236 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



ducts to spare for willing buyers in Europe 

 and elsewhere than we have had heretofore, 

 and more to consume at home. But our 

 people are adept scholars in the use of 

 fruits, and the consumption, per capita, 

 Beems to be increasing so fast, that we be- 

 lieve the imports will not fall off for some 

 time to come, especially since they consist 

 so largely of Bananas, of which we produce 

 no appreciable amoiint, and which have 

 now become almost a daily necessity of the 

 people of the United States. 

 On the whole we are to be congratulated 



JAPAN PLUM, HATTONKIN No. 2, NATURAL SIZE 



for our facilities to produce, and still more 

 for our unexcelled capacity and willingness 

 to consume fruits. 



The effects of fruit-eating upon a nation 

 as well as upon the Individual, can only be 

 favorable and desirable. 



The Japanese Plums. 



J. L. NORMAND, LA. 



I forward to your address samples of the 

 Hattonkin No. 2 Plum, There is some con- 

 fusion in the nomenclature of the .Japanese 

 Plums. I find myself with three different 

 kinds of Hattonkins, and three kinds of 

 Botans. Have now some thirty different 

 varieties of oriental Plums on my experi- 

 ment grounds, and will fruit most of them 

 this present season. 



Some of them are a marvel of prolificacy, 

 large size and exquisite flavor, ripening in 

 succession here in central Louisiana from 

 the 10th day of May to the first of September, 

 thus giving us a succession of luscious 

 Plums for over three months. The South 

 now can compete with California in raising 

 fine Prunes, which are practically curculio- 

 proof, except the Kelsey which is attacked 

 by the little "turks." I have fruited some 

 sixteen varieties in the last three years and 

 find them free of insect pests, and to my de- 

 light this season I see no perceptible damage 

 done by the curculio. 



I am sure these oriental Plums are not 

 only a success here in the Cotton belt, but 

 also in New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana and New 

 York and other states. 



[The specimens of Hattonkin No. 2 came 

 to hand. Skin and flesh dark golden yellow. 

 Form shown in accompanying illustration. 

 Size medium. Even after having been 

 shipped so far and picked before maturity, 

 the fruit is quite acceptable, We notice a 

 little insipidity and lack of pronounced 

 character. The flesh is fruity and meaty, 

 mild subacid, and if not of high quality, 

 quite pleasant, sprightly, melting and good. 

 Altogether we think fruit growers will do 

 well to keep an eye on the Japanese Plums. 

 There is good material in them.— Ed.] 



Raspberries Once More. 



E. P. POWELL, ONEIDA COUNTY, N. T. 



If I were to have but one Raspberry for 

 home use, I should select Shaffer. It al- 

 ways freezes back a little, but it comes up 

 with enormous crops every time. The berry 

 is large, by all odds our biggest. The qual- 

 ity is tart, but firm. It has real flavor. The 



Cuthbert is best for market and is a really 

 good berry, but it is not highest in flavor. 

 For quality alone. Turner is close to the 

 head, only the plant will not endure the 

 least neglect or crowding. I do not know 

 one other fruit so good under special cul- 

 ture, and so poor when let alone. The 

 Turner must be grown in hills, with not 

 more than three canes in a hill. The Cuth- 

 bert, on the contrary, does best when in tight 

 rows. Shaffer I grow in hills altogether. 

 It roots at the tip like a black Raspberry. 

 You can multiply it readily if you choose to 

 give it room . Of all berries, 

 the one that almost fills 

 every demand is Pride of 

 the Hudson. There must 

 be localities where it will 

 be perfect. This year with 

 me it is loaded beyond con- 

 ception. The berries are 

 mellow and very delicious, 

 but they do not keep long 

 after ripening. The canes 

 also do not adapt them- 

 selves to field culture. I 

 have them in a dozen locali- 

 ties, and find that they 

 thrive best in a half-shaded 

 spot with moist soil. They 

 do not always endure 

 open field culture. I have 

 two seedlings, crosses of Philadelphia and 

 Cuthbert, that seem to me decidedly ahead 

 of all early berries. They are in good hands 

 to be tested farther. One of them has the 

 Philadelphia style of growth, the other has 

 the Cuthbert style; both are round berries 

 and of extra size and solidity. Grown along- 

 side Marlboro, they are with similar culture 

 more than double the size. Marlboro with 

 me seems only a decently good wild berry. 

 Of yellows, I prefer Franconia when we 

 have dry weather, but Golden Queen all in 

 all for seasons as they go. The first is high- 

 est in flavor. Golden Queen is not a rich 

 berry and it softens soon after picking, but 

 not so soon as Franconia. The only object 

 in raising yellows is to suit a fancy trade 

 that takes in a small proportion of select 

 berries. Bright scarlet is the taking color 

 always. But for home use be sure to put 

 up a few cans of purples. The flavor is pe- 

 culiar, and rich. I prefer it to all others. 



Black Raspberries are not with me a 

 specialty, although I have Gregg, Souhegan, 

 Tyler, Davison's Thornless, Palmer, Ada. 

 Hilborn, and a specially fine selection of 

 seedlings. Some of these latter quite equal 

 the former. I am inclined to like Palmer 

 as well as any for early, and Gregg for late; 

 although Gregg occasionally kills back 

 more or less. Blacks will not stand more 

 than three or four years in the same stools 

 and do well; reds may be grown in the same 

 place for ten or even more years. 



I have adopted the high-cutting plan for 

 red Raspberries and all that can grow in 

 long rows. In these rows, twenty to twenty- 

 five feet apart, are set Cedar posts or stout 

 stakes to which I fasten wires, one wire to 

 a row, about four feet high. The canes are 

 then tied in small bunches above or below 

 the wires, not to the wires, for if they were, 

 the motion caused by wind would soon saw 

 the cords in two. Use coarse Hop twine. 

 In October I cut out old canes; cut off the 

 tops to five or six feet high, and dig out 

 superfluous canes for sale. These I make 

 no point of growing, but believe I should, 

 and that all farmers or fruit growers should 

 cultivate a habit of making everything 

 come to use. No waste, no want. 



The successful culture of Raspberries de 

 pends on a cool soil. That is one reason 

 why I grow the canes tall, as they shade the 

 soil and keep it moist and cool. Manure I 

 have distributed in the fall from carts driven 

 along the ends of the fields. The cut canes 

 can be left on the ground till spring, if de- 



sirable, to help as winter protection. Clip 

 the tops with hedge shears, with which a 

 man can cut nearly as fast as he will walk. 

 The use of sawdust or coal ashes, or both, 

 as mulch, is very much to be approved. 



High culture lifts the bulk of the crop 

 higher than low culture; but that is no dis- 

 advantage to the berries and is a great help 

 to the pickers, who can pick most of the 

 crop standing. But you should see the 

 scarlet walls of berries that my rows pre- 

 sent on picking days. 



There is no trouble with birds except for 

 the first few days, and mostly with blacks. 

 I have tried to fairly estimate profit and loss 

 and been ready to invite robins, cat-birds 

 and indigo-birds to come as freely as they 

 choose. Wood thrushes and hermit thrushes 

 are now adding their songs to my orchestra. 

 The oriole is not quite as polite as he might 

 be, but what a scavenger of bugs he is, and 

 especially of tree lice. Those who grow but 

 a small garden of berries must judge for 

 themselves, but field growers can invite the 

 birds to help themselves. My main use for 

 black Raspberries is to keep the birds off 

 my red ones. 



Raspberry rust I have been studying, and 

 believe our main protection and prevention 

 is good culture and good trimming. The 

 rust strikes in when plants are exhausted 

 with suckers or lack of manure and mulch. 

 Cut out all but four canes, or less if need 

 be. Mulch well, and you will be surprised 

 to find your bushes coming back to health. 

 Very dry weather, rather than wet and cold 

 spells, conduce to the spread of this disease. 



A Wrought Iron Boiler. 



Here and there a florist is found who is ex- 

 perimenting in the matter of constructing a 

 hot-water boiler after ideas of his own. 

 Usually in such cases the claim is made 

 that the boiler costs less money than the 

 cast iron ones of the regular makers. To 

 any one interested in this subject, the ac- 

 companying engraving may be of some ser- 

 vice. 



The flgure represents a boiler having a 

 a single water-space between two tubular 

 walls of boiler plate. This space extends 

 around both the fireplace and ashpit. The 

 grate bars are placed about one-third way 

 up from the bottom of the interior. The 

 flue-pipe leaves the boilers at a and returns 

 at h. This style of boiler can be used either 

 in connection with a brick flue, as in the 

 ease of a saddle boiler, or by having the 

 chimney pipe rise at the further end. 



Profitable Lettuce Forcing. 



J. W. OLDS, MENARD CO.. ILLS- 



My method of forcing Lettuce may be odd 

 and unusual, but it pays. I use three green- 

 houses, each 15x:H2 feet in size, and heated 

 with hot air. Seedlings are raised in flats 

 K^xlT'.i inches, and 4 inches in depth, at the 



A WROUGHT IRON HOT-WATER BOILER- 



rate of about .WO plants per flat. Twenty or 

 thirty days after sowing, when the plants 

 begin to crowd, I prick them out in other 

 flats of same size, putting f).5 to the flat. I 

 then set them in one-pound tin cans, and 

 place these in a flat which holds Itj cans, 

 and measures 0x17 inches and one inch deep. 

 The plants are then about two inches 

 apart. There they remain until set out, 



