32 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



The Louise Bonne of Jersey. 



When the same fniit has numerous names, 

 it is always presumptive e\'idence of goodness. 

 In this respect, the old French pear named at 

 the head is fortunate, both in the synonyms it 

 bears, — having no less than a dozen, and in 

 real worth. Let it not, however, be con- 

 founded with the variety known simply as 

 Louise Bonne, which is quite distinct. 



Wherever the Louise Bonne de Jersey suc- 

 ceeds, it is a favorite dessert fruit, and profit- 

 able for market. Where it is not know^l to 

 succeed, it should be tried in the fii'st list of 

 sorts planted. 



The tree comes in beai'ing among the very 

 fii'st, as to age. It is a rapid gi-ower and a 

 great beai-er; no pear succeeds better as a 

 dwarf budded on the quince. 



The f i-uit is large, pyriform ; gi-eenish yellow, 

 mostly oversjiread with browiiish-red, and with 

 a red cheek in the sun. The ilesh is delicious 

 in more than ordinary degree, being very juicy, 

 rich, rineous, and melting in the mouth. It is 

 an early autimin peai-. 



Keeping Squashes: The Hubbard. 



In keeping Squa.shes over winter, one must 

 not forget that this vegetable is a native of the 

 warm parts of the earth. To jnit them in a 

 cool, damp cellar, that would suit most roots 

 and vegetables would be to invite their decay. 



Most of the winter varieties of Squash, and 

 of which the Hubbard, herewith illustrated, 

 continues to be the leading sort, if iilaced in a 

 ch"y room, with a temperature, from forty to 

 fifty degrees, wiU keep until spring. Indeed, 

 the Hubbard is only in jjerfectiou when it has 

 been kept until late winter or eai-ly spring. 

 Such earlier kinds as the Boston marrow may 

 have their season much prolonged b}' proper 

 care in this way. 



When winter squashes are grown on a lai'ge 

 scale, they are usually carried through the 

 winter in bins, arranged one above another in 

 a dry apai'tmeut. This room is provided with 

 a stove, in which to keep a little fire whenever 

 there is danger of freezing. For family use, 

 w'here but a small munber are wintered, an 

 upper shelf in a closet leading from a room 

 where there is some fire, is a suital^le place for 

 keeping this vegetable. 



It should be added, that one of the most im- 

 portant points connected with keeping squashes, 

 is that they be handled carefully. Au exten- 

 sive grower of this crop saj's he handled it as 

 he would handle eggs, and never allows rolling 

 or tossing them about carelessly. The smallest 

 bruise received will lead to decay. 



system of piping seems as near perfect as can 

 be, working nicely at two and thi'ee pounds 

 pressm'B. But this, like any other system takes 

 coal, when we want heat. 



We consider steam heating a success with us, 

 though we pay $-l..50 per gi'oss ton delivered 

 for large broken hard coal, and it has cost us 

 over S4U( I for coal the winter just past, to heat 

 oui" entire place. 



Steam Heating a Success. 



For some time the fight has been going on in 

 the gai'dening periodicals, conceniing the mer- 

 its of steam for heating glass structures, as ; 

 against hot water. Popular Gardening has 

 no I'oom for the long-winded arguments set 

 forth on both sides. It takes pleasure, however, 

 in stating facts, hence makes room for the few 

 words which follow, from our friend H. Chaapel 

 of William.sport, Pa., and which first ap- 

 peared in the November Gardener\'< Monthly. 



I have about 12,0110 square feet of gla.ss, a 

 packing house 1(1x40, a dwelling of eight rooms, 

 and my office, using about (i,000 feet of 11-1 

 inch pijie. lam using the '* Exeter'' Boiler 

 No. 2, 33 sections, including the "Exeter" 1 

 manifold valves, automatic dampers, etc. The I 



Raising Cabbage Plants. 



Gardeners will no doubt be early on the look- 

 out, to see that the scarcity of the cabbage 

 plant crop of 188.5, will not be repeated next 

 year. Various causes conspired towards the 

 dearth of these, of the past season. Perhaps the 

 most common one was, that less seed was sown 

 than usual. 



Then insects destroyed the sowings of some 

 gi-owers, who had never before been seriously 

 troubleil by them. This lesson should lead us 

 to be on om' guai-d against inviting destruction 

 to the fruit of our labors, from insect ene- 

 mies in the future. On this subject Joseph 

 Harris presents some valuable advice in the Oc- 

 tober Anifncan Agricvftio'fsf as follows: 



The chief es.sentials for success are: Rich, 

 waiTU, and well cultivated land, good seed and 

 a liljeral ch-essing of superphosphate. Perhaps 

 the last is, practically, the most important. 



A chief cause of failure is the Black Jumping 

 Beetle. Lime, ashes, soot, cheap tobacco dust, 

 or snuff, dusted on the plants, will more or less 

 benefit. The true remedy lies back of this. 

 Plenty <if planh, unit rapid (iroirth. 



There is nothing that will push a cabbage 

 plant forward like superphosphate. The seed 

 contains very little food for the young plant ; 

 superphosphate, under the seed, has a magical 

 effect. We sow in rows twenty-one inches 

 apart. This enables us to go thi-ough the rows 

 with a horse-hoe. 



Get the land thoroughly prepared and heav- 

 ily manured in the fall. If the land is light 

 and sandy, it will need nothing but a little sur- 

 face cultivation before sowing the seed. Sow 

 the supen>hosphate, at the rate of three pounds 

 to five pounds to the square rod. Work it into 

 the soil au inch or two deep, if convenient. If 

 not, sow on the surface and trust to the rain 

 washing it down to the roots of the plants. 



Winter Treatment of Onions. 



A warm place never answers in which to 



store onions over winter. Warmth will stai-t 

 the bulb into gi'owth — a direct blow at its vital- 

 ity for keeping. Onions keep much better in 

 a frozen state, through the winter, provided 

 the thawing out in the spring can Ije gradual, 

 and provided further, that there is no liability 

 of alternate freezing and thawing during 

 this time. 



In a bai'u loft, covered with hay or straw a 

 foot or more thick, the conditions for perfect 

 keeping are well met. The onions should not 

 be in lai-ge piles, l)ut rather in layers of not 

 more than one foot through. Bj' this course 

 of treatment, the risk of keeping is light in- 

 deed, and those who a.ssume it, may expect a 

 reward, in much higher prices in the spring, 

 than if sales had l^een made before winter. 



Production of New Fruits From Seed. 



From that pai-t of Hon. Marshall P. Wilder's 

 adih-ess, reail recently before the American 

 Pomological Society's meeting, in which he 

 spoke of the raising of new varieties of fruit 

 from seed, we take the following: 



These ai'e the means, and the only means, 

 provided for the improvement of our fruits. 

 With a cai'eful study of the tendency of varie- 

 ties, and a judicious selection of breeders, we 

 shall go on to produce fruits which will be 

 adapted to every part of our land where any 

 species of fruit may be grown. 



When we see what nature has done without 

 the aid of manipulation — in the cold regions of 



the North, as in Russia, from whence came the 

 Oldenburg and Tetoftsky apples, the Black 

 Tartarian cherry, and other good fniits, who 

 can doubt our abilitj' to produce fine fruits 

 even in tiie ct^lder regions of oiu' country ? 



The art of ci-ossing varieties for their improve- 

 ment was scarcely known until our day, and 

 see what wonders have been accomplished by 

 it. Who can doubt that we may yet produce 

 a pear with the richness of the Seckel, the 

 form and size of the Bosc, and the vigor and 

 productiveness of the Boussock. And so we 

 may go on to improve other fruits, until all 

 shall be made as perfect as ever were gi'own by 

 "the grand old gardener of Eden." 



Can a coal-oil barrel be fitted for holding 

 cider, vinegai', or the like J The American 

 Afjrieultttrist in effect sa)'s " Yes, and ea,sily 

 enough," in the following words : "Take one 

 head out of the kerosene oil barrel, start a fire 

 in the bottom, and put a bushel of dry straw 

 or long shavings in to keep it burning long 

 enough to draw tlie kerosene out of the wood ; 

 let it burn a few minutes, and just before the 

 wood commences to burn, turn the open end to 

 the gi-ound, and the flames will be smothered. 

 Use the barrel for water a couple of weeks, put 

 the head in again, and they ai'e read)' for cider 

 or anything else one chooses to put into them. 

 The barrels will be worth double the price of 

 common ones. Of course the other head should 

 have simihir treatment." 



An Ohio amateur gooseberry grower succeeds 

 in gi'owing very fine fruit, both in size and 

 quality, on a cool, clay soil, keeping the plants 

 open in the centre bj' pruning. AVhen they 

 start into growth in the spring he immediatelj' 

 disbuds, to pi"event them from becoming too 

 dense, and thus admits a free circulation of ail-. 

 He mulches heavily during the sununer. With 

 this ti-eatment he is little troubled with mildew. 



The Russian Apricot according to the Or- 

 chard tiiitt (rardcti is more than a mere novelty. 

 It says; " It is the only good apricot which 

 we ever have been able to fruit in this latitude 

 in the orchard or open field. Other varieties 

 do well enough in the South, but it woiild not 

 pay to plant them in Northern states. The 

 Russian apricot succeeds anywhere where our 

 conunon fruits grow. " 



If you have fresh fruit to ship a long distance, 

 and especially fine specimens, by first wrapping 

 each specimen in paper which has lieen soaked 

 in salicylic acid it will cany the safer for it. 

 If to be shipjjed very far, use double thickness. 

 We say this cm the authority of Professor Budd. 



A Grape vine wliich from old age yields in- 

 ferior fruit, and little at that, niaj' be rejuve- 

 nated in measure by cutting it clean away to 

 the ground and manuring freely at this season. 

 Result: next year new sho<its will spring up, 

 which will come into bearing like young vines. 



Apples are on the rise in price in this coun- 

 try and are bringing from .$:!.00 to -*.5.00 per 

 baiTel in England. On the whole the apple 

 crop is not so large, but that growers, who have 

 good fruit on hand may expect very satisfac- 

 tory prices. 



According to Mr. Patrick Bai-ry a Mr. 

 Lewelling of California has 40 acres planted 

 with the cherry currant. The yield per annum 

 is about 1.50,000 lbs. and fetches at the rate of 

 10 cents per pound. 



Darkness is one of the essential conditions to 

 the keeping of fresh grapes. Tliey should be 

 placed so as not to come in contact with one 

 another. 



T. S. Hubbard, the great gi-iipe grower of 

 Chautauqua county, N. Y., advises deep plant- 

 ing for vines. Tends to prevent winter killing. 



More cabbage is spoiled in winter by storing 

 earl\- and keeping too warm, than by freezing. 



Culture and not nndching for Grape vines, 

 mulching and not culture for Goosberries. 



Keep down the suckers of Raspberries. 



