l82 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



"He that questioneth much shall learn much." — 

 BACON. 



Correspondents are urged to anttoipate the season in pre- 

 senting questions. To ask, for instance, on April 16 or 80 

 what Peas had best be sown, oould bring no answer in 

 the May issue, and none before June, irhen the answer 

 UKtuld be unseasonable. Questions rereiffd be/ore the l^h 

 of any numth stand a good ehance of beiug ansieered in the 

 next paper Not more than three questions should be sent 

 at one time. Ans^rers to questions beuring on the com- 

 parative value of implements, etc., offered by different 

 dealers mu St not be expected . neither can ice promise to 

 comply nkth the request sometintes made to "please answer 

 by mail " Inquiries appearing without name belong to the 

 name next following 



Replies to Inquiries are earnestly requested from our 

 readers In answering such give the number, your 

 locality and name, the latter not for rublication, unless 

 you desire. Write only on one side of the paper. 



2.388. Pomegranate not Blooming. Plant Ave year 

 old, four reet hlRh In tub 13.x» Inihes. Has been 

 pruned severely for two seasons and makes strong 

 growth. Why no bloom?— H. C, T.. Neir York, 



2.389. Copper Mixtures on Grapes. Will the fruit 

 taste of these mixtures, so it will have to be washed 

 before being eaten?— E. O. N., Tenn, 



2.390. Preserving Small Fruits for Exhibit. I 

 wish to keep size, texture and color Intact. Aloohol 

 diluted one-half de.stroyed the color. -C. P. N., Minn, 



2.391. Cost of Spraying Grapes. How much per 

 acre? Wili it not be more than Grapes are worth?— 

 H.N., Conn, 



2.392. Plan for Half Acre Lawn. We want shrubs, 

 flowers, walks, etc— G. D., G^(elph, Out. 



2.393. Remedy for Tomato Rot. What can be done? 

 —P. E., Monroevtlle, O, 



3.394. Spraying Apples for Oodling. How many 

 applications should be made for the codling moth, and 

 how much Paris greeu be taken in 100 gallons of water? 

 —J. M. A., Indiayta. 



2.395. Plan of Fruit Farm Bam. Please give one 

 that would hold all the requisites needed for a place of 

 thirteen acres.— C. K.. Albani/, Ills. 



2,:J9B. Heating a Greenhouse. Is a brick flue as 

 good as hot water pipes, in a building 14 by 60 feet? If 

 so should It be a single flue, or return flue? Will com- 

 mon brick answer for a fire place ? 



2.397. Culture of Hydrangea Otaksa. How should 

 they be treated, both summer and winter?— G. B., Can. 



2.39S. What Ails My Rhubarb? Plants mostly go 

 to seed. Roots rot in winter. 



2.399. Nitrate of Soda on Cabbages. How applied? 

 E. W., Cri/stal City, Mo. 



2.400. Narcissus Blighting in Bud. Plants, forced 

 in the house, have been troubled considerably. Can 

 5 ou suggest a cause and cure? 



2.401. Tulips Coming Blind. Bulbs were strong 

 and apparently all right. Forced In the house. Why 

 no flowers? 



2.402. Heating a Porch. Porch enclosed with glass, 

 in winter, and having a southern and western ex- 

 posure. Size 7x14 feet, and eight feet high. How 

 heated in best and cheapest way?— T. C. N., Canton, O. 



2.403. Recipe for Pickles. How are Cucumbers 

 laid down for plcklt-s as we find them in groceries.— 8. 

 M. H., PnpilUon, Neh. 



2.404. Weeping Cut-Leaved Birch. How propa- 

 gated? If by seed, when should it be sown, and where 

 cau It be obtained? Are the wliltebarked and dark- 

 barked different varieties?— C. W. M , Me, 



2,403. Gladstone Red Raspberry. Has it any value- 

 for market?— S. 'W,,i}regon. 



2.406. Potato Stalk Weevil. My Potatoes last sea- 

 sou, were infested with grubs and weevils in many of 

 the stalks. What are they and how can X prevent their 

 depredations?— M. N., Pa, 



2.407. Cherries on Mazzard Stock. Will Heart, 

 Bigarreaus, Dukes, and Morreilos succeed equally well 

 ou Mazzard .'-O. O ii., MU-h, 



2.408. Culture of Shrubs, Are Rhododendron, and 

 Mahonia, and Azalea difficult to grow? Can they be 

 raised from seed? 



2.409. Some Novelties. Would you recommend the 

 Japanese WIneberry and Everbearing Blackberry?- 

 Mrts. A. E., Erie Co.", ,V. 1'. 



2.410. Growing Onions from Top-Sets. My sets 

 were grown on Onions left in the ground overwinter. 

 Am told they will produce nothing but scalllons. Is 

 thl8 8oV-F. N. P.. Wis, 



2.411. Pearl Gooseberry. Where cau plants be ob- 

 tained?-,!. Z. B., Conn. 



2.412. Size of Pipes for Heating Greenhouse, size 

 of building 20 bv 80 feet. How should pipes be ar- 

 ranged, and of w^iat size?— W. .1. W., Va, 



2.413. Growing Calycanthus. What soil and treat- 

 ment Is required? Have been unsuccessful for four 

 years.— H. w., Louisville, Ky, 



2.414. Liquid Manure for Roses. How much guano 

 should be dissolved In a barrel ()f water; how nmch of 

 the solution for a two or three year old Rose, and how 

 often can It be applied safely?— o. K., Fla, 



2.415. Tree Fruit for Exhibit. Will salt brine 

 answer for keeping Apples, Peaches, etc., for exhibi- 

 tion purposes? If so how prepared?— P. Bros., Mo, 



2.416. Apple Curculio. Is It the same as the Plum 

 curcullo? How can I prevent Its depredations?— R. S. 

 N., Ohio. 



2,417. High or Low-Headed Fruit Trees. Which 



are preferable?— Sub. 



2.41S. Apple Bud Worm, Buds of my Apple trees 

 appear to be affected by tiny worms. Much damage is 

 done. Give remedy.— O. S. F. 



2.419. Filling Vacant Spaces in Vineyard. Some 

 vines have died: some are of p<^or varieties. What is 

 best course to pursue?— Yot'NG Tinetardist. 



2.420. Evaporating Raspberries. At prospective 

 prices for the evaporated product, how much can I 

 afford to pay for the fresh berries this season?- A. D. 

 W., Indiana. 



2.421. Paper Flower Pots. Do you recommend them 

 for any purpose?— S. F. N., Wis, 



2,4-22. Spruces from Seed. How are the Firs and 

 Spruces propagated most cheaply?— G. S. P., R. I. 



2.4S1. Cotton Seed Meal as Fertilizer. Please 

 state composition. 



2.424. Fertilizers for Cucumbers and Beans. What 

 are the best?— E.J. 



2.425. Southern Competitors in Vegetables. Can 

 the grower in the north-east meet it suecessf ully?— Bos- 



TONIAN. 



2.426. Bagging Grapes. Is it a success In prevent- 

 ing black rot? Is the practice to be recommended In 

 commercial Grape growing?— Vineyardist. 



2.427. Killing Poplar, Aspen and Maple Trees, I 

 desire to get rid of them; have tried various things, 

 girdling included, and still they flourish.— R. W. 



2.428. Pecans for Profit . Is the Pecan nut a pro- 

 mising fruit for profit In Pennsylvania or Maryland?— 

 O. F., Dover, Del. 



2.429. Copper Carbonate- Where can it be bought? 

 None In our drug stores.— Si'RATER. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



2,370. EBiffin Syatem of Training Grapes. 

 This is extremely simple, and requires much 

 less labor and attention than the Fuller system 

 so extensively employed throughout many of 

 our chief Grape sections in New York, Ohio, etc. 

 The natural droop of the canes also tends to 

 checli their growth, to the advantage and better 

 development of the fruit. On the other hand 

 the KnifBn system lacks the neatness and strict 

 regularity of the Fuller. The trellis consists of 

 two wires, one about three one half feet, the 

 other tive and a half feet from the ground. Two 

 canes are grown to the vine; the one dividing 

 into two arms at the lower wire, the other at the 

 upper wire. In pruning, these arms are short- 

 ened to five or six buds. The bending of the 

 arras into their position on the wires tends to 

 retard the flow of sap, and favors a uniform 

 growth of the buds along the entire arm. The 

 annual pruning hereafter is to cut away the en- 

 tire arm, except the branch nearest the main 

 cane. This is bent around and tied to the wire, 

 shortening to five or si-x buds, and is the new 

 arm taking the place of the old one. It is always 

 advisable to have a good stout stake to each 

 vine. This supports the vine especially while 

 young, and stiffens and supports the wires, 



2,416. Apple CnrcnUo. This resmbles the 

 species infesting the Plum, but is a little smaller, 

 and further distinguished from it by four con- 

 spicuous bright red humps on the posterior part 

 of its wing covers. Formerly it was bred only 

 in wild Crab and Haw trees, but it has in recent 

 years become very troublesome also to our 

 cultivated varieties of the Apples and Pears, 

 doing its evil work during the mouths of July 

 and August. The larva grows to about one-half 

 of an inch in length, remains in the fruit until it 

 is transformed, and then it escapes a perfect 

 insect. Picking off and destroying the infested 

 fruit is certaily impracticable in a large orchard, 

 and it would be foolish to advise the orchardist 

 to go to work .iarring his Api)le and Pear trees 

 in order to catch and destroy Apple and Plum 

 curculios; so that really our only hope for the 

 extinction of this insect lies in the successful 

 application of Paris green in the same way as tor 

 codling moth. 



3,40s. Potato Stalk Weevil. This is the small 

 beetle, known as Potato-stalk borer (Baridius 

 trinotata or Trlchobaris trinotata), the grub of 

 which burrows into and consumes the inner sub- 

 stance of ithe stalk, proceeding down ward towards 

 the root. The insects undergo all the transfor- 

 mation in the stalks. The only remedy hereto- 

 fore suggested was pulling up the stalks and 

 burning them as soon as they show indications of 

 being infested. The entomologist of the Iowa 

 Experiment Station now states that he has, dur- 

 ing the past winter, found the weevils abundant 

 in the stems of two species of P/ij/sa/i.v (Ground 

 Cherry) in that vicinity. These and other species 

 of the' same genus of plants are undoubtedly the 

 native food plants of the beetle. Nearl.v all of 

 the old stems of the Ground Cherries examined 

 by him were infested. From one to a half dozen 

 beetles were found in a single stalk, and three or 

 f ova- was a very common number. It is probable 

 that a patch of Ground Cherries growing in the 

 vicinity of a field of Potatot-s would do much to 

 protect the latter from attack; then by pulling 

 the stems in late fall or winter and burning them 

 great numbers of beetles would be destroyed, 

 and the attack upon the future Potato crop 

 lessened. The dead stalks of the Ground Cherry 

 should be sought out and destroyed by Are every 

 fall or winter. 



2,381. Treatment of Strawberry Beds After 

 Fralting. Mow down Strawberry plants and 

 weeds, either with scythe or mower. When leaves 

 are dry, set fire to them on a windy day and 

 burn off clean. If the plants have been heavily 

 mulched in the rows it will be necessary to scat- 

 ter mulch somewhat before burning, otherwise 

 there is no danger of injuring the plants. As 

 soon as green leaves show, preferably when 

 ground is moist after a rain, lay off your patch 

 in lands of convenient width with a row in the 

 exact middle of each, and go in with one horse 

 plow to narrow down the rows. Throw a narrow 

 and light furrow from the inside of each outside 

 row in each land — repeat up one side, down the 

 other, till the middle of the land is reached. The 

 middle row will thus have a furrow taken from 

 each side, and will be sufficiently manured. Then 

 reverse and take a broad furrow from the out- 

 side of the rows on each side of the middle row, 

 or two furrows, if the rows are grassy or broad 

 and thickly matted. This will leave the rows 

 about eight inches in width, mainly composed of 

 one year old plants and with clean cut edges, 

 which will greatly lessen the labor of hoeing 

 Later cultivation will smooth down and level up 

 the space between the rows, and in a loamy or 

 other easily worked soil the second years fruiting 

 will often equal that of the first crop. On hard 

 clay or land that bakes it would probably pa.v 

 better to plow under after the first crop and sow 

 to Buckwheat, Turnips or some such crop, de- 

 pending on the newly -set bed that a Strawberr.v 

 grower always has on his premises, for next 

 season's fruiting. This is for field practice with 

 those whose soil and returns of the crop will not 

 permit the necessary expense of cleaning out the 

 old bed by cultivator, hoe and weeder. Some 

 growers practice letting the bed " volunteer " 

 one crop without any attention, but it is at best 

 a slovenly practice, and usuall results in seeding 

 the land to Bock or other foul stuff that often 

 requires years of labor to clean out again. — 

 W. A. T., WasMniitiin. D, C, 



2,410. Orowinpr Onions from Top Sets- The 

 most perfect bulbs are usually grown directly 

 from seed . Top sets are ordinarilly planted f or 

 early bunch Onions. Perhaps you have the 

 Egyptian Tree or Winter Onion. This is per- 

 fectly hardy, and will succeed without any care 

 when Once set out. The.v produce Top Sets or 

 *■ Buttons," but otherwise produce but little more 

 than scallions. While they give us a chance to 

 have " green Onions " for soup and flavoinng 

 almost during the entire season, and certainly 

 earlier than any other Onion, we have never 

 learned to value them very highly.— G. R. 



2,3:34. Freestas After Blooming, Keep them 

 watered until there is not a vestige of green 

 foliage remaining, and then keep dry until Aug- 

 ust; when they should be potted in rich soil, and 

 the results will be far better than that obtained 

 from newly purchased bulbs.— E. O. Obfet. 



2,3.33. Ferns in Oreenhoiue. Todo well during 

 summer they need constant shade. Whitewash 

 on the roof will do nicely. Let it remain until 

 fall when rain and frost will remove it. An 

 abundance of water is necessarj' now during 

 their growing season, and though less will suffice 

 in winter, they should on no account be allowed 

 to get dry, as this is fatal to all Ferns, For most 

 sorts a mixture of loam, leaf mould and sand 

 will suit them, and for Maidenhairs, and such 

 other vigorous growers, a sprinkling of bone 

 meal.-E. O. O. 



2,3:36. Leaf Monld for Potting Soil. I like to 

 use leaves when they have been stacked twelve 

 months in potting most things. Ferns, Begonias, 

 Gloxinias,Primulas and all such plants, enjoy leaf 

 soil of a rough description, while for seed sowing 

 it is best stacked two years, and passed through 

 a one-fourth inch sieve. In any case leaf mould 

 ought to be baked or heated first to kill the 

 worms. In mixing soil for potting we always 

 mix the bone meal through the leaf soil and then 

 add loam and sand, then mix thoroughly and let 

 remain several dajs. The bone meal causes it 

 to heat, and kills worms and other insects, but 

 unless a good heap of soil is so mixed the heat 

 will not be sufficient for the purpose named —O. 



2,:j:38, Belladona Lily, This is often fickle 

 as regards flowering, especiall.v if their wants 

 are not understood. They usually commence to 

 grow in January or soon after, and should then 

 be encouraged to grow and mature their foliage. 

 In summer this will die off. Keep them dry then, 

 and in fall the flower stems will appear perfectly 

 bare of foliage or other surroundings.— E, O. O. 



3,34n. Building a Grapery. For early forcing 

 a lean-to running east and west is best, but for 

 later crops a span-rooted house is far better, and 

 should run north and south, and these may be 

 built side by side. Plant your vines inside 

 alwa.vs about four or four and one half feet 

 apart. For early forcing use inside borders, for 

 later work build the houses on arched walls and 

 have borders both inside and outside the 

 house. For early kinds plant for black, Black 

 Hamburgh, and forwhite, Buckland Sweetwater, 

 For late, Black Alicante, Gros Colman, late 

 white, Muscat of Alexanaria. Hamburghs do 

 well also in late houses. Lady Downes is also 

 good for ai late keeping black Grape. 



