I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



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proved to be rather better than the preceding, 

 especially in point of solidity ; still we are told 

 that the originator finds it less productive. We 

 shall give It another trial on a larger scale. 



Earliest Advance turned out to be even earlier 

 than King of the Earlies this season, and would 

 be a good sort for early market, but for the 

 small size of the fruit. The latter is almost per- 

 fectly round, fairly good quality, good color, 

 and ripens up well. Unless im- 

 proved in size, it will hardly 

 amount to much, still we propose 

 to give it an extensive trial, under 

 high culture, and by thinning. 



Early Huhy a novelty of 1890, 

 has pleased us greatly. It is a 

 handsome, good-sized, good-color- 

 ed frnit, and very early. The 

 plant is also decidedly productive. 

 We are not quite sure whether it 

 is fully as early as King of the 

 Earlies or not ; but if further tests 

 decide this in the affirmative, we 

 will have no more use for the 

 King of the Earlies, and shall 

 hereafter rely on Early Ruby for 

 earliest fruit. 



The varieties named are just the 

 ones which interest the market 

 gardener, as the larger, later 

 ones interest the grower for the 

 canning establishments. We pro- 

 pose to test these earliest sorts 

 next season on a scale large 

 enough so we can tell which of all 

 these is the most profitable to 

 gi-ow. Of course, the plants should 

 be started as early possible, say 

 sometime in February, grown 

 with moderate heat, and given 

 sufficient space for steady, moder- 

 ate development, and hardy, 

 stocky growth. Then the.v must 

 be set as early as the season will 

 admit, even if weather should be 

 somewhat raw, the ground to be 

 well enriched, and the plants 

 given sufficient space. Moderate 

 thinning of the fruit will also be 

 advisable. Several days more 

 will be gained in earliness, and 

 with imperceptible effect on the 

 quality, by picking the specimens 

 just as they show the very first 

 tinge of color, and ripening them 

 fully under glass Tbey are simply 

 spread out in single layers on a 

 layer of straw in the frames, and 

 the latter kept covered with sash, 

 shading slightly duriug the noon 

 hours of clear and very hot days. 



Perennial Sunflowers at 

 WOODBANKS. From August to 

 November the hardy perennial 

 Sunflowers on our grounds are 

 highly appreciated. Their bright- 

 yellow unobtrusive flowers impart 

 an air of cheerfulness to the place, 

 which could not at all be spared. 

 We pity those who dismiss this 

 class as undeserving of their re- 

 gard, because they are "yaller." 

 The fact is this color is not suffici- 

 ently esteemed in the garden. A 

 friend of the writer, one of the 

 best color artists in the country, 

 and head of a large art printing 

 establishment, places yellow as 

 the most important of colors in 

 fine color printing. He uses it 

 freely but with flne discrimina- 

 tion and this is how it should be 

 employed in the garden. 



The Double Perennial Sunflower 

 (Belianthus multiflortis plenus) is one of our best 

 border plants, growing about five feet high. It 

 begins to flower in mid-summer and keeps in 

 bloom until October. This variety succeeds best 

 when divided and replanted every two years. 



The parent of the foregoing is the Large Single 

 Sunflower IB. multiflortts), a great autumn 

 bloomer, the flowers of which are four to five 

 inches across. The plants reach a height of 

 seven feet. This variety should be in every 

 garden as it is a most useful back ground plant. 

 H. Orgyalis is the most graceful plant of the 

 class. It reaches a height of six to eight feet its 

 stems being furnished with gracefully drooping 

 narrow foliage. For growing among groups of 

 flne-leaved hardy plants, in the sub-tropical 



garden or pleasure ground, margins of shrub- 

 berry etc. it is unequalled for flne effect. The 

 flowers appear from August to October. 



The Narrow-leaved Sunflower IH. anqmstifo- 

 Utis) produces bright-yellow flowers two to three 

 inches across, with dark purple centers, from 

 August to October. 



Perhaps the most remarkable of all the species 

 is Maximlllian's Sun Flower (H. Maximilliani,) 



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ON ARRANGING A DEEP TOWN LOT COMPRISING THREE FOURTHS OF AN ACRE. 



The left-hand plan is the one sent by our subscriber, A indicating walk 

 entrance; B, drive entrance; C, flower bed; D, old vines; old fruit trees 

 scattered aliout. The other plat the same with improvements of our sug- 

 gestion. 1, front walk ; 2, front drive ; 3, front steps to house ; 4 4 4, groups 

 of ornamental deciduous trees ; -5 5, groups of evergreen trees ; 6 6 0. large 

 mas.ses of hardy shrubs ; 7, mass of hardy perennials and shrubs ; 8 8, 

 clumps of Roses; 9 9 9 9 51, beds of summer flowers; 10, garden seat; 11, 

 vegetable garden surrounded by hedge ; 12, fruit garden to rear of lawn ; 

 1.3, turning plat. See opposite page. 



the striking quality of which is that it blooms 

 so late. At the date of this writing November 

 14th, our iilants show a good deal of the deep 

 golden-color yet. Some of the flowers are per- 

 fect while such as were in an expanded state, 

 during the late freezes have had the ends of 

 these parts browned. Its regular season is 

 October and November. It grows from seven to 

 ten feet high and its strong stems, clothed with 

 narrow, crinkled, curving leaves nearly a foot 

 long, are- terminated for three feet, with deep- 

 golden flowers set closely to the stem. This 

 species is a native of the Southern United States 

 west of the Slississippi and has the reputation 

 of not being hardy in the north, We have 

 grown it for years and never have lost a plant 



from winter-killing even when left uncovered. 

 Fruit Trees for Ornament. We were again 

 reminded by the fruiting of a flne Hyslop Crab 

 on our lawn of the desirability of some fruit 

 trees for ornamental effect. This Crab tree is 

 always handsome because of its beautiful form 

 but it is extremely so, both in the blooming 

 season and for a month in autumn when loaded 

 with its pretty little deep-crimson Apples. The 

 yellow, vermilion, and other 

 colored Crabs are equally desir- 

 able for ornament, and a clump 

 of them would be in place on any 

 extended lawn. 



The Quince is another tree very 

 ornamental both in bloom and in 

 fruit. The flowers are much 

 larger than those of the Apple, of 

 a pleasing rosy tint and appear 

 after other fruit blossoms are past 

 The golden-yellow fruit of the 

 Oriinge and other Quinces pre- 

 sent a beautiful sight in the 

 autumn. One advantage of the 

 Quince as well as the Crab trees 

 for the lawn is that they are of 

 moderate size. 



The Duke and Morello Cherries, 

 including our common Sour 

 Cherry, are among our hand- 

 somest flowering trees, but are not 

 conspicuously ornamental in 

 other respects. 



The Thorns can scarcely be 

 classed among edible fruits, but 

 they occupy a leading position 

 among small trees, that are beau- 

 tiful in flower, in fruit, and by 

 reason of their delightful habits 

 and foliage. 



Potash for Fruit, The luxuri- 

 ant and healthy wood growth as 

 seen in our Grapevines and Peach 

 trees seems to be evidence enough 

 that our clay loam is not lacking 

 in the mineral elements of plant- 

 food, especially potash, and might 

 induce us in reliance on the sup- 

 plies yet in the soil, to let at least 

 the fruit trees shift for themselves, 

 for a while. So much, however, 

 do we think of potash as a fruit 

 tree manure, particularly for 

 Peaches, that we have just given 

 every other Peach tree in the lot 

 a dressing of one quart of muriate 

 of potash, scattered around the 

 stem in a radius of about three feet 

 or more. Part of these trees will 

 be given a dressing of several 

 pounds of dissolved bone black in 

 early spring. We have often seen 

 such excellent effects from the tree 

 use of potash salts on Peach trees, 

 even on apparently nch soils, in 

 promoting a healthy growth of 

 leaf and wood, and in warding off, 

 or mitigating the attacks of 

 fungous diseases, yellows, etc., 

 that we anticipate good results 

 from the muriate also in this case. 

 These trials will be repeated year 

 after year. Part of our Pear and 

 Plum trees will receive similar 

 dressings. 



A Decisive Test. The Wilson 

 Strawberry, as we have told our 

 readers before, is yet a favorite 

 variety with the lai-ge majority 

 of growers in this vicinity, and 

 we can not dispute the good 

 record it has made here as a 

 profitable market sort. We feel 

 certain, however, that we now 

 have varieties which will bring the grower a 

 better remuneration for the same care and labor 

 devoted to the crop. At present we are making 

 preparations for a somewhat extensive test, 

 which we hope, wUl result in pretty nearly 

 settling this question for good so far as this 

 vicinity is concerned. We propose to plant an 

 acre of ground, one quarter with Wilson, 

 another quarter with Haverland, third with 

 Long John, and the fourth with various sorts— 

 not less than twenty-flve plants each— which 

 may be sent us for this competitive trial. None 

 but those promising to be heavy yielders of fair 

 market fruit will be planted on this lot. Of 

 course the cultivation will be decidedly " high " 

 and thorough. 



