i886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



43 



" III the many years I have grown phints, 

 and of a hirtje number of kinds tried. I 

 have found nolliing more easily l)roiight 

 into bloom and which thrives so well with 

 little attention as this. Even a small bulb 

 will ijive an abundance of bloom the first 

 season. In my collection are three colors 

 — white, pink, and yellow. The two former 



Figure I. A Simple Tree-mover. 



I have had for several seasons in a hanging 

 basket; there is no prettier i)lant for this pur- 

 pose. Mine is now in full Ijloom the second 

 time since February la.st. 



' ' The chief ueed.s of the Oxalis are plenty 

 of sun and water and a moderately rich and 

 light soil. It will bear a good deal of heat, 

 and yet is in no sense very tender. My 

 bulbs bloom during February, March and 

 April, and then show signs of exhaustion. 

 After this, gradually dry off and in Mav turn 

 the pot on its side in some shad}- corner and let 

 it remain until signs of sprouting appears. 

 Then I break away the earth from the 

 fibrous roots, pot up in fresh soil, and begin 

 to water. The new growth of leaves and 

 buds begin to appear very .soon afterwards." 



Bullis of the Oxalis may be procured of 

 most of the florists, we think, and also of 

 dealers in bulbs. This is a good time to 

 start in on their culture. 



Transplanting Large Trees. 



There are eases wiiere a shorter cut can be 

 taken in stocking a place with trees, or in 

 making up deficiencies, than to plant ordin- 

 ary nurserj- trees. We refer to where trees 

 of some age and size that are suitable, may 

 be had. These might be such as need to be 

 thinned out from plantations that are too 

 close, or they might come from meadows and 

 wild places, if the kinds were suitable and the 

 development good. The nurseries, too, some- 

 times have large trees to sell, a matter, it 

 may be said, in which English nurseries are 

 ahead of our own. 



In the transplanting of any trees, but es- 

 pecially those of large size, saj' five inches 

 in diameter and upwards at the collar, two 

 of the most essential points to observe is the 

 preservation of the small fibrous roots, and 

 keeping these from drying out in the opera- 

 tion. In the case of large trees there is of 

 course a greater loss of these fine roots than in 

 small ones, because of the wide extension of 

 the roots. This renders it all the more im- 

 portant that whatever roots can be saved to 

 the tree, be kept as much as jiossilile from 

 exposure to air in handling. 



To accomplish this end most effectively, it 

 becomes desirable to take as much earth with 

 the tree, and without sepaialing it from the 



rootsas it is po.ssible to move well. Butearth 

 is heavy, and a great ma.ss of it adhering to the 

 roots of a tree, makes the handling of the 

 tree not an ea.sy job. unless one has suitable 

 appliances for doing so. Where the moving 

 of trees haxing some age is nuich done, as 

 in the large parks of our cities, large and ex- 

 pensive tree-moving trucks arc owned and 

 used, and the task becomes a comparatively 

 easy one. For the use of those who have 

 not so very much of this kind of work to do, 

 we show plans of two tree-movers; the one 

 in figure 1 so simple as to be easily impro- 

 vised by any person who can command a 

 common road wagon, using the hind axle 

 and wheels; the other, figure 2. a frame work 

 and windlasses supported by wagon wheels. 



The operation of moving large trees with 

 earth attached to the roots, can best be done 

 in the winter time, because of the perfect ad- 

 herance of earth when frozen. A favorite 

 course is to prepare for the work in the fall 

 or early winter by digging a circular trench 

 some feet from the tree, and several feet 

 deep, in a waj' to leave a ball of earth with 

 the tree standing in the middle of this. This 

 then is allowed to freeze solid, when it can 

 be moved with safety by the use of thclrucks 

 illustrated or any others. 



To lift a moderate sized tree, as shown in 

 figure 1, the trunk near the ground is pro- 

 tected by coarse canvass or old carpet. An 

 iron ring is then fastened to the tree at this 

 point. A strong pole, 

 to be used as a lever 

 and supporter, is laid 

 over the axle and in- 

 serted into the ring, 

 which then allows by 

 bearing down at b of 

 lifting the tree with 

 earth attatched from 

 its bed. It is then 

 moved to where wanted 

 by attaching chains 

 and w h i f f 1 e t re e, as 

 shown in the cut, a horse 

 being hitched for draw- 

 ing, while a man keeps 

 down the pole at h. 



For larger trees a 

 truck with windla.ss 

 and ropes like that 

 shown in figure 2. 

 answers much better. 

 One like this can be con- 

 structed at a small cost 

 In' anj' wagon maker. 

 It might be owned by 

 .several persons. 



In figure 2 is shown 

 another feature of this 

 business, namely, thai 

 o f m o V i n g the tree 

 when the ball of earth 

 is not frozen, and is 

 in danger of .going to 

 pieces, as in the spring. '■^^- 

 Here staves a r e s e t 

 around the earth and 

 drawn together against 

 it, by the aid of ropes 



to keep the soil together. Heavy canvass or 

 matting could l)e used instead of the staves, 

 bj' liinding it on securely. 



In moving a tree with a frozen ball in the 

 winter, it should only beset in its final place, 

 with no attempt to fill in ground — which now 

 is frozen. Earh' in the spring the space 

 around the ball can then be filled with good 



soil. In tlie mean time protect this trench 

 with straw, manure or sawdust. Large trees 

 when moved must have their branches freely 

 pruned back, to correspond somewhat witli 

 the loss of roots which has resulted in the 

 taking up. 



Peach Yellows— The Potash Remedy. 



The microscope reveals in all cases of this 

 serious disease, the presence of different 

 forms of fungus growth on the surface of 

 the bark, or penetrating throughout the 

 woody tissues. But wiiether these fungi are 

 the cause of the disease or a consequence of 

 the impaired vitality of the tree is not yet 

 fully known. It seems probable however, 

 that this parasitic growth is invited, just as 

 such a growth is l)rought upon Pear trees in 

 the case of fire blight, and on Grapes and 

 Gooseberries, when these are mildewed, by 

 an enfeebled condition of the tree. 



Working on this theory, experiments have 

 been for some time under wa}' at the Massa- 

 chusetts Agricultural College, for imparting 

 vigor to trees affected by " yellows," by a 

 liberal supply of the deficient element of pot- 

 ash. Professor Goessman states, that chronic 

 cases of the disease have been recovered after 

 being treated for three or four j-ears, by the 

 application of muriate of potash to the roots. 

 He recommends the use of three or four 

 pounds of this article to a tree six or eight 



Figure 2. Tree-mover for Large Trees. 



years old, spreading it over the roots, but 

 keeping one foot away from the tree. A 

 mulch spread on top of the potash insures 

 its better distribution. 



This disease proves to be contagious. Where 

 it has put in an appearance, it would be well to 

 prepare any unatfected trees against its at tacks, 

 by treating them to the potash application. 



