1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



69 



l,a6',i. Old Orchards. Whethoi- to keep them 

 in grass or not that is a Icarting question. On 

 general principles we would answer in the nega- 

 tive. It is true that .Vpples ami standnni I'eai-s 

 usuall.v <1o very well in grass provided they are 

 otherwise properly provided witli food. I'nder 

 no eircunistanees, however, do we believe in 

 takiuB- any crop off the old orchard except the 

 fruits from the trees. If grass or anything else 

 is grown under them, it should be cut and left 

 for mulch, or eaten and tramped down on the 

 spot by pigs or sheep. As a partial preventive 

 of Pear blight Prof. Arthur recommended seed- 

 ing the orchaiil to grass, thereby ca\ising a 

 slower but harder growth less susceptible to the 

 contagion. On the other hand ilr. J. .1. Thomas 

 ( and he is a good authority ) states that it be 

 more profltable to gi\ e Pear trees clean and 

 thorougli culture, even if the blight were to take 

 them off from time to time, makmg (reiiuent 

 re-planting of the orchard necessary. We side 

 witli Mr. Thomas Even if clean cultivation is 

 given, we can where blight is feared prevent the 

 growth of tender succulent wood by feeding 

 mineral foods, siich as ashes, basic slag, tloat«, 

 bone dust, iHJtJisli salts, etc., and withholding 

 nitn>genous fertilizers, especially barnyard 

 manure. The same holds good of Peaches, Plums, 

 and all other fruits. If any evidence were 

 needed to piK)ve the superioritj of clean culti- 

 vation over seeding down for Pears, Plums, 

 Peaches, and other ifruits, we would want no 

 better than that furnished us during our recent 

 visit at the fruit farms in the northern part of 

 this county. The phenominal success of the 

 growei's tfiere is, next to favorable location, 

 chiefly due to their practice of giving clean and 

 thorough cultivation. The trees that here ap- 

 pear sickly, compared with the unusua luxuri- 

 ance of the average, are those standing in sod. 

 This is also in harmony yntVt sound theory. 

 Grass is a great consumer of moisture, and if the 

 season be not an unusual wet one, trees standing 

 in sod must necessarily suffer more or less of the 

 lack of water that they so greatly need in order 

 to do their best. 



1,558. Manuring Qrapes and Fruit Trees. The 

 most economical way of manuring Grapes and 

 fruit trees is the one which will insure the best 

 effect, i. c, give us the best fruit and the most 

 of it. Compared with the result, as a rule, the 

 cost of the fertilizer is only of secondary im- 

 portance. If, for instance, the soil be very thin, 

 i. c, deficient of vegetable matter, and our vines 

 and trees for this reason refuse to make what 

 gi'owth is needed for best results, we can better 

 afford to buy slable manure at current rates, and 

 secure a full crop by means of such expenditure, 

 than to save the latter and continue to harvest 

 a half or quarter crop. Or if we have plenty of 

 stable manure, but the soil is already well sup- 

 plied with humus. gi\-ing us a large growth of 

 wood and little fruit, besides making the trees 

 more susceptible to the attacks of diseases, we 

 can better afford to spend a little money for 

 potash or plain phosphate, than to apply more 

 stable manure (merely because we have it 

 already on hand ) and run all the risks named, or 

 continue to grow unsalable wood and to get 

 along without salable fruit. See also our answer 

 to l.riBfl, and the article on " fertilizers for fruits " 

 elsewhere in this issue. 



1,461. Cacti Treatment. A. Blanc's Catalogue 

 and Hints on Cacti will give the desired informa- 

 tion. Price ten cents, .\ddress 3U N. llth street, 

 Philadelphia, Pa.— C. E. P. 



1,460. Tuberous Begonia, it would require a 

 personal examination to ascertain the reason 

 why your Tuberous Begonia drops its buds. Why 

 cultivate it, when the others produce such satis- 

 factory results?— C. E. P. 



1,409. Uannre for Strawberries. Why use 

 manure as a mulch, when one of the most import- 

 ant objects in mulching is to keep the f niit clean 

 and free from dirt? I advise the use of straw or 

 salt hay for mulching.— C. E. P. 



1,542. Pronouncing Dictionary, There is none 

 that we are aware of, but we admit that one is 

 badly needed. 



1,56.3. Effect of Sulphates. Very little is at 

 present known on this subject. It is very likely, 

 however, that the sulphuric acid contained in 

 sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash is 

 not without its effect in making other plant 

 foods in the soil available. This is still more, and 

 decidedly the case with sulphate in kainit, which 

 is an impure form of sulphate of potash. 



1,564. Muriate and Sulphate of Potash. The 

 former is nsuiill.\' prt'f erred biTuu^t- it < if ten gives 

 exactly as gooil results as the latter, and certainly 

 is much cheaper. 



1,514. Early Strawberry. It is hard to get a 

 berry earlier than the Crescent that is profltable. 

 The Crystal City is earlier but not very produc- 

 tive. Try Haverland which is enormously pro- 

 ductive, fertilized with Crystal City. They say 

 Haverland is best on clay or gravel. Cloud and 

 Michel's Early are claimed to be extra early in 

 the south. Cloud hasn't proved early at the 

 north, but it runs. I have seen rows spread 

 over eight feet wide in one season.— L.J. Farmer. 



1,578. Water Gas for Heating. Mr. Temple of 

 Iowa spoke of this at the recent meeting of the 

 Florists at Duffalo. The Country Gentleman 

 obtained fromMr.Templcthe following additional 

 information: Water gas is made by heating to a 

 white heat an air-tight iron vessel or generator, 

 and injecting steam or a Une spray of water.which 

 forms water gas for fuel; it is made for ten to -30 

 cents per 1,000 feet, and at Jackson, Mich., they 

 claim to have made money, and a good water 

 illuminating gas for 3U cents per 1,000 feet, as I 

 have been informed. Water gas for illuminating 

 is made in the same way, but with the additiim 

 of a spray of kerosene to give it greater illumin- 

 ating power, and it has to be run through a 

 purifier, to get rid of the odor of the oil. Where 

 water gas is used for welding iron, it is mixed 

 with naptha to give it greater force and does 

 the work cleaner and better than any other fuel. 

 Natural gas in many places is giving out, and 

 inventors like Westinghouse of Pittsburg and 

 others are experimenting with water gas, and 

 expect to furnish it as cheap as natural gas is 

 sold for in some places. The time is not far dis- 

 tant when dwellings, stores, greenhouses and 

 factories will be both illuminated and heated 

 with water gas, doing awaj' with the use of coal, 

 the gas being furnished by companies the same 

 as water, electric light and gas are at present. 

 An English gentleman, Douglas G. MacKae, 

 editor of the London Finimcial Times, says water 

 gas is manufactured in England at a cost of four 

 pence per 1,000 feet, and that preparations are 

 being made to introduce the process in this 

 country. 



1,552. Babbit Remedy, A correspondent of 

 Farmer's Home Journal gives the following as a 

 sure preventive of injury to young trees by 

 rabbits: Take equal parts of soft soap, sifted 

 ashes and flour, (the lowest grade as good as any) 

 and kneading the whole into a paste. The hands 

 have to be used, and the hands also have to apply 

 said composition to the stems. Thickness to be 

 about one-fourth of an inch — not less. Some- 

 times calves or hounds will lick it off 'ere it dries. 

 Sudden, washing rains may do the same thing, 

 but let it dry once and no rabbit will touch it 

 provided it is applied as high up as one of them 

 can reach, standing on his hind legs. But few 

 persons can stand it more than an hour or so at a 

 time, as it corrodes the hands rapidly; but dry, 

 said corrosive power ceases to exist. 



1,.502. Planting Easpberries. The advantage 

 of setting Kasjiberry plants in the fall are that 

 you generally get a better growth provided they 

 are protected in winter and cultivated early 

 enough in the spring. Vacancies can be noticed 

 and filled out early in the spring. The advan- 

 tages of spring setting are that they require less 

 work early, and a crop can be more easily grown 

 among them the first year. It is a puttering 

 job to fit ground for a crop in the spring that is 

 occupied with Raspberries set the fall before. 

 Most growers, especially those having heavy or 

 strong soils, plant in the spring. We get a good 

 crop of Potatoes between the rows and plants 

 of Black Raspberries. Fall planted Hasiibcrries 

 should have a mound of earth arounci c;icli plant 

 for protection to be hoed away in the spring.— 



L. J. F.iRMEB. 



1,497. Pistillate Strawberries. We find that 

 pistillate varieties when properly fertilized 

 always bring in more money than the perfect 

 flowering kinds. The pistillate and perfect 

 should blossom at one time in order to properly 

 fertilize. Crescents and Warfleld may be planted 

 near Bidwell, Jessie and Wilson; Bubach and 

 Windsor Chief, near Burt Seedling. When prop- 

 erly cared for, there is no better variety to use 

 as a pollen producer than Bidwell. This and 

 Burt produce five times as much pollen as Wil- 

 son. But the Bidwell is too tender a plant for 

 N. y. state and so we substitute Jessie. As a 

 rule people do not plant enough perfect sorts 

 among the pistillates. Two rows of each, planted 

 alternately throughout the field is a good way. 

 A poor way is to mi.x the plants in the row as 

 the pistillates which as a rule outrun the per- 

 fect flowering soon crowd out the latter and in a 

 few years all are pistillates. Someone in Oswego 

 Co. mixed Crescents with Wilson and sold them 

 under the name of " Sprawlei-s." All worked 

 well the first year but in taking up for new 

 plantations very few were taken up and I can 

 go into beds were there is not one plant Wilson 

 in 100. The growers surely will be disappointed 

 when picking time comes.— t. J. Farjier. 



1,493. Bis ci berry Disease. Probably your 

 Blackberries are on land not suited to them. We 

 find that naturally well-drained light soils are 

 best adapted for Blackberries. No use trying to 

 grow them on wet soils till well drained. We 

 grow good crops of Snyder Blackberries on 

 heavy soil by throwing up into narrow lands 

 with deep ditches between each two rows. Of 

 course level culture and land tile-drained would 

 be better. Plants making a healthy growth are 

 rarely attacked with disease.— L. J. Farmer. 



1,.503. Manuring Blackberries. Manure will 

 increase the crop, but shouhl be scattered evenly 

 over the soil and not heaped around the canes. 

 -F. L. W. 



1.510. Pruning Apples. Prune in spring by 

 all means, so says our state experiment station 

 and so says my experience. —F. L. W. 



1.511. Salem Orape. Two or three inches of 

 st)il will protect it suflicicntl.v.— F. L. W. 



1.512. Variegated Orape Agawam (Rogers 15) 

 is often variegated when the fruit is densely 

 shaded by the leaves. So is Massasoit (Rogers 3) 

 and Rogers No. 8. Mottled is also variegated 

 sometimes.— F. L. W. 



1,495. Plum for Market. No Plum has been 

 found that pays as well so the Lombard.— F.L.W. 



1,497. Pistillate Strawberries. Yes, if prop- 

 erly fertilized they are more productive than 

 the perfect flowering oues.— F. L. W. 



1.501. Starting Grape Seedlings- Plant the 

 seeds in fall and cover with a board or mulch, 

 we prefer a board.— F. L- W. 



1.502. Planting Baspberrie*. Plant the red 

 varieties in the fall, the black caps in spring.— 

 F. L. W. 



1,521. White's Muscat Grape. We do not like 

 the foliage and it made a very poor growth this 

 summer.— F. L- W. 



1,-525. Yield of Baspberries. The Gregg will 

 yield one-third more than either Tyler, or Sou- 

 negan. Nemaha and Ohio yield nearly as much 

 as Gregg.— F. L. Wright. 



1,545 Killing Bats. To keep the premises 

 clear of rats and in fact, of all other vermin, is 

 a very simple and easy thing if you go at it in 

 the right way. A few rats can usually be caught 

 in a figure 4 dead-fall, or in a common steel trap, 

 and with a little care in baiting and hiding the 

 trap, even the more experienced old rat will 

 often fall a victim to its voraciousness. When 

 rats have once become suspicious, bait them for 

 awhile with cheese crumbs, sunflower seeds and 

 other dehcacies, then set the trap again. The 

 best way to set a steel trap for rats is to set it 

 without baiting, cover with a piece of thin 

 muslin a yard square, and strew cheese crumbs 

 and similar bait all over it. Of course where 

 you keep rabbits, such a trap must be set in a 

 box or any place accessible to the rats but not to 

 the rabbits. But at most hardwares you can 

 now get for 25 cents a trap that is almost " sure 

 catch " everytime, and we think you can set it 

 an.vwhere without risk of catching rabbits. It 

 is a stout wire loop closing down with a power- 

 ful spring and catching the animal that attempts 

 to lift up the cheese rind or meat fastened to the 

 trigger, by the neck. The struggle is but short, 

 and the animal dies without being able to utter 

 a sound. You take the victim out, reset the 

 trap, and the next rat that comes will surely 

 invite the fate of the first. The trap when set 

 looks so harmless and insusiiicious, that the rats 

 never seem to get on to the trick imtil they are 

 caught. Ever since using this kind of trap, we 

 have no more trouble from rats, as they are dis- 

 posed of just as fast as they find their way from 

 our neighbors to our premises.— U. S. W. 



1,535. Yield of Baspberries, With me the 

 Gregg leads them all. Picked and sold 133 

 bushels from one acre the past season. Tyler 

 comes ne.xt ; it does bettor here than Souhegan. 

 —Geo. E. Hanchett, Wis. 



1,-536. Boses not Blooming. Moss Roses as a 

 rule require rather close pruning, and better 

 treatment, including a liberal soil and good 

 cultivation than ordinary kinds. The plants 

 will not thrive in wet, cold damp soils but prefer 

 rather a warm dry soil well supplied annually 

 with manure, or better still decayed turf with 

 which has been inctirporated about one-sixth 

 l>art of stable manure. Where plants have 

 declined in health they should, unless of large 

 size, be taken up and be replanted in fresh loamy 

 soil, and cut back hard. It may be added that 

 some Moss Roses are of delicate growth, although 

 others are vigorous and robust enough. As a 

 rule all succeed best when grown upon low 

 stocks or otherwise on their own roots ; the 

 latter mode is best suited to the old Crimson Moss 

 Rose and no garden where Roses are grown 

 should be without this old favorite. 



1,-548. Pruning Baspberries. To tell in "feet 

 and inches " what it means to prune Raspberries 

 " severely " is more than we would care to do. 

 It is pretty much the same as with fruit-trees. 

 One tree might be pruned too severely by clip- 

 ping off a foot of growth, while another might 

 require to have two or three feet of all or_part 

 of the limbs cut off. Much depends on size, vigor, 

 variety, etc. The aim in summer pruning is to 

 form a self-supporting stout bush, and for this 

 reason the imds of the young canes may be 

 nipped off when they begin to grow above the 

 old growth. We always like to keep the canes 

 within three or three one-half feet from the 

 grotnid, then afterwards nip the ends of the 

 laterals, leaving the lower ones a little longer, 

 and giadually tapering to the top end. Let the 

 lowest arms be say from six to twelve inches long 

 those at the extremity say three to five inches 

 long.-F. R. P. 



