I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



141 



2,309. BeqoisiteB of Cranberry Culture. The 

 erreat difficulty and expense connected with 

 Cranberry Culture is the establishment of the 

 plantation. After the bog is once completed, 

 and the vines in bearing condition. Cranberry 

 raising is simple, inexpensive, and usually re- 

 numerative. The New England Farmer gives 

 the following instructions for preparing and 

 planting a patch; A piece of low, swampy terri- 

 tory is selected to begin with. From this all the 

 trees, bushes, or whatever growth may exist, 

 are thoroughly cleaned out and the roots eradi- 

 cated. Then the turf or dirt is taken off and the 

 bog ditched and leveled. The old fashioned way 

 of getting the level by the water and straight 

 edge can not be improved upon for accuracy 

 where the bog is well ditched. The level place 

 is then covered with some four inches of coarse 

 sand— some put on five— and the coarser the 

 sand the better, if it will not interfere too much 

 with the growth of the vines. The bog is then 

 ready for the planting of the vines. The only 

 fertilizer employed is to sometimes put a trifle 

 of guano on the top of the plant, which works 

 down through the sand to the roots of the vine. 

 Three years must usually pass before the vines 

 bear fruit, and they are generally not in bearing 

 condition until the fourth year after planting. 

 Some bogs on the Cape are still in good bearing 

 condition that have yielded fruit for more than 

 thirty years. Sometimes the vines are mowed 

 down closely, but they come up again and bear 

 more vigorously for cutting. The chief atten- 

 tion required is to keep down the weeds and 

 rushes, which are usually not troublesome if not 

 neglected, and to watch the enemies of the vines, 

 the prinicipal of which is what is popularly 

 known as the Are worm. If they get in unob- 

 served, a promising lot will be completely ruined 

 In a few days, and they do their work so rapidly 

 that they are well named the Are worm. Of late 

 years they have been quite destructive. This 

 remedy for them is a tobacco wash and it gener- 

 ally proves very efficacious if applied in time. 

 The cost of producing a barrel of Cranberries 

 all ready for market varies from three to four 

 dollars per standard barrel of 100 quarts. It is 

 safe to put down the average market value at 

 $7.00 per barrel . 



2,282. Prop&i^ating Magnolias. These beau- 

 tiful shrubs are not easily increased by grafting 

 or budding, nor easily transplanted. Budding is 

 fairly successful, says Mr. Josiah Hoopes in 

 New York Tribune, provided little wood is per- 

 mitted to remain beneath the bud ; indeed, it is 

 advisable to use none at all, merely wringing 

 the bark off, which causes a little depression on 

 the under side. This may be remedied by draw- 

 ing the strings very tight, and forcing the bud 

 to rest on the wood of the stock, with which it 

 will quickly unite. On account of the difficulty 

 experienced in removing Magnolias, many 

 growers prefer raising them in pots, and trans- 

 ferring the balls of soil in which the roots are 

 matted, unbroken, into the open ground This 

 makes the transplanting process certain. Seed- 

 lings of the cheaper species are potted a year in 

 advance, and at midsummer cions of rarer kinds 

 are inserted therein, and then placed in a warm 

 greenhouse, where they rapidly unite and grow. 

 As soon as mild weather in spring arrives the 

 pois are to be plunged under a lath shelter and 

 watered whenever necessary during summer. 

 If light, turfy, rich soil is used, they will at once 

 form a strong growth and may be transplanted 

 at this age to their permanent home. If per- 

 mitted to remain in the pots for two seasons we 

 obtain larger and stronger plants, although, 

 possibly, no better than one-year-olds. The 

 operation is comparatively easy, but a medium, 

 even, moist temperature is a necessary precau- 

 tion. 



2,321. Heating Small Oreenhouse. See reply 

 to 2,272. 



2,256. Market Gardening. Yes, a young, able- 

 bodied man can make a good living at market 

 gardening on a small acreage near a large city. 

 Everything depends upon the man. He must 

 have brains, vigor and application, and be pre- 

 pared to put in sixteen hours' work a day con- 

 tinually. The other day just such a man came 

 to me about growing Mushrooms. He had made 

 quite a little money truck-farming on Long 

 Island, but a few years ago sold his farm and 

 moved in nearer to Brooklyn, to a small place 

 (which cost more than his country farm), so as 

 to condense his practice and be nearer the Inar- 

 ket. And he has built large ranges of green- 

 houses and now grows Lettuces, Radishes, Cauli- 

 flowers, Parsley, Rhubarb, Spinach and the like 

 in winter, as well as out-door crops in summer 

 And what used to be his slack time (winter) in 

 the country, is now his busiest and most money- 

 making season. He tells me he does not mind 

 the southern competition at all; he gets his stuff 

 up in fine condition, and puts it upon the market 

 looking so fresh and clean, and so nicely done 

 up, that it is always bought at an advanced price 

 over southern produce. And now he is going to 

 add Mushrooms to his crops. Hut the man is a 

 worker; and it takes considerable money to run 

 a place like his.— Wm. Falconer. 



2,278. Delaware Winter and Lawver Apple. 

 The Delaware Winter, if not the same as the 

 other, is at least very nearly resembling it, and 

 perhaps not superior to it. It is a good enough 

 Apple for late keeping.— G. R. 



2,280. Best Winter Pears. For two Ijcst and 

 most reliable in quality we would select Anjou 

 and Winter Nellis.— G. R. 



2,278. Black Knot on Frnnus Simoni. This 

 Plum is subject to this disease as much as other 

 Plums. 



2,272. Oreenhouse Heating. While it would 

 not be absolutely impossible to heat a green- 

 house by means of a hot air furnace, it would 

 be neither economical nor desirable otherwise. 

 The dry heat is not congenial to plant lite, nor 

 would the distribution of the heat, in the man- 

 ner proposed be such as to give an even and 

 uniform temperature all over the house. The 

 best mode of heating a house of limited dimen- 

 sions yet found is by means of a svstem of hot 

 water pipes connecting with a small hot water 

 furnace in a pit at north end of house. 



2,32.5 Scale Insects on Jasmine. This hardy 

 and persistent pest may be fought by brushing 

 or rnbbing off. or by spraying with the kerosene 

 emulsion. A still better and simpler way of 

 disposing of them would be by catching a few 

 lady bugs and confining them in the room with 

 the plants. They will soon put an end to scale 

 and other insects,— G. R. 



2,322. Semedy for Tomato Worm. I do not 

 think anything can be done save picking the 

 worms by hand and destroying them. This it 

 seems to me, is a simple enough operation, and 

 it must certainly be effective.— G. R. 



2.329. Bed Cedar Ash We have no analysis at 

 hand,butare quite safe in saying that potash wili 

 range between three and five per cent, and phos- 

 phoric acid between one and two per cent.— G.R. 



2 3.30. Bones for Manure Bones after long ex- 

 posure to sun and rains consist of little else but 

 phosphate of lime. The phosphoric acid (25 per 

 cent, and more) in them is entirely insoluble, 

 and plants can utilize them but slowly in this 

 shape. Of course they will do some good to 

 Grapevines if buried near their roots even 

 whole. They would do more good, and more 

 immediate good, if finely broken up, or if re- 

 duced to powder by burning in a furnace or 

 stove. Fresh bones will also do good in a similar 

 way, and the more and quicker, the finer they 

 are broken or ground up. — G. R. 



2,303. Planting Tree Seeds. Catalpa seed 

 should be preserved dry during winter, and 

 sown in spring lightly covered with fine rich 

 sou. Pine seed, and that of many other ever- 

 greens is sown in spring in a half shady position, 

 should be covere(i lightly with sandy soil, and 

 kept moist until the plants appear. These are 

 to be shaded from the direct rays of the sun, and 

 given water only sufficient to prevent wilting 

 and drooping. The shading should be continued 

 during the entire first season, as for instance 

 with lath screens or evergreen boughs. Mul- 

 berry seed if sown in spring, as one would sow 

 Radish seed, germinates very propmtly.- G.R. 



2,298. Smut in Sweet Corn. The spores of the 

 fungus live in the ground over winter, and the 

 probability is that your Sweet Corn on same 

 ground will be again affected in same way. It 

 would be preferable to select new ground for 

 your Corn patch. Wherever you plant, however, 

 do not neglect to gather up all smutty eare and 

 tops, remove them from the field and destroy 

 them 



2,316. BuBsian Apricots. You made a mistake 

 by planting so many trees of an untrieil fruit. 

 The mistake can perhaps be rectified by using 

 the Russian Apricots, if hardy, as stocks for 

 Plum sorts such as are grown successfully in 

 your vicinity, or by tearing the Apricots out 

 and planting something of known value.— G R. 



2,310. Becipe for Tree Wash. The following 

 wash is recommended by the Department of 

 Agriculture for scale insects. They are thus 

 prepared:— Caustic soda, 1 lb.; resin, Hlb.; water, 

 23 gallons. Boil the soda in a gallon of water, 

 add the resin to one-half the soda solution, and 

 dissolve it by boiling; add the remainder of the 

 soda solution and boil over a hot fire, stirring 

 constantly. Wlien sufficiently cooked, it will 

 mix with water like milk ; add water and strain. 



2,305. Manuring the Garden. There is no 

 need of being afraid of manuring the garden too 

 much. It needs annual appli<aitions of some 

 feriilizing substances, and usually the more the 

 better. Many market gardeners use 80 tons and 

 upwards of compost per acre every year, and 

 while this may be considered extravagant, as a 

 few hundred pounds of nitrate of soda, etc., 

 might be substituted for one half or more of 

 that application, yet it will do no harm If we 

 want good vegetables, and plenty of them, by 

 cropping closely and persistently all through 

 the season, we must apply plant foods liberally. 



2,219. Ginseng Boot. A corruption of the Chi- 

 nese name Schinseng, is common in most north 

 em woods of the eastern half of thelU. S., 

 growing .n a rich soil in cool places. I can't tell 

 of any one offering seed or roots in a condition 

 to grow, bnt presume boys or herbwise old 

 ladies in your locality can direct you to its 

 woodland home and give you an introduction. 

 The American variety Panox Quinquefolium is 

 mostly dug for export to China where the 

 Chinese variety Panox Schinseng has become 

 rare. It is prepared for market simply by clean- 

 ing and drying the root, which may sometimes 

 be marketed in a green state.— D. M. F. 



2,297. Early Beets for Table. We know of 

 none better than Eclipse and Early Egyptian. 

 The difference between these two is not so very 

 material. Either is entirely reliable for table as 

 well as for market.— G. R. 



2,240. Passion Vine not Blooming. On such 

 brief data it is hard to say. But most of the 

 Passion Flowers in common cultivation are 

 natives of the tropics Which means that they 

 want a high temperature, and abundance of 

 sunlight a fairly moist atmosphere, and a rich 

 soil. They are also better for plenty of room to 

 clirab.-D. M. F. 



2,291. Onions for Pickling and Sets. We find 

 the New Queen and White Barletta most excel- 

 lent sorts for pickling. When grown thickly as 

 they should, they make small uniform Onions 

 of snowy whiteness For sets we would use 

 Early Round Red for red. Yellow Strassburg for 

 yellow, and Silverskin for white. Sow in early 

 spring in well-prepared ground, using 30 to 60 

 pounds of seed per acre.— G. R. 



2,283. Pearl Gooseberry. This was grown 

 from seed of Houghton crossed with White- 

 smith, by Prof. Wm. Saunders, and worthy of 

 of special notice because (li of its good qualities, 

 (2) its size (3) its productiveness (4) its freedom 

 from mildew. Ontario fruit growers who saw 

 it on the grounds of Mr. A. M. Smith of St. 

 Catharines, Out., described the quality as good, 

 very like the Downing in this respect, as well as 

 in color and marking ; but in size, it averages 

 nearly double that berry, and that in spite of the 



f)rodigious crop under which the bushes were 

 aden. There was a row of some fifty or sixty 

 fine bushes, two yeays planted ; and most of 

 them were literally bent to the ground with 

 heaps of fruit. The branch in fruit of this 

 variety which we saw at the last summer meeting 

 of the society, bore out this description. It is 

 claimed that the Pearl is entirely mildew proof 



2,301. Ivy as Honseplant. The Ivy succeeds 

 well in a dry atmosphere and keeps its beauty 

 quite well when surrounded by dust and poison- 

 ous gases. It has the power of adapting itself 

 to its surroundings that makes it of special value 

 in the house says an Exchange. As it will grow 

 in shady locations almost as well as in sunny 

 ones, it can be made of special use in the house 

 in training it to grow around the picture frames. 

 It will thrive very weU in the living-room, 

 despite the impurity of the atmosphere. One 

 mistake is often made ip growing it in the house; 

 it is suspended to the wall in such a way that it 

 is almost impossibe to take it down to wash it. 

 Occasional washings are esstntial to its vigor 

 and beauty. Dust should never be allowed to 

 accumulate on its leaves, for in addition to 

 hiding its beauty, it destroys the leaves and in 

 time saps out the strength of the vine. The 

 scale is the only insect that troubles the Ivy, an(l 

 this can be successfully combated by washing 

 the leaves and branches as soon as the insect ap- 

 pears with soap-suds, using a tooth brush to rub 

 the insect off. After this, syringe the vine thor- 

 oughly with fresh water. If this operation is 

 performed twice a year, the scale will never get 

 well established on the vine, and the leaves will 

 present a bright, fresh, glossy appearance the 

 year round. The best soil is ordinary garden 

 loam and sand, with which a liberal quantity of 

 bone meal should be mixed. This mixed fertili- 

 zer seems to meet the needs of the plant better 

 than any other. It makes the stalks grow rapid- 

 ly, and gives the foliage a healthy color and 

 texture. 



2,295. Propagating Currants. For cuttings 

 use thrifty wood of the same season's growth. 

 (;ut in fall, in pieces six to eight inches long, and 

 plant, somewhat slantingly, in well-prepared 

 soil, leaving only the topmost bud above surface 

 of ground. Pack the soil firmly about the cut- 

 tings. Mulch during winter. Or you may tie 

 the cuttings in bundles, and bury in sand, moist 

 moss or earth in the cellar, in same way as Grape 

 cuttings are treated ; and plant in spring. Most 

 varieties are propagated ver.v readily in this way. 

 The celebrated Fay's jProlific, however, is not 

 quite so tractable, and its propagation requires 

 (ireater care and effort. As to the question, 

 whether it be advisable to sow the seed, we 

 would say "yes, by all means." Select the finest, 

 largest, and most perfect fruit ; gather and sow 

 the seel, and raise seedlings. The Currant de- 

 serves greater attention than growers of " new 

 varieties" have heretofore bestowed upon it. 

 When seedlings are more largely grown, we will 

 make more marked progress in Currants than 

 has been made for many years.— G. E. 



