, they need to be thoroughly 

 cultivated and kept clear of weeds and grass 

 until the vines entirely cover the ground, which 

 ordinarilly takes from two to thi-ee yeai-s. 



After that there is little to do but gather the 

 crop, unless the owner wishes to increase his crop 

 or raise his bog to the highest standard of pro- 

 ductiveness. If so, he will need to cover the 

 vines with sand about one inch deep as often as 

 once in every five or six yeai-s. This gives new 

 life to the plants and incresises their productive- 

 ness. There are bogs which have not been dressed 

 or cultivated for upwards of twenty-five years 

 which gave abundant crops, but these bogs have 

 layers of muck underneath, very deep and rich. 



