244 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



or plants, no matter from where they come, that 

 this committee deems worthy of trial. If it is 

 thoui^ht they are liltely to succeed, or may tiave 

 a chance of success, they are bought, placed 

 there and tested, that the people may know 

 which are worthy of planting without tryingr all 

 those experiments for themselves. 



Expert botanists are employed by the Society, 

 sent out to perform the act of cross-fertilizalion. 

 A man goes in ai-med with a little pair of pliers 

 and a camel's hair brush; that is his stock in 

 trade, except that he wants a package of com- 

 mon sacks, such as grocers have— pound sacks. 

 He goes to some Apple tree, say some extremely 

 hardy sort, and having gathered a quantity of 

 blossoms of the very finest sorts of fruit, or 

 those that seem most promising to use as the 

 male pollen, he puts those specimens in a dry 

 place and takes out the dust (the pollen). Hav- 

 ing that ready, he goes to a tree with the little 

 pair of pliers, before the blossom is open; taking 

 the blossom in his fingers, he inserts the pliers, 

 and as they spring open they tear open the sides 

 of the blossom; then he takes out the anthers, 

 which answer for the male part of the blossom. 



At each fruit spray that he examines he will 

 find three or four, or halt a dozen blossoms; he 

 takes out the anthers of four at each and de- 

 stroys the others before the blossom is opened. 

 He ties a paper sack over them, slips it over with 

 a silver wire, or fastens it with a pin, and so he 

 puts in his work tor the day. For a day and a 

 half perhaps he will take the anthers out of the 

 tiowers on a hundred sprays, that would make 

 four hundred separate blossoms. 



Then, the next morning, he comes with his 

 camel's hair brush and his little sack of pollen, 

 and, having removed each sack, one after the 

 other, he dips into the dust with his brush and 

 carefully dusts the pistil, the central part of the 

 flower, with that dutt and covers it up with the 

 sack and goes on. A man, in that way, may 

 cro8s-fertiliz« perhaps three or tour hundred 

 separate blossoms in each day's work. Now that 

 work is done, except that in a week or two, or 

 three, the paper sacks are usually removed and 

 replaced by sacks of mosquito netting or thin 

 cotton cloth, or cheese cloth— that is used 

 especially for Plums, because it is found to be 

 specially protecting against curculio. 



This spring we have a hundred crosses on our 

 native Crab, and we have found some almost as 

 large as small Wine-sap Apples. Many hundred 

 crosses are made iu that manner, the male part 

 being taken from such Apples as Jonathan, 

 Grimes, Northern Spy, Baldwin, and other large 

 Apples of high quality, and preferably of red 

 color and late-keeping quality. 



That is the way we are trying, as pioneers, to 

 grow a new race of fruits. We found, with all 

 due justice to the imported fruits and their 

 seedlings, which is all we have in an ordinary 

 way, that came from Europe originally, and 

 from down at the south end of the Caspian sea, 

 nor far from the supposed garden of Eden— we 

 have found that while those fruits sutfered in- 

 jury in the straits of our severe season, the na- 

 tive growths seem to enjoy life just as well after 

 as they did before. 



We are pursuing the same course with the 

 Plum, using as the male part of the work the 

 pollen from European varieties. We have now 

 planted the Sand Hill C'herry that comes from 

 further west, in the Dakotas, and propose to 

 treat them in the same manner with the best 

 varieties of the European Cherry. 



We have obtained the native Currant, some of 

 the fine fruit, the best we could get from the 

 south and west of here, and have made many 

 crosses— hundreds and hundreds of crosses— upon 

 that hardy shrub, using as the male principle the 

 common Currants, the best variety of the Euro- 

 pean sorts, and so on through all the list. It is 

 from the seeds from these cross-fertilized fruits 

 that we expect to grow fruits partaking of the 

 good (jualitiesof both parents, ami by continu- 

 ing this course we may produce in time such re- 

 sults as we desire. We can cross shrubs and 

 trees and all in the same manner. 



Greenhouse Cultivation of the 

 Fuchsia. 



{Extract o/paper read by Mr. John Ftirntw hfftirf the 

 Sheffield, Kngtand, Floral and Hortii-itllural Society.) 



The ease with which the Fuchsia can be 

 grown in almost any kind of soil and situa- 

 tion, its free Howering habit, and the ac- 

 commodating way iu which it will nourish 

 in any sized pot, renders it especially popu- 



lar. When covering rafters and pillars in 

 lofty conservatories it is seen to the best ad- 

 vantage, for its flowers hang in the most 

 natural and graceful manner. It may be 

 grown in pyramidal form or in baskets 

 hanging from the roof. 



Making New Varieties. Carefully select the 

 plants you intend to cross. The fertilized flowers 

 must be guarded from winged msects. When 

 the fleshy berries are ripe they should be placed 

 on a warm shelf in a greenhouse exposed to the 

 sun, and when shrivelled the seed may be taken 

 out and dried. It is then ready for sowing in a 

 well-drained pan or pot, the soil consisting of 

 halt yellow loam and half leaf mould, with a 

 good sprinkling of sand. 



When the seed is sown, cover with fine soil, 

 water gently, place in a heat of about 70°, and 

 shade from the sun. When the seedlings are 

 large enough place them in small pots, and when 

 well established they should be gradually hard- 

 ened to a lower temperature, kept near the glass, 

 and lightly shaded in bright weather. They may 

 also be syringed morning and afternoon, and if 

 properly attended to with water and ventilation 

 will soon make good plants. During warm 

 weather in summer the plants may be grown in 

 cold frames, and taken into the greenhouse when 

 showing flower. 



Let the seedlings take their own way, so as to 

 ascertain the natural habit of each variety. No 

 matter how fine the flowers may be, if the habit 

 of the plant be bare and straggling, it m ikes it 

 worthless for high culture. Most of the varieties 

 will bloom the first season. 



Propagation by Cuttings is a much quicker 

 method. The cuttings can be struck at almost 

 any period of the year, but it is generally done 

 in the spring. Place old plants in a moist heat, 

 where they will break into growth and supply 

 plenty of cuttings. When the shoots are three 

 or four inches long take them off, cutting level 

 at a joint, and insert thefli in a sandy mi.xture of 

 loam and leaf mould, in a moist heat of tiO", 

 where they will soon root and commence grow- 

 ing, when they may be potted singly. 



Where fine plants and exhibition pyramids are 

 required, the best time to strike cuttings is about 

 the end of July, keeping them growing through 

 the winter. They should be rooted in heat, then 

 placed in small thumb pots, in three parts good 

 yellow loam, and the additional part made of 

 leaf mould, horse and cow manure rubbed 

 through a tine sieve, with sand to keep the whole 

 porous. When established they can be gradually 

 hardened to a temperature of .5.^° and grown on. 

 Give them a small shift in the autumn. 



Water carefully, and about the middle of 

 March they may again be potted raising the 

 temperature to G0°, with sun heat a little higher. 

 They will then begin to grow freely. It. is not 

 always wisdom to overpot them, as sometimes 

 by careless watering the soil may get too wet, 

 and then they will not grow satisfactorily. 



When potting use the soil previously recom- 

 mended, and in favorable weather syringe them 

 morning and afternoon. I recommend stopping 

 the leading shoots once or twice during the early 

 stages, so as to make them bushy, and the side 

 shoots, so as to keep a regular outline of foliage. 

 Keep the plants near the glass and not too 

 crowded. Never allow insects to get a start. 



The plants will require shifting into larger 

 pots during the early summer. The last potting 

 should be in June or beginning of July, and the 

 last stopping of the shoots seven or eight weeks 

 before blooming. 



Cnltiyation. The form of house best adapted 

 for the Fuchsia is a span-roof, where plenty of 

 light and air can be given. Liquid manure can 

 be used with advantage for old plants, but it is 

 seldom required for young plants that have had 

 the treatment here recommended, except when 

 they become root-bound, when they will be 

 benefited by frequent applications of li(juid 

 manure. 



As soon as Fuchsias have flowered they may 

 be placed out of doors to have the wood ripe, and 

 remain out until the appearance of frost. The 

 Fuchsia is a very accommodating plant, and will 

 keep alive in almost any place safe from frost. 

 They may be kept moderately dry, but not too 

 dry, or perhaps the plants will die. 



About February the plants must be pruned 

 into shape, two or three joints longer than 

 last year. Alter pruning, the plants may iKJ 

 started in gentle heat, according to the time at 

 which they are wanted to flower. They will 

 break freely if syringed well. Pot in the com- 

 post previously advised, and in most cases in a 



size smaller pot, but do not water until the roots 

 begin to work freely in the fresh soil; syringe 

 them, h(twever. two or three times a day, and 

 keep them in a moist heat. 



They can be grown in this manner for years 

 I have seen Fuchsias twelve to fourteen feet 

 high and one mass of flowers, making a grand 

 display. Well-trained specimens require both 

 skill and careful management, and when well 

 grown fully repay the cultivator, and when once 

 you have a well-trained specimen, it is easy to 

 keep it in this condition for years. 



Discussions of Wisconsin Horticul- 

 turists. 



DiiOUTH Antidotes.— At the last meeting 

 Mr. A. A. Winslow said he had not yet 

 found a way how to gtiard against drouth 

 successfully. 



From April 1.5 to June 15 there had not been 

 rain enough in his section of country to wet the 

 ground down one inch. If possible to guard 

 against the drouth he believed that it must be 

 by irrigation, but that was beyond the reach of 

 most farmers. Another question that presented 

 itself was if the use of commercial fertilizers 

 would assist them any in attaining their object. 

 He did not know of any way to prevent the 

 drouth, but he thought that failures were good 

 instructors. One lesson that they had learned 

 from the drouth this season was to get the 

 ground in order earlier. If the soil were thor- 

 oughly pulverized, the plants would be more 

 likely to live, and it would be less work to keep 

 the weeds out. The best time to kill a weed is 

 when it first shows itself above ground. Cultivate 

 the ground with a fine toothed cultivator. 



Hatted Bows of Btra wherries. One gentleman 

 attacked the notion of matted Strawljerry beds. 

 He said that more berries could be obtained from 

 a foot and a half of row and a foot and a half of 

 path than from a matted bed. They should tx; 

 kept in rows and not allowed to run toi, ether be- 

 tween the rows. It is a wrong practice to let the 

 vines run together till they had become one mass 

 and then go through them and cut out paths, 

 separating them again into their rows. By this 

 method just so much plant energy was destroyed 

 as they had dug up from between the rows. 

 That energy should rather be conserved for the 

 use of the permanent vines, by not allowing the 

 surplus plants to grow in the paths. 



Mulching. Mr Thayer said that he did not 

 think it made much difference what kind of 

 mulch was used. One year he used silage that 

 had spoiled, and it made a very good mulch. 



Mr. Stickney said that he had seen several dif- 

 ferent methods advocated. Some said mow off 

 the bed and others said plow it up after the first 

 year. He knew of a man that runs his mowing 

 machine over the bed after the crop is taken off, 

 and then runs his cultivator between the rows. 

 In a month the bed is as green as can be. By 

 this method he had been able to get much l)etter 

 fruit than in any other way. 



Mr. Kellogg said in mulching Strawberries the 

 mulch should be taken off, and the parts between 

 the rows cultivated, and then the mulch put 

 back again. 



Mr. Stickney:— Many would think that it Is a 

 great deal of work to take off the mulch and 

 after cultivating put it back again, but when the 

 cost is reckoned up it is found that it is not so 

 big as it seems. 



Fall Planting. Mr. Barnes read a paper on 

 fall planting of small fruits. He said that it the 

 planting was done in the fall the plants would 

 get more attention than in the spring. Besides, 

 in the spring every hour that the plants were 

 kept from the ground their growth was being 

 retarded Just so much, which was not the case in 

 the fall. It was a fact that nearly every plant 

 that had been planted the past spring hi.d been 

 stunted by the drouth. He would not, however, 

 recommend fall planting, because so many 

 planters were careless in performing the work 

 and would therefore lose their trees. 



The discussion that followed was mainly op- 

 posed to Mr. Barnes' paper of fall planting, and 

 the members did not want the public to under- 

 stand that they advocated that method. 



Mr. Stickney said that it was very important 

 to plant Gooseberries and Currants in the fall, 

 because they began to grow very early, just as 

 soon as the frost was out of the roots. Black- 

 berries and Rasplierries should be planted in the 

 spring, lor their roots lie near the surface. 



Spring Planting. The question was asked: 

 Don't you think it a great evil to leave the spring 



