1891. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



I 27 



In all my experience in growing Cabbage, 

 for upwards of thirty years, I never saw 

 more thrifty plants than grew over that 

 manure. The leaves were broad and open, 

 with that healthy green color which de- 

 lights the farmer's eye, and without that 

 naked stem connection of the leaves with 

 the stem which characterizes feeble plants. 

 The caustic potash of the ashes had so acted 

 on the fine bone as to make it very much 

 more valuable as a fertilizer. Though it 

 was not made soluble, yet it readily became 

 so when in contact with the soil. 



Good Fruits only are Profitable. 



S. J. SHEPHERD, MILLER CO., MO. 



In some localities in this state Apple or- 

 chards returned a large profit last year, 

 considerably above the average. This fact 

 has drawn the attention of many to this 

 business, and in some localities editors of 

 the local papers are urging farmers to plant 

 commercial Apple orchards, citing the 

 prices that have been received this year as 

 an inducement. While in some respects 

 this is certainly good advice as there is a 

 large acreage of land that cannot be culti- 

 vated to grain crops to advantage but that 

 with good management might be made to 

 grow profitable crops of fruit, yet the 

 expectations of large profit is often the 

 means of leading many into planting 

 who have not the proper knowledge of 

 varieties, manner of planting and managing 

 so as to realize the best results, and in con- 

 sequence more or less less is certain to be 

 sustained. There is quite a class of farmers 

 who are always ready to change to some- 

 thing new or different simply because some 

 one else has made good profit, without con- 

 sidering the means which have secured this 

 result, and the consequence is sore disap- 

 pointment. 



It is certainly a fact that, one year with 

 another, it is only by raising the better 

 qualities of fruits that good profit is made. 

 Generally the market is fully provided, if 

 not actually overstocked, with what may 

 be termed average fruits, and to make 

 quick sales at profitable prices, something 

 or other above this average must be raised 

 and sent to market. There is always a good 

 demand for f/oort fruit and if the grower 

 can succeed in getting this, the profit is 

 good. But some knowledge of the business 

 is almost indispensable to this. Buying 

 the trees and setting them out is not all that 

 is required in growing fruit, and this fact 

 should be known in order to prevent loss. 



Before investing too largely, it will be 

 advisable to study into this business in 

 order to be able to (;« into it understand- 

 ingly. 



and without the cooking test little if any 

 superior. For medium to late crops I think 

 it would be hard to beat my crops of Flage- 

 olet the past two seasons. Are we not too 

 much disposed to cast aside old well-tried 

 varietiesy Keep the old that is worthy and 

 seek for the best among them. 



How 1 Saved my Plums. 



o. s. BIRCH, GRA-NT CO., IND. 



There is an increased interest in the grow- 

 ing of Plums in this locality. We have 

 found that good cultivation and liberal 

 manuring pays well in growing this crop, 

 and, when properly started, but little prun- 

 ing is needed. The point I wish to empha- 

 size, however, is the method by which I 

 saved a crop the past season. I fought the 

 curculio by the old jarring process, which 

 proved successful. 



July and August was very dry, and I be- 

 gan to have fears that I would lose my 

 Plums from this cause, as the leaves began 

 to droop and the Plums to shrink. To 

 counteract the effects of the drouth, I cov- 

 ered the ground under the trees, as far as 

 the limbs extended, with coarse manure, to 

 the depth of six or eight inches, and then 

 thoroughly soaked it with water; the water- 

 ing was repeated after a few days, and I 

 was agreeably surprised to see the trees re- 

 vive, the Plums swell out Jjlump and nice, 

 so that, as a result, I harvested a magnifi- 

 cent crop of nice Phims, which readily 

 brought four dollars a bushel. 



Experience with some New Veget- 

 ables in 1 890. 



A. JUDSON STILL. MONTOUR CO., PA. 



The Mitchel Perfected Beet did not prove 

 to be very early; by the side of Eclipse, 

 with exactly the same treatment as to time 

 of sowing, culture, and fertilizer, it gave 

 not more than one-third as many Beets to 

 the row in the first three weeks of the sea- 

 son as did Eclipse. For eating and keeping 

 quality it is certainly hard to beat. Some 

 sown April 3rd, were allowed to stand till 

 frost, and some cooked for Thanksgiving 

 were all that could be desired. A Beet 

 equal in quality to the Mitchel and as reli- 

 able an early cropper as the Eclipse even 

 would be a valuable addition to our market 

 garden Beets. 



Warden Kidney Wax Bean has proved 

 with me a number-one Bean. As early as 

 Henderson's Black-eyed and in one plant- 

 ing earlier and decidedly superior to it in 

 productiveness and vigor of bush. Saddle 

 Back Wax planted side by side with War- 

 dell's Kidney, seemed to be much like it. 



Build Up the Home Market- 



N. J. SHEPHERD, MILLER CO., MO. 



One of the difficulties that we have to face 

 in fruit growing is the market. In many 

 sections of this state railroad facilities are 

 not the best, and access to the larger mar- 

 kets is almost out of the question, as time 

 and cost eat so largely into the returns it is 

 possible to realize, as to leave but little if 

 any margin for profit. 



Many growers overlook this home market 

 entirely, or make but little effort to build it 

 up. A large class of people in towns and 

 small cities would like to enjoy fruits, but 

 price as well as the quality and conditions 

 in which they are offered, often prevent 

 them from purchasing. Growers ought to 

 be willing to sell at home at as low prices as 

 they receive (after deducting expenses) in 

 the distant market. Sending the best away 

 and offering the refuse to your home cus- 

 tomers at highest prices for good products 

 can hardly be considered the best plan of 

 building up a home market. Truly the 

 home market is easily glutted, but mostly 

 for the reason that the frviit offered is poor 

 in quality, and put up in an unattractive 

 condition. In this state there are thousands 

 of acres of land, upon which fruit can be 

 grown to a better advantage than almost 

 any other crop if a market could be made 

 or found. If grown cheaply, it could be 

 sold cheaply. 



Good fruit offered at reasonably low 

 prices, will make a market for itself right 

 at home, and without much trouble. 



ance the Plum tree body of the east more 

 than anything else. Trees seem to grow 

 vigorously and fruit earlier than at the east. 



The same peculiarity is also noticed in 

 Peach trees; it is said that they are quite 

 dwarfed in growth but enormously pro- 

 lific. A Peach grower of the western side 

 of the state told us that he had set Peach 

 trees one year from the bud and had them 

 bear the next season, and that he had grown 

 such large crops that fruit actually devel- 

 oped from fruit buds upon the body of the 

 trees. 



We were impressed with the remarkable 

 health of the tree as they were growing, and 

 with the size, good color and perfect smooth- 

 ness of the the fruit. The state does not 

 yet seem to be infested with the Apple mag- 

 got , and they stand in dread of its visitations. 

 But they do not at present seem to be fully 

 acquainted with its history or life habits, as 

 one gentleman who was speaking of the 

 subject, inquired if the better course would 

 not be to cut down and burn a tree as soon 

 as it was infested- At Grand Junction, on 

 one of the direct lines of travel across the 

 continent, a special interest is being awak- 

 ened in the line of fruit culture. The valley 

 has a good soil, and apparently excellent 

 climatic conditions. 



Fruit Trees In Colorado. 



WM. H. YKOMANS, TOLLAND CO., CONS. 



During a recent visit to this Rocky Moun- 

 tain state we had the opportunity of observ- 

 ing that fruit growing is coming into 

 prominence. Although absolute certainty 

 of success is not yet established, enough has 

 been done in experimental lines to encourage 

 far greater efforts in that direction. Where 

 fruit is grown, the quality, size and general 

 appearance are all that could be asked or 

 hoped for. 



The growth of trees is quite unlike what 

 it is at the east; they seem to mature at an 

 earlier age, are more dwarf in growth, and 

 have a smooth bark resembling in appear- 



Managlngr a Strawberry Variety of 

 Doubtful Value. 



E. F- ENGLE, ALLEGHANY CO., PA. 



We intend to plant about three acres of 

 Strawberries for market this spring. We 

 use rich soil and plenty of manure, and 

 want the best varieties to be had , so that 

 the plantation may be as profitable as pos- 

 sible. We have made our selection of vari- 

 eties for five-sixths of the patch, but for a 

 good while could not decide whether to risk 

 a half-acre of Warfield No. 2, and a few 

 rows of some other kinds, or not. Warfield 

 showed a good deal of leaf blight with us 

 last fall, and the other kinds have yet not 

 been well enough tried to prove their value. 



If the leaf blight on Warfield does not de- 

 velop to a serious degree, we shall want it 

 by all means, on account of its firmness and 

 other good qualities; but if this fault does 

 prove serious, we shall not want a half-acre 

 cumbered with a variety which is of no 

 value. The same is true of the other kinds 

 mentioned. 



At last, we have concluded to plant the 

 half-acre to Warfield and the other varieties 

 (Gandy, Eureka, Michel's Early, and Pearl) 

 in the usual way; rows S}4 feet apart, and 

 18 inches apart in the row. Then we shall 

 plant in the rows and between the plants, 

 an equal number of plants of Crescent or 

 some other of the old reliable kinds. After 

 our older patch, now in bearing condition, 

 has fruited, so that we can see what these 

 varieties are like on our grounds, and we 

 have had also the reports of other growers on 

 them, we can decide which lot of plants to 

 destroy in each row of our compositr patch. 

 It will be but little trouble to chop out the 

 plants of the variety we don't want, and the 

 additional cost — when we have abundance 

 of plants of our own — will only be the cost 

 of digging and planting four or five thou- 

 sand extra plants at planting time. At 

 prices for labor here, this will amount to 

 probably *I0, but we think the results to be 

 obtained fully justify the expenditure of 

 this much, with us. 



The 2}.1 acres will be planted mainly with 

 the following varieties, named in the order 

 of our estimation of their value;— Haver- 

 land, Crescent, and Bubach, with Ken- 

 tucky, Capt. Jack and Sharpless to supply 

 polen to the blossoms. 



[For varieties producing plants as freely 

 as Crescent and Warfield, we would con- 

 sider it sufficient to set plants even two feet 

 apart in the rows. — Ed.] 



