I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



87 



cut for an Inch below the knot. The wounds 

 will heal readily. For the curculio then is 

 but one safe remedy, that is to tap the trees 

 with the quick stroke of a strong mallet 

 while a large sheet is spread below. A 

 sudden stroke causes the bugs to fall off, 

 when they must be picked up and crushed. 

 Shake twice a day, beginning while the 

 trees are dropping their petals, and continu- 

 ing for three weeks. The work is not severe; 

 I can secure the crop of fifty trees by two 

 hours work a day of one man and a boy. 



The chief point with the Pear tree is to 

 secure slow but sturdy growth. There is 

 but little blight now in the country. But 

 the bark should not be allowed to harbor 

 worms and grubs and the grass should not 

 be allowed to choke the tree. I prefer by 

 all odds meadow grown Pear trees, forked 

 about carefully once a year, and always 

 kept mulched with a liberal supply of coal 

 ashes, or sawdust run through the stable as 

 bedding. The Pear is by no means as com- 

 monly grown as forty years ago. The same 

 is true of the Quince, Cherry and Plum, 

 while berry growing has immensely in- 

 creased we have proportionately fewer of 

 the larger fruits. It is seldom that a good 

 market Is not found for all good winter 

 Apples, for all late autumn Pears, Plums. 

 Quinces, and Cherries are almost Invariably 

 in demand at high prices. 



The idea that as the country grows older, 

 we must give up raising certain fruits is a 

 mistake. But as the country grows older 

 we must fight harder for good crops. 

 Shall we be beaten? 



Hill Culture of Strawberries. 



J. R. PKCK, CALDWELL CO., MO. 



In a recent issue I find the statement, 

 " we do not believe in nor practice hill cul- 

 ture." As I see the thmg differently and 

 have tried both systems I will give you 

 my experience and why I advocate the hill 

 plan. 1 have at present about eighteen 

 thousand hills. For years I have been ex- 

 perimenting to find the best varieties and 

 the mode of culture that will give the 

 largest returns, with the least labor and 

 expense, and have concluded as follows: 



As for market varieties and for hill cul- 

 ture the .Jewell and Bubach are the best. 

 The best mode of hill cultivation I prefer 

 is in rows two foot apart and the plants one- 

 half foot in the rows. This method secures 

 the largest possible berries, the ground of 

 course being very rich. If the ground was 

 in this condition with matted plants, the 

 growth of foliage would be so rank as to 

 shade four-fifths of the berries and thus 

 would not color up well, and would be 

 much softer than if exposed to the sun. 

 Berries not colored well do not sell well. 

 Color attracts the eye, we all know that 

 red Apples like the .Jonathan and Ben 

 Davis sell more readily than less highly 

 colored ones. All large Strawberries are 

 inclined to be soft and when grown in the 

 shade they are much more so, and will not 

 stand shipping to distant markets as well 

 as those grown in hills and exposed to the 

 sun. They therefore do not bring as good 

 prices as the hill-grown berries. 



This last season, I shipped to a city mar- 

 ket in a region where Strawberries are ex- 

 tensively grown. The commission man to 

 whom I shipped wrote me that no such 

 berries had ever been on that market before. 

 One of the city papers gave me a compli- 

 mentary puff, but the best of it all was my 

 berries brought more than double per crate 

 the market price of the other berries. There 

 is always room at the top, and if you grow 

 first-class fruit you are always sure of sale 

 at first-class prices. The demand for fruit 

 of this kind is always good. 



To grow good marketable berries on the 

 matted plan, you must thin your plants and 



keep them weeded; this is about double the 

 work that it is to cultivate the plants in 

 hills. With the latter method one can cul- 

 tivate right up to the plants on each side. 

 This way too four fifths of the berries get 

 the sun and are hardened ajid colored to 

 perfection. My berries grown thus are 

 much larger than I ever got in the matted 

 rows. I have used matted rows two and 

 one-half feet wide, the same space would 

 hold two rows of hills. I think that I never 

 got more than double the amount of fruit 

 from matted rows of this width, that I got 

 from two rows of hills, which would occupy 

 the same ground, oftener less and never as 

 fine berries. In hill culture I have almost 

 no culls or second grade berries, while in 

 the matted rows I always had three grades. 

 Now as hill grown berries bring about 

 double the price of those grown by the 

 matted system, and as sorting takes time 

 and costs money, it costs less to pick and 

 ship one hundred dollars worth of first- 

 class berries grown in hills than It does to 

 pack and sort the same value grown in 

 matted rows because there will be more of 

 the latter. I think hill culture brings the 

 largest returns with the least labor and ex- 

 pense, the most glory, and is not so hard on 

 the land as the other systems. 



The Cause of the Great Fruit Fail- 

 ure of I 890. 



J. N. STE.\RNS. K.\LAMAZOO CO., MICH. 



I have read many comments, scientific 

 and otherwise, on this sub.iect; some at- 

 tributing it to the cold rains at blossoming 

 season, others to a fungus, etc. But the 

 cause was not these and to me it seems 

 very plain. .January and P''ebuary, 1890, 

 were largely spring weather, causing the 

 sap to How, as It only should do in May. 

 Then March followed with zero weather, 

 and the trees had all they could do to live, 

 say nothing of producing a crop of fruit. 



I have observed many points to confirm 

 me in this theory, one of which I will give. 

 In my Pear orchard of 800 trees, the appear- 

 ance of the trees in blossoming, was for a 

 large crop. But noticed on close inspection, 

 that the blossoms looked sickly, the friiitset 

 all right (which it would not do it it was the 

 cold rains), but with the first hot days it 

 went oft' like hail, completely covering the 

 ground with fruit about the size of a small 

 chestnut. 



What little was left on, showed the tree 

 to be too sick to bring it to perfection. 



I have observed where orchards have had 

 good nursing, or In other words good culti- 

 vation, they have largely recovered, but 

 neglected ones have made no growth, and 

 still show feebleness. 



The same thing was apparent in the forest 

 trees. Another point was that the Black- 

 berry, being the last fruit to start in the 

 spring, was least affected, showing to me 

 that the sap not being in as active a condi- 

 tion, it did not receive the same shock as the 

 Raspberry, which was nearly worthless. 



Celery Crowing in Florida. 



FERD. HA>1MER, PUTNAM CO., FLORIDA. 



Skillful management overcomes local and 

 climatic difficulties in the way of growing 

 certain vegetable and other crops. Southern 

 sunshine, for instance, is not any too con- 

 genial to Gooseberries, Blackcap Rasp- 

 berries, to Celery, etc. For good Celery, 

 for instance, we usually have to depend on 

 the north; still by selecting some half-shady 

 situation, or providing a little shade in some 

 way, we can grow this as well as any other 

 crop that would not do so well in full ex- 

 posure to the sun. 



A grower not far from here, tor instance, 

 is quite successful in producing Celery as 

 good as furnished from Kalamazoo. He 



describes his method in the Florida Agri- 

 culturist as follows : 



" I prefer to grow it more brittle and suc- 

 culent than on Pine land. I plant on the 

 level, having two rows 13 inches apart, with 

 a space of two feet between each two rows. 

 When plants get strong, and to be about 

 eight to ten inches high, I work in around 

 them a light dressing of salt and ashes. 

 For blanching, I take two four-inch and 

 two six-inch, boards nail them together, 

 making a long box or pipe about four inches 

 inside. This I then saw Into lengths sixteen 

 inches each. By using a square of heavy 

 paper to wrap it with, the plant is drawn 

 together and the box can be slipped over it, 

 when, and the paper is withdrawn, the top 

 of the box closed tight by stuffing moss 

 around the plant. 



The most difficult part of Celery growing 

 in Florida is getting good stocky plants. 

 My plan is to sow the seed in good rich soil 

 in boxes, keeping well-shaded until plants 

 are up, then gradually withdrawing the 

 shade ; when two inches high transplant 

 into a well-prepared bed in a partially 

 shaded location, water freely with water in 

 which saltpeter has been dissolved at the 

 rate of one and one-half ounces to three 

 gallons. Keep plants well pinched back 

 and when six inches high transplant. 

 Those who have only Pine land can trench 

 \2 to 14 inches deep and if stable manure 

 and muck cannot be had, fill in with forest 

 leaves and cotton seed meal at the time of 

 sowing seed. Keep this compost well 

 watered and stirred, each time working in a 

 little of the top soil and a week before set- 

 ting plants give a liberal dressing of ashes 

 and salt, plant about three inches below the 

 surface gradually filling in as plants grow 

 until level." 



Strawberries for Profit. 



J. N. STEARNS, KALAMAZOO CO., MICH. 



In these times of close competition in iruit 

 growing, we are studying how we can realize 

 most on our products. For several years 

 my aim has been to put berries of firm 

 quality on the market, just as the rush of 

 the main crop is over. In this way I am 

 able to get twelve cents per quart, while 

 others are selling for six. 



The following is my plan: I select the 

 naturally coldest soil I have. If sloping to 

 the north all the better. After properly 

 fitting I set to the best late varieties I can 

 get. As yet I have found none better than 

 Mt. Vernon, Manchester and Gandy. 



Plants should be set in spring as soon as 

 the ground is in good condition to work. 

 Keep well cultivated and free from weeds 

 all summer. If the soil is rich and plants 

 are set early, and allowed to run and take 

 root at first, the row is liable to get too wide. 



For the best results the matted row should 

 not be over one foot wide. This will insure 

 much firmer fruit than if allowed to spread 

 two or three feet wide. This may be ob- 

 viated by keeping the hoe very sharp while 

 hoeing. Hack off first runners. 



As soon as the ground freezes hard enough 

 to bear a team, mulch the whole ground 

 lightly, .iust enough to cover plants and 

 ground from sight. This mulch should be 

 left on the rows as late in the spring as it is 

 safe, and not smother the plants. This 

 seems to hold them back, which is import- 

 ant in the price the fruit will bring. When 

 the mulching must be removed, rake oft' 

 lightly between the rows, leaving on a little 

 for the plants to come up through, it will 

 serve to keep fruit clean, ground cool and 

 moist. I give no cultivation in spring of 

 fruiting. 



~',1.'>H. Keeping Horse Kannre from Heating, 

 .Spread manure thin and it will never heat. H 

 it must be piled up, the harder it is packed the 

 less it will heat. Frequent turnings will pravent 

 heating.— r. L. Wright. 



