1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



53 



Celestial Pepper. The Celestial Pepper has 

 done wonderfully well this dry suairaer where 

 several other varieties failed, the plant was per- 

 fectly loaded with the beautiful Peppers. I 

 think this sort ought to be grown if for nothing 

 'else than for a decorative plant. It ought to be 

 called " Multicolor " for such it is. On my plants 

 there aie Peppers that are respectively green, 

 white, various shades of cream, lemon, orange, 

 purple, deep scarlet, and intermediate shades, 

 all at one time. I will take up some to help 

 beautify my greenhouse. It transplants very 

 easy is of a bushy compact nature and altogether 

 a desirable and first class variety.— G. B. Dianer 

 Hancock Co., Til. 



'Hams after Bloom, what to do with Chrys- 

 anthemums after bloom is a yearly iiuestion 

 with a multitude of growers. If the idea is to 

 make slips in spring for new stock then 

 let the plants get moderately dry after 

 bloom, cut them down and set them 

 in a light cool place where they can be 

 given plenty of air. A dry cold-pit, or 

 a south window in a hallwa.v or other 

 room off from heating apparatus will 

 suit them. A few weeks later as growth 

 starts up, water them moderately and 

 it will not be a very long time before 

 line slips should be ready for rooting. 

 After these are well underway the old 

 plants may be cast out, or may be kept 

 for planting in the border in the spring. 

 —Mix E. E. M. Wayne Co., N. Y. 



Kitrate of Soda for manure, and the 

 best mode of its employment, is the 

 title of a 90 page treatise in paper covers, 

 written and published by Mr. Joseph 

 Harris, of Mooreton Farm, N. Y. Mr 

 Harris was the first to point out, with 

 energy and persistence, to the .-Vmencan 

 people the great opportunities hidden 

 in nitrate of soda. His treatise on the 

 subject comes timely, as it gives a re- 

 view of the whole question, with full 

 information concerning the effects to 

 be expected from the application 

 of this substance, when and how to 

 apply it, etc. Its use has to be 

 learned, for it is not a complete manure, supply- 

 ing only a single element of plant food. If right- 

 ly used, we find its effects wonderful; if injudic- 

 iously or indiscriminately used, it may not give 

 any noticeable results. 



Botany in the School. Miss M. E. L. Berrien 

 Co., Mich., in renewing her subscription says, "I 

 want to pass along an idea to others of the 

 family which seldom has been touched upon. 

 For the past three years our public school 

 teacher, an ardent lover of nature, has taken it 

 upon herself to give instruction in botany. This 

 has mostly been done outside of school hours, 

 with the result that you meet bright-eyed 

 boys and girls in all directions looking out for 

 interesting subjects on this point Botany has 

 this advantage over other natural sciences— its 

 subjects are to be met everywhere. It is a de- 

 lightful occupation to introduce the young mind 

 to the delights of nature and I wish many other 

 teachers, and parents as well, would follow this 

 example." 



Asparagus as an Ornament. Among orna- 

 mental plants, I move Asparagus be given a 

 place. I refer to its use as an appurtenance to 

 the lawn. A few stools of it kept shapely and 

 within bounds by proper pruning, will furnish a 

 pretty green all summer, and in the autumn 

 glow with bright red berries, with here and there 

 a sprig of yellow among the green, altogether 

 with its fine thread-like foliage making an at- 

 traction, worthy a place among ornamentals. 

 Like everything else it needs care and a fertile 

 soil to make it shapely, and we must not judge it 

 by the scraggy specimens of the kitchen garden. 

 When Asparagus becomes known as it ought in 

 this particular, I venture to say that its popu- 

 larity as a plant, will double from what it is at 

 present albeit it is used to some extent for or- 

 nament now.— ^. C. Reed,(Jumhrrlaud Cn.,Maine. 



A Family Chat. One reason for this Journal's 

 popularity is that its subscribers are so largely 

 its own contributors. Thus in its various de- 

 partments it prints facts fresh from the pens of 

 cultivators. Many of the best thing that have 

 appeared in these columns reached us on postal 

 cards, the writers of which really could have 

 formed no adequate idea of how greatly the little 

 hurried notes were appreciated by our fifty 

 thousand readers and ourselves. We hope this 

 course will not only be kept up, but will greatly 



increase. We want to hear from thousands of 

 our reader who never yet have sent us a contri- 

 bution. In these long evenings it is a good time 

 to recall some improvement you have adopted 

 during the past season in your gardening, and to 

 write about it for our columns. Remember this : 

 we care not a fig for fine writing, plain, common 

 statements are good enough for us. There is 

 not a reader of our vast number that could not 

 write acceptably for these columns. Our editors 

 are here to help any one who might desire 

 to have their notes improved. Let those now 

 write who never wrote before, and those who 

 alway write, now write the more. 



Alphonse Karr the famous French author who 

 recently died in his 83d year, was like so many 

 authors and statesmen, a successful amateur 

 gardener who had a great passion tor plants. 



Fifl. 2. A Convenient Cold Oreenhnuse. See page 



flowers and natural objects. In one of his books 

 the " Voyage " he laments in somewhat envious 

 tones the good fortune of one of his friends, who 

 was about starting for a lengthened trip in 

 foreign lands, with a view of studying their 

 features, their people, their products, their 

 mode of government, and the like. Scarcely 

 however, does the author set foot in his own 

 garden than his despondency and envy vanish. 

 His garden to him a kingdom is, and he goes on 

 in gossiping mood to describe its inhabitants and 

 their manners and customs, and finally makes 

 out a very good case for himself as against his 

 travel-seeking friend. In the most pleasant and 

 agreeable of strains, he discourses about plants, 

 and insects, and shows how one need not set foot 

 beyond the limits of one's own domain to realise 

 as much pleasure as can be obtained from 

 foreign travel. The good-natured fun directed 

 against the savans and their pedantic termin- 

 ology, and against the florists with their trade 

 views of what constitutes beauty, must be read 

 to be appreciated. No extract would suffice to 

 conve.v an idea of their good-humoured banter^ 

 To the Garden for Skin Beaatifiers. Now 

 comes an European authority with the news, 

 that besides our food wants our skin beautifiers 

 also can be drawn from the garden. Lotions and 

 cosmetics, powders and arsenic, all of questiona- 

 ble worth, if not utterly harmful for restoring 

 beauty, may be laid aside for a simple, wholesome 

 garden vegetable, the eating of which causes 

 freshness and youthful bloom, even to a sallow 

 complexion. This has been proven. In certain 

 districts of Italy, where the vegetable referred 

 to is cultivated on a large scale tor home use 

 and exportation, the peasants who eat much of 

 the root have wonderful complexions— creamy, 

 soft and clear— and eyes of a particular bright- 

 ness. They, in the above, resemble greatly the 

 arsenic-eaters of Hungary. Both arsenic and 

 this easily grown product are fattening and pur- 

 ifying, and the latter certainly possesses this 

 advantage — it can be left off and recommenced 

 at will, without being followed by hurtful con- 

 sequences. Arsenic has to be continued when 

 once begun, or great suffering ensues. In many 

 parts of Liguria, Lavagna, as also at Massa, you 

 come across acres and acres of the potent plant, 

 and when at the different railway stations you 

 see wagon after wagon literally laden with the 

 odorous root, you open your eyes with amaze- 



ment. But we have not yet divulged the name 

 of this wonderful plant. It is Allium sativum, 

 or the common Garlic. 



Abont Carnations. My Carnation, Silver Spray, 

 is very beautiful in the garden, the flowers are 

 such a perfect white and of good shape and fra- 

 grant. I think it a desirable variety, it is a free 

 grower, (iambetta is a variegated affair, pink 

 and red grows easy so far, and is real pretty, 

 will be a favorite for many. Buttercup very 

 pretty, beautiful yellow with red stripes not 

 very vigorous but worth trying to have. Miss 

 Jolifle, the finest to my notion of all the colored, 

 or I might say the most wonderful of all the 

 colored. It is just splendid for cut flower work. 

 Color a very delicate pink, free bloomer and 

 healthy, grows easy. Portia, bright red, very 

 fine. La Purite, a splendid shade of red, fine 

 form, one worth having in every 

 collection. Sunrise, I don't think 

 much of this, too poor a grow- 

 er to suit me. Sea Wall, a grand 

 dark variety with large blossoms, good 

 grower with fine habit. De Graw, 

 pure white, the foliage is not robust but 

 healthy, of free blooming quality very 

 desirable. W. W. Cob fine red, a pretty 

 flower. Carnations like a cool atmos- 

 phere, and good light, and moist at the 

 roots but not continually wet or poor- 

 ly drained. To have compact plants 

 and flowers in winter, you must bed 

 them out in spring and keep pinched 

 back all summer and in the fall on or 

 before a cloudy misty day or wet day 

 take them up and pot well and bring 

 gradually to light, then your attemps 

 should be crowned with success.— G. 

 B. DlemerBancock Co., Hi. 



Some December Thoughts. One of 

 the editors of PoptriiAB Gardening 

 who has always taken much interest in 

 seeing that the questions of readers 

 are intelligently answered, feels he has 

 a few questions he would like to put 

 in this column. 1st.— Why should not 

 the home plat of every reader of 

 PoptTLAB Gardening, and of a hun- 

 dred thousand homes besides, be embellished 

 with from one to many clumps or single speci- 

 mens as size will admit, of hardy evergreen trees 

 or shrubs? Young, vigorous evergreens are now 

 very cheap at the nurseries, and easily procured 

 and planted; they grow rapidly, and very soon 

 add extreme beauty and comfort to the grounds, 

 especially in winter. 2d.— Why should not the 

 homes above named, without exception, have 

 one or more clumps of hardy shrubs or flowering 

 plants, embracing such an assortment of easily- 

 grown kinds as will in bloom, fine foliage and 

 ornamental berries, aflord a succession of flowers 

 and beauty for every day through eight months 

 in the year? 3d.— Why should not the same 

 homes all have from six to fifty Grape vines of 

 good hardy varieties, the product of which is to 

 be for family use only? A row of vines takes 

 but little space, in fact can be accomodated 

 against a building or fence if necessary, and 

 with a fair assortment of the best varieties, and 

 these given a little attention, there will be an 

 abundance of fresh fruit for use from August 

 until mid-winter, besides the supplies that may 

 be preserved. 4th.— Is there any good reason 

 why the average home should not be provided 

 with a better vegetable garden than heretofore? 

 We refer to a garden in which there is an 

 abundance of the choicest vegetables, such as 

 Asparagus, Borecale, Broccoli, Spinach, Cauli- 

 flower, Celery, Lima Beans, Melons, Mushrooms, 

 Winter Squashes, Pot Herbs, Improved Peas, etc. 

 5th.— The same of an abundance of Strawberries, 

 Currants, Raspberries and other easily grown 

 small fruits. 6th.— Why should not hundreds of 

 thousands of American families have the aid of 

 a practical illustrated journal like Popular 

 Gardening, the mission of which is to assist the 

 people to procure and manage all of the above, 

 besides many other garden products it would be 

 impossible here to enumerate, and especially 

 when such a journal costs but one dollar a year, 

 postpaid. 7th.— Why should not every lover of 

 improved gardening, who now is a reader of this 

 journal, do some missionary work by introducing 

 it to their friends and urging them to become 

 subscribers? If each present reader was to for- 

 ward to us one additional new subscriber along 

 with his or her own, it would enable us to make 

 Popular Gardening even a better paper than 

 it now is. 8th,— Will you, kind reader, do your 

 part in this work. 



