I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



69 



is hardly to be wondered at. The wood 

 should be properly thinned, and the tree 

 made to produce healthy leafage by spraying 

 with fungicides in spring. In some case a 

 little root pruning might be tried. 



Plants Packed for Distant Shipment. 



The engraving below shows how the 

 Azalea growers of Belgium and other Euro- 

 pean countries, pack plants for distant 

 ocean-voyage shipments. Our drawing was 

 made from one of the huge baskets just 

 received at a Buffalo florist's place after its 

 journey of near 4000 miles by water and 

 rail. The Azalea plants contained in the 

 package appeared to be in the best possible 

 condition, looking indeed as if they would 

 have carried safely around the globe, had 

 they been watered a few times enroute. 



The end secured by these Belgium ship- 

 pers was a plant case, light, strong, airy, 

 and securely guarded from above. The 

 receptacle for the plants was simply a strong 

 coarse basket about 12 inches high and four 

 feet across. From the eight corners of the 

 basket, the same number of green branches 

 of tough wood about an inch through, 

 arose and were brought together at the 

 center and strongly fastened. A hoop of 

 the same material was passed around in- 

 side the uprights, about a foot above the 

 basket, and to which the uprights were 

 secured. A cover of loosely-woven matting 

 fastened over all further protected the con- 

 tents of the basket, while not being so close 

 but that the air and some light could And 

 admission. 



One could imagine no contrivance better 

 adapted for securing safety in the trans- 

 mission of plants distantly than the present 

 one. It could almost take chances along 

 with ordinary rough freight in the hold of 

 a steamer, a thing not neccessary for it is 

 understood by all carriers, that plants are 

 entitled to special regard in shipment. 



COMMENTS BY READERS. 



A department to which all are invited to send notes 

 of experience and observation concernitig topics that 

 recently ttave been treated on in this journal. Many 

 such contributions monthly are welcome. 



Grapes in Massachusetts p. 47. 1 have expe- 

 rimented with several varieties. Situation one 

 of the best, high, dry, free from early or late 

 frosts. Soil sandy or gravelly loam; plenty of 

 boulders. Fertilizers, ground bone and muriate 

 of potash, in the ratio of three to one. Moore's 

 Early.— A large black Grape, seedling of the 

 Concord; originated in this county, and is per- 

 fectly at home; ripens perfectly from 2.5th of 

 August to September 10th; fair bearer, and sells 



Plants Packed for Distant Shipment. 



weU in market; profitable. Cottage.— Large 

 black, very sweet; bunches loose. When ripe 

 falls from bunch; Sept. 15th. Worden. — Large 

 black, very fine; great bearer, strong grower; 

 ripens Sept. 1.5th to 30th. Fine for market; profit- 

 able. Esther. — Large white, superb in quality, 

 fair grower, good bearer; when fully ripe is 

 somewhat incUned to fall from bunch, which is 

 of good size and appearance. Every garden 

 should have it. Pocklington.— Large golden 

 white, rather late, but when well ripened is very 

 showy with fine bunches; good quality and en- 

 tirely satifactory. Niagara.— Large, white, fine 

 bunches; inclines to dry rot rather later. On the 

 whole, with me, it is unsatisfactory. Hayes.— 



Small, golden white, quality finest, bunch me- 

 dium, fair grower; one of the best white Grapes. 

 Delaware.— Small, red Grape; quality of the best 

 when well ripened. Rather late for this section. 

 Last year did not sweeten. Amber Queen.— Late, 

 worthless. August Giant —Berry large, never 

 ripens; its only merit is its being a strong grower. 

 Oriental.— Great bearer, too late, of little value. 

 Norwood.— Large, black, fine bunches, tender; 

 liable to winter kill; unsatisfactory. Vergennes. 

 —Of little value with me. Beaconsfleld.— Similar, 

 it not identical with Concord, Late, black, strong 

 grower. August Bose.— New; oneof E. W. liuU's 

 seedlings. Berry very large, bunch compact, 

 handsome, appearance fine, early; has never 

 fruited on my grounds. Prentiss.- Vine tender, 

 needs protection. Jefferson.— Vine tender, high 

 flavor, delicious when well ripened, red; not de- 

 sirable for cultivation. Empire State — Winter 

 kills; worthless. Duchess.— White, berry small, 

 bunches large, high flavor, late, not desirable 

 for cultivation here. Brighton.- Red, small 

 berry, large bunch, strong grower and great 

 bearer, high flavor, late, subject to mildew; 

 when well ripened is one of the best. As a rule, 

 vines with foreign blood in them are tender and 

 undesirable in this climate.—^ Mofs. Stihscriher. 



Experience With Small Fruits. Six years 

 ago I began growing Strawberries, Raspberries 

 and Blackberries in a small way. Have since 

 increased my plantation to acres. Will give you 

 my experience with varieties. The Crescent was 

 my first love and I have never fully abandoned 

 it. Have tried it with Sharpless, Captain Jack 

 and May King, and find it at home with any 

 variety. The Jessie was my next hobby, having 

 planted it quite largely. I find it a most delicious 

 berry, but not as prolific as Crescent. The Bu- 

 bach surpassed anything on my place, and sold 

 readily in market at top prices. Having it prop- 

 erly fertilized with Jessie, I shall never fear a dull 

 market. Warfield No. 2.— For beauty, earliness 

 and firmness is the fruit growers' friend. The 

 earliest to ripen and the last to bear, make it 

 very desirable and profitable. Haverland.— We 

 have not fruited only on spring set plants. The 

 berry was beautiful, and expect a fine crop next 

 season. Gandy.— Did not make so much growth 

 as desired, but plants are looking fairly well. 

 Winner and Eureka were planted late, and can- 

 not expect many returns. If I were planting 

 for profit I would plant Bubach, Warfield No. 2, 

 Haverland, Crescent, and fertiUzed with Jessie, 

 and I do not think any one would be disappinted 

 with a full crop of berries every year.— J. IF. 

 Cogdall, Sangamon Co., III. 



The New Tomatoes (page 441. I took first 

 prize on 51 varieties of my own growing at the 

 Wilmington Fair last fall. I have grown all the 

 ones you have illustrated. Michel's Stone I have 

 grown two years, and am well pleased with it. 

 Mansfield's Tree I grew this last summer,but shall 

 discard it as being too rough, and for slicing 

 there is too much wasted, as the depression is so 

 great at the stem. They are very large, and that 

 was all I couldsay for them. Matchless, Ignotum, 

 Brandy wine (the name of the latter I gave to it), 

 are all, with me, first-class ones, and well worthy 

 of a place in any garden. Red Cross was another 

 fine one, and I shall plant again McCuUom's Hy- 

 brid. Paragon I consider the best one Mr. Light- 

 ner ever put out. Prelude, though not large, is 

 worth growing on account of earliness. Dwarf 

 Champion is another good one, and the only tree 

 (as I consider it as such) that is worthy of note, 

 as the others are aU too late, and not as good as 

 many others ripening at that time. The best 

 early one that I have found is Cumberland Red, 

 large, smooth and good bearer. But after all 

 said, what have not the growers to contend with. 

 Soil, etc., for what might do well for you, might 

 not do for me. Another point, I think that 

 private growers do not give their Tomatoes half 

 enough work. The horse harrow never stops in 

 my trial ground from the time the plants are 

 large enough to work, till they are bo large that 

 the foliage is broken by working them once 

 every week, and often more, I have a few seeds 

 of two new sorts that I shall try this coming 

 season. One is a cross between McCuUom's Hy- 

 brid and Ignotum.— Thomas B. Brinton, Dela- 

 ware Co., Pa. 



Pyrethrum Ulioinosum. There need be no 

 fear as to the hardiness of the Pyrethrum Uligin- 

 osum. We have had it under cultivation for the 

 past four winters, and it has come through better 

 in the open than when protected. Seeds of this 

 plant are produced freely and mature perfectly, 

 but they don't germinate half so well when sown 

 under glass as when self-sown around the old 



plant. Had it not been tor the great demand for 

 this Hungarian Daisy, the plant would have 

 rapidly become a weed with us, as it naturalizes 

 readily when the ground is left undisturbed 

 about the old plants. This plant makes a brave 

 show while fair weather lasts, but the first wet 

 day, and Ichabod! its glory hasdepai-ted.— JS.O.O. 



The Amaryllis Halli. Speaking of the 

 Hardy Amaryllis, reminds me of a beautjful 

 plant,a fine cut spike of which was exhibited in 

 the Premier Exhibit of hardy cut flowers at the 

 Florists' Convention. The plant in question is 

 Amaryllis Halli, and is perfectly hardy here in 

 Massachusetts. The flower stem is two feet 

 high, and bears eight to ten beautiful rose- 

 colored flowers of large size and great beauty. 

 We were assured of the perfect hardiness of the 

 above plant, and it certainly was the most unique 

 and perhaps the most l)eautlful hards' flower on 

 exhibition at the convention.— JB. 0. Orpct. 



You Can Have Orchids Too. To "Sister 

 Gracious," page 2, I would say, wherever you 

 can grow out-door Ferns there also you can 

 grow hardy Orchids. Cypripedium spectabile 

 abounds in Michigan, aud it is the lovliest and 

 most managable Cypripedium extant, and it will 

 grow luxuriantly and bloom year after year 

 among your Ferns. Cypripedium pulrescens and 

 C. parviflorum, both yellow-flowered species, 

 also thrive splendidly in the hardy fernery. And 

 to these add Trillium grandiflorum, which also 

 grows in any quantity in the woods in your 

 state, and Anemones, Violets, Starflower, and 

 other beauties from your woods, and you will 

 have a pretty enough and inexpensive garden. 

 But carefully observe not to plant these wild 

 flowers so close in among Chain Cinnamon and 

 other tall Ferns that the Ferns will smother 

 them.— IF. Falconer. 



St. Bridget's Anemone. The note, page 29, 

 on St. Bridget's Anemones, must evidently be a 

 misprint for St. Bridged's. We have also a very 

 fine variety of Helleborus nijer bearing the 

 same varietal name. Of course it is of Irish de- 

 scent.— B. 0. O. 



Common Trees for Autumnal Effects. 

 What a world of color and beauty may be created 

 by simply taking thought, and grouping trees 

 so as to produce striking comparisons and com- 

 binations in the autumn months ! Elms clothed 

 as it were in gold, especially when lighted up with 

 the glow of sunlight, are indeed glorious. The 

 Beech has given to us grand coloring, sometimes 

 the trees presenting literally a blood-red aspect, 

 whilst with others the shading has ranged from 

 crimson to yellow, through many pleasing and 

 beautiful gradations. There Is in our land after 

 all wondrous beauty if only sought for.— X B., 

 Bei'hahii-e Co., Ma.-is. 



The Lawn Plan for Cemeteries. Your cor- 

 respondent is a level-headed man as to lot en- 

 closures; all such are worse than useless. I have 

 had charge of Fairmount Cemetery, at Newark, 

 N. J., for 18 years, aud the sight of lots enclosed 

 with iron railings, copings, hedge fences, etc., 

 has always been to me a great annoyance. Such 

 enclosures serve only to disfigure the grounds. 

 Have been at work for yeai's to overcome this 

 evil, and glad to report that we have made great 

 progress. Some eight years ago the managers of 

 Fairmount Cemetery gave their consent that I 

 might, as an [experiment, lay out a new section, 

 to be conducted strictly on the lawn plan, and 

 that no enclosure of any kind be allowed in 

 lots. The section was laid out in lots. This new 

 departure pleased our people, and the lots met 

 with a ready sale. Inside of two years nearly 

 every lot was sold. The endorsement of the 

 lawn plan was so palpable, that our managers 

 decided that in the future the said plan be ob- 

 served. Since then three new sections have been 

 laid out; one of them is nearly cleaned, another 

 section is nearly all sold. For example: Year 

 1889, we sold 102 lots, of which 99 were sold on 

 the lawn sections, and three were sold on the old 

 sections. This showing leaves no room for argu- 

 ment as to which is the preferable plan.— Cftas. 

 Nichols, Essex Co., N. J. 



Azalea Forcing, page 36. There is no reason 

 why small growers should not put in a few cut- 

 tings. Give plenty of air in fine weather, never 

 allow the soil to become dust dry, and encourage 

 quick growth by syringing twice a day in hot, 

 dry weather. Cuttings should consist of shoots 

 taken off in August. Insert in six-inch pots, one- 

 third full of drainage, and fill up to half an inch 

 of the rim with sandy peat, and finished off level 

 with white sand. The pots are stood in a close 

 frame, shaded from hot sun, and winter under a 

 handlight in a temperature of 55 degrees.— J. K. 



