iS85. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



29 



A friend complains that her Lily of the Vallej- 

 never Ijloc mis. Some iuquir}' has brought out the 

 fact, that she each season mows off the foliage 

 soon after the ordinary time of bloom. This is 

 a mistake. A plant without leaves or with 

 these imjjaired, is much like a person with lungs 

 that are wasted by disease. There can be no 

 healthy growth under such oouditions, and no 

 wonder that Hi 1 wers are lacking. 



A good lesson to fix in the mind of children is 

 that all (lowers, even the most common ones arc 

 beautifid. Poets have ever delighted to honor 

 the simple little primroses, snowdrops, \iolets, 

 anil the like. More sweet verses have lieen 

 a.scribed to wild-roses thanto thedouble-cui)pe<l 

 and flaming florists' sorts. AVe look upon the 

 inci'easing taste for single and " old fashioned" 

 flowers, as a real sign of advancing taste. 



Mother of Thousands. This in England, is 

 the connnon name for the well known Sii.ri- 

 friii/d saniii'iitii^ii. We prefer it to Strawberry 

 Geranium, a name sometimes applied t<j the 

 same plant. It is no geranium; not even a 

 relative, so it is better that this name should 

 not be mixed up with that plant. This is one 

 of the best of plants for drooping over the sides 

 of banging lia-skets. Everyone succeeds with it. 



In Potting cuttings and shifting plants, many 

 amateurs, perhaps the majority of them, and 

 also some florists, press the earth, but lightly as 

 if they were afraid of hurting the roots of the 

 plant. Let us say that to lightly press the soil 

 only, gives to the roots no fair chance to lay 

 hold of the food for them, in the earth, and the 

 plants suffer to correspond. Press the soil vei-y 

 firmly in these operations, as a rule. The soil 

 of course must be light, porous and fb'y. 



How can I tell when my plants need water I 

 is sometimes asked. A bright Dublin gardener 

 gives his rules thus: 1. By the appearance of 

 the soil or feeling it with the finger. [He might 

 have added, if dust can be worked iijj.] 2. Tap- 

 ping the pot with the knuckles. The pot has 

 a sharj) hollow sound or "ring '" when the earth 

 it contains is ch'v.aud a dull, heavy "thudding" 

 s<iuiid when moist. 3. By lifting the pots and 

 ti'sting their weight, wet soil of course being 

 niucli heavier than dry. 



Rapid growth is seldom desirable in house 

 plants. When plants shoot uji quickly, the 

 leaves ai-e more apt to timi yellow and drop 

 early, than if the growth is slower. Miss M. 

 E. Benedict of Castile, N. Y., in referring to 

 her success with plants says, "I give plenty of 

 cleai' water, but rarely anj' manure water 

 ami seldom ivpot them." If there is one time 

 more than any other, that plants can be given 

 stimulants to advantage, it is when they are in 

 bud, ready to break out strongly into bloom. 



Horticulturists ought to be, and no doubt gen- 

 erally are. a iiainstaking class of persons, yet 

 among them are some who do not take much 

 care in wi'iting their <_>wn names. We often 

 receive well written iettei's, that are jjerfectly 

 legible until it conies to the name — usuallj' the 

 most important part. This is dashed off in a 

 free st}de, which may make it clear to those 

 familiar with it, not so to strangers. A word 

 to our lady correspondents: Please always 

 write your name the same, — not Mrs. Elvira 

 Smith one time and Mrs. Joshua Smith next. 



" We are coming." This is what hundreds of 

 new suliscribers are saying right along in effect, 

 in answer to the request we made for .50, ()()() 

 subscriliers by the end of one year. But the 

 quota is }'et so far from full, that we would 

 urge many more to come. Look the paper over 

 carefully, its contents, the quality of its reading, 

 the engi'avings, the printing and then the jirice, 

 you who have received a copy for the first time; 

 If you love flowers and gardening or if you do 

 not, can ytju afford to be without such a paper, at 

 its low price i We need you as a I'eader; we 

 think you neeii the papei'. 



The beauty of Popular Gardenini; apart 

 from its reailing, has been widely noticed l>y 

 the people and the press. For this we desire to 

 render credit where credit is due. The printing 



is done by Messrs. Haas & Klein, of this city, 

 who make a specialty of fine jjeriodical jirinting. 

 Their «"t)rk speaks for them. Our spirited en- 

 graved heading and most of the otiier original 

 cuts used to einlielish our pages, are from the 

 Art Printing Establishment of Matthews, 

 Northrup & Co.. of Buffalo. This establishment, 

 in a number of its departments, is widely ac- 

 knowledged as standing at the head of Art 

 Printing Works in America. 



A worthy namesake. We were glad lately 

 to meet a most charming namesake, in volume 

 one of C<isst>irs Popular Gctrclt'tu'nr/^ issued by 

 Cassell & Company, limited. New York and 

 London. This is a liandsoine book of li^o large, 

 double column pages, and several hundred en- 



FIG. 2. —RESULTS OF BAD PRUNING. (SEE PAGE 30.) 



gi-avings, inchidiug a beautiful chromo fi-ontis- 

 piece of Roses. The work treats in clear and 

 pleasing style of almost every conceivable sub- 

 ject relating to flowers, fruits and vegetables. 

 While it is an English work, and some of the 

 directions may not be adapted to American 

 practice as to details, still it must prove of great 

 value to our people, in showmg them how in- 

 telligent English gardeners manage. It is in 

 every way a desirable book for Americans. 



Begonias of the sorts grown for winter flow- 

 ers, are an attractive class of plants at this sea- 

 son. The old sort usuallj- known as Carnea, 

 (perhaps more correctl3- dipetalai of a delicate 

 rose color is a favorite one, on account of its 

 free blooming qualities. The flowers are un- 

 equalled for cutting, to use in all arrangements 

 of loose flowers. A varietj" of this one appar- 

 ently, and called Incarnata, is in some places 

 crowding out the other — it having advantages 

 as a pot plant in being of dwarfer growth. 

 The flowers are also of a deeper color, rendering 

 them more attractive in the ej'es of some. Be- 

 gonia Fuchsioides is an elegant pot plant, a little 

 later than this, loaded as it will be with droop- 

 ing cymes of bright scarlet-colored bloom. 

 Grown as specimens for the dinner table, this 

 sort is almost unequalled. 



Without good soil, no one can succeed in 

 growing house plants well. We have little 

 faith in clii]) dirt for plants for best results: we 

 have great faith in what gardeners call " fi- 

 brous loam " for the same pnipose. Those who 

 live in the country, find it an easy matter to 

 have a good lot of this artcle on hand at all 

 tunes. City plant growers can procure the 

 same of the florists at a small price per bushel. 

 You maj' be sure they have it in stock if they 

 know what is what: their bread and butter it 

 might be said, depends upon whether the 

 potting soil thej' use is full of fibers or not. 

 How to get it up is told in a few words. 

 Procure sods two or three inches thick, from a 

 rich pasture lot, or from the roadside, at some 

 spot where the earth is good. Stack it up in 

 some out of the way place until wanted. Break 

 this into pieces the size of acorns, and plants 

 will find in it all the elements really needed to 

 their existence. Or if it seems poor, add a little 

 old fine manure. No need of nibbing siich soil 

 through a fine sieve before using. 



Italian Grass Vases. These novelties in win- 

 dow gardening, intrcxluced from Italy a year 

 ago, are so charming and soea.sily managed, that 

 they deserve attention here, Thi'ough the 

 courtesy of Messi-s. A. H. Hews & Co., of North 

 Caniliridge, Mass., who have come out with a 

 handsome line of these vases in this country, 

 we are able to give the engravings'opposite of two 

 of them. To start these grass vases into 

 gi'owth is a most simple matter. The va.ses 

 being made of porous earthen ware, by filling 

 them with water the clay is constantly moist 

 on the outside. Now by sprinkling any kind 

 of grass or other fine seeil over the vase it will 

 adhere to the moist .surface, and will remain 

 there so long as water is kept in the inside. 

 AVliat follows is. that the .seed sprouts and gi-( tws, 

 and in a short time there is a gi'een lawn-like 

 object the jirecise shape of the vase. The whole 

 affair is so iiretty and inexpensive, that it is 

 not strange these have growii very popular in 

 the large cities. The vases being small, are 

 safely iirocnralile by mail ; those who sell them 

 usually fui'nish seed for sowing gi'atis. 



Botanical names and Bugs. An editor of a 

 milling journal pul>lished in Western New 

 York is getting interested in gardening mat- 

 ters, as a result of reading Popular Garden- 

 ing. Some time ago, in visiting a neighboring 

 town where lives an amateur gardener who has 

 a large collection of plants, he early made an 

 opportunity to call on this gentleman, and see, 

 what was widelj' know, as a first-class garden. 

 Now this respected editor and reader of P. G. 

 as an enthusiastic seeker after gardening knowl- 

 edge, walks with his eyes wide open. Here in 

 this large and well kept gai'den he met many, 

 to him, new and interesting sights. He saw 

 before him a carrying out in part, of the gar- 

 den he himself hoped some day to own. 



Being possessed of a quick and penetrating 

 mind, as a result of long practice in looking fui'- 

 ther into millstones, than most folks can do, 

 om' friend arrived at man}' striking conclusions 

 about gardening, in this one day spent in a fine 

 garden. These things he stored up in his mind 

 for future application in his own case. 



One conclusion soon reached, was the mani- 

 fest potency of certain long and not easy to be 

 remembered names, for keeping bugs away from 

 plants. Here in this gai'den, at the side of 

 nearly every one of hundreds of plants, wa.s a 

 nice looking stake projecting about one foot 

 out of the earth, and on this was painted in 

 I clear letters some such words as DrlphiniuDi 

 fonnosum, Ht'iiwrocallis Kwantio rarii'i/afit , 

 Anthfi-ifVin lifittsfri'iii orthelike. Evei\yplant 

 looked thrifty and perfect, as it stood out upon 

 the well tilletl surface. And he noted with par- 

 ticular interest that seemingly not a bug or 

 worm was an^'where around. He remembered 

 how at home, in a bed of six or seven plants in the 

 back yard, there was no end of bugs, slugs and 

 ' gruiis disporting over and fattening themselves 

 on these, notwithstanding maii.y vigorous 

 weeds, some as tall as the plants, which he ha<l 

 left, as he claims, for these little pests to consume, 

 if they must be there. But he had set out no such 

 stakes with long names on them. Putting this 

 and that together, he was not slow to see that 

 here was the cause of all his trouble. And now 

 in his kind-hearted way he is going about and 

 freely offering to all his friends, this valuable 

 discover}- for keeping bugs from flower beds. 



It may lie addeil that so far as the case of our 

 philosophical friend of flouring interests was 

 c(mcernerl. the season was too far gone to allow 

 him to work any improvement by hisdiscovery 

 in his own back yard, this year. But, next 

 sunimeiv we are a.ssured, he will spare no stakes 

 or long words to ward off from his patch the 

 evil-doing insects. In the meantime our read- 

 ers ma)' expect, — perhaps next month — in Pop- 

 ular G.\Ri)ENlNi;, some of the rea.sons why fine 

 gai'dens are usuall.\' seen where stakes with long 

 names on tlu'in are fi'eely used, and rii-f rrrstt. 

 Besides this we will give the reasons why b()t- 

 anical names, if they are sometimes ini'onveni- 

 eutly long, are a real necessity. 



