iSgo. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



75 



thousand seedlings of his own and other 

 growers. In IsilO-IWil Jlr. Fortune imported 

 new and distinct kinds from Japan, and 

 these soon worked sonietliing like a revolu- 

 tion in the Chrysantheninni world. The 

 incurved flowers liad made theirappearance. 

 Other importations followed. 



Several new raisers in France have of late 

 sprung up, and we shall probably hear more 

 of their labors as time goes by. In 1881 

 an interesting collection was imported 

 from Japan into England by Messrs 

 Veitch & Sons, ot Chelsea. Every- 

 where the enthusiasm of people on 

 Chrysanthemum matters was now 

 rapidly increasing, but probably 

 nowhere more so than in the United 

 States. This enthusiasm culminated 

 in the creation of a National Chrysan- 

 themum Society in 1889. Dr. H. P. 

 Walcott. of Boston, an<i Mr. John 

 Thorpe have especially distinguished 

 themselves in this work, and others 

 such as Mr. Waterer, Mr. Fewkes, 

 Mr. Spaidding, and Mr. W. K. Harris 

 have distributed numbers of new 

 Chrysanthemus that will long remain 

 in cultivation. 



Niagara County Fruit Notes. 



E.xoTic Fruits in Canada. In a 

 previous issue we have spoken of the 

 wonderful thrift and productiveness 

 of the Peach orchards near Lake 

 Ontario, both on the American and 

 the Canada sides. We should have 

 mentioned that the Plum orchards 

 there commanded our admiration in 

 scarcely a less degree. The trees in 

 many cases, especially in smaller 

 vUlage lots, are crowded closely to- 

 gether, and are reported to bear 

 annual and heavy crops of fine 

 marketable fruit, thus setting at de- 

 fiance all our theories of the need of 

 giving plenty of space in order to raise 

 good fruit. Crowding seems to be 

 well compatible with succe.ss in Plum 

 and Cherry culture. The finer foreign 

 sorts are almost exclusively grown 

 —the Lombards, the Bradshaws, the 

 German Prunes, etc., and wherever 

 these do as well as here, there is little 

 reason to plant native sorts. Of 

 course some of them, as well as the 

 newer Japans, are on trial here and there. 



The great secret of success in Plum cul- 

 ture in these regions is again the same 

 combination already mentioned of favorable 

 locality, and thorough clean cultivation. 

 The trees are highly fed, regularly tended 

 and pruned, diseased branches cut off as 

 soon as noticed, all fruit, rotten ones in- 

 cluded, removed every fall, and the ground 

 between the trees kept well cultivated and 

 clean. These conditions, faithfully observed, 

 would make Plum culture profitable in 

 many other localities also. 



Ai'KicoTS, Nuts. How much of this gen- 

 eral success in fruit growing is due to the 

 one item of favorable location, may be well 

 inferred from the fact that in several of the 

 gardens in Niagara-on-the-Lake we noticed 

 while passing large Apricot and English 

 Walnut trees, apparently in fine health, 

 and on inquiring were assured of their pro- 

 ductiveness. In the exhibition hall we also 

 saw a number of plates with fresh English 

 Walnuts, which proved that the terrible 

 frost of May 29th had not killed the whole 

 crop, although in all probability it had done 

 some injury to it. Some one in this neigh- 

 borhood must have great faith in Apricot 

 culture for profit; at least such is indicated 

 by a sale of over 800 Russian Apricots 

 effected by a tree agent in that neighbor- 

 hood at the usual tree-agent's prices and 

 profits. The location seems to be a paradise 

 for tree-agents ; but we fear the buyer of 



the Apricot trees, before many years, will 

 wish he had not trusted quite so implicitly 

 in the promise of great profits held out by 

 I the oily-tongued member of the fraternity. 

 B''iC!S. A complete .surprise was in store 

 for us on a visit to the garden of Mr. H. 

 Patt'ord in Niagara. A Fig bush ten feet 

 high and as many broad, every limb loaded 

 with young fruit, wasoneof the first objects 

 and perhaps the most striking one we met 

 here. There were also a number of other 



Kiku, the Chrysanthemum introduced into Europe in 1789. 



Fig trees or bushes, but considerably 

 smaller than the other. Mr. Pafford culti- 

 vates only two varieties, the White Ischia, 

 and Brown Turkey, and the large tree is 

 now about 1.5 years old. As may be ex- 

 pected the chief difficulty with them is the 

 wintering over, but Mr. Pafford has always 

 been entirely successful. He says he treats 

 the bushes pretty much in same fashion as 

 he would tender Raspberries. Old and 

 unwieldy wood is cut out in November, the 

 young growth properly pruned out and 

 then bent down upon the ground. Here it 

 is held in position by small stakes driven in 

 crosswise. The young fruits or fruit buds 

 should of course be carefully preserved, in 

 order to yield a crop in early summer fol- 

 lowing. The canes are uncovered about 

 May 1st, and fruit ripens here in succession 

 from July until October. 



Exotic Grapes. Another surprise were 

 the great trellises covered with Black Ham- 

 burg, Chasselas de Fontainebleau, Golden 

 Chasselas.Rose Chasselas, Golden Hamburg, 

 and other Grapes. It will be remembered 

 that Mr. Pafford was honored with bronze 

 medal and diploma for best out-door grown 

 exotic Grapes exhibited at the Centennial 

 in Philadelphia, 1876. This is a remarkable 

 fact, indeed, and it shows that Mr. Pafford 

 must have thoroughly learned how to grow 

 this difficult crop. While all around us 

 here the ordinary Grape crop had been 

 almost entirely ruined by the May frost, we 



found some excellent clusters on the exotic 

 varieties, but not in the quantities nor per- 

 fection which Mr. Pa fiord says he has grown 

 every year with this single exception. Of 

 course the garden is well protected on every 

 side by tall buildings or walls,and birds are 

 kept off by netting. Mildew and rot had 

 also invaded this territory for the first time 

 in Mr. Pafford's experience. Sulphur was 

 used freely, but of course with little notice- 

 able beneficient results. 



"I think the prime requisites in 

 regard to soil for the Grape," says 

 Mr. P., "is a dry well-drained sub- 

 soil, and if not naturally so, must 

 be made so by thorough under- 

 draining. This is doubtless well 

 understood by all Grape cultivators. 

 I planted the first Black Hamburg 

 in 1872, and the fruit exhibited by 

 me in Philadelphia was grown from 

 it. This vine still remains in full 

 vigor, and has not in any way de- 

 teriorated from the effects of the 

 climate, nor has it this year suffered 

 from mildew more than the hardy 

 kinds I have. Have now four of 

 these vines in good bearing. The 

 Chasselas de Fontainebleau was 

 planted in 1880, and will in average 

 seasons ripen its fruit by the first 

 u eek in September, the others I 

 have named about three weeks later. 

 In regard to manure I have used 

 bone dust, and sparingly of stable 

 manure. The vines are closely 

 pruned in November, then laid 

 down, and covered with soil about a 

 foot deep at the extremities of the 

 new wood; then uncovered in May, 

 or as soon as the season opens." 

 Thus far our friend's account. We 

 have only one other important thing 

 to add. The whole ground had been 

 thoroughly trenched to the depth of 

 two feet or more, the top soil being 

 thrown into the bottom. The facts 

 here brought out — wonderful thrift 

 and health of all plants and shrubs, 

 freedom heretofore from mildew 

 and rot, as also from mildew on the 

 English Gooseberries which we 

 here saw in all their perfection, etc. 

 — seems to harmonize remarkably 

 with the statements and theories 

 recently given to our readers by Dr. Stay- 

 man of Leavenworth, Kansas, and we only 

 call attention to this matter as being in the 

 nature of a (jua.si-endorsement of his 

 doctrines. 



Notes from the Popular Gardening 

 Grounds at La Salle-on-the- 

 Niagara. 

 KiEFFER ON Quince. In the Munson Pear 

 orchard, adjoining our grounds, stands a dwarf 

 Kieffer tree, which appears to be in full health 

 and youthful vigor, and has borne full crops. 

 In fact the proprietor, old experienced Pear 

 grower that he is, speaks quite enthusiastically 

 of both tree and its fruit. Now we have on 

 many occasions heard the late Judge Parry, in- 

 troducer of the Kieffer, tell in most emphatic 

 language, that Quince sap is poison to the 

 KieflEer. From this we had inferred, that the 

 latter would not succeed on Quince root, and wc 

 beUeve that this doctrine is generally accepted 

 by fruit growers and nurserymen. But here we 

 have a fine-growing, healthy and bearing tree 

 right before our eyes; and everyone who is 

 acquainted with the Kieffer, knows what a 

 handsome thing a vigorous Kieffer tree is. Mr. 

 Munson tells us that his Kieffer Is double- worked, 

 Louise Bonne de Jersey forming the connecting 

 link between Kieffer and Quince. We are also 

 told by Mr. S. D. Willard of Geneva that he has 

 (luantities of dwarf Kieffers, all doubled-worked, 

 in fine condition and giving excellent crops, and 

 establishes the fact that the Kieffer by the inter- 

 position of some variety congenial to both 

 Kieffer and Quince, can be grown as a dwarf. 

 There may be dwart Kieffers grown.elsewhere. 



