iSS:;. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



Cactaceous Plants. Under this title Mr. 

 Lewis Castle, of the London Journal of Horti- 

 culture, has published a little treatise on the 

 history and culture of these plants that will 

 prove useful to amateurs, in America as well as 

 in England. 



Take Down the bands of cotton, put around 

 the trees in June to starve the caterpillars. 

 They can be of no possible use after this, and 

 will soon be tattered and stained, looking worse 

 than a dirty, frayed collar on a well-dressed 

 person's neck. 



Sound. — The editor of Libbys American 

 Garden never put more sound advice for 

 amateurs into few words, than when in speak- 

 ing of Pansy culture, he said : "It is useless 

 to expect good flowers from poor seed ; better 

 pay well for the best than accept poor seed as 

 a gift." 



The Histories of great men show, that 

 most of them have been lovers of gardening 

 or farming. It has always been so. Com- 

 munion with nature broadens and invigorates 

 the mind, as well as restores it when tired out. 

 The same remedy is one that will help tired- 

 out women folks. 



This paper has come to stay. It is backed 

 by abundant capital, ability and enterprise to 

 fully establish it. Those who subscribe for 

 PoPUl..*^R Gardening now, will in after years, 

 find great satifaction in knowing they were 

 among its earliest subscribers. It will be 

 something to be proud of. 



Think of the Tulip Craze of 1635, when 

 one sturdy Hollander gave twelve acres of val- 

 uable land for a single bulb, of a variety called 

 Semper Augustus. Now you can buy more 

 beauty in Tulips for twelve cents than he did 

 for twelve acres. By all means have a Tulip 

 bed, so beautiful and yet so cheap. 



The price at which Popular Gardening 

 has been placed, is really experimental. It 

 certainly will remain as it now is for one year; 

 we believe for always. But this is a matter 

 that depends upon the support the paper receives. 

 A subscription list of 50,000 or upwards will 

 ensure the present price permanently. 



There are no purer, more noble or more 

 satisfying delights, than those which spring 

 from the successful managment of flowers, 

 plants and other things of the garden. To 

 lovers of Nature, few things possess equal 

 charms, to those revealed by the study of the 

 nature and historj- of plants, and the noting of 

 their peculiar habits and characteristics. 



It is an old tradition that the Fraxi- 

 nella catches fire when a light is brought near to 

 it, hence it has been called the "Burning 

 Bush." The notion no doubt gained currency, 

 from the fact, that the stem is set with oil-glands, 

 which on being touched, give out a strong scent. 

 We have tried to ignite the plant and have 

 failed to see it burn. Drop the old name. 



Persia, in the Old World, is as famous 

 for her large trees as is California in the New 

 World. In the former country, a Plane or as 

 commonly called by us a Buttonwood tree, at 

 Tadjrich, is widely celebrated for its great pro- 

 portions. This wonderful tree measures over 

 48 feet around the trunk. Only think of it, a 

 Plane tree one rod in diameter. The ponder- 

 ous limbs are themselves, it is said, as large as 

 ordinary trees. 



A SUBSTITUTE FOR PUTTY NEEDED. Putty 

 answered well enough under the old system of 

 plant houses with heavy timbers and small 

 lights; that era has passed away, and for the 

 lighter houses now demanded, in which light 

 bars and larger panes of glass are used, some- 

 thing more elastic and lasting than putty is 

 needed. Every owner of a range of glass has 

 felt this. Let our inventors help out here, and 

 help themselves to a source of income at the 

 same time. 



" The American Florist." — On August 

 15th the first number of this semi-monthly 

 appeared from its publication office in Chicago. 

 It is a trade paper for the commercial florist. 

 In the present progressive state of the plant 

 and flower trade, we do not see how any florist 

 can get along without the market reports, 

 prices, descriptions of new designs, directions 



, 2. Improved Plan of 

 Back Yard. 



for cultivation, advertisements, &c., which each 

 issue contains. Price, one dollar a year. 



Tree Roots have often been known to 

 cause trouble in drains. A stoppage occurs, 

 the pipes are taken up. when it is found that 

 roots have penetrated between the joints into the 

 pipes, sometimes filling them completely. This 

 would seem like a serious matter indeed, were 

 it not one that can be obviated with slight ex- 

 pense when the drains are laid. Pipes with 

 sockets should be used in the vicinity of all trees 

 and shrubs. Fill their ends with cistern cem- 

 ent in putting them together. 



Is This Your Mistake? We often see 

 plants in pots suffering severely from dryness 

 at the root, and yet 

 watered every day. You 

 ask how this can be ? 

 Well, when the ball of 

 earth in a pot once 

 happens to get perfectly 

 dry to the center, it 

 takes in water very 

 slowly. At the same 

 time it also shrinks in 

 size, so as to leave a 

 narrow space between 

 the earth and the pot 

 all around. To dash 

 a teacupful of water 

 into the pot every day, 

 may keep the surface — 

 the only portion one 

 sees — wet, and some 

 water may find its way 

 down the sides to 

 show in the saucer 

 below, thus satisfying the eye that it is watered 

 enough, while in fact most of the earth is left 

 about as dry as powder. Remedy; dig into 

 the earth a little, if you find it very dry, set 

 the pot and its contents into a bucket of water 

 for twenty minutes. 



Combination Pl.\nts. — Not nearly as much 

 advantage is taken of combinations among 

 plants as they are capable of affording. Last 

 June we noted a plant of the Bladder Senna, 

 Colutea arborescens, and the Amorpha 

 frutescens, which had managed to grow to- 

 gether forming one stock; that both coming 

 into bloom at the same time, one with bronzy 

 purple, the other with orange yellow flowers, 

 had a very pretty effect indeed. So says, 

 Thomas Meehan in the Gardeners' Monthly. 



Study Nature. Many a clump of shrubs 

 or trees in wild-places, is fit for a model, to im- 

 itate in embellishing the home yard. When 

 such a clump, that would beautifully adorn your 

 place if it was there, is met, make a sketch 

 of it. gi\-ing outline, and the location of indi\nd- 

 uals approximately, to use as a guide, when 

 planting. With all the attractions of this kind 

 to be met about meadows, hills and swamps, 

 there is really nothing to equal what it is easily 

 in our power to create on our lawns. Tr>' your 

 hand at some handsome groups on the lawn. 



Our Second Children. Some one speaks 

 of plants and flowers as our second children, — a 

 not inapt term, surely. .\ few days ago, we 

 heard a lady who had raised a fine young India 

 Rubber Tree say, that if she knew it would be 

 neglected while she was gone on a contemplated 

 visit, she wouldn't go. The lady loves that 

 plant, with a love as for a child. It has grown up 

 from a weak slip into a handsome specimen, by 

 her care, and is still dependent on her for its 

 ver\- existence. One may soon tire of the finest 

 work of art, but never of a plant or flower raised 

 into a thing of beauty by one's own hand. 



Mushrooms Edible and Poisonous. The 

 Messrs. Prang & Co. , of Boston, Mass. , are en- 

 titled to the thanks of ever)- .American, for issu- 

 ing in a handy form. Mr. Julius A. Palmer's 

 work on this subject. No countr)- is richer in 

 Fungi than America; the people of no country 

 in the world, perhaps, know so litttle about 

 which of these are food and which poisons as 

 our own. Result, the absolute waste of a vast 

 amount of valuable food. Messrs. Prang & 

 Co's new work affords a remedy. In it are 

 given chromo representations of zS-of the com- 

 monest k'nds. both edible and poisonous, so 

 perfectly that anyone can determine by them, at 

 a glance, the good from the bad. Directions for 



using the former are also g^ven. The price of 

 the work, $2.00, could in thousands of instances 

 soon be made up, by the new food supplies it 

 would introduce its owners too. 



We think no one will discover much stiff- 

 ness or formality of style about POPULAR Gar- 

 dening. We mean they never shall. Whatever 

 anyone has to write or say or ask concerning gar- 

 dening matters let them out with it, when ad- 

 dressing this paper. Be natural; write your 

 letters just as you would talk to us if we 

 called on you in your parlor, kitchen or garden. 

 Never mind spending time in fixing up a postal 

 card or letter in a " very proper " style. "Tell us 

 about your successes and your failures; items 

 we will be'glad to weave into the warp and woof 

 of the paper. Let us mention one thing 

 about which we are particular: all matter in- 

 tended for the editors, should be written with 

 plain ink. and on one side of the paper only. 

 We cannot explain why here, but in handling 

 much matter this will make a great saving of 

 labor to them in the aggregate. 



Society op American Florists. This, the 

 first society of its kind in America, was 

 organized at Cincinnati on August the 12th last, 

 and the dkys following. There were present 

 some 300 florists from all parts of the country. 

 Mr. John Thorpe, of Queens, N. Y., was 

 elected President of the Society. During the 

 three days of the convention, besides the 

 business of organizing, there were read and 

 discussed papers bearing upon leading subjects 

 of interest to florists, including among them 

 such extreme topics as Steam Heating, and 

 Protection against Hailstorms. .\ most de- 

 lightful features was the excursion tendered to 

 the florists by the C. H. & D. railroad to the 

 Soldier's Home Park, at Dayton, Ohio. The 

 new Society is in the hands of efficient and 

 wise officers, and must prove a great benefit to 

 the future flower interests generally, of the 

 countrj'. The florists, who naturally are a 

 home-staying, hard-working set, were much 

 pleased to see what a fine, wide-awake-looking 

 lot of fellows they together make, when in this, 

 their opportunity, they could see each other 

 face to face. The meeting of 1886 will be held 

 at Philadelphia. 



The Back Yard. It is often more puzzling 

 to treat the back part of a lot, with good effect, 

 than the street end, be- 

 cause the former is 

 usually surrounded by 

 high fences or buildings 

 that detract from garden 

 effects. A common 

 arrangement by those 

 who care to grow 

 flowers here, is that 

 shown by fig. I. This 

 consists of perhaps a 

 cross line of shrubs at 

 the extreme end, and 

 some flower beds of 

 geometrical outline 

 cut into the grass. Let 

 us suggest the far 

 better style of arrange- 

 ment shown in fig. 2. 

 Here not only are the 

 Fig. I. Plan of Back Yard shrubs kept next to the 

 devoted to Lawn, Shrubs fence, but all the flowers 

 and Flowers. with them, are placed in 



a continuous irregular border outside of the 

 lawn, with this latter kept open in its centre. 

 The advantages of this plan are, 1st, that the 

 open central lawn gives character and dignity 

 to that part of the ground, in a degree it is 

 impossible to secure by spreading; out flower 

 beds over the area. 2nd, the flowers and shrubs 

 have a setting of grass in effect, as seen from 

 any point fonvard. 3d, there is grace and 

 naturalness about the latter as against the 

 formality of the former, which is worth much 

 forappearances. Lastly the opportunities for in- 

 trcxlucing more shrubs and flowers, and thus 

 great variety, with the effect that the more of 

 these brought in, the better will the fence be 

 hid, by material in the highest d^ee orna- 

 mental. One portion of this outside border 

 might be devoted to rockwork. The principles 

 here involved are worth careful study by all 

 improvers of home grounds. 



