io8 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



potind cans it may probably be had at 10 to 

 15 cents per pound, but the loss by evapora- 

 tion in drawing and handling, makes it 

 necessary for druggists to ask a considerable 

 advance on the original price, when sold in 

 small quantities; and the single pound rate 

 will seldom be less than 40 or 50 cents. 



Carbon Bisulphide is a colorless, heavy, 

 very mobile and volatile liquid. According 

 to Scientific American, it is made by the ac- 

 tion of sulphur vapor on red hot charcoal, 

 and is used in the manufacture of water- 

 proof materials,'the'extr»ct1on of oils from 



had fallen, the arms were cut back to one 

 and one-half feet. 



The third year two of the most conveni- 

 ent buds were selected for fruiting spurs 

 and one at the end for extension of arm. 

 The two fruit spurs were allowed to bear 

 one bunch each and were trained upward 

 on wire or string. At the end of third year 

 the arms on all vines were complete and 

 ready for bearing as I had intended that 

 each vine should carry eight feet of bearing 

 wood, and about five spurs on each arm. 

 This will give on an ordinary prolific 



GRAPE VINES TRAINED ON GARDEN FENCE. 



seeds, etc. It has a specific gravitv of 1.29 

 and boils at 114..S deg. F., but volatizes very 

 quickly at ordinary temperatures. The 

 specific gravity of the vapor is rather more 

 than 2}{ times that of atmospheric air, and 

 the vapor not only readily collects near the 

 bottom of any space in which it is produced , 

 but flows along almost like a fluid, and the 

 vapor may thus reach a fire and be inflamed 

 at some distance from source of production. 



One of the most striking characteristics 

 of this vapor is the extremely low temper- 

 ature, at which, when mixed with air, it 

 takes fii-e. According to experiments, this 

 temperature is about 415 deg. F. (some 

 authorities give it considerably lower). 

 The smallest spark from iron, a fire, a cin- 

 der, after it has lost all appearance of fire, 

 an even moderately heated stove, etc., are 

 hot enough to set it on fire. The mere 

 striking together of two pieces of iron with- 

 in the infiamable atmosphere is sufficient 

 to ignite it. It is not essential that an 

 actual spark should be produced in order to 

 bring about this result, but if the particle 

 struck off is about 415 deg. F., which is 

 far below a red heat, ignition will result. 



A knowledge of these facts is highly im- 

 portant. It will impress us with the neces- 

 sity of exercising the utmost care in the 

 handling and using of the dangerously in- 

 flammable material. No light or fire should 

 be allowed in a building where it has been 

 used, until all has been throughly ventila- 

 ted. The can in which it is kept, shoiild be 

 kept thoroughly stopped close, and no light 

 used in the apartment where it is opened. 



Amateur Crape Growing In City Lots. 



W. sorT.\R. E.SSEX CO., N. J. 



In planting my little garden, 25 by 50 

 feet, I staked off three feet from the fence 

 along the sides and rear, then dug trenches 

 two feet wide and one and a-half feet deep, 

 filled in with manure and ground bone well 

 mixed with soil to within six inches of top. 

 I then put in stakes one foot from fence and 

 four feet apart and set a vine at each stake. 

 The first year was devoted entirely to the 

 growing of one cane only on each vine, 

 carefully pinching all laterals and breaking 

 off all extra shoots, and allowing the cane 

 to grow as much as possible the first season 

 without check. At the end of the season 

 the vines were pruned one, to one and one- 

 half feet from the ground; and the next one 

 to four and a-half feet alternately. 



The second year the two upper buds were 

 allowed to grow for horizontal arms. All 

 laterals were carefully pinched as before, 

 but the caaes allowed to grow all summer 

 without piachiag ends. After the leaves 



variety about thirty bunches of fruit to the 

 vine. This system of growing vines one 

 tier above the other is known as the Thom- 

 ery or French system, and is no doubt the 

 best for a small enclosed yard. I have also 

 run a wire parallel with the fence and about 

 one and one-half feet above, and trained a 

 few vines upon it, and pruned on Kniflln 

 sytem. The vines get more air, and fruit 

 ripens finely. A few vines are grown also 

 in flower beds upon stakes and when these 

 vines are in fruit they make as pretty a 

 picture as the flowers themselves. 



It would seem almost impossible, but I 

 have over fifty vines consisting of more 

 than twenty varieties in this little spot and 

 it affords me a great deal of pleasure. I 

 often call the neighbors in to take a look at 

 my garden. The fences are covered with 

 foliage from ground to top, and when I raise 

 the leaves of the vines to show the beauti- 

 ful bunches of ripening Grapes, they won- 

 der how it can be done. It is simple enough. 

 Put the vines in and try it. Anyone can do 

 it. The illustration shows fence with vines 

 in fruit. 



Shears for Pruning Bush Fruits. 



J. C. WOODRUFF, BARRY CO., MICH. 



The accompanying picture represents a 

 pair of pruning shears both open and shut 

 which I have used for two years with entire 

 satisfaction. lam sure I can do more work 

 with them than with anything I ever tried. 

 They come very handy for pruning all kinds 

 of bush fruits, such as Raspberries, Black- 

 berries, Currants and Gooseberries. 



These shears cut both ways, that is when 

 the handles are open and when shut. The 

 only drawback to their use, perhaps, is the 

 price. The least I can have them made for 

 is *2..50. 



Early Seed Sowing Under Glass. 



Growing vegetables under glass struc- 

 tures, as forcing pits, cold and hot-houses, 

 hot-beds and cold frames, that is the chief 

 part of the market gardener's business. 

 Only in rare cases have we seen the Ameri- 

 can home grower even make a crude 

 attempt at producing a few vegetables for 

 table use ahead of their natural season. 

 The great majority seem content to wait 

 until the 'open ground gets in order for 

 planting, and farmers often do not then 

 plant at once, but wait until the hurry of 

 spring's work is over, and thus deprive 

 themselves and their families needlessly of 

 an early, desirable and beneficial change in 

 the monotonous (and sometimes dangerous- 

 ly long continued) winter's diet. 



Many of the more ordinary vegetables are 

 easily grown in hot -beds, and in the mid- 

 dle states and southwards even under mere 

 glass protection without artificial heat. 

 Among vegetables thus easily produced are 

 Radishes, Beets, Carrots, Parsley, Soup 

 Celery, Lettuce, Spinach, etc. 



Seed of the larger vegetables may be sown 

 in rows six inches apart — up and down the 

 bed — with a row of Radishes between each 

 two rows. The Radishes will be off in time 

 to give room to the others when they need 

 it. Thin as soon as plants are well estab- 

 lished to proper distance. Usually the 

 plants are allowed to stand by far too close 

 to give good roots. 



The illustrations on'opposite page reduced 

 from Gardeners' Chronicle, represent hot- 

 beds, etc., as used by gardeners in old Eng- 

 land, and show that our trans-atlantic 

 brethren have most excellent ideas as to 

 the requirements of such appliances. 



Fig. 1., says our contemporary, is a good 

 form of the ordinary forcing pit, equally use- 

 ful summer or winter. It is provided with 

 hot-water pipes for bottom heat, and may 

 also have pipes running round it for top heat. 

 By filling it with tree leaves and a little 

 stable dung, it makes a capital pit for As- 

 paragus and any of the vegetables men- 

 tioned. Fig. 3 is the less well known, and 

 somewhat discredited, pigeon-hole pit. 

 heated inside and out with stable dung and 

 leaves. It is a useful structure, but its 

 management involves a large amount of 

 labor. Fig. 3 is the ever-useful hot-bed 

 frame with a contrivance at the back for 

 conserving sunheat — useful in winter. The 

 necessary linings are not shown. Fig 4 is a 

 modification of Fig. 1 not quite so useful in 

 the forcing of winter crops, but which is 

 a suitable place in which to grow Rhubarb, 

 Pine-apples, Melons, plants, etc. 



The following hints, condensed from the 

 same source, will also be useful. 



The distance of the soil from the glass is 

 a point of great consequence, for if it be 

 too much, the plants will get drawTi in spite 

 of their standing wide apart; moreover, the 

 front rows will be out of reach of the 

 sun, in consequence of the depth of the 

 front wall of the frame, and that is a dis- 

 advantage in the winter season. The sur- 

 face of the soil, when the bed is finished, 

 maybe six inches or less and this distance 

 will be nearly doubled by the time the crop 

 is fit to use, as the shrinkage of stable- 



Pruning Shears for Bush Fruits. 



manure and leaves is very great, however 

 well the bed may be constructed. 



Dry litter of some sort, six or ten inches 

 thick or mats should be used over the 

 frames at night, be the weather mild or the 

 reverse. On mild nights its use will allow 

 of more ventilation being given, which will 

 greatly benefit the crop. 



