I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



109 



Always afford water before the soil gets 

 dry— let it be warm, and the job done wben 

 there is the least chance of danger from cold. 



Of course as the sun gains power in late 

 winter there are certaiq parts of the day 

 that may be utilized for watering the 

 frames, when, indeed, abundant ventilation 

 is possible and desirable. If vegetables are 

 wanted as solid in texture as such out-of- 

 season things may be, the soil should not 

 be made very light, still it 

 should be friable and some- 

 what porous and only 

 moderately rich. Manure- 

 water of some kind can 

 always be afforded when it is 

 seen that the plants stand in 

 need of stimulant. Weedy 

 soils of any kind should not 

 be employed, as such give 

 endless trouble in keeping 

 the frames clear of weeds. 

 Good loam that has been 

 stacked a couple years and 

 turned over— the outside into 

 the middle — once or twice, 

 and on which no weeds have 

 been allowed to grow; leaf- 

 mould or borough ly-rotted 

 manure, at least two years 

 old, and which has been oc- 

 casionally turned over, and 

 burnt soil or garden refuse 

 added, make a flrstrate frame 

 compost if the loam and 

 burnt soil form two-thirds of 

 the whole. 



Very stiff loam is amelior- 

 ated by being mixed with coarse sand or 

 fine coal ashes, and all the materials are the 

 better for being screened or sifted in a three- 

 quarter-inch sieve before use. Pot ting- 

 bench refuse is excellent stuff as a cover- 

 ing for the seeds. 



this section (Maryland). What we want here is 

 a good, perfect-flowering variety, adapted for 

 t'ertiJizing the Bubaeh, Haverland and Wartield. 

 I have tried many varieties, among them the 

 " great Jessie," but I will have to discard it with 

 most of them, it it dues not do better another 

 year. Sharpless and Cumberland Triumph do 

 reasonably well. I am testing Crawford, Michael's 

 Early, Parker Earle, and some others. Pmeapple 

 is a perfect failure, Cloud not much better. 

 Many that are highly praised elsewhere are here 



Fifl. 2. 



Fig. 1. 



Fig. 3. 

 SOME ENGLISH GARDEN DEVICES. 



Pig. 4. 



See preceding yaqe. 



COMMENTS BY READERS. 



A departmejit to trhich all are invited to send notes 

 of experience and observation concerning topics that 

 recently have been treated on in this Journal. Many 

 such contributions monthly are welcome. 



King-leaved Willow (page 45). This is an 

 old friend of mine, being associated with the 

 early years of " home making," it has many 

 pleasant memories connected with it. In the 

 tall of 184!) w& set out a beautiful lot of shrub- 

 bery, which I believe came from Ellwanger & 

 Barry, and among this lot was also a Ring-leaved 

 Willow. To me it was the most beautiful and 

 graceful of all. though there were many rare 

 and costly varieties in the lot. Perhaps by acci- 

 dent, for my taste was not consulted at the time, 

 the Willow found a place where my eyes could 

 feast upon it; and it grew rapidly, and waved its 

 long pendant ringlets with every passing breeze, 

 as though it knew it had an ardent admirer 

 who was watching it. I can safely say it was 

 fifteen feet high, and at least eight inches in 

 diameter. I cannot now remember the length 

 of time it stood "a thing of beauty," for many 

 cares came, and clouds that seemed heavy at the 

 time gathered, and minor things were crowded 

 out of memory, but the love of my beautiful 

 tree did not wane through it all, and when a 

 storm came and uprooted it, I mourned for it as 

 for a dear friend. I did not then know, as I do 

 now, that 1 could easily have propagated from 

 its branches, and so gave it up as lost; and yet, 

 through all these years, I doubt it a nursery 

 catalogue has ever fallen into my hands that I 

 have not searched for ray favorite. Even Dr. 

 Warder, the great horticulturist, told me that he 

 had never seen but one, and could give me no 

 information as to where they could be found. 

 Imagine my delight then, when 1 pounced upon 

 this article in Popular Gardening. Still I am 

 at a loss to know where to get it.— Mrs. E. Bon- 

 ner, Ohio. 



[We imagine that almost all leading nursery- 

 men catalogue it. Of the catalagues on hand we 

 find it quoted by Ellwanger & Barry, Rochester, 

 N. Y , and Parson's Sons, Flushing, N. Y.] 



The Newer Strawberries. Nearly all your 

 reports, I see, come from New York State, Ohio, 

 or sections in that latitude. They do not suit 



of no account. Our soil conditions are not very 

 favorable to make a reliable comparative test of 

 varieties. All along the foot of the South Moun- 

 tain and until you strike the creek bottom, you 

 can scarcely get an acre of ground inastrip 

 ten by sixteen rods, without having two or three 

 varieties of soil, some very stony, some wet 

 and some dry. My Strawberries are planted in 

 rows four feet apart, and the rows from Zi& to 

 to 275 feet long, but there is not a single row of 

 uniform fertility, or one that could be made so. 

 Some varieties do well at one end and not at the 

 other. Bubaeh, Haverlaud and Warfleld are 

 now taking the place of Crescent, which, though 

 very productive, soon dwindles down to small 

 berries. Sharpless and Cumberland would do 

 very well if they were more productive. Pearl 

 is good, but rusts badly. Gandy does not last 

 long, and is only moderately productive. Mich- 

 ael's Early, Parker Earle and Yale have made a 

 fine growth and promise well.— S., Bmmettshurg, 

 Maryland. 



Second Crop Bartletts (page 681. This 

 " phenomenon " is a common occurrence here in 

 the Willamette Valley. I have had a second crop 

 nearly ripe, and a third crop of blooms on more 

 than one occasion. But the second crop never 

 takes the correct shape. They are all more or 

 less one sided, and have the appearance of being 

 shrivelled.— J. B., Oregon. 



Mole and Gopher (page 75). I can readily 

 believe what Frank Holsinger says about the 

 usefulness of the mole. But I would like to 

 know whether this also applies to the gopher. 

 Certainly I am terribly annoyed by these animals. 

 They live on a vegetable diet, and destroy bulbs 

 or tubers of any kind, from a Tulip to an Onion, 

 and a Potato to a Dahlia. They attack a half- 

 grown Cabbage at the root, eating upwards and 

 enlarging the cavity beneath, and gradually as 

 they eat away, pulling the Cabbage down into 

 the hole and eating it up entirely. Turnips, 

 Beets, Carrots, Parsnips, Salsify, etc., all seem 

 to be considered good eating by these rodents. 

 But how to get rid of them is the question.— J.B. 



Hardy Plants in the Window (page .33) This 

 subject deserves the attention of every window 

 gardener. I wonder that these plants are not 

 more used for this purpose. By a careful selec- 

 tion plants may be had to blossom the year 

 through, be beautiful in foliage and far surpass 

 many kinds commonly seen. Many hardy and 

 other plants are suitable here also. Together it 

 should be easy to have flowers in every room in 

 the house, and in any position.— H. W. Smith, 

 Baton Rouge, La. 



Rabbits and Borers (page 89». A typograph- 

 ical error in my former communication makes 

 me say that none of Frazer's axle grease was 

 being required at the crown. Quite the con- 

 trary was meant, and "more " should have been 

 put in the place of "none." It is important that 

 the grease be used quite freely at the crown.— 

 W. H. Arendt,Mo. 



The New Tomatoes. I place Ignotum at the 

 head of the list so far, and have tried the newer 

 sorts. Dwarf Champion gave better satisfaction 

 this year than ever before, and 

 in point of profit about on a par 

 with Ignotum. I would not 

 wish to part with either for crop 

 unless something better offers 

 itself. Table Queen did not 

 prove satisfactory, and is open 

 to the same objection as the 

 Mikado in shape. Will give it 

 another trial, as it seems to do 

 well for some. A year ago I 

 found among my lot (own seed) 

 of Champion plants a few de- 

 cidedly distinct from them, so 

 forward in growth that I gave 

 them a trial. They proved to 

 be very open in habit of growth, 

 similar to the catalogue descrip- 

 tion of Early Ruby. The last 

 season they proved to be as 

 early as Champion; very pro- 

 ductive, vines large and spread- 

 ing, fruiting in clusters like 

 Beauty, which they somewhat 

 resemble, but fruit rather more 

 solid, and continued to bear 

 smooth, perfect Tomatoes until 

 end of season. One row of Ig- 

 notum came in ground heavily 

 manured for another crop, the 

 remamder of the patch having 

 only a complete fertilizer, 800 

 lbs. per acre broadcast. The first named was a 

 little later in giving ripened specimens, but 

 showed much greater endurance in cropping, in 

 a patch all of which rated high in crop.— ^1. 

 JxuhmnsiU, Pa. 



Wood Ashes. You frequently recommend 

 wood ashes as a fertilizer tor garden crops, 

 especially for Potatoes. My ownexperience with 

 them tor the latter crop does not speak so much 

 in favor of their use. The tubers invariably 

 came out scabby, and some of my friends give 

 the same report. Why is this? [Probably you 

 have used strong ashes too freely.— Ed.] Per- 

 haps there may be some ingredient in my soil— a 

 strong clay— that prevented the beneficial effects 

 of the ashes. But I have had good results from 

 applications of ashes to my fruit trees, particu- 

 larly the stone truits.— John Briggg, Oregon. 



Phizetaker Onion ipage 3). My Prizetaker 

 Onions were not a success. They were not uni- 

 form, either in color or in shape; some being 

 white, but most of them nearly dark enough to 

 be called yellow. They are soft, and I do not 

 think will Ijeep well. There are many " thick- 

 necks," and on the whole they are not near so 

 good in any respect as Yellow Danvers growing 

 alongside of them.— IFm. C. Cusick, Oregon. 



2,277. Applying Wood Athes. The cheapest, 

 simplest and best way to apply ashes is by means 

 of an ordinary lertilizer drill, such as attached 

 to most of the grain drills of the present day. 

 There are also implements made and advertised 

 designed solely for sowing fertilizers. The use 

 I of any of these makes it possible to distribute 

 ashes or other fine manorial substances very 

 evenly at any desirable rate.- G. R. 



2,256. Market Gardening for a Young Man, 

 We do not think a young man " whose knowledge 

 of farming is limited," could learn enough about 

 market gardening by frequent visits to the 

 country, close observation and careful study 

 of publications, so as to make it safe for him to 

 embark in this business for earning a living. In 

 the first place market gardening means hard 

 work, often real drudgery. Secondly, ilobody 

 can hope to make a success of it, even if he is a 

 hard worker, unles he has learned to produce 

 good vegetables of just the kind that his market 

 demands. Information of this kind can only be 

 gained by practical and close study of the avail- 

 able markets. You must begin at the foot of the 

 ladder. Our only advice in such case can be this: 

 Hire out as an apprentice to a successful market 

 gardener, work faithful and learn all the tricks 

 of the trade Then you will know whether there 

 Is any prospect for you of earning a living by 

 market gardening or not. — G. R. 



