164 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



2,356. size of Buffalo Berry. In regard to this 

 we quote from a letter written to us recently by 

 Mr. ('. J. Lambrigsfer, of Bis Horn City. Sheriden 

 Co., Wyo., who malces the cultivation and propa- 

 gation of the Buffalo Berry a specialty. He says: 

 You state the fruit resembles "small red Cur- 

 rants." This is true only in its wild state. 

 Under cultivation this is all changed; the fruit 

 sent you was taken from a tree growing wild: 



New Race of Dwarf Dahlias. 



while the fruit taken from cultivated trees on 

 our grounds is from % to i4 inch in diameter. 

 This is quite a contrast, and will show what 

 transplanting and cultivation does for the grand 

 old Buffalo Berry. .Telly made from fruit 

 plucked December 1.5th was perfect both in 

 flavor and consistency. 



2,380. Planting Cannas. The distance to plant 

 may depend upon the kind. We will assume 

 that you intend to have the soil very rich, for no 

 plant will repay the highest kind of culture 

 better than Cannas; the soil might be one-third 

 rich stable manure to the plant's delight In a 

 rich soil, therefore, we would not plant the 

 smaller growers less than a foot and a half apart 

 and the strong growers from that distance up 

 to two feet apart each way. 



2,364. Scale on Oleander. The leaves enclosed 

 indicate the presence of plant scale, which may 

 be removed by washing the affected parts very 

 thoroughly with soap-suds, as warm as the hands 

 can bear, usinir a small brush such as a tooth- 

 brush to dislodge the insects. We warn you, 

 however, that if the plant is badly covered it 

 will be much of a job to thoroughly clean it. 

 For these scale insects may be of a size so small 

 as not to be discernable by the naked eye. and 

 such are liable to be missed. Unless your plant 

 is a fine one in other respects, it might be a 

 question if it would not be better to throw it out 

 and try with a clean young plant, and then be 

 constantly on guard never to allow an insect to 

 appear on this. 



New Race of Dwarf Dahlias. 



The Dahlia has held a prominent place 

 among garden flowers for many years, and 

 it has received new life in the acquisition of 

 a section little expected by cultivators, but 

 peculiarly welcome. This class is the out- 

 come of much patient work on the part of 

 Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, the well known sec- 

 retary of the National Dahlia Society, who 

 has for some time past devoted much time 

 to the improvement of the single varieties. 

 We had the pleasure a short time since of 

 receiving a photograph of this dwarf section 

 of Dahlias from Messrs. .1. C'hiel and Sons, 

 of Crawley, who have purchased the stock, 

 and this we have had engraved as it con- 

 veys an excellent idea of the height of the 

 plant, and the profusion with which the 

 flowers are produced. The photograph was 

 also of interest as containing a portrait of I 



Mr. Girdlestone, which we are sure will be 

 welcome to many of our readers. The 

 plants of this race are very dwarf, not ex- 

 ceeding twelve inches in height, bushy, 

 spreading and exceedingly free in flowering, 

 the range of varieties being at present 

 limited to twelve. The blooms are of me- 

 dium size, and the colors are distinct 

 and rich, more particularly the scarlet 

 and crimson shades which can be em- 

 ployed to immense advantage in the 

 flower garden. The heavy formal 

 show varieties are of little value for 

 planting in trim beds and borders. 

 Many of the decorative or Cactus varie- 

 are too coarse in growth to be of much 

 value in the flower garden. Tlierefore, 

 this liliputian race should find favor 

 with those who wish for showy and 

 novel efl'ects in the garden during the 

 summer months. 



There are no peculiarities of culture 

 to contend with, and the unusually 

 dwarf habit of the plants specially fits 

 them for comparative small beds and 

 borders. One good way would be to 

 fill a single bed with one or more de- 

 cided colors as is now done with the 

 tuberous Begonia, for the reason that 

 these Dahlias have flowers similar in 

 size to those of the tall-growing single 

 varieties, and bear them on stiflE stalks 

 well above the stems. A mass of the 

 crimson variety would produce a rich 

 glow of color infinitely finer than a 

 mixture of undecided hues. We anti- 

 cipate a high degree of popularity for 

 these dwarf single or Tom Thumb 

 Dahlias, and there is a possibility of 

 double varieties equally dwarf which 

 would be also welcome. The great 

 fault of the majority of Dahlias already 

 in cultivation is the tall habit of the plants, 

 but here we have dwarfness, a profusion of 

 finely-formed flowers, and varied and at- 

 tractive colors. — Onrdcncrs' Marjazinc. 



Mistakes Made by Seed and Plants- 

 men. 



MIRIAM PARKER. 



Yes, mistakes will happen in any business, 

 as well with the old and reliable firm, as 

 with the bran new young business man. 

 In one of the catalogues received, among 

 the novelties for 1890 was described a new 

 Thunbergia fragrans as being "white, 

 a large flower, &c.," and seeds at twenty 

 cents a packet; also a new red Lobelia, de- 

 scribed "as a very showy perennial, brilliant 

 j scarlet edged with yellow, different from 

 I all others," per packet fifteen cents. I sent 

 j for both and put the seeds of each in a pot 

 by themselves, carefully labeled, and tended 

 I them myself from first to last. When they 

 bloomed, the Thunbergia fragrans was 

 just the common yellow annual that I have 

 grown for years, seeds five cents a packet, 

 and the Lobelia was the common blue that 

 I had in abundance. So, I think we should 

 get all the seed and plant catalogues, and 

 then try the cheap places as well as the 

 others, and see for ourselves how they com- 

 pare. We all know that in any business 

 some dealers are satisfied with smaller 

 profits than other dealers, in same line of 

 goods, and it doesn't always follow that the 

 goods are inferior because sold for less 

 price. I have never quite enough money to 

 get all the new plants I want; but as all 

 florists have a fashion of putting "extras" 

 in, we might feel satisfied, and I do when 

 the boxes of nice plants come; but am al- 

 ways wanting to send for all the new things 

 though they do in some cases prove frauds. 



The Linn Apple. 



A few weeks ago we received from the 

 La Cygne Nurseries sample of an unusually 

 promising Apple, called the Linn. The 

 accompaying illustration shows cross section 

 of the specimen. 



The ground color is a rich golden yellow, 

 striped with brilliant 

 red on sunny side, and 

 with many small russet 

 dots. In coloring and 

 flavor it resembles Seek- 

 no-further. Flesh white, 

 slightly acid, pleasant, 

 melting, of fine aroma. 

 Good to very good, and 

 excellent for dessert use. 

 Apparently good keeper. 



Mr. D. W. Cozad de- 

 scribes it as follows: I 

 class the Linn with the 

 large Apples, several 

 specimens before me 

 weighing from ten to 

 thirteen ounces and 

 measuring from three to 

 three and one-half 

 inches in diameter. 

 Color varies from a 

 bright red on the sun 

 side to a yellow splashed 

 with red on the other 

 side, and frequently a beautiful bloom 

 will be noticed similar to the Duchess of 

 Oldenburg, of which 1 believe it to be a 

 seedling. In form it varies from that of the 

 Early Pennock to that of the Ben Davis, 

 though more inclined to conical. The 

 flesh is very crisp and juicy, almost white, 

 and has what would pass for a most de- 

 cidely agreeable flavor. The core of the 

 Apple is very small. 



Received at This Office. 



MISCELLANEOUS . 



No. 121, Reports of the U. S. Consuls, Department of 

 State, Washington, D. C. 192. 



Vol. 3, No. 5. Insect Lite. U. S. Department of Ag- 

 riculture, Wash. D. C. 40. 



First AuDual Report Stale Dairy and Food Com- 

 missioner of Wis. Reports of Dairy Experiments and 

 Feeding Experiments. H. C. Thorn. Commissioner. 130. 



Special Consular Reports, U. S. Dept of State. Re- 

 frigerators of Differant Foreign Countries. Secr'y of 

 State. Wash.. D. C. 308. 



Special Bulletin U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Beef 

 Supply of U.S. Dr. D. E. Salmon. 16. 



A Treatise on Grape Culture, by J. H. Tryon, Wll- 

 loughby, O. 



Vol. i. No. S. Experiment Station Record, U. S. De- 



Bartment of Agriculture Wash., D. C. W. O. Atwater 

 Irector. 45. 



Fanny Field's Excelsior Poultry Book. Published by 

 Geo. H. Stahl, Qulncy. Ills., pp 96. Price 50 cents. 



The New Potato Culture, by E. S. Carman, Editor 

 Rural New Yorker. Published by the Rural Publishing 

 Co., New York City. 160. 



llic Linn Aptile, 



Proceedings of the New Jersey State Horticulture 

 .Society for 1390. W. R. Ward, Secretary, Newark, N.J. 

 196. 



The Nursery Book, by L. H. Bailey. Published by the 

 Rural PubllsiilnK Co.. New York City. 340. 



BulIIetln 12. of the Delaware College Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Station. Injurious Insects and Insecticides, 

 Spraying ftlachinery, etc. A. T. Neale, Director New- 

 ark, bel. 28. 



Farmers' Bulletin No. 3. of the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, About Sugar Beet Culture. Wash., D.C. 24. 



Bulletin No. 8. second series of the Agrlcultiu-al Ex 

 perlment Station of Louisiana. Miscellaneous. Wm. 

 C. Stubbs, Director, Baton Rouge. 48 



Education at the Michigan Agricultural College, by 

 Prof. O. Clute 13. Agricultural College. 



