1 886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



'35 



AS TO THE FUTURE. 



"Popular Gardening" to be Increased 



in size and to be a Dollar 



Paper Hereafter. 



To those who have watched this paper from 

 its beginning, eleven months ago, it must be 

 apparent that it is a very lively and promising 

 youth, allowing such an expression. In that 

 time it has not only absorbed two sterling 

 contemporaries, but by its general excellence 

 it has easily reached the very front rank of in- 

 dependent American horticultural journals. 



That Popular Gardening is supplying an 

 obvious want in American horticultural litera- 

 ture is at this date a matter of no doubt. It 

 started out to disseminate current gardening 

 intelligence of public interest, and to do so in a 

 sparkling, concise and sensible style that should 

 find many readers. In this it has not been 

 disappointed. From the very first issue its 

 subscription list has grown constantly and 

 rapidly, while the expressions of hearty appre- 

 ciation from subscribers have reached us 

 without number from the beginning. 



But while in general the cai-eer of Popular 

 Gardening has been singularly bright, there 

 have been thus far two apparent lacks in its 

 being, and they not distantly related. We re- 

 fer to its low price considering the costly char- 

 acter of its make-up, and its present size, as 

 shown by a very marked demand for an en- 

 larged paper from our subscribers. 



So far as the last matter is concerned, while 

 an enlargement has often been urged bj' sub- 

 scribers, we were not fully satisfied how wide- 

 spread this feeling was until — as many readers 

 found out — a direct inquiry was made into the 

 matter some time ago. This we did by com- 

 municating direct with each one of a large 

 share of our older subscribers, scattered 

 throughout the entire country, putting to them 

 the following inquiry: 



■' Would an enlargement at end of year, with 

 price $1.()0 instead of tJOc., strike you favorably?'' 



The answeres were very numerous, and to 

 our sui-prise (and joy — for it amounted to a 

 hearty endoreement of our work) fully SO per 



CENT asked for AN INCREASED PRICE AND 



SIZE : To show how heart}' and emphatic was 

 the sentiment in favor of enlargement, we 

 print a few extracts from the many answers 

 received, as follows: 



" Yes, indeed ; give us a larger paper and charge 

 the $1.00." 



" I vote enlargement emphatically." 



" It is worth $1.00 now, and we would give it, so 

 of course yes." 



''Emphatically yes." 



" Enlarge by all means." [The answer of many.] 



"Yes sir." [A common answer.] 



"The paper is worth $1.00 as it is. The low price 

 caused me to hesitate at first to subscribe." 



"It would most a.ssuredly." 



With an actual majority of four to one on 

 the part of subscribers in favor of an increase, 

 it was decided to comply with this general de- 

 sire, beginning with the second volume (Octo- 

 Ijer), and so it shall be. 



But this was not all. In justice to ourselves 

 as publishers we have to say that it never has 

 been clear to us that lid cents a year was a con- 

 sistent figure for covering the quality of con- 

 tents, careful editorial work, costlj' engi-av- 

 ings, paper and printing employed in Popular 

 Gardening : hence, we have in the past been 

 pleased to speak of that figure as the " INTRO- 

 DUCTORY PRICE" of this paper. Now 

 after nearly oue year's experience we know 

 that it is an inconsistent figtu'e. But on the 

 other hand we have learned also that while 60 

 cents a year and the present paper are not in 

 true accord, the price of *1.00 a j'ear and nn 



erikirgeil paper, even of the present high qual- 

 ity ma.y be so. [If such a statement may puzzle 

 average readers, it is only because the}' are 

 not publishers, tor then they woidd know that 

 some of the heaviest items of publishing, such 

 as management, rents, clerk hii-e, Imok-keep- 

 ing, editing and nuiuy others, are not oue cent 

 less on a (iO-ccnt jiaper t,han on oue high priced.] 

 Such being the case, as every expert in these 

 mattei's knows, we have now arranged to meet 

 the ilesire of our subscribers and do justice 

 to ourselves, by placing our price on a better 

 basis and with it to enlarge the size. With the 

 broader ■* 1. 00 basis we shall give a paper so 

 nuu'h improved that it will still be the very 

 cheapest paper of its class, quality considered, 

 in the land. 



MR. A. M. PURDY'S TESTIMONY. 



Some time before buying the Fniit Iieconler 

 Mr. Purdy in our hearing stated that he had 

 made a mistake in dropping the price of 

 that paper to 50 cents from the former (and 

 for 111 years) [H-ice of *1.00 a year. Nothing 

 further was then said of the matter, but desir- 

 ing since to learn his views more carefully, we 

 have written for such, which he gave to us 

 as follows: 



High Point, N. C. Aug. n, 1886. 

 Gentlemen: 



Yours at hand. I was glad to see that the price 

 of Popular Gardening and Fruit Reronhr was to 

 be increased, for I am satisfied from a long experi- 

 ence in publishing that no person can print a reallj' 

 live, practical horticultural paper in first-class style 

 for less than $1.00 a year. 



Had we kept on with the Recorder we should 

 have returned to the old form and price, knowing 

 that we could have done better justice all around. 



Papers that print all kinds of advertisements, 

 and are half filled with such, may answer at the 

 half-price rate, but a good dollar paper largely 

 filled with clean, sound reading matter is worth 

 half a dozen such. You cannot put it too strong 

 showing the necessity of changing the price and size. 

 Truly yours, A. M. PURDY. 



Beginning with the October issue, therefore, 

 the price of Popular Gardening will be $1.00 

 a year, but as in the past so in the future 

 we mean that, to the extent that money ami 

 labor can make it so, it shall be the brightest, 

 handsomest and best paper of its class pub- 

 lished, and in every way worthy, and very 

 cheap for the price. 



How to Pot a Plant. 



Who does not know how? may be asked. We 

 venture to say that a matter weighing as lightly 



coarse soil 



moss 

 potsherds 



POTTING.— THE PLACING OF THE MATERIALS. 



as this often does with growers is very often 

 the one fine point between future success and 

 failure in plant culture. The assertion, of 

 course, apidies with moi-e force to plants of 

 conqiaratively delicate natures than to the 

 easiest growers,but Popular Gardening aims 

 to lead its readers to success in managing all 

 classes of subjects in gardening. 



The engraving almost shows how without 

 further explanation. A chief point is drain- 



age. This so far as underdrainage is concerned 

 is clearly set forth in the cut. Thei-e is first 

 something like an inch of broken pot-sherds, 

 carefully laid, for shedding water. Then— and 

 a very inijiortant part— comes a strata of Moss 

 or Sphagnum to keep the earth above from 

 settling into the drainage below. A clogged 

 drain is of no use. Above this comes the .soil, 

 seeing that coarse parts, such as roll 

 down the sides of the heap, go to 

 the bottom as shown in the cut. 



Besides such underdrainage, there 

 is a clear gain in a similar direction, 

 by having the sides of the pots clean 

 and |)orous, the dealers in painted 

 pots to the contrary notwithstand- 

 ing. For plants to do their best there 

 needs to be not only porou.sness, for 

 the escajje of water, but for the ad- 

 mission of air to the roots. A 

 painted or dirty pot or a wooden 

 siirk. i,ox or cask in a large measure ob- 

 structs the admission of air from the sides. 



The larger the pot the more needful is under- 

 drainage, and the less needful is side porous- 

 ness. Hence pots smaller than '-'i inches across 

 scarcely need the former, while recejitacles 

 larger than 1 foot across can pretty well dis- 

 pense with side porousness. Tight boxes, 

 therefore, answer better for large plants than 

 for small ones. 



The Potting Stick, illustrated, is of use in 

 doing a good job of potting, for firming the soil 

 about the roots. It may be whittled from a 

 lath, and should be about B inches long. 



Fall Sowing: of Lawns. 



We believe in it. An extended experience in 

 lawn making con-vinces us that there is no 

 better time than this. The Grasses that ai-e 

 suitable for lawns are not unlike Wheat and 

 Rye that are sown in the fall, in the respect 

 that they are perfectly hardy and thrive under 

 the coolness and moisture of autumn and spring 

 weather in a young state better than they do 

 in hot weather. With sowing lawns in Sep- 

 tember the young grass has the benefit of twice 

 the length of cool, moist weather that spring 

 sowings can receive. Under ordinary success 

 there may be a well established lawn by next 

 July from seed now put in. To prepare for 

 seeding is no difticult matter, provided the 

 general grade and the nature of the soil are 

 about right. Spade up deeply, going down two 

 lengths with the spade, mix fine manure with 

 the overturned soil somewhat freely; see that 

 all sods are well inverted, finish the surface 

 evenly and finely with a rake; a rain, to settle 

 it before sowing; is of advantage. Sow evenly, 

 in calm weather if possible, just before a rain, 

 raking lightly after the sowing. For seed trust 

 to a reliable dealer who handles the best Grasses, 

 either separate or in mixture, for the purpose. 

 Even to procure from a distance is no great 

 disadvantage, for grass-seed is light, with trans- 

 portation charges to correspond. 



Remedy for Crape-vine Mildew. 

 The usual sulphur dusting remedy sometimes 

 fails, and Prof. C. V. Riley, Entomologist of 

 the Department of Agriculture, who has inves- 

 tigated this disease cai'efuUy, recommends the 

 following: Dissolve eighteen pounds of ordi- 

 nary sulphate of copper in about twenty-two 

 gallons of water; in a separate vessel mix 1-:^ 

 gallons of water and thirty-four pounds of 

 coarse lime, so as to make a milk of lime. Then 

 mix with this the solution of sulphate of copper, 

 to form a bluish [laste. Pour a portion of the 

 mixture in a bucket or other vessel, thoroughly 

 shaking it, and brush the leaves with a small 

 broom, taking care not to touch the grapes. 

 This remedy is successfully employed by the 

 French, and a single application is said to be as 

 effective as lepeated ones. The time of apply, 

 ing the remedy in the French vineyards is 

 about the middle of July. Care should be used 

 to touch all the leaves if possible. 



