I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



243 



state CTiiiversity. The Petunisi, at the hands of 

 the cultivator ami hybridizer, has been improved 

 until it may he sflid of the large {ringed varieties 

 that they bear little resemblance to the original 

 species. 



The cultivated Petunias of to-day embrace 

 three well defined forms, viz., the ordinary small- 

 Uowered, the granittora or large-flowered and 

 the double. The latter are usually grown from 

 cuttings taken later during September. 



Tnthe small-flowered section we have every- 

 body's Petunia, varieties which give the greatest 

 number of flowers for the smallest outlay, and 

 blooming continually from early summer until 

 frost . They perfect their seeds in great abund- 

 ance, and if the bed is left undisturbed in spring, 

 hundreds of young seedlings will come up which 

 can be transplanted. It is better, however, to 

 save seed from the best marked flowers. 



Although the seed germinates readily out-of- 

 doors, considerable time is saved by sowing in a 

 small box in the house about .\pril 1st. When the 

 seedling-plants have developed two or three 



small transplanted stock, they should be planted 

 in beds in the following manner: Drive a stake 

 at tbe corner of the bed, fasten to this a strong 

 garden line, stretch it along one side full length 

 of the bed, here drive another stake and fasten 

 the line to it, drawing it tightly: from the last 

 stake driven, measure across the bed four feet 

 and drive another stake, stretch tlie line from 

 this to the other end of the bed and opiiosite to 

 the first stake driven; measure off four feet, and 

 drive another stake, to which fasten the line, 

 drawing it tight. See that the stakes are so 

 driven that the line will be just four feet apart 

 at each end of the bed. 



It large seedlings or small transplanted plants 

 are to be planted, take a board ten inches wide 

 and five feet long, lay it across the end of the 

 bed on top of the lines, and against the stakes at 

 the end of the bed where you wish to begin plant- 

 ing; stand on the board and with a spade proceed 

 to cut the trench, having the side next to the 

 board perpendicular, as shown in Fig. 1. 



After you have cut a trench from one line to 



thousand evergreens can be growing on any 

 farm in the United States, with an outlay which 

 will not exceed ttn or fifteen dollars, the total 

 cost of trees, shades and planting. 



Summer Treatment. During the summer the 

 trees nnist be kept free from weeds and the 

 ground well worked among them, so it will not 

 become hard and dry. While hoeing and weed- 

 ing the shades may be laid to one side then put 

 back; they should not be left ofl' but a short 

 time, or they may be raised at one side and held 

 up with a stick as shown in Fig. 4. 



The best and handiest hoe to use is a small one, 

 about three inches wide, as the soil can be worked 

 up close to the little trees with the rake side bet- 

 ter than any tool we know of. Lang's Weeder is 

 also a very useful tool in weeding small plants. 

 It plants that have been transplanted and are 

 twelve or fifteen inches high, are to be used, it is 

 best to plant them in rows and let them grow 

 two years before planting them out where they 

 are to grow permanently. Stretch the garden 

 line and cut a trench along it, and plant as above 



CUTTING THE TRENCH. 



SETTING THE PLANTS. CUTTING SECOND TRENCH. 



GROWING EVERGREENS fOR PROTECTION ON THE WESTERN PRAIRIES. 



TILTED LATH SHADE, 



leaves they should be transplanted into other 

 boxes or singly into small thumb-pots. The time 

 for planting out will depend upon the locality 

 and season, from the middle of May to the first 

 of June. The plants should be setout not nearer 

 than one foot apart. Treated in this way, our 

 best strains of Petunia are not surpassed by any 

 other annual. 



Growing Evergreens for Protection 

 on the Western Prairies. 



'■Extract oj paper rmtl bu E. II. Bicker, before the 

 Association of American Nurserymtti.) 



In growing evergreens on the prairies, 

 wliere they are e.xposed to the sun and hot 

 dry winds in the summer and the cold dry 

 winds in winter, use nursery-grown plants. 

 It is folly to purchase those pulled from the 

 swamps of Michigan or Wisconsin, and ex- 

 pect to be successful with them. 



The best sizes to use are those which have been 

 once or twice transplanted; they will need no 

 protection from the sun, and, as a rule, will give 

 better satisfaction to the planter. They cost 

 much more than seedlings from the seed bed; but 

 to those who would prefer to purchase two or 

 three years' growth rather than to wait for 

 small seedlings to grow, it would be advisable 

 to do so. People who have but limited means, 

 and cannot afford the Immediate expense for 

 large plants, may have small trees growing with 

 but small outlay. Small seedlings are just as 

 sure to glow if properly handled. 



The next Is to decide what kind and how many 

 trees or idants you want. This is very Important. 

 Select a place where the soil has been well 

 worked to some hoed crop, and as free from 

 weeds as possible, jilow or spade deep, rake very 

 fine and level, which should be done at least a 

 week lief ore the time of planting, that the ground 

 may become settled so that the trench may be 

 cut without caving down at the sides. 



When the trees or plants are received, unpack 

 them in a cool shady place, out of the wind, the 

 cellar being the best place. Have a pan or pail 

 ailed with mud and water about as thick as 

 paint, in readiness before you open the bundle 

 or box of trees; the chill should be taken oH' the 

 water before mixing; stir up will, take the 

 plants, a small handful at a time, and dip the 

 roots into the mud and water; see that all the 

 roots are well covered with it, and do not get the 

 mud on the foliage or top of them. Lay the 

 plants into a box, pan or hand-barrow, have some 

 fine dirt in readiness, and sprinkle over the roots 

 as you dip them, covering each layer as you put 

 them into the box, pan or l)arrow. After you 

 have unpacked and dipped all the plants, and 

 have the roots protected as above, proceed to 

 the place of planting. 

 Flantlng. If the plants are large seedlings, or 



the other, take the plants, one at a time, in the 

 left hand, hold it up against the bank, and with 

 the right hand, push in dirt enough to hold it in 

 place; proceed In this manner until the trench is 

 filled with plants as shown in Fig. 3. Fill the 

 trench nearly full of the dirt that has been 

 thrown out, and with the foot press firmly 

 towards the bank or side of the trench, making 

 the plants so tight in the ground that they can 

 hardly be pulled out. This is the secret of 

 success with small Evergreens. 



After you have the rows firmly tramped, take 

 the garden rake, and rake the fine dirt that has 

 become scattered, towards the row of plants, un- 

 til the bed is perfectly level again; take up the 

 board and lay on the other side of the trees and 

 cut the next trench as shown in Fig. 3. After 

 cutting the trench from one line to the other, 

 proceed to put in the next row. Proceed in this 

 manner until the plants are all planted out. 



Shading. Large seedlings and small trans- 

 planted plants should be planted from one to three 

 inches ai>art in the rows, and should have some 

 protection from the sun the first year after 

 planting. Take strips 2 x 2, or 1 x 2 inches and 

 nail lath on them, drive stakes along the side of 

 the beds so they will be in line; leave them about 

 six inches higher than the plants, and put the 

 shades over. In making the shades, leave the 

 laths three-fourths of an Inch apart. The shades 

 should be made and ready for use before the 

 planting is commenced, and put over the trees 

 as the planting Is done. If this be inconvenient, 

 sprinkle a little coarse wild hay or straw over 

 them lightly until the shades can be made, but 

 do not leave small seedlings exposed to the sun 

 when they are first planted, as at this time they 

 need the most protection (the same as a Cabbage 

 or Tomato plant). The shades should be left on 

 during the summer. 



On the western prairies where the winds are 

 constantly blowing, as the writer has often seen 

 It in different parts of Kansas. Nebraska, Dakota. 

 Minnesota and Iowa, a good plan is to take com- 

 mon boards twelve inches wide, set them up 

 edgewise, making a pen around the entire bed, 

 and put the lath shades on top of these boards. 

 These will protect the little trees from the dry, 

 hot winds in summer, and in the fall, when freez- 

 ing weather comes, take off the shades and fill 

 the pen made with the boards full of straw, and 

 put the shades back over and lasten down so 

 they cannot blow off. This will protect the trees 

 through the winter from hard freezing, which is 

 very injurious, until the plants get old enough 

 and the wood hard enough to withstand the 

 cold winters of the northwest. In the south and 

 southwest this latter protection is not neceasary. 

 If small one-year old seedlings are to be planted, 

 tbe rows may be five or six inches apart, and the 

 plants about one inch apart in the rows: at this 

 rate, a bed eight or ten feet long will hold over 

 one thousand trees. In this manner over one 



described, putting the plants four or six inches 

 apart in the rows, and the rows twelve to eight- 

 een inches apart. Cultivate with u hand culti- 

 vator, hoe well and keep free from weeds, and 

 the growth they will make in two years will he 

 surprising. 



Shelter Belts, After they have had two years 

 growth, plant where y(m wantyour shelter belt; 

 have the soil in a good mellow condition, just as 

 you would to plant Corn, hoe them thoroughly; 

 do not let a weed grow near them. 

 I The trees should be planted in rows around 

 your buildings and orchards, from four to eight 

 feet apart each way, the more rows the better 

 shelter belt you will have. The time to do the 

 planting is when the ground is warm enough to 

 plant Corn. 



What Kinds, The above Instructions apply to 

 all varieties of evergreens. But the ne.xt ques- 

 tion is, which is the best variety for protection. 

 Nearly all the thrifty-growing evergreens are 

 valuable as a shelter belt where they are hardy, 

 but the trees that ha\e stood the test, and have 

 proved the most valuable as trees for shelter, are 

 the Norway Spruce {Pi^'ca P^iimens), American 

 White Pine, Scotch Pine, Austrian Pine, Red 

 Cedar and White Cedar. These are har^y and 

 adapted to prairie soil, and where they have been 

 properly handled and well cultivated, have given 

 perfect satisfaction. 



How We Get New Fruits. 



(Extract of paper read by C. L. Watrous before the 

 American Nurserymen's Association.^ 



At a pomological meeting in Boston, a 

 member of the Society from Iowa said: 

 "In all the years that I have attended fruit 

 exhibits of tlie American Pomological So- 

 ciety, I have observed that premium speci- 

 mens of any variety of- fruit have come from 

 a place close by the place of origin, thereby 

 showing that the seedlings of which we 

 have all the fruits of this country, have 

 been saved because of their excellence at 

 the place of their origin or near there, and 

 as they spread out from there they meet 

 with many difficulties, such as the changing 

 of the climate, and the differences caused 

 by the cutting away of the timber, and 

 these have changed the sorts until they 

 have finally developed diseases," 



Now, various things had set me to thinking, 

 and I said: "Why may we not here in the West 

 grow a race of fruits by using our own wild 

 fruits;"'— and a great many others thought of it 

 at the same time, and the work has gone t>n. 



The Iowa State Horticultural Society, aided 

 by the state, has established twenty experiment 

 stations. At those stations are planted, having 

 been bought by a certain committee, any fruit 



