48 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



November, 



are fed In this way until the blooms com- 

 mence to expand, when all feeding ceases, 

 exceeding when the bloom is late, when a 

 little sulpha-e of ammonia is applied. But 

 I do not advise the use of the sulphate, ex- 

 cepting for the purpose of assisting in bring- 

 ing forward late varieties: as it tends to 

 shorten the durabilty of the blooms after 

 expansion. 



Mildew is a most troublesome disease, and 

 generally makes its appearance with us 

 early in September. Sometimes it attacks 

 the plants earlier, and this season they were 



MARTAGON OR TURK'S CAP LILY. »'if Preccdiltg Payc. 



at his command for housing them. These 

 are important points which will repay a little 

 study, and certainly cannot be ignored by 

 those who would achieve success in com- 

 petition. 



Having stated how our late varieties are J 

 treated, I will allude to the general collec- 

 tion. The earliest varieties, which require 

 very little fire-heat, )'. e., only sufficient to 

 maintain a dry atmosphere, are placed in an 

 early vinery: and those that are naturally a 

 little later, are arranged upon the centre 

 stage of the greenhouse. All are raised as 

 near to the glass as pos- 

 sible, by means of planks 

 laid upon the drain pipes 

 placed in an upright posi- 

 tion upon the stage. The 

 plants are placed upon 

 the platform thus pro- 

 vided, the tallest plants 

 being arranged at the 

 back, and the dwarf ones 

 ones towards the front. 

 The plants nearest the 

 front are raised by means 

 of various sized flower 

 pots, so that, when all is 

 complete, they form a 

 very sharp slope to the 

 south. By this arrange- 

 ment, the upper growth 

 of every plant receives a 

 full share of light and air 

 —a matter of great impor- 

 tance if good blooms are 



for purposes other than protecting trees and 

 plants from rabbits. 



attacked at the end of August. Chrysan- i expected. Again, every bud can be seen 



themums in a low lying spot are more sub- 

 ject to its attacks than are those grown in 

 gardens occupying a higher and drier situa- 

 tion. On Its first appearance every plant is 

 dusted with flowers of sulphur, usually early 

 in the morning, when the leaves are wet 

 with dew, as the sulphur will then adhere to 

 the under surface. This is a very important 

 point, as the rain cannot remove it from the 

 under surface as it does from the upper sur- 

 face. We seldom have to repeat its applica- 

 tion, and I have not on any occasion since 

 adopting this practice, been troubled with 

 mildew after housing the plants. Black-fly 

 is very troublesome with us every season 

 about this time. To eradicate this pest we 

 dust with tobacco powder immediately it 

 makes its appearance. Also after the plants 

 are housed, and before the blooms com- 

 mence to expand, we fumigate slightly two 

 or three times to free the plants from aphis 

 that may remain. 



Much depends upon the time the plants 

 are housed; especially the late varieties. As 

 to the time of flowering, I do not care so 

 much whether such varieties as Bonle d'Or, 

 or Grandiflorum and the like, or their 

 buds early in August or at the end of the 

 month. Their blooms can be expanded by 

 the middle of November. Last season I took 

 Boule d'Or buds on September 1, and the 

 Grandiflorum buds on September S, and ex- 

 hibited them both in good form on Novem- 

 ber V2. These, with such varieties as the 

 Princess of Teck and its sports, Barbara and 

 Thunberg, should lie housed earlier, and 

 placed in a favorable position. The above 

 varieties, with others correspondingly late, 

 are placed on the side stages of the green- 

 house immediately over the hot water pipes, 

 and by means of large flower pots are raised 

 as near to the glass as possible. These re- 

 ceive a little sulphate of ammonia twice a 

 week, and when the solar influences are not 

 favorable, a little artificial heat must be ap- 

 plied. The cultivator must use his own 

 judgment as to the time of housing his plants, 

 taking into consideration the locality in 

 which he resides, and the state of the buds 

 (whether late or early), and also what means 



when the cultivator is standing in front of 

 them, so that, should they require attention, 

 a plant or two can easily be removed for 

 that purpose. 



Another important point is arranging the 

 colors on the exhibition board. I have 

 noticed scores of stands arranged with some- 

 times as many as four, and even six blooms 

 of a bronze or other shade placed together. 

 This is not as it should be, for by a judicious 

 intermingling of the light and dark shades 

 of color, each bloom will add to the effect 

 of its neighbor, and consequently to the at- 

 tractions of the exhibition table. It may 

 also make all the difference between a first 

 or second place in a close competition. 



Rabbits. 



Protecting Trees Against 



JOH.V M. STAHL, ADAMS CO., N. Y. 



I have always found an application of 

 grease and blood to the trunks ample pro- 

 tection for young trees against rabbits, and 

 rabbits are numerous hereabouts. 

 The only drawback to this applica- 

 tion is that the rains wash it off, and 

 of course it must be repeated as often 

 as removed. However, three applica- 

 tions during the winter are the 

 most I have ever found it necessarj' 

 to make. I think those who have 

 reported this application not to be 

 effectual, have failed to keep it on— 

 have not renewed it when removed by 

 the weather. When I first used this 

 application {almost or quite twenty 

 years ago) I was assured that it would 

 not be effectual unless I used livers; 

 but I have found that the rabbits 

 detest the blood and fat. no matter from 

 what part of the body it comes. The 

 refuse from the slaughter house costs 

 nothing, or perhaps that from your home 

 butchering will be suificient. The meat 

 should be fresh, and the bloodier and fatter 

 it is the better. You can rub fast, but should 

 rub carefully, that no large spots may be 

 missed. Rabbits can be kept out by a wire 

 netting fence put down to the ground; and 

 as this is a durable fence, it will often 

 be advisable to use it where a fence is needed 



Winter Storage of Celery. 



M. GAHRAIIAN. HZERNE CO. .PA. 



Perhaps there is no question that causes 

 the average market gardener more perplex- 

 ity than the constantly recurring one of how 

 best to store his crop of Celery for winter 

 sales. If we only knew what kind of a win- 

 ter we were going to have, we would know 

 how much covering to put on the trenches 

 to be just enough, so the Celery will neither 

 be spoiled by freezing, if too little for an un- 

 usually cold season, nor by rotting if too 

 much for an unusally mild one. 



To be as far as possible independent of the 

 contingencies of weather, some have gone to 

 considerable expense in the erection of out- 

 door cellars, with sawdust-filled double 

 roofs, side walls of stone, (laid with cement 

 mortar, to exclude rats) and ventilators in 

 the roof, to permit the escape of heat and 

 moisture. The expense, however, bas been 

 such in some cases as to cause the builders to 

 a.sk the question, whether or not the "game 

 was worth the powder." 



The following plan has been practiced in 

 this neighborhood for ten years, and prob- 

 ably longer, and in other localities as well. 



Instead of a trench a foot in width, we 

 throw out a trench lour feet wide, putting 

 half the dirt on each side to facilitate cover- 

 ing. The trenches are just far enough apart 

 to drive between and unload trom each side. 

 A board is run through the center of the 

 trench to prevent the Celery from crowding 

 together too closely, the upper edge about 

 level with the top of theCelery. I find if not 

 packed too tight, it will keep longer without 

 rotting. The trench is dug two feet deep, 

 more or less. Now rafters are cut from 2x4 

 Hemlock, or Chestnut, at an angle that will 

 bring the peak or ridge 4 feet from bottom 

 of the trench. Generally, three boards, a 

 foot wide, will cover each side. The rafters 

 can be made ready at odd times through the 

 summer and will last a long time if taken 

 care of. Ventilators are also made from 

 common fence boards, and in severe weath- 

 er stuffed full of litter to exclude frost. 



For about two weeks after storing. Celery 

 will "sweat" and throw off a great deal 

 of moisture, we therefore slip the roof on as 

 soon as we can, after the trench is filled to 

 keep off rain, and leave the other covering 

 as long as we dare. At the approach of real 

 cold weather we smiply put on each side 

 about a foot of earth. With rafters 4 feet 



WINTER STORAGE OF CELERY. 



apart, we have no trouble with the root set- 

 ting under its weight. 



The advantages of this plan are that one 

 can store Celery as fast as he could in ordin- 

 ary trenches, much faster than carrying it 

 "down cellar." Can take it out any time, 

 or in any kind of weather, and last, but not 

 least, insure immunity from rats as we take 

 it up and plow the ground level in the spring, 

 and then we have a lot of lumber inthe fall 

 that has been used for banking up so that 

 it don't seem to cost much money. 



