i886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



1 1 



cause they are iinpert'ect as to their reproduc- 

 tive organs, stamens and pistils. Of these only 

 the former which bear pollen are present. 



Now, to raise seeds that will yield double 

 flowers, one must call in the help of the single 

 varieties, which have perfect flowers, to bear 

 the seed. To do this, as the flowers of the lat- 

 ter come into bloom, their stamens should be 

 removed by the help of scissors before they 

 have become charged with pollen from single 

 flowers. It may be necessai-y to reai'h the sta- 

 mens by making a small opening through the 

 tube of the flower, a thing easily done with 

 the assistance of a sharp knife. 



Then some of the finest double flowers 

 should be chosen, and from their stamens, with 

 the aid of a rather stubby camel's hair paiut 

 brush, pollen should be gathered and be con- 

 vej'ed to the pistils of the single 

 flowers referred to. This pro- 

 cess should be repeated day after 

 day on the same or new flowei's. 

 To insure the best results the 

 flowers operated upon should 

 be protected from the interfer- 

 ence of insects by a cover of fly- 

 screening. The seed being borne 

 by the single flowers explains 

 why "Double Petunia" seed 

 always produces a certain per- 

 centage of single flowers; it 

 could not be otherwise. 



This process of artificial fer- 

 tilization is not only a very 

 interesting one to follow, but it 

 is not at all diflicult. Even a 

 child of suitable inclination 

 may succeed at it. By this same 

 process of artificial fertilizing, 

 single Petunias of superior 

 ipiality can be raised, employ- 

 ing select varieties to work 

 with. To our readers we say 

 try it this summer; you may be 

 astouishefl at the results spring- 

 ing from seed thus raised. 



six letters, of which the accompanying {name 

 and address omitted) is a fair specimen: 



"Dear Sik:— I am a readei- of Popular 

 CxARnENiNG and And many valuable sugges- 

 tions in it. I notice what you say in the last 

 number of Monthretia Flowers. Will you please 

 send me one bulb of the kmd {,U. t'utlsii). I 

 will remit the jirice first, if you will let me 

 know what it is." 



These have been written and received, al- 

 though in every paper, opposite the first page 

 of reading matter, it has been stated clearly 

 that Popular Gardening is run independ- 

 ently of any niu-sery or seed establishment. 

 The same thing has been repeatedly declared 

 in the reading columns. Perhaps the fact that 

 there are .several papers in this line published, 

 which are advertising auxiliaries to some 

 other business, has to do with the matter. Then 



and as deep as the plants were high. The soil was 

 filled iu close to the plants at the sides, and the 

 plants covererl with leaves six inches deep. In De- 

 cember as many inore leaves were put over. With 

 this i)roteetic)u the Celery kept well. 



Drying Fruits. Fruit that is of second quality 

 for marketing, or such as happens to get too ripe, 

 should he dried. In this shape it can always meet 

 a market at fair paying prici-s, adding with good 

 management materially to the incom<- from fruit 

 sales. Fruit driers or evapoi'ators by the score are 

 in market at prices ranging from ten dollars each 

 upwards. Most of these are good implements and 

 will soon pay for their cost where there is fruit. As 

 some prejudice, if wrougly, is known to exist against 

 evaporated fruits, that which is sun dried and of 

 good (iiiality, finds ready sale. Wherever there are 

 hotbed sa.sh, a sun drier may he made almost with- 

 out cost that will answer for preparing a large 

 quantity of first-class dried fruit. The sash should 

 he elevated on a frame 4 feet from 

 the ground at the front and a foot 

 higher behind. A rack with sup- 

 ports for drying trays at 4 or 5 

 inches apart should be constructed 

 under the sash, to he reached from 

 behind. The place of approach 

 for sliding in or taking out the 

 trays may be covered with Hy 

 screening, the other sides with 

 boards. The sash will both increase 

 the heat and keep off the dews and 

 rains, thus allowing the drying to 

 proceed from beginning to end 

 spei'dily and with the smallest 

 possible anH)unt of bottier. 



THE DUCHESS OF OLDENBURGH APPLE. 



The Duchess of Oldenburgh Apple. 



Were we writing for the orchardist, as dis- 

 tinct from the people, there would be little need 

 of refeiTing to this excellent Apple here, as its 

 merits are widely known to the regular fruit 

 growers. But a kind that is so universally 

 esteemed by orchardists everywhere, and es- 

 pecially in the North and West, should be better 

 known liy the average amateur. 



A leadiug merit of this fine Apple is its gi-eat 

 hardiness— sutticiently accounted for by the 

 fact that it is a Russian variety. Added to this, 

 the tree is a strong grower, forming a roundish 

 spreading head, and it is an excellent bearer. 

 What would strike most peojde as a gocnl char- 

 acteristic of the tree, is, that it requires but little 

 pruning at any time — much less than the 

 average of orchard trees. 



The fruit is from medium to large size, of a 

 handsome, regular form, and, as shown by our 

 engraving, is .streaked, the ground color being 

 yellow, with retl streaks. The flesh, while not 

 of the highest quality, is sufficiently pleasing 

 to the taste to insure a ready sale for the fruit 

 in market. It is a fine cooking apple. The 

 flesh is a "handsome yellowish white, juicy, 

 slightly sub-acid. There is a faint blue bloom 

 diffused over the fruit. 



The subject of our article is an early autumn 

 fruit, being at its best in September. Possess- 

 ing, as it does, such a number of good points, 

 it should find a place iu the lists of all who set 

 out Apples in the northern belts of this fruit. 

 In moderate proportion, it would rarely if ever 

 disappoint the grower. 



Nothing to Sell Here. 



Following on every issue of Popular Gar- 

 dening, from the very first number, there 

 have been received at this oftice from one to 



maybe these writers are our newer subscribers, 

 who have not yet learned to discriminate be- 

 tween this independent paper and others. Let 

 it suffice, for us to repeat that we have not a thing 

 iu the seed, plant, bulb or tree line for sale, nor 

 do we expect to have, so long as we succeed in 

 serving our readers as publishers. We are con- 

 stant buyers of stock for our own private gar- 

 den, the same as our readers are. When we 

 speak of a plant in these colums it is for the 

 sake of imparting unbiased information to the 

 public, and not because we have some stock of 

 the same to * ' talk off " upon unwary' readers. 

 Om- readers, as subscribers, pay us for this in- 

 formation, and we mean that it shall be im- 

 partial. If then they desire some of the plants, 

 etc., treated upon, let them apply, as we our- 

 selves must do when we want some, to the par- 

 ties who have them for sale. In most cases 

 they are found among the enterprising adver- 

 tisers whose announcements appear in our 

 columns. 



Celery for Seven Months. C. H. Dann, a corres- i 

 pondent of the Xew Yink- Tribune, relates how he j 

 managed this crop to give a con.stant supply for 

 seven months: The ground was ploughed the lat- 

 ter part of April, and planted to Peas, in rows four 

 feet apart. When fairly up they were cultivated, 

 and early Potatoes planted in rows between the 

 the Peas, except that two si)aces were set with Cel- 

 ery for summer use, ItHl plants. The last week in 

 -July alternate rows of Potatoes were dug, and rows 

 of Celeiy set eight feet apart, :3(10 plants, for fall use. 

 About August 10th ;)(J0 plants for winter use were 

 put out. The plants were set eight inches apart in the 

 row, the ground being rich. As to banking, the 

 ground was first loosened with a hoe, then each plant 

 taken separately in left hand and dirt enough drawn 

 close aroimd it with right hand to hold the leaves 

 together and upright, .\fterward, more earth was 

 brought up to the plants, from time t<.i time, with 

 hoe or spade. The plants for winter were dug in 

 November, packed close in a trench one foot wide 



Our Friend, Robin Red-breast. 



It may not be pleasant to see hun 

 take some clioice fruit, but before 

 hurling destruction at him let us 

 reflect on his usefulness The quan- 

 tity of insect food devoured by 

 this bird is enormous. W h i t e 

 grubs, spring beetles, wire worms, 

 cut worms, angle worms, slugs, 

 caterpillars, cabbage and other 

 butterflies, moths, maggots of 

 house flies, statile flies and plant 

 flies, and many other insects that 

 cause heavy damages every year, 

 are sought for and consumed in 

 countless numbei's. The young are 

 voracious eaters of this kind of food, and perhaps 

 no other. A single robin five weeks old in confine- 

 ment has. by actual test, been known to devour an 

 average of fiXl earth worms, averaging two inches 

 in length, per day Think of the worth of such 

 services and cherish the bird as a valuable friend, 

 to whom a very little fruit which you prize is all 

 the recompense you can bestow. 



Quack Grass. It is singular that the nearest re- 

 lative to our most useful grain, wheat, is the Quack 

 or Couch Grass, one of our very worst weeds. Many 

 a gardener sees this pest gaining on him. with sor- 

 row, for if acquainted with its habits rightly, he well 

 knows that no weed entails harder work without 

 reward than this How to get rid of it when once 

 it has a hold is a standing question. The true fight- 

 ing line is, not to let a green blade show its tip above 

 ground. In small patches it has sometimes been 

 wholly smothered out, by covering the soil with 

 straw for one season, to the loss of one useful crop. 

 Standard Currants. I have succeeded in grow- 

 ing some standai'i! (.'urrants, red and white, and 

 find that they fnut well. My plan is to put clean 

 cuttings in, and encourage the leader up to 6 feet 

 from the groxmd. Then I let the spurs grow all 

 <lown the stem to within 3 feet of it, aiming at get- 

 ting a kind of pyramidal bush on a low standard. 

 The (luantity of fruit seems to be much greater in 

 proportion to the size of the tree than on the bushes; 

 the space occupied issm&l\.—(i<tnlciihui Illustrated, 

 Cabbage worms are a dread, but they may be 

 effect uall3' disposed of. An early matter is to 

 hand pick the first tirood before they pass into their 

 perfect state. Later on dust the center of the leaves 

 thoroughlj' with a ndxture made of one part of 

 pyrethrum powder to five parts of plaster of dry 

 earth. This will kill every worm. 



For Mulching (ioosberries and Currants, no 

 material is better than the short clippings from the 

 lawn. It lays closely, keei>s down weeds, and pro- 

 motes needed coolness to the soil. 



As for Cucumbers and Squashes, they make 

 less wood and more fruit from seed several j'ears 

 old than from last year's seed. 

 Wood Ashes are an excellent manure for berries. 

 Wheel hoes are labor savers. 



