68 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



Do You Crow Allamandas? 



Whoever can gain access to winter quarters 

 under glass, having a temperature of 50° to 60°, 

 for some good sized plants, ought to be able to 

 grow Allamandas. The genus gives us some of 

 our most desirable stove and gi'eeuhouse plants; 

 their management is quite easy. They are 

 much grown as climbers, but some of the sorts 

 are readily managed as pot shrubs. 



In this place we invite notice to several of those 

 Allamandas that are most suitable to grow in 

 the bush form. To illustrate our article we were 

 fortunate in securing the use of a fine en- 

 graving of one of the sorts, A. Hendersonii, 

 from the catalogue, and thi-ough the kindness, 

 of Messrs. Hill & Co., who are growers of Roses 

 and other fine plants at Richmond, Indiana. The 

 engraving shows the flower reduced in size, the 

 individual blooms being usually three inches 

 and upwards across. The color is a soft golden 

 yellow, tinged ^ith brown on the outside, and 

 very agreeable to the eye. In form and tex- 

 ture the flowers are really charming. Add to 

 these qualities the fact that they are pro- 

 duced in gi-eat profusion for about nine 

 months in succession, and the appreciation 

 with which the plant is held by those who 

 grow it, is easily understood. 



Another species quite as desirable as the 

 last, but with smaller flowers, is the 

 Oleander-leaved Allanianda (A. nerifolia). 

 On account of its floriferous habit through 

 many months in succession, it is unequaled 

 for decorative purposes, while as an exhi- 

 bition plant this Allanianda is excelled by 

 none. The leaves are decidedly handsome. 



Of late years the shrubby Allamandas 

 have gained some fame in eastern cities as 

 out-door summer bloomers. For this pur- 

 pose they are grown under glass from 

 September until May or June, when they 

 are plunged, pot and all, in the flower 

 border for the summer. It should be 

 added that the time to shift the plants is 

 just previous to putting them out into the 

 summer border. One thing that goes far 

 towards making the culture of these plants 

 a pleasure, is their singular freedom from 

 insects. They are treasures, for this. 



Allamandas require but ordinai'y good 

 soil, say such as consists of two parts 

 rotted turf and one part of thoroughly 

 decomposed manure. A little sand added 

 is very useful. The plants enjoy good 

 drainage in the pots, free watering and 

 syringing when in a growing state, with an 

 occasional treat to weak liquid manure during 

 this period. To grow lai'ge specimens never 

 allow the subjects to become pot-bound. lu 

 the winter months Allamandas require but little 

 wat«r. The time of pruning is in January or 

 February of each year. Plants can be bought 

 of the leading 'florists, including the firm re- 

 ferred to above, at 2r> cents and upwards each. 

 Such are of small size ; they grow quite rapidly. 



"Well, sisters of the Flornl World, we find 

 ourselves transferred to pastures new, but with 

 the same common interests. Let us feel at 

 home, write our letters as of old and do what 

 we can in the good work." 



Amaryllis and Other Flowers. 



Our new correspondent, Mrs. S. A. B. Sher- 

 win, of Minnesota, may well grow enthusiastic 

 over her Johnson's Amaryllis and Petunias, for 

 both are among the best of house plants. It is 

 no strange thing for the former to bloom in the 

 latter part of winter. Here is her letter : 



"My Johnsonii has surprised me this winter, 

 by throwing up two flower scapes, each develop- 

 ing one lovely blossom, another is to follow. 

 My other varieties are growing thriftily, Vjut 

 show no signs of bloom as yet (Feb. 10th). 

 What pleasure flowers do afford at this season, 

 I must tell of my grandiflora varieties of 

 Petunias last season : The flowers were enor- 

 mous and of such dazzling brilliancy that they 

 attracted all passers. Many could hardly be- 

 lieve they were Petunias. No ordinary varie- 

 ties for me after this. I would say that the 

 grandiflora strain of Drummond's Plilox is also 

 superior; the flowers are larger than others, 

 and each %vith a large white eye. 



Selecting the Garden. 



BY N. J. SHEPHERD. 



Where a garden is to be selected pains should 

 be taken to secure the best site. It should be 

 convenient to the home; it should be accessible 

 with team and wagon, that manure di-awiug, 

 plowing and fitting up the soil can be done 

 without unnecessary trouble. 



Good drainage is very important. Often a 

 piece of land can be chosen that is naturally 

 under-drained; if not, then thorough tile drain- 

 ing should be done, or a good and early garden 

 is out of the question. 



A plot that slopes to the south or southeast, 

 is better than one that is flat or sloping other- 

 wise. Either an eastern or a western slope is 



ALLAMANDA HENDERSONII. 



better than one to the north, for such an one 

 takes a long time to wai'm up in the spring. 



For soil, a light loam should be the first choice. 

 You can make a garden on clay soil, by bring- 

 ing some lightening material in addition to 

 manure to it, but this calls for a good deal of 

 work, and when done it will never till as read- 

 ily or warm up as early in the spring as lighter 

 loam. A cold, wet soil is always un.satisfactory. 

 Light sand or gravel do not make the best of 

 gardens, but by the use of enough manure, 

 either one may be rendered passably good. 



A good size for a family garden, is fifty feet 

 wide by one hundred feet long. The advan- 

 tage of having it in this shape is that a large 

 share of the work of preparing the soil, and 

 even of tillage, can be done by horee power. 

 As compared with man or women power, horse 

 power is so much cheaper, that its employment 

 should be much more common about gardens. 



Shelter from cold winds is important. If the 

 natural lay of the land or the near presence of 

 the farm buildings do not effect this, then a 

 belt of Evergreens on the north and west sides 

 should be provided. It is not desirable to have 

 either buildings or large trees so near to the 

 garden, that they wiU shade the surface. 



For the Fun of It. 



Mr. S. Q. Lent, a correspondent of the Mirh- 

 irjan Horticulturi.tt, has some notions about 

 gardening, with which we quite agree. He 

 says, in substance, that he wants to see people 



do more in raising flowers, flne trees, fruit, etc. , 

 for the comfort and satisfaction they bring, 

 and not forever singing "wasted time" or 

 " money out of pocket." Money is not good for 

 anything unless it makes us more comfortable 

 and happy; and time isn't worth saving unless 

 we can spend it in some way to enjoy it. A 

 lady may spend her time the whole summer 

 long in growing a set of plants that shall take 

 the flrst premium at the fair; the pi-ize may be 

 almost nothing, but there is no measure to the 

 enjoyment gained by the effort. 



A little girl may spend a large amount of 

 time in growing a seedling (.Teranium until its 

 flower is opened. The flower may not be as good 

 as thousauds of others, but she has grown this 

 one as her own, has enjoyed its development, 

 and if she has had the sympathy of her parents 

 and the family, she has secured "lots of fun " 

 out of the experiment. 



We have a great deal of sympathy with the 

 amateurs who are growing flowers, plants, 

 vegetables and fruits, not for what they will 

 bring in the market, but for the enjoy- 

 ment of watching for new forms, colors 

 and flavors. No time or money is ill spent 

 that contributes to the true happiness of 

 the one who spends it, and besides adds, as 

 everything about gardening does, joy and 

 comfort to the household. 



The Rochester Convention. 



When the leading fruit growers, who 

 have made Rochester and Western New 

 York famous for nurseries and orchards, 

 get together on a winter's day to talk over 

 horticultural matters, the sparks of wis- 

 dom must fly. Such a meeting was the 

 one held by the Western New York Horti- 

 cultural Society in the last week of Janu- 

 ary. There wei'e present, Patrick Bai-ry 

 (who is president of the Society), J. J. 

 Thomas, George EUwanger, Dr. Hexamer, 

 Chas. A. Green, and more than 1.50 other 

 prominent nurserymen and f niit growers, 

 all brought together to discuss an interest- 

 ing line of subjects. The following is the 

 substance of the leading ideas brought out ; 

 President Barry : When fruit is sorted, 

 and only the best sent to market, you may 

 keep the other grades at home, and the 

 gross receipts would be neaily or quite as 

 great. . . . Fruit crops may soon be 

 doubled by enriching the soU, good culture, 

 careful pruning, thinning, gatjfiering.pack- 

 ing. . . . With the low prices of last 

 year, results on the whole were more satis- 

 factoiy than farming. . . . For winter 

 storage uses, a barn over a cellar, the walls of 

 which (the bam) are double sheated with straw 

 between the layers; double doors; the cellar 

 provides some warmth; during severe colil 

 straw mats are thrown over the boxes and 

 barrels. ... A new Weeping Apple was 

 mentioned, as suitable to plant, both for fruit 

 and for ornament. 



J. J. Thomas: Keep the young on the farms 

 by making the surroundings attractive. . . . 

 Ilire men who board themselves, that the 

 women folks may have time for rest and cul- 

 ture. . . . Reported proflts of some Black 

 Cap Raspberries, at $200 per acre, the fruit 

 selling at 8 to 16 cents per quart ; Strawberries 

 $300 per acre, fetching .5 to 8 cents per quart; 

 one grower realized $80 for one-fourth aci"e of 

 Strawberries; an Apple orchai-d gave 144 

 bushels per acre, at from $1.2.5 to $1..50 per 

 bushel, a part planted to Potatoes yielded the 

 best fi-uit. . . . Three best market Plums, 

 Bradshaw for early, Lombard for medium, 

 Riene Claude for late. . . . Best fertilizer 

 for Plums, he finds is barn-yard manure. . . 

 Plum rot iu the fruit is no doubt caused or 

 increased by over-bearing. . . . Pears on 

 a mowed lawn yield flne fruit. 



Chas. A. Green: Fashion demands birds for 

 millinery purposes, and insects increase. . . . 

 Estimated ten rnllli nna ai'e slaughtered in 

 America every year. . . . One swallow will 

 kill more insects than a farmer with his Paris 

 Green mixture. 



Dr. Caldwell: Salt does not add fertility to 

 land but only makes fertility more available. 

 . . . Salt is not so good an absorbent as 

 earth, plaster or gypsum, does not prevent es- 

 cape of ammonia. . . . Salt keeps ma- 

 nure moist and prevents fire-fang. 



