56 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



About Cherries. 



'Cherries are ripe"' is, in its season, a wel- 

 come sound to all lovers of country life; to 

 none more so than to the cliildren. The earli- 

 ness, beauty, juiciness, delicacy and richness of 

 the cherry, together serves to make this fruit 

 everywhere highly esteemed. But, naturally, 

 we must plant before we can gather fruit, 

 hence this part of the case is now in order to 

 be considered, as the spring season draws nigh. 



As to cultivation, no fruit tree is easier to 

 manage than the cherry. Indeed, when grown 

 as a standard— and this is the form chiefly to 

 be recommended— it might almost be said to 

 require no cultivation. Of pruning it needs 

 very little or none; manuring, it needs less 

 than most other kinds of tmit 

 trees; it will bear large crops 

 under neglect that would hin- 

 der fruitage in apples or pears. 

 It is a fruit to give large re- 

 turns for small outlay, and one 

 well suited in every way for 

 the novice at fruit growing. 



What of soil; The cherry is 

 easily suited, save in one or two 

 respects. It will not bear an 

 undrained soil that is wet, 

 neither does it delight in heavy 

 clay, so avoid these. Any light, 

 di-y, loamy soil, that is moder- 

 ately but not very rich, vrill do 

 exactly. The tree will grow in 

 thinner and drj'er soils than 

 any other fruit tree we know of. 

 But on land that is over-rioh the 

 growth becomes so luxuriant, 

 and the wood so gross, that 

 (i-uiting will be retarded and 

 the trunk be liable to split open 

 in an aggravating manner, and 

 even to cause early death. 



The cherry, as to sorts, is 

 brought under several classes. 

 There are the Heai-t Cherries, 

 the fruit of which is heai-t- 

 shaped, the flesh tender and 

 sweet. The trees of this class 

 are of rapid growth, with large, 

 soft, drooping leaves; leading 

 varieties incluile the Early Pur- 

 ple, Kniglit's Early Black, 

 Black Tartarian, Black Eagle, and some others. 



The Bigan-eaus. of which the accompanying 

 engraving shows the type, are chiefly distin- 

 guished from the preceding class by their 

 firmer flesh, (jn this account they are favor- 

 ites as dessert fruit. From among the sorts 

 of these, choose the Yellow Spanish or Bigar- 

 reau. Napoleon Bigarreau, Elkhorn or Trades- 

 cant's Black Heart, and the Rockport Bigarreau, 

 and you will not miss it, in planting. 



The Duke and Morello Cherries are classes 

 very distinct from the foregoing. The trees 

 ai-e of smaller size, and grow slowly ; the fruit 

 is generally round, from red to brown in color, 

 and sub-acid to acid as to taste. The common 

 sour cherry of American gardens belongs to this 

 class. Among the best sorts are the Early 

 Richmond, Belle Magnifique, May and Late 

 Duke, Donna Maria, Montmorency and Morello. 



Planters should choose some trees from each 

 of the classes named, for a good assortment. 



was fifty cents for a small plant, so small in 

 fact that the enterprising salesman could carry 

 his stock with him, delivering as he went. 



From all we can learn of the plants sold, they 

 must have been at least two weeks from the 

 seed bed; had they been good sorts — which it 

 is not likely they were — they might have been 

 worth three cents apiece. So far were the 

 plants from blooming that the peddler could 

 have traveled to the land of Primroses be- 

 fore the "sell" as to color could be revealed. 

 Of course no one has ever seen a blue Primrose. 



After all, how shrewd some of our slu-ewd 

 business men are, when it comes to matters of 

 flowers and gardening. The agent understood 

 this well enough, when he went to the offices 



A Bigarreau cherry, the elkhorn. 



and sold plants to the husbands for their wives, 

 instead of going and dealing with the wives 

 themselves. A case of the selection of the fit- 

 test. Let us prescribe for this kind of selling : 

 Twelve doses of Popular Gardening taken in 

 a year, at intervals of one month. Keep it up 

 until there are visible signs of improvement. 



Selling and Selling. 



Mr. Tree-Agent and his near relative Mr. 

 Plant-Peddler are the men who walk to and 

 fro in the earth selling their stock and selling 

 the buyers at the same time. At least in some 

 cases they do this. A new case of such a double 

 kind of selling has just come to our notice in 

 this city. 



A man "from Boston " just before the recent 

 holiday season, went about canvassing among 

 business men in their offices for the sale of 

 some fine "Primrose plants." He could fur- 

 nish yellow, blue and rose-colored varieties as 

 his customers preferred. The plants, it is said, 

 went otT like a "blue streak." The price 



Propagating Vines from Single Eyes. 



With ordinary varieties of (iraj^es, the wood 

 is commonly so abundant that there is little 

 need in stopping short of the use of long cuttings 

 in propagation. Not so with new sorts which 

 it may be desirable to increase rapidly. 



Where there is a propagating house, to in- 

 crease the stock from single-eye cuttings, is 

 easily accomplished. It may not be known that 

 the same thing is readilj' possible with the use 

 for about a month in the spring of a glass-cover- 

 ed frame. But the process is somewhat diiler- 

 ent. In tliis case the wood should be cut up 

 and mixed with sand or light earth, in shallow 

 boxes. These should go into the frames, or 

 they may be set in a greenhouse three or four 

 weeks before planting-out time, say at May 

 1st in the north. 



When the gnnind becomes warm, later, plant 

 out in light, warm soil, covering about an inch 

 and a half deep. In favorable seasons good 

 plants will result, and especially in the case of 

 free-growing sorts. 



Some of ttie Newer Vegetables. 



The Chairman o( the Michigan Hoi-ticultural 

 Society, Prof. W. W. Tracy, reports on new 

 vegetables of recent introduction, after actual 

 experience with every sort named, as follows: 



Most of the new beans, it is feared mark no 

 real advance on old sorts. The Black-eyed Wax 

 Bean, while handsomer than the Golden Wax, 

 is a little inferior in quality. It is an abund- 

 ant and early bearer, and on this account may 

 prove valuable. The Godard or Boston Favor- 

 ite is lai'ger, handsomer, more hardy and pro- 

 ductive than the Horticultural, and promises 

 to take the place of that variety. The Beans 

 of the type of Canadian Wonder are not prov- 

 ing especially desirable. Ivy-pod and Crystal- 

 pod, while possessed of some striking qualities, 

 cannot crowd out the Valentine or Golden Wax. 

 The Dwarf Mont d'Or proves to be inferior for 

 general use to tlie Black Wax, while the Green 

 Flageolet makes little headway. Of Pole Beans, 

 no new sorts are unquestion- 

 ably superior to the old sorts. 



In Celery, the White Plume 

 and other "self blanching" 

 sorts, while proving successful 

 in some private gardens, have 

 not seemed to meet the wants 

 of a single commercial grower; 

 they are not equal in quality 

 to the Golden Heart and other 

 well-known standai'd sorts. 



Of Corn, the Marblehead has, 

 with the exception of its red 

 cob, seemed to be all that could 

 be hoped for in the way of very 

 early, but Corey, with a white 

 cob proves a little earlier. This 

 new sort seems entitled to first 

 place for extra early. 



The Kolb's Gem Watermelon 

 is very promising. It seems to 

 do as well at the north as at the 

 south, and succeeils where many 

 other varieties fail. 



In Peas, in spite of the many 

 new sorts offered we think the 

 ordinary grower will be best 

 suited with First and Best for 

 extra early. American Wonder 

 for dwarf. Premium Gem and 

 Yorkshire Hero for general 

 crop, and Champion of Eng- 

 land for late, but Evei-bearing, 

 Abundance, Strategem, Market 

 Garden, are all worthj- of trial. 

 In Radishes the Chartrers 

 promises to be a real acquisition, and to take 

 the place of olil Long Scarlet. It is lai-ger, of a 

 lighter color, does better out of doors (but not 

 for forcing), and remains crisp much longer 

 than Scarlet. 



The Pineapple Squash, although popular, 

 hahdsome and distinct, is not of so good quality 

 as the Perfect Sun and some others. 



The same writei' says that the limit in the 

 improvement of Tomatoes seems to have been 

 reached in the Favorite or the Optimus. 



As for the Beet, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Carrot, 

 Cuciunber, Egg Plant, Lettuce, Muskmelon, 

 Onion, Parsnip, Parslej', no improvements have 

 been made as to varieties that aie worthy of 

 notice. He concludes his report with the cau- 

 tion that while it is a good thing to " prove all 

 things," it is also well to remember to " hold 

 fast to that which is good." 



A Veritable Bull's Nose. A new and giant 

 Bull-nose Pepper that has fruit 7 to 8 inches 

 long, and 4 to .5 inches in diameter is announced 

 from Europe. What mangoes they will make! 



Those fond of Spinach should calculate to sow 

 some as early as the soil can be worked, to 

 follow the fall-sown <'rop. A second spring 

 sowing may follow the first, by two weeks. 



Fresh manures excite trees into rapid growth 

 injuriously; the wood becomes feeble and 

 watery. 



Soil has much to do with the flavor ol Sweet 

 Potatoes; best on light, sand}- land. 



Test-sowings of old seeds is good pastime now. 



Plums do the best on a clay loam. 



Plan now for an early garden. 



