1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



19 



3.027. Everbearing Tree Blackberry. Our 

 friend will do well to take the ileseriptions of 

 novelties as found in some nurserymen's cata- 

 logues cum gjano salts. Some allowance must 

 be made for the general desire of salesmen to 

 show their goods in the best possible light, and 

 perhaps for their prejudice in favor of their own 

 favorites. Itlackberrles as well as Currants, 

 (iooseberries, Koses, etc., can be grown in tree 

 form, and one variety is about as good for that 

 purpose as any other. There is no Ulackberry 

 that we know of, which would assume the tree 

 form without being forced to do so by rigid 

 pruning. Neither is there an everbearing Black- 

 berry, strictly speaking, although some varieties 

 frequently bear a second crop, and continue in 

 bearing, we might say. from August until snow 

 flies. Of course thislate fruit is always scatter- 

 ing, and not of much account, practically. The 

 inquirer asks about some other novelties, but 

 we can only reply in a general way. From the 

 tone of his letter we infer that he has freiiuently 

 been disappointed in the novelties which he has 

 tried on the strength of extravagant descriptions. 

 " People ought not to advertise anything that is 

 not worth buying," he says. We only have to 

 say that the wording of those descriptions itself 

 is usually a sure indication of what we may ex- 

 pect. The extravagant and often absurd claims 

 alone suggest the need of being suspicious and 

 cautious. 



2.028. Bnckwheat Straw as Unlch for Straw- 

 berries. VTe see no reason why this should not 

 be excellent. It is usually free from weed seeds 

 and superior on that account alone. 



2,02.5. Orape Vine Tomato Gall. The leaves 

 and stems forwarded to this office are affected 

 with the Grape Vine Tomato Gall. Dr. Lintner 

 in bis fourth report of the " Injurious and other 

 Insects of the State of New York " describes it 

 as a most variable gall, being found of all sorts 

 of fantastic shapes, from the single, round, 

 Granl)eiry-like swelling on a tendril, to the 

 large collection of irregular bulbous swellings 

 on the stem or leaf-stalk; sometimes looking 

 not unlike a bunch of Currants or a bunch of 

 Grapes, but more often like a collection of di- 

 minutive Tomatoes. This irregular, succulent 

 swelling, which becomes red on stouter and 

 riper portions, extends not only along the stem 

 and leaf-stalks, but also invades the leaf-ribs. 

 It contains small round hollows with an Orange- 

 yellow larva in each. The fly, a native insect in- 

 festing our wild vines, is only about one twenty- 

 fifth of an inch in length, of a pale reddish color 

 and blackish head, and known scientifically as 

 liisiopteris vitis. The larva> are less than an 

 eighth of an inch in length, of an ( irange yellow 

 color, and apparently remain in the galls but a 

 few days; life history in this respect is not fully 

 known. The only thing that can be done in the 

 way of preventing the trouble, is to remove the 

 infested leaves or portions of stems as soon as 

 galls are seen on them, and to burn them. But 

 as the insect is native, and can always have the 

 wild vines to breed on, however closely it may 

 be stamped from our vineyards, we shall prob- 

 ably never be entirely free from it : on the other 

 hand, as it never has aT)peared in much force, it 

 is not probable that it will, but it is not best to 

 encourage its increase by neglect. It has been 

 reported from various parts of the northern 

 states, and is, without doubt, wide spread. 



■2,(m. Grapevines Bemaining Barren. The 

 cause is probably lack of proper fertilization. 

 The occurrence related by enquirer is not an un- 

 common one. Tliere are some seedlings and 

 wild vines, says (Jeo. W. Campbell of Ohio in 

 reply to a similar inquiry, which have only 

 staminatc or male blossoms, that bloom abun- 

 dantly, but bear no fruit. Others, and some of 

 them are among the cultivated varieties, have 

 what are called " imperfect blossoms," with 

 short filaments and reflexed stamens. These 

 under favorable circumstances, with pleasant 

 weather at the time of blooming, will often bear 

 rea.sonably well, with fairly good clusters. But 

 if the weather is unfavoi'able, cloudy, cold, and 

 rainy at this st?ason, the fertilization is imperfect 

 and "the clusters arc loose and imperfect, and 

 sometimes complete failure results. Another 

 cause of barrencss may be neglect. A vine left 

 to run wild, without proper training and prun- 

 ing, growing in a tangled mass of small, weak 

 shoots, will be very tardy in coming into bear- 

 ing, and will sometimes bear nothing even when 

 of mature age, and a fertile and perfect variety. 



2,037. Draining in Quicksand. The object 

 may be accomplished by using pipe tile, and in- 

 serting the two joining ends into a collar, or 

 into another shorter pipe-tile, which they will 

 nearly fit. If the quicksand has a tendency to 

 become too liiiuiil, says County Gentleman, the 

 lit should be more close than in stiffer sand. If 

 this tendency is slight, caps made from the 

 broken portions of the large pipes may answer, 

 or even small flat stones. Where the (luicksand 

 is unusually soft it may be necessary to prevent 

 the pipe-tile from settling or sinking in it, by 

 first laying in the bottom of the ditch a narrow 

 strip of hard wood board or plank on which to 

 place the tile for its support. 



2,034. Wintering Sweet Potatoes. Several 

 methods were described in earlier issues. The 

 following is practiced by a grower in Kentucky. 

 The Potatoes are dug before frost, left exposed 

 to the sun a day, and put in a cool place, spread 

 thin, so as not to heat or sweat. When cold 

 weather comes they are moved to the cellar. 

 The bottom of box is covered with about three 

 inches of dust ; on this a layer of Potatoes is 

 placed close together, but not so as to touch 

 each other; and more dust is put upon them; 

 then another layer of Potatoes, then dust, and 

 so until the box is nearly full. Then fill up with 

 dust. If the dust has enough of pulverized 

 charcoal mixed with it to make it a black color, 

 so much the better. This seems to preserve 

 the Potatoes better. If the Potatoes have been 

 handled carefully, dug before frost, and the 

 dust is thoroughly dry, they will keep through 

 most any winter.— N. B. 



2,03«. Carbonate of Copper. You will very 

 rarely find this drug in store at drug stores. We 

 could not even get a supply in Buffalo, and had 

 to order it from a wholesale house in New York 

 City. When the demand for it becomes general, 

 there is no doubt it will be kept on sale in the 

 ordinary drug stores. Prof. Babcock says that 

 carbonate of copper ought to be found in a dry 

 powder at any wholesale paint store. Commer- 

 cially it is known as " mineral green" and should 

 be asked for under that name. If intended for 

 use with water for spraying it may be prepared 

 by dissolving five pounds of sulphate of copper 

 (blue stone) in two gallons of water and pouring 

 into a tub containin!? six pounds of carbonate 

 of soda (sal soda) dissolved in two gallons of 

 water ; this wiU make a thick green mud or 

 paste which may be mixed with more water to 

 a proper consistency for spraying, or if the car- 

 bonate of copper is to be used dry, the mixture 

 is allowed to settle and the liquid poured off 

 and thrown away. The sediment is washed by 

 adding more water, settling and pouring off as 

 before. The thick paste of carbonate of copper 

 is then dried in the sun or exposure to the air. 



2,021. Dandelions for Greens, The cultivation 

 of Dandelions is quite simple. Sow seed in early 

 spring in drills one foot apart and thin or trans- 

 plant to eight or ten inches apart in the rows. 

 Cultivate and keep free from weeds, in short 

 manage as you would any other close planted 

 garden vegetable. Leaves may be gathered and 

 used in fall. The plantation will continue to 

 yield salad and gi-eens material during the spring 

 following. European gardeners often blanch it 

 by covering the plants with sand, or placing an 

 inverted flower pot over each plant. This treat- 

 ment improves tenderness and quality. If prop- 

 perly handled there is no danger of its becoming 

 troublesome as a weed. It is easily killed by 

 cutting below the crown, as usually done in 

 getting the crop, or by plowing under. Gardens 

 near the large cities are using Dandelions now 

 largely in place of Spinach for forcing under 

 glass. The plants have to be grown in open air, 

 are planted out in frames at approach of the 

 cold season, eight inches apart, and receive the 

 same general treatment as usually given to 

 Spinach.— G. R. 



2,0U. Planting Bhnbarb. This may be done 

 with equal success in fall or spring, according to 

 the convenience of the grower. 



l.!i!i2. Tuberons-rooted Begonias. How prop- 

 agated ? By cuttings to ]ierpetuate particular 

 varieties; by leaves for the same purpose, but 

 with more difficulty, by seed for general pur- 

 poses. The seeds are exceedingly small but 

 germinate freely, the trouble, however, comes in 

 keeping the seedlings all alive after they do 

 come up. Raise the seedlings in spring so as to 

 have a long season before you to grow them on 

 in, and get big bulbs before winter. The plants 

 bloom from seed the first year. 



1,»»7. £zochotda grandiflora. How Treatedl 

 Like any other deciduous garden shrub, it re- 

 quires no particular cultivation. Plant it early 

 in tall or early in spring in well drained, deeply 

 worked, but not freshly manured soil, and plant 

 firmly and mulch the ground deep in summer 

 with littery stuff of any kind, remembering to 

 keep the mulching away from touching the 

 stem. And try to get a seedling plant rather 

 than one raised from a layer or other means; the 

 seedlings usually are the best and firmest rooted. 

 But bear in mind that the Exochorda isn't very 

 hardy, whether or no it is hardy in your jiart of 

 the country you can only find out by experiment 

 or looking around among your neighbors. 



2,042. Best Strawberry for Canada. K\ery 

 grower should decide questions concerning fruit 

 varieties for himself. The nearest neighbors 

 also can give him safer and more reliable advice 

 than any party at a distance. In the imiuirer's 

 place we would try Bubach, Warfleld, Haver- 

 land, Crescent, Wilson, perhaps Jessie and ^harp- 

 Icss, and not neglect to plant enough plants of 

 the perfect flowering kind, especially Wilsons, 

 to secure the fertilization (fructification) of the 

 pistillates, like Uubach, Warfleld, Haverland 

 and Cresent. Plants can be bought of some 

 near grower, or any reliable advertising nursery- 

 man. 



I.iiWi. Golden Elder Leaves Dying. They 

 always do after mid-summer, no matter whether 

 the weather be hot or cold, wet or dry. There is 

 no complete remedy. But a partial one is to 

 plant in well-drained, somewhat moist land, 

 shaded from the south and west, but especially 

 from the south-west. Warm sunshine immedi- 

 ately succeeding wet, dull or muggy weather 

 most always scalds the leaves, and the warmer 

 the weather the greater the scalding. The vari- 

 egated Box Elder, the Golden-leaved Philadel- 

 phus and several other colored-leaved shrubs 

 suffer in the same way, and for this reason have 

 fallen into much disfavor.— Wm. F. 



2,043. Fitzwater Fear, A basket of this fruit 

 was received at this office in November last. 

 We found it of medium size ; abovate, obtuse 

 pyriform : bright golden yellow on greenish 

 ground with numerous small brownish dots or 

 specks over the the whole surface, and sprinkled 

 with russet ; stem nearly an inch long, calyx 

 open. Quality very good ; flesh juicy, melting, 

 aromatic. On the whole it has the characteris- 

 tics of the Lawrence, so much so. indeed, that 

 we have heard nurserymen assert the two Pears 

 were one and the same. 



2.048. Pond Hnck' for Fertilizer. If rightly 

 handled, this is valuable material, not only on 

 account of the large percentage of nitrogen it 

 contains, but also for its carbon, which is so 

 greatly needed on many of our run-down soils. 

 Of course the nitrogen is not immediately avail- 

 able, but can be made so by composting, and will 

 become so in time anyway. The decaying 

 vegetable matter of which muck mostly consists, 

 is a help to both thin sandy soils, and stiff clay. 

 It makes the one more retentive and the other 

 more porous and open. Whenever you have a 

 chance, dig and throw out the muck where it 

 will be exposed to the air, and dry out. Then 

 use it in the stables, and compost it with stable 

 manure. Put it a foot deep under the animals 

 in the stalls. It is splendid as an absorber of 

 liquid manures. In short by the free use of dry 

 pond muck you can double or treble the size and 

 value of your manure heap. 



2.049. Harvesting Beans. The gathering in 

 Western New York is generally done by means of 

 a machine mounted on wheels like a wheel culti- 

 vator. It is made to straddle two rows, says D. 

 A. Barker in Tribune, has two steel blades per- 

 haps four feet long, that cut off the roots just 

 under the surface, and are set to run the two 

 rows together ready to handle with a light steel 

 Barley-fork. When ground is soft. Beans can be 

 pulled by hand and set, roots up, two rows to- 

 gether. They need to be moved on to fresh 

 ground after every rain that wets much, to keep 

 them from getting stained. Machines to thresh 

 Beans are much like a Wheat separator, but if 

 one raises Beans where there are no Bean ma- 

 chines they can be trod out by horses very well. 

 In cleaning up in a fanning-mill one should have 

 zinc sieves to fit the kind of Beans to clean. 

 The top sieve should let the Beans through and 

 take all dirt and pods over, and the second 

 should let everything smaller than (the Beans 

 through into the chess-bo.x, and let the clean 

 Beans down in front of the mill. 



1,048. Long Standing Sammer Spinach, This 

 has the general apF>earance of the ordinary 

 Round-Leaf, but it holds out a few days longer 

 without going to seed. This for a summer 

 Spinach is a decided advantage. 



2,012. Keeping Onions over Winter. In a 



general way we would n<it ad\'ise people to 

 attempt wintering an itnion crop, for the sake 

 of catching the big spring prices, unless they 

 have considerable experience in the matter. 

 Our inquirer shows by his inquiry that he has 

 not, and if we were in his place, we would sell 

 now and take the prices being offered. But if 

 bound to make the attempt of wintering the 

 whole or part of the crop.hc may safely follow the 

 following directions as given by N. E. Farmer. 

 The essentials tor the preservation of Onions arc 

 dryness, ventilation, coolness and freedom from 

 frost, or if frozen they must not be permitted to 

 thaw out and freeze again. A popular method 

 of keeping Onions is to spread straw to the depth 

 of one foot or eighteen inches, according to 

 climate, upon the bam floor, scaffold or garret ; 

 upon this spread the Onions si.x to ten inches 

 deeji, and cover with two feet t>f straw. If in 

 good cddition and sufficient depth of co\ering 

 is used, thi'v will keep in fine condition till May. 

 A cofti dry cellar of some outbuilding, barn or 

 carriage house will be found excellent for keep- 

 ing Onions, if it has windows tor ventilation. 

 The cellar of a dwelling house is usually too 

 warm. Many farmers practice spreading Onions 

 on scaffolds about six inches deep, with rfiom 

 enough between the boards for the air to circu- 

 late. On approach of cold weather close the 

 doors and windows, and keep the temperature 

 just above the Ireezing jioint. With proper care 

 they can thus be kept without freezing at all, 

 and will come out nice and sound in the spring. 



