176 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



JUNE,^ 



^i^GHT'VHOI'SOCmTIES 



^EINQMATTERTHAT DESERVES 

 TO BE WIDELY KHQWIS. 



The ripening process in 

 ' fruit is yet an unsolved 

 problem.— /'("/. Van Slueh. 

 A Good Eoae. La France 

 may be good, but the 

 Duchess of Albany is 

 better. Give it a trial for 

 outside cultivation.— Pat- 

 riot Nortini. 

 Green Manuring should be accompanied by 

 the use of phosphates and potjish. What we 

 want is to get nitrogen by the use of catch crops. 

 —Prof. CaMwell. 



Thin the Peaches. To make good fruit we 

 must begin in June and thin; not wait till the 

 little Peaches starve and drop for themselves. 

 And what don't drop, never recover the starva- 

 tion period.— Jiich. State Hort. Society. 



Potash for Peach Yellow, if a tree is infested 

 in a Peach orchard every surrounding tree will 

 get the disease. 1 think that the proper use of 

 tobacco dust will cure a good deal of the disease, 

 known as the yellows.— Pro/. Smith before tlie N. 

 J. Hui-t. Soc. 



Sour Cherries Wholesome. No fruit canned 

 by my family agrees with me better than tart 

 Cherries, even when my health is not good. I 

 like their flavor and they do not impair my diges- 

 tion. The doctors, perhaps, can tell the why and 

 the wherefore.— ilfo. Hort. Society. 



Quality Does It. The United States are a fruit- 

 consuming people. They appreciate and are 

 willing to pay for good fruit. There is not a city 

 in the Union where Crawford Peaches will not 

 sell more readily at one dollar per basket than 

 common stock at 50 cents.— S. S. Crissey, befare 

 New York State Farmers" Imtitute. 



Strawberry picking stands should be provided 

 beforehand, and made a suitable size to hold six 

 quart bo.xes, by using four corner posts four to 

 six inches long and one to one and one-half inches 

 square. The sides, ends and bottom should be 

 covered with common lath, cut into proper 

 length, put on with fine shingle or common lath 

 nails, leaving spaces between each of one to two 

 inches wide, to the ends of which attach a ball 

 or handle of some tough wood.— Kansas State 

 Hort. Soriety. 



Feed the Orchard. It could not be expected 

 that a horse on half rations would long continue 

 in a condition to perform the labor required. 

 An Apple tree after yielding a tew crops will 

 show unmistakable signs of failing in vitality 

 and a failure to duplicate previous crops. 

 This failure is sure to come sooner or later— 

 sooner on thin land than on strong land. But as 

 soon as detected in either horse or tree a liberal 

 feeding will soon restore both to vigor and 

 former usefulness.- vl. D. Welts, before the Ken- 

 htcfcy State HortieiMural Society. 



Potato Experiments. Prof. Vorhees of the 

 New Jersey Experiment Station stated before 

 the horticultural society of thatstate the follow- 

 ing as general conclusions of his experiments: 

 1. That it pays to use commercial fertilizers for 

 Potatoes. 3. That the best results are secured 

 when fertilizers are used in connection with 

 barnyard manure. .3. That when the prices are 

 the same sulphate of potash presents no advan- 

 tage over muriate. 4. That both manure and 

 fertilizers decrease the contents of of dry matter 

 in the Potato but do not naturally effect its com- 

 position. 



Neatness in Gardens and Lawns. A neat 

 garden is almost invariably a good garden, and 

 the manager of such a one is sure to be success- 

 ful. All that makes a plant valuable is its 

 beauty, and beauty is never associated with 

 tilth. Therefore every gardener should encour- 

 age and stimulate a love for the beautiful; it is 

 an antidote for all the asperities of life A study 

 of the beautiful, whether in the plant, the tree, 

 or the flower; whether in the conservatory or 

 the vegetable garden, in field or wood, in fact 

 wherever found, will have a tendency to elevate 

 and refine character and materially assist in pro- 

 moting happiness.— r/ias. Li. AUen. 



Ornamentals for Missouri. Among satisfactory 

 shrubs and smaller trees are the HoUy, the Ma- 

 honia and the Privet, either as ornamental hedge 

 plants or as single specimens; the purple Fringe, 

 Altheas, BarbeiTies, Wigelias, Syringias, Spirioa 

 Van Uolti, Thunbergia, Hydrangea granditlora. 



upright Honeysuckles, Snowball, and the hardy 

 Magnolias; among good evergreen trees are the 

 Arbor Vitae, Hemlock, Irish Juniper. Norway 

 Spruce, White Pine, Rhetncispora aurea, plum- 

 osa, and the Lawton Cypress. The Scotch Aus- 

 trian Pines are too coarse and branching for 

 small grounds. The native Red Cedar may be 

 recommended for its ability to withstand drouth 

 and to thrive in almost any soil, and is unsur- 

 passed as a hedge plant or ornamental screen, 

 but care is necessary that the lower branches be 

 not deprived of sun 'and air by any growth in 

 close proximity.— Mo. State Hort. Soc. 



Protect the Street Trees. Walk along any of 

 our streets where the trees are placed on the 

 edge of the sidewalk and notice the effects. In 

 some instances the house-owners have placed 

 guards around the trunks, and the trees are 

 symetrical and have attained a good size. But 

 in most cases they have been left to take care of 

 themselves. Bright and early the milkman 

 comes along and jumps ott' with his can, leaving 

 his horse to make a scanty breakfast by gnaw- 

 ing the bark of the nearest tree. Later on come 

 the butcher and the grocer, whose horses lunch 

 upon what was left by their predecessor. No 

 wonder that the bark is not only soon removed 

 and the wood exposed, but since the horse is an 

 animal which prefers the softer bark to the 

 harder wood, the fresii borders of the wound 

 are repeatedly attacked until deformities of 

 enormous size are produced, and apart from the 

 danger of fungus growths, the nutrition of the 

 tree is seriously deranged.— Prrj/. Wm. O.Far- 

 loiv, Mass. Hort. Soc. 



Strawberry Enemies. During the spring and 

 early summer our Strawberry leaves in some 

 localities are seriouslj' injured by a little brown 

 beetle, the crown borer, the larva? of which are 

 at work during the summer eating the crown 

 and main roots. Soon after the fruit has ripened 

 and sometimes earlier, the leaf blight attacks 

 the leaves, and when both of these enemies ap- 

 pear, it is a difficult matter to get rid of them. 

 It is believed, however, that Paris green will de- 

 stroy the crown borer, and it is certain that it 

 will prevent the leaf blight. An application of 

 Paris green should be made as soon as the new 

 leaves begin to unfold in the spring, and another 

 a little while before the first blossoms open. 



Neither the Paris green nor copper solutions 

 can be safely applied after the blossoms open; 

 but as soon as the fruit is gathered the Bordeaux 

 mixture should be used alone up to about Aug. 

 1st, when the Paris green should be added to 

 destroy the beetles which again appear at this 

 time. The cutting and burning of the leaves, or 

 their destruction with the blight spores at the 

 same time, with diluted sulphuric acid, as has 

 been recommended, is undoubtedly of some 

 value, but the Bordeaux mixture is thought 

 more effectual, and what foliage is preserved 

 will add strength to the plants. If one fears to 

 use Paris green. Hellebore will undoubtedly 

 prove successful in the destiiiction of the crown 

 borer, which feeds on the Strawberry foliage.— 

 Prof.S. T. Maynaril, before the Mass. H(j)'t. Soe. 



Bemedies for Knot of the Plum. It has been 

 supposed that the only effective remedy was the 

 cutting away and burning of all diseased parts; 

 hut this persistent cutting not only disfigured 

 the tree but greatly impaired its vigor. Prof, 

 t'arlow, of Harvard University discovered that 

 simply painting the diseased parts with a mixture 

 of red oxide of iron, in linseed oil, has not only 

 prevented the spread of the contagion, but has 

 stopped the growth of the diseased parts, so that 

 the knots have crumbled and fallen away with 

 the least possible injury to the tree. Dr. C. A. 

 Uoessman, Director of the Massachusetts Expe- 

 riment Station, has experimented with this rem- 

 edy on his grounds the past year and is thoroughly 

 satisfied with the results. One of the diffloulties 

 in the way of exterminating this class of diseases, 

 is that every horticulturist whose lot is cast in a 

 thickly settled community is constantly exposed 

 to damage from the old decaying trees of his less 

 enterprising neighbors.who have too little energy 

 and too little faith in science, to co-operate in 

 any systematic attempt to eradicate these dis- 

 diseases, and we should make an effort to have a 

 law passed and enforced for the protection of 

 our industry in the same manner as the farmer 

 is protected by the law for the extermination of 

 noxious weeds, which do far less harm, in the 

 aggregate, than these mysterious organisms 

 known as the fungous diseases; which annually 

 destroy the products of the horticulturist to the 

 amount of millions of dollars, and are more 



dreaded than any other pests with which he has 

 to contend.— Netv Jersey Horticultural Society. 



Spraying for Grape Kot. The sol ution of cop- 

 per carbonate in ammonia water is to be highly 

 recommended as being effective and most econ- 

 omical of all preparations. Dissolve five ounces 

 of copper carbonate in three pints of the strong- 

 est (2C per cent) water of ammonia and dilute 

 with 50 gallons of water. Buying all chemicals 

 from wholesale houses in some quantity— since 

 no loss is incurred from keeping copper carbo- 

 nate or ammonia from one year to the next — is 

 the most economical plan. Four applications, 

 if thoroughly done, may sulfice, although no 

 hard-and-fast rule can be laid down in regard to 

 the matter. In any case, however, the vine 

 should be kept covered with the mixture, as 

 only those parts which are covered with a coat- 

 ing of copper carbonate are protected from the 

 parasites. Make the first application just as the 

 red tips of the first leaves are beginning to show. 

 If this precaution is taken, the tender leaves as 

 they unfold slowly have already upon them 

 considerable quantities of the solution, and are 

 shielded from birth from the attacks of the para- 

 site. The second spraying should be done when 

 the leaves are about an inch to an inch and a half 

 in diameter, but not later. When the flowers 

 have fully opened and the insects are busy about 

 the clusters, the third spraying may be done 

 without tear of injury to the blooms which 

 have been fertilized before the caps have 

 dropped off, and ten days or two weeks later 

 when the fruit has attained the size of Peas, the 

 fourth application may be made. A fifth may 

 be held in reserve in case the disease gains a 

 foothold upon the vines.— Pro/. Fairchild before 

 the W. N. r. HoH. Soc. 



Cherry Crowing For Profit. 



{Extract from Fruil Manital iirepared by ttte Kansas 

 Horticultural Society.) 



The Cherry thrives quite well on either 

 high or low lands, and on sandy and loamy 

 soils. The Morello family is highly success- 

 ful wherever planted, and embraces the 

 sour varieties, Early Richmond, Kentish, 

 Montmorency, English Morello, and com- 

 mon red (black) Morello. 



In some localities the flner-flavored 

 varieties— as May Duke, Gov. Wood, Royal 

 Duke, Belle Magnilique, Belle de Choisy, 

 Rheine Hortense — are quite successful. 

 The class known as " sweet varieties " do 

 not succeed. The tree often becomes fatal- 

 ly injured by the intense heat of summer 

 and the extremes of winter weather. 



The main requisites in successful culture are 

 deeply prepared and enriched land, and a vigor- 

 ous wood-growth. Whenever a tree becomes 

 stunted by neglect or from sterility of the land, 

 decay soon sets in in the heart and death gener- 

 ally follows in a few years. 



Site. For this as well as for all classes of soft 

 fruits, the site should be as near the dwelling as 

 practicable for convenience in gathering the 

 fruit, and general care of the orchard. 



High lands are preferable, as the fruit buds 

 are less liable to be injured by spring frosts, and 

 the tree maintains a normal condition better, 

 through varying weather in winter, and better 

 facilities are afl'orded for circulation of the cur- 

 rent of air during extreme rainfalls and sudden 

 changes in temperature. 



An eastern or northern slope is preferable, as 

 trees do not suflter so much from drouths or 

 heat of sun on such locations. The slope should 

 be sulBciently inclined to really pass off any 

 sudden, heavy fall of water, as a retention of a 

 surplus amount in the land will weaken the 

 vigor of trees, and where continued endanger 

 their lives. 



Soil. A deep loam and a sandy soil are to be 

 preferred; but other soils can be made suitable 

 by deep tilling and manuring, and for naturally 

 arid land, a heavy mulching. 



When planted on flat lands, artificially-con- 

 structed drains must be provided: but on slopes, 

 water is seldom retained in amount that would 

 be deleterious to trees. The value of ample 

 drainage is forcibly impressed on the grower 

 when heavy and continuous rains flow the land 

 just at the ripening period, which is invariably 

 followed with cracking and often bursting of 

 the fruit, thereby rendering almost the entire 

 crop unmarketable, and a serious loss. No such 

 an occurence would follow on well-drained 

 grounds. 



