50 



QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 



Herbs. 



Sports. 



joint. The flower stalks rise to a height of three feet. It is a grass to be 

 dreaded as very difficult of eradication. It flourishes under hot sun 

 and often on poor soils, gives fair pasturage when other sorts of grass are 

 dried up. 

 Guinea Grass. 280. Q. What is Guinea grass ? 



A. Botanically it is called Fanicnm maximum, and is a native of Africa 

 and cultivated extensively in the West Indies. Very susceptible to frost, 

 and only ripens seed in the tropics. It is a large hay producer, reaching 

 a height of six to seven feet. The seed resembles millet. 



281. Q. My herbs this year don't seem to possess the usual aroma — 

 why is it ? 



A. The aroma is strongest in hot, dry Summers — when they grow vig- 

 orously under effects of abundant rains they possess little aroma. 



282. Q, Why are not more of our ornamental plants and fruits grown 

 from seed ? 



A. Because ofttimes they produce very little seed or none at all, but 

 more especially because they are bud propagations, not the results of evo- 

 lution or watchful and slow breeding. They are generally sports without 

 heredity. In some of these cases, where the subject of heredity has been 

 closely followed up for years, the seed produces liije parent — for instance, 

 among fruits many forms of Russian apples, and some peaches, grapes, 

 plums and quinces. 



283. Q. How can I make my pole beans run more freely ? 

 A. Use nitrogen as a manure — apply it in the form of dried meat, blood, 



fish or guano. 



284. Q. How can I keep my beans and peas more dwarf? 

 A. Omit nitrogenous manures and fertilize with potash. 



285. Q. How many grasses are there ? 

 A. Over 3000 plants of the grass family are known and described, the 



greater part of no value. The list of grass seeds offered for sale in vari- 

 ous countries and recommended for forage numbers about 200 sorts. 



296. Q. My cucumber vines set very few fruit compared with the num- 

 ber of blossoms. How is this ? 



A. In cucumbers the sexes occur in distinct flowers and it is only the 

 female flowers which develop fruit. In cucumbers, blossoms occur at 

 every joint, and these are only three to four inches apart, often three 

 blossoms at a joint, and quite 100 to 200 blossoms to a single vine, and 

 presuming that one-tliird were female a cultivator might look for an enor- 

 mous production, but very few of the female flowers become pollenized 

 and fruitful. 



287. Q. Can I take up some of my tomato plants growing in the field 

 and keep them over the Winter for setting out next Spring? 



A. You might succeed, but the chances are against you, as the plants 

 are in unsuitable condition for removal. Tomato plants, however, have 

 been known to live for years in a greenhouse, and in the West Indies 



Nitrogen. 



Potash. 



Grasses. 



Cacumber 

 Blossoms. 



Tomato. 



