228 



POPULAR GARDENING, 



August. 



2,45!t. Killing SprOTlts. Once a week cut out 

 every sprout that shows, applying the knife just 

 a little below the surface. It is a sure cure in 

 every instance if the remedy ouly be applied 

 with patience. I recall at one time laying down 

 a lawn where a row of old Plum trees that 

 were in bad shape from black knot, had been cut 

 away. The sprouts started up (.[uick and rank, 

 and some fear was entertained of trouble from 

 them. But the remedy mentioned did away with 

 them in about two months. That was some 

 years ago; no sprout has shown up since.-A.H.E. 



3,.516. Cats in Gardens. 1 have a good plan for 

 keeping cats out of the garden which should 

 answer K. R.'s purpose. Let me explain: 1 have 

 a good sized frame and greenhouse at 

 the end of my garden, facing the 

 road. The cats made a run from the 

 road, over the flower beds and green- 

 house into the garden at back. To 

 stop them I got a few cards of the size 

 of the ordinary playing cards, and put 

 tin tacks through from the back, and 

 then with two tacks put another card 

 on the back to keep the tacks from 

 falling out. I then placed them at 

 short distances apart and covered the 

 cards with flue soil, so that they 

 might not be seen from the garden. 

 The cats' feet get on them; afterwards 

 they never trouble me again, for I 

 have never seen any signs of them 

 since the week I tlrst put the cards 

 and tacks on the garden. It you will 

 try this plan I am sure you will be 

 quite as successful as I have been. 

 Conversing with a neighbor on this 

 subject he said that last year cats 

 completely destroyed his seeds. This 

 year, however, he has taken advan- 

 tage of atrait in cat nature — namely, 

 their fastidious avoidance of entrust- 

 ing their precious bodies on any other 

 than terra firma. He placed sliglit 

 wire lattice along the fence and at 

 the approaches, and then stood 

 amused to see the cats approach, put 

 out their paws for examination of 

 the swaying obstacle, and then re- 

 tire.— G. O. 



2,515. Growing Onion Setts. The 

 best soil for growing setts is a clean 

 sand or sandy loam of medium fertil- 

 ity. High manuring is not necessary. 

 Sow seed in drills one foot apart, at 

 the rate of thirty or forty pounds, or 

 even more per acre. For yellow setts 

 use Yellow Dutch or Strassburg; for 

 red. Early Red; for white. Silver Skin 

 or White Portugal. Cultivate in the 

 usual way, keep clear from weeds, 

 and when the tops have died, take 

 up when soil is dry by shoving an or- 

 dinary garden trowel under the row 

 lengthwise, lifting up setts and soil, 

 and throw in a fine sieve, thus clean- 

 ing the setts from the soil and sand. 

 There is also an attachment to the 

 Planet Jr., hand wheel hoe designed 

 for lifting the setts, and this will be 

 found a much less laborious method 

 than lifting with a trowel. The chief 

 difficulty connected with the under- 

 taking is the safe wintering. Setts 

 should be placed in shallow, rather 

 open boxes or crates, and stored in a 

 well-ventilated room, where the temperature 

 will keep near the freezing point without actual 

 freezing. Or they may be spread six inches 

 thick on a floor or lolt, and when frozen covered 

 with straw and kept frozen until spring, tin the 

 whole, however, they are better keepers than 

 large mature bulbs.— K. 



2,404. Weeping Cut-leaved Birch. Birch seed 

 may be obtained from any importer and large 

 dealer in seeds. Sow very early in spring. The 

 seed bed should be shaded, also the young seed- 

 lings, until they are several inches high Trans- 

 plant when a year old. Varieties are readily 

 propagated by budding and grafting. Seedlings 

 of the strongest growing species, like White 

 Birch (Betuhi alba), the American Sweet Birch 

 (B. letda) and Paper Birch ili. fapurocca) are 

 usually selected for stocks. — K. 



2,507. Apples Dropping When Small. The 

 cause can hardly be determined from the data 

 given. It may be lack of proper fertilization, or 

 it may be scab or insects. — R. 



climbing Clematises. The foliage shows 

 considerable variation both in size and form. 

 The leaves are sometimes only a few inches 

 long, crowded, and with closely packed ses- 

 sile leaflets, not a fourth of an inch long; in 

 others the leaves are four to six inches long, 

 with linear segments. The leaves of the 

 plant from which the portion of the branch 

 depicted was taken, were about six inches 

 in length, deltoid with petiolate leaflets. 

 The flowers are very variable, ranging from 

 one inch to three inches in diameter, those 



its nearest counterpart in general appear- 

 ance. As grown at Kew the leaves are 

 sometimes alternate, a singular fact, which 

 if conflrmed, would leave nothing whereby 

 to distinguish the two genera from one 

 another but the valvate petals of Clematis, 

 these being imbricate in Anemone. 



Stanley's Clematis from South 

 Africa. 



This remarkable species of Clematis, al- 

 though not new, is deserving of attention, 

 especially by cultivators in our Southern 

 States. In the North it would require the 

 protection of a greenhouse along with other 

 plants, native of Southern Africa. It 

 flowers freely in the greenhouse. 



The habit of the plant is erect and vigor- 

 ous, that is, it belongs to the bush not to the 



Stanley's Clematis from SmUh Africa. Flowers, white to 

 He-engraved from London Gardener's Magazine. 



produced under cultivation being tlie 

 largest; color from white to purplish rose. 



As shown in the accompanying illustra- 

 tion, the flowers are somewhat campanulate 

 in form, drooping, and borne on erect stalks, 

 which vary considerably in length, accord- 

 ing to the character of the variety and the 

 conditions under which the plants are 

 grown, btit the average length is perhaps 

 six inches. 



In common with other South African 

 plants. Clematis Stanley! should, when 

 grown out of doors, have a position in a 

 warm sunny border, and the thick fleshy 

 roots be protected during winter by a cover- 

 ing of some loose material, so that should 

 the branches be destroyed by the frost a 

 new growth may be obtained from the base. 



Sir .Joseph Hooker, of Kew, remarked of 

 the distinct character of this specimen that 

 few genera of plants present such a remark- 

 able divergence in habit and flowers as 

 Clematis, and the present stibject shows 

 perhaps, in this respect, the greatest depart- 

 ure from the prevalent characters of its con- 

 geners. In fact it most resembles an Ane- 

 mone in foliage and flower, though no 

 species of that genus has so shrubby a 

 habit, and our native Anemone patens is 



Success and Failure In the Garden. 



H. C. TOW.VSEND, DUCHESS CO., N. T. 



Who has succeeded with Roses this season ? 

 My success has not been at all gratifying, 

 especially the Hybrid perpetuals. 

 Vick's Caprice was the first to 

 bloom, and gave good satisfac- 

 tion, but was not the glowing 

 Rose set forth by some of our 

 leading florists. The stripes were 

 distinctly marked, but of a dull, 

 unattractive color. As a free 

 bloomer, it will be hard to beat. 

 General Jacqtieminot, the old 

 standby, bloomed proftisely, and 

 the dry weather seemed to stimu- 

 late it into one mass of blooms. 

 The same may be said of Magna 

 Charta; it was indeed a beautiful 

 sight, covered with large Roses 

 of a beatititul, delicate satiny 

 shade. Fisher Holmes did well; 

 flowers much the color of the 

 General Jacqueminot, but larger 

 and more handsome in bud. Duke 

 of Edinburgh always gives satis- 

 faction; flowers elegantly shaded 

 and very fragrant. Coquette Des 

 Blanches did well; also Baroness 

 Rothschild, Perfection Des Blan- 

 ches and Grand Duke. Mrs. Jno. 

 Laing and Dinsmore were com- 

 plete failures; the latter variety 

 was covered with large, beautiful 

 buds, all of which blasted by the 

 dry weather. Louis VanHoutte 

 is a beautiful Rose, and should 

 be in every collection. Dr. Marx 

 is nothing more or less than the 

 old-fashioned Cabbage Rose found 

 in nearly every garden. 



Monthly Roses promised unus- 

 ually well, early in the season; 

 but, as a rule, all except Her- 

 mosa, Bonsilene, Sunset, and the 

 Gem, have been a failitre; all 

 btidded well, but the drought cut 

 them short. 



A. D. T., of Nebraska, page 206, 

 complains of their Roses not 

 doing well on account of too 

 much rain. Ours have suffered for 

 want of rain; and while the Rose has suf- 

 fered the most thus far this season, the 

 prospects are not encouraging for other 

 flowers. 



Asters, Phlox, Dianthus, Calendulas, and 

 in fact all anntials are making little or no 

 growth to what they should do at this sea- 

 son. Dahlias are only one-half their usual 

 size. Cannas, Geraniums and perennials 

 are the only plants that seem to thrive. 



Frtiit and vegetables have likewise suf- 

 fered. Early Peas ripened up and were all 

 gathered at one picking. Early Potatoes 

 are but half a crop; Beans are tough and 

 stringy; Beets are small and tasteless; late 

 Potatoes are promising; Tomatoes are very 

 promising, btit the green flies are threaten- 

 ing them; Cabbages and Ttirnips are also 

 sulTering severely from these flies, and it is 

 almost impossible to do anything to prevent 

 the ravage; Celery looks fine. Fruit is 

 promising. Peach and Plum trees are 

 breaking down under the weight; Apples 

 and Pears are an average crop; Quinces will 

 be light. 



On the whole, the farm and market gar- 

 dener does not seem to be discouraged, but 

 hopes for the later rains to make up the 

 early season's deficiencies. 



