l62 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



"He that questioneth much shall learn much." — 

 BACON. 



Comepowhnta are urged to antietpate theeeaeon tn pie- 

 eenting tiuestUma. To aak. for instance, on April 16 or !!0 



uihat Peaa had beet be sown, oould brfna no anatrer tn 

 the May iaaue, and none before June, v^hen the anatrer 

 ujould be unaeaaonable. Queationarec^vedbefore the 12th 



of any month atand a good ohance of being anawred in the 

 next paper. Sot more than three qufationa should be aent 

 at one tim^. Anairera to tjufstions bearing on the com- 

 parative value of implements, etc, offered by different 

 dealers muat not be expected, Neither Cftn tee promiae to 

 comply rpith tne request sometimes made to "please anatper 

 by mail " Inquiries appearing without name belong to the 

 oame next fotlovring . 



Rejjliea to Inquiries are eameatly requeated from our 

 reaaera. In anawering auch give the number, your 

 locality and name, the latter not for publication, unleaa 

 you deaire. Write only on one aide of the paper, 



3,se. Management of Smilax. What should 1 do 

 to make It grow rapidly? 



2,3:B. Ferns in Greenhouse. How to be treated? 



2,3S». Freesias after Blooming. How managed? 

 Will they bloom again?— J. E. D., Cli^ar Lake. Iowa, 



2,335. Early Ruby Tomato. Where can I get plants? 

 I. T. T., Boston, 



2,33«. Rotten Forest Leaves. A lot was gathered a 

 year ago. Will they be good for potting soil this sea- 

 son? Should loam and manure be mixed with them? 

 Also will this material be good as a mulch for my 

 flower beds? 



2.337. Hardwood Ashes for Fruits and Flowers. 

 Will it be safe to apply them? 



2.3.i8. Belladonna Lily. Plants bought about two 

 years ago. Kept i-esting last season, and were potted 

 off in fall. No bloom. Bulbs look all right. Would 

 it be best to set them out in border?— C. H. D.. Canada. 



2,S^9. Damping off in Greenhouse. How can this 

 be prevented? 



2,.S40. Coarse Sacks for Shipping Peas and Beans. 

 Where can they be obtained?— N. 



2,311. All White Fuchsia. Our Florists do not 

 have it for sale. Where can it be obtained?— M.M.,lnd. 



2.342. Starting Musa Enseta Seed. How should I 

 manage to make seed of the Abessvuian Banana ger- 

 mlnate?-Z. W. B., Ohio, 



2,^3. Mushroom Growing. Can Mushrooms be 

 grown daily and continually the year round at a living 

 profit? If so would build a cellar. 



2,341. Peaches for Indiana. Please give list of va- 

 rieties that will give us succession of fruit and are re- 

 liable, here In Harrison county.— J. s. , 7nrf. 



2,345 Pots for Potted Strawberry Plants. What 

 sized pots are commonly used? 



2.346. Pure Pansy Seed. How far apart should 

 different varieties be planted to prevent them from 

 mixing?-?, H. F., Wis, 



2.347. Asparagus Beds Failing. Beds 4il feet long 

 and four and half feet wide, one seven the other four 

 years old. Have been well manured, and -salted. Now 

 they fail. Can I get them to yield again, or should I 

 plant new beds?— M. P. C. 



2,3tS. Evaporating Raspberries. Should they be 

 bleached by burning sulphur?— C.S., Michigan, 



2.349. Building a Grapery. Is the "lean-to" or 

 "span"t^> be preferred? Should the house run north 

 or south? Can such houses be built three or four side 

 by side? Should vines be planted inside or outsitie? 

 How much space to the vine? What varieties are best? 

 — Subscriber, Ent\ Pa, 



2.350. Fuchsia Ailing. Plant three years old, 

 Leaves curl backward, and drop often. No Insects. 

 What is the remedy?— G. 0. C, Indiana. 



2.351. What are the Roots of Tree or Plant? Please 

 give definition,— R. J. 



3,&i2. Culture of Lily of the Valley. Please give 

 most Important points.— A, R. 



2,,353. Ohestnnt Orchards, Can they be made to 

 pay?-S. M.,.V. r. 



2,354. Field Measuring by Wheel. Is this practlc- 

 able?— Old Sub. 



2,355 Quince for Profit. What variety Is best?— J, S. 

 B., Ills, 



2,:!56. Size of Buffalo Berry. How large are the 

 berries?- S. M. II., W. H. 



2,357. Lime and Ashes for Onions and Fruit. Onion 

 land infested with cut worms, maggots, etc. Hen 

 manure has been used freely every year. Would lime 

 or ashes do now? How applied, and how much? Can 

 lime or ashes be applied to trees and small fruits with 

 good results.'— E. K. C, Mich, 



2,353. Meeker Harrow. Where can I buy one? 



2.359. Harrow for Garden. What style Is generally 

 used by market gardeners for tlnisbiug otf? 



2.360. Hot-bed Healed by Pipes. Please give In 

 formation on construction, practical working, cost, 

 etc.— A. a. C, Mass, 



2.361. Mammoth White Dewberry. Is It a good 

 thing to plant?-J. H. L., Wcsljlcld. Ill, 



2.362. Work on Budding and Grafting. Where can 

 It be had?-E. H. W., Adrian. Mo, 



2.363. Transplanting Evergreens. Which Is the 

 best time?— Mrs. .1. O. D, ilfo. 



2.364. Scale on Oleander. How can I destroy It?— 

 A. L., N. Hex. 



2.365. Grafting Frnit Trees. Please state best time 

 for grafting each different kind of fruit.- D. J. 



2.366. Amaryllis Treatment, Can the young bulbs 

 be left on the old one and grown to bloom together 

 without Injury to the old bulb? 



2.367. Orchids for House Plants. Are there any 

 except hardy ones fit tor this purpose? — A. N., Iowa, 



2.368. Paris Green and London Purple. Which is 

 preferrable for spraying fruit trees? — H. P. W., St. 

 Cathei^nes, Ont. 



2.369. Cannas as Annnals. Is it advisable to grow 

 them thus?— R. S. F. 



2.3T0. Kniffin System of Training Grapes. Please 

 tell principle features, also its value compared with 

 other systems-- H. L. N. & Son, Mass, 



2,371. Remedy for Cabbage Worms. What do you 

 recommend as simplest and cheapest?— F. D., A'. Y. 



2.373. Evergreens for Windbreak and Christmas 

 Trees. What kind is best? 



2.373. Martha Washington Rose. How far north 

 is It hardy? 



2.374. Onion for Sets. What variety is most produc- 

 tive?— D. W. W., Ohio. 



2.375. Kieffer Pear from Cuttings. Can it be thus 

 propagated? Does It ever blight?— M. W. W . 



2.376. Peach Borer. Kindly give life history and 

 most practical means of destroying it.— K. B., Ky. 



2.377. Turnip Seed Growing. What is average 

 yield of Purple Top Strap Leaf per acre? When should 

 they be planted?-J. C. S. 



2.378. Killing Superabundant Trees. What is best 

 applicatiou short of the axe? Nostrums hitherto 

 recommended useless. — Forester. 



2.379. Trees Budded on French Stock Are they 

 worth 75 cents each, when on American stock they 

 cost 40 cents?— Miss C. D. C, Ohio. 



2.380. Planting Cannas. How far apart? Mine are 

 four years old, aud the bed too rank.— Mrs. R., Tenn. 



2.381. Treatment of Old Strawberry Bed. Patch 

 set one year ago, and plant allowed to cover the entire 

 ground. What should we do? Strike out rows? And 

 if so would vou leave the old plants or the young ones? 

 —J. G.E., Detroit, Mich. 



2,3S2. Peeonies Ailing. Flower buds drop as fast as 

 they appear, Japonica apparently in excellent health 

 unable to open flower buds wide. What soil is best for 

 Tree Peeony, and for Japonica?— Mrs. E. M. W., Mass. 



2,383; Kerosene Emulsion. What is it? Will it de- 

 stroy scale on Oleander, Bouvardias, etc?- Mrs. A. W. 



2.384. Anthracnose of Grapes. What is It. The 

 Dictionary does not help me out. What remedy is 

 there for this disease?— W. O. F., Indiana. 



2.385. Formulas for Fertilizers. Can you give 

 some suitable for orchards and small fruits? Would 

 it not be cheaper to mix the ingredients at home, 

 than buy the leady made article?— C. G. M. 



2.386. Vegetable Growing lor Market. Manufac- 

 turing town near here. What vegetables should I 

 grow and In what proportion?- ^Hi. Gardener, 



2.387. Propagating the Persimmon. How done 

 with best chances of success ? Have failed by graf t- 

 ing.— R. S. M., Va. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



2.333. Early Euby Tomatoes. This variety 

 was Introduced by Peter Henderson & Co., New 

 York, in 1890. Most likely plants can be ob- 

 tained from this firm. 



2,339. Damping off in Greenhouse. The death 

 of plants by " damping off " is undoubtedly due 

 to the growth of a fungus. Mr. Carman of the 

 Rural New Yorker, says that the trouble can be 

 prevented by mixing a small quantity of flour 

 of sulphur with the soil used in greenhouse, hot- 

 beds, for potting or in flats. We have never seen 

 plants suffer from damping off while excessive 

 moisture and high temperature were avoided. 

 As an additional precaution we put a handful 

 of naphtaline in the corner of a warm hot-bed. 



2,.379 Trees Bndded on French Stock, Many 

 of the Apple, Pear, Plum, and Cherry trees sold 

 by nurserymen are worked on seedling stock 

 that are either imported from Europe, or 

 grown from seed brought from Europe. It 

 is true that seedlings of wild or inferior 

 European varieties or species are considered best 

 as a stock for some of these fruits, but any re- 

 liable nurseryman uses just such stock, without 

 asking an extra price for it. In fact no ]»ro- 

 pagator has any business to sell trees worked on 

 inferior stock. One dollar a tree for Pears, and 

 (Juinces, and Apricots, is certainly much more 

 than we would be willing to pay. Why don't 

 you send for the catalogues of prominent nur- 

 serymen that advertise in horticultural papers, 

 and compare their prices.— G. li. 



' 2,3«I. Treatment of Old Strawberry Bed. 

 Usually the best way is to fruit a patch but one 

 year, and start a new bed to take its place the 

 next. If the patch is entirely covered with plants 

 now, and weeds are not very abundant, we 

 would try to keep it clean the best way we coulQ 

 until after fruiting, pulling weeds as they ap- 

 pear. .\t the same time we would nlant a new 

 bed and keep the matted rows within bounds 

 and free from weeds. If absolutely ueces.«ary, 

 of course, rows might be made by striking out 

 plants between; but suih treatment is patch 

 work at best, and the plantation will not bear as 

 freely as a new one would.- G. H. 



S 2,219. Ginseng Boot. Wm. Dicer of Albion, 

 Mich., is making Ginseng growing a specialty in 

 western forest lands. Perhaps he could tell 

 something about the business and its profits.— 

 E, J, Smith. 



2,386. Vegetable Growing for Market. The 

 selection of the particular crops, and the exact 

 proportion in which it would be best to plant 

 the different vegetables, depends altogether on 

 the demands of the particular market. Every 

 grower must study his available market, and try 

 to raise just exactly what is wanted, and at just 

 the time it is wanted. Some markets have de- 

 mand for early forced vegetables, and offer a 

 good price for such; in that case the gardeners 

 should make a specialty of growing Spinach, 

 Radishes, Beets, Carrots, Soup Celery, Lettuce, 

 perhaps even Mushrooms, Tomatoes, etc.. under 

 glass. Near a manufacturing town the demand 

 will most likely be for all kinds of vegetables 

 grown in open ground, such as Lettuce, Radishes, 

 Peas, Beans, Carrots. Beets, Early Potatoes, and 

 in tact all others that are demanded in the 

 kitchens of town's people. The gardener catering 

 to such a trade should plant a general assort- 

 ment, and be able to furnish anything that may 

 be wanted. Planting everything, and for suc- 

 cession as needed, and close cropping, and strict 

 attention to the customers' wants, these are the 

 leading features to be considered in the business 

 of the market gardener near a manufacturing 

 town.— G. R. 



2,160. Tulips from Seed. Yes, they can be 

 grown that way, but it will take time and labor 

 as they will bloom in the 6th or 7th year from j 

 the time of sowing. The seeds as a rule generally | 

 produce new varieties. Select seeds from the 

 best varieties; sow in fall in deep drills 1)^ inch 

 in light, rich soil, covering the bed three to four 

 inches deep with leaves before cold sets in. Va. 

 cover the following spring, keep the bed clean 

 from weeds and in the fall again cover with one 

 inch light soil over the whole bed. The season 

 following keep the bed clean, and after the young 

 bulbs are dry, take them out the bed, clean off 

 all soil and keep them in a dry, airy, sheltered 

 place, transplant again in September, in beds 

 with light, rich pulverized soil, plant the bulbs 

 two inches deep and four inches apart in the 

 rows where they have to remain till they bloom. 

 In the time of flowering, give them shade in hot 

 days and protect against heavy rain. Let the 

 bulbs stand not longer than one year in a bed, 

 and give them evfery fall a newly-prepared bed 

 with light, rich soil, but never use tne soil to 

 rich, as in an excessively rich soil the blossoms 

 will never fully develop their beautiful rich col- 

 ors.— i. Keebe, Seivard County, Neb. 



2,383. Kerosene Emulsion, This is a mixture 

 of kerosene and milk, butter milk or soap, 

 churned together and diluted with water, and 

 found very effective in destroying plant lice and 

 many other insects by contact. A good formula 

 is as follows: Soft soap one quart, or hard soap, 

 preferably whale oil soap, one fourth pound; two 

 quarts hot water, one pint kerosene, stir till all 

 are permanently mixed, forming an emulsion. 

 Then add water till the kerosene forms one 

 fifteenth of the whole compound. Apply with 

 force pump and spray nozzle, when insects are at 

 work,— G. R. 



2.376. Peach Borer. The parent insect belongs 

 to a family of moths known as Algerians, which 

 have transparent wings and slender bodies. 

 They fly only in day time, and when on the wing, ; 

 resemble certain wasps and hornets quite closely. 1 

 This moth appears in this section from middle 

 of July to end of August The female measures 

 about one and a half inches across, when wings 

 are expanded; the male is smaller and seldom 

 measures more than an inch. The eggs are de- 

 posited singly on'tiie barklof the tree near the sur- 

 face of the ground. As soon as the larva is 

 hatched, it works downward in the bark of the 

 root forming a small winding channel, which 

 soon becomes filled with gum. It begins to 

 devour the bark and sap wood, and causes a 

 copious exudition of gum, which often forms a 

 thick mass at the base of the tree, intermingled 

 with the castings of the worm. When full 

 grown the larva measures over half an inch in 

 length, and nearly a quarter of an inch in 

 diameter. Different sizes of larva' may be found 

 all through the fall anil winter months. Occa- 

 sionallv it attacks the trunk further up, and 

 sometimes the fork of the limbs. The exuding 

 gum always points out the spot where it is at 

 work When about to become a pupa, the larva 

 crawls upwards to the surface of the ground, 

 and hereconstructsacaseof a leathery structure, 

 made from its castings mixed with the gum and 

 silken threads. Sometimes it is found several 

 inches below the surface in recently stirred loose 

 soil Eaily in spring or late in autumn the larva 

 may be dug out of the tree and destroyed. To 

 prevent the moths from depositing their eggs, 

 the crown of the roots where the bark is soft and 

 tender, and really offers the only point of en- 

 trance, may be covered \vith a mound of coal 

 ashes, or soil, packed flrmly around it. Washing 

 the lower part of trunk with alkaline mixtures, 

 strong soaj* suds (esiiecially if hot). Tobacco tea, 

 lime water, etc., will serve to pieveut much 

 injury.— t;j'(raf( frum SaundevK. 



