i89o- 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



79 



inducinK too strong a growth of wood, it 

 should not be applied. It is not reiiuired 

 for any kind of fruit tree on rich, or even on 

 good soil, before the tree conies into bearing. 

 Peach and tMierry trees forced by manure 

 will not endure our winters; while Pear 

 trees suffer from the same cause, and blight 

 as well, and Apple trees make a vigorous 

 growth but produce sparingly. The princi- 

 pal cause of this action of manure is the 

 nitrogen which it contains. 



Nitrogen causes growth and tends to re- 

 tard fruitfulness, hence any substance con- 

 taining it should be avoided except in the 

 cases indicated. Very often it is just what 

 is required, and this may be known when 

 the growth is weak, except in cases where 

 disease is present. If a tree is healthy yet 

 does not grow thrifty, it will probably be 

 benefited by an application of nitrogen, but 

 as long as there is a good healthy growth 

 that element is not required. 



As stated before, nitrogeu is found in 

 manure, but it may be had quite cheaply in 

 other forms, or combinations. Nitrate of 

 soda and sulphate of ammonia are common 

 forms. It is present in dried blood, hair, 

 hides, bones, etc. It is from some of these 

 sources that fertilizer manufacturers obtain 

 nitrogen. Fertilizers containing nitrogen 

 cost more than those that do not, hence such 

 fertilizers are needlessly expensive for fruit 

 trees, as well as harmful, except in rare cases. 



Bones contain nitrogen, but not in such 

 quantities as to unduly stimulate growth. 

 They also contain phosphorus in the form of 

 phosphate of lime, which is required by 

 fruit trees, particularly after they reach bear- 

 ing age, as phophorous is an important 

 element in seed production. On thin soils 

 ground bone may be applied when the trees 

 are planted at the rate of .500 lbs. per acre to 

 good advantage. Ordinarily, however, it is 

 just as well to wait until the trees begin to 

 bear before using the bone meal. At this 

 period it is well to apply pota,sh also. This 

 may be had quite cheaply in the form of 

 sulphate and muriate of potash and kainit. 



Wood ashes are better than either of the 

 above, as they contain phosphorus as well as 

 potash. Ashes and bones furnish the ele- 

 ments that are most useful to fruit trees, 

 and except in rare cases, there is no need 

 of applying anything else. Unles the soil 

 is very poor, the bone meal will supply suffi- 

 cient nitrogen, and yet not enough to cause 

 excessive growth. 



Ground bone is particularly recommended 

 for smallfruit plants, Grape vines and bear- 

 ing Apple orchards, and may be applied at 

 the rate of 300 to 30O lbs. per acre annually, 

 the amount depending upon the apparent 

 needs of the plant or trees. Peach, Cherry 

 and Pear trees will bear very little forcing, 

 hence bone should be used more sparingly 

 on them, if at all. Unleached wood ashes 

 are better for these trees, as they furnish all 

 that is required with nitrogen omitted. A 

 by-product in iron manufacture, known as 

 basic slag, contains considerable quantities 

 of phosphorus. Inasmuch as iron is thought 

 to be useful to fruit trees, this may prove 

 to be a valuable fertilizer. Experiments are 

 needed in this direction, although there can 

 be little doubt as to the availability of the 

 phosphorus in the substance named. It is 

 quite cheap and a safe thing to try. 



Superphosphate is not, or not as a general 

 thing, suitable for fruit trees, as its action 

 is not sufficiently long continued. It may 

 do very well in certain cases where quick 

 returns are desired, but if used on fruits of 

 any kind it better be applied to Strawberries 

 or some of the small fruits. High-priced 

 chemical fertilizers that are manufactured 

 for the purpose of giving immediate and 

 striking results on vegetables and grains, 

 are unsuitable for most fruit-bearing plants. 

 Such fertilizers stimulate a succulent un- 



healthy growth, but are not lasting enough, 

 besides being too costly for the purpose. It 

 is better to study the needs of the soil, ac- 

 cording to the principles above indicated 

 and apply such .substances as seem to be 

 needed. In order to define these principles 

 more clearly the following summary is given. 



1. On rich soils no nitrogen is required for 

 fruit trees, and to apply fertilizers contain- 

 ing nitrogen in such cases is not only waste- 

 ful but harmful. 



2. When the soil is naturally poor or has 

 become exhausted, as shown by weak 

 growth, stable manure, nitrate of soda, sul- 

 phate of ammonia or ground bone may be 

 tried and useful. 



.S. On Apple orchards that have borne 

 several crops, wood ashes (leached or un- 

 leached), ground bone, or basic slag should 

 be applied annually. 



4. On Peach, Cherry and Pear trees use 

 fertilizers containing phosphoric acid and 

 potash, but little or no nitrogen. Enough 

 of the latter element will usually be found 

 in ground bone. Stable manure, blood, etc., 

 induce too strong growth. 



The Shiawassee Apple. 



T. T. LYO-S, VAN BrRE.S CO., MICH. 



The American Rural Home, in speaking 

 of the Michigan Apples received at Roches- 

 ter, this season, commends the specimens of 

 Eameuse, especially for their size, high 

 color and freedom from fungus. 



This is a difficulty to which, in Michigan, 

 as elsewhere, this variety is peculiarly liable; 

 although, upon young trees, and, in occa- 

 sional favorable years, upon older ones, the 

 fruit is often fair and beautiful. 



We only refer to the matter here, to ex- 

 press surprise at the persistency with which 

 even intelligent and experienced fruit grow- 

 ers and fruit lovers seem to adhere to an un- 

 necessary and unprofitable^preference, when 

 once acquired. 



We refer to the fact that, for thirty or 

 forty years past, there has been before the 

 public a supposed seedling of Fameuse, like 

 it in color, texture, flavor, aroma and white- 

 ness, as well as in juiciness and tenderness 

 of flesh; and even excelling it in size, as it 

 does in some of the other particulars named. 

 And yet, probably for the reason that it has 

 not been heralded, as have so many more 

 recent novelties of far less real value, its 

 merits seem only to be appreciated by a for- 

 tunate few, who have, by accident or other- 

 wise, been induced to give it a trial; and 

 have tlius learned its actual value. 



P'ifteen or sixteen years ago, the writer, 

 as chairman of a committee to frame a list 

 of fruits to be recommended by the Michi- 

 gan State Pomological Society for general 

 cultivation in the state, I wished to secure 

 the insertion of the Shiawassee, instead of 

 its supposed parent, the Fameuse, and stated 

 that it not only possessed all the peculiar 

 and desirable qualities of its supposed 

 parent, but also were of somewhat larger 

 size, and nearly free from the liability to 

 scab and crack, which proves so serious a 

 drawback upon the value of Fameuse. 



In the face of this statement, and with the 

 full knowledge of this serious fault of the 

 Fameuse, the society refused to accept the 

 reported list, save upon the insertion of the 

 latter; and, even down to the present, the 

 Shiawassee has been only occasionally 

 planted; although when shown at exhibi- 

 tions, its great beauty and fine quality com- 

 mand special attention. This tardiness of 

 recognition is the more surprising, from the 

 tact that, in tree as in fruit, and in pro- 

 ductiveness, as in size, the Shiawassee is not 

 a whit the inferior of the Fameuse. 



To our apprehension therefore the case 

 may be assumed to be a parallel with that 

 of Beecher's dog Noble; and to indicate 

 strongly that even intelligent fruit growers 



need to have their appreciative faculties 

 stirred by the persuasions of the oily-tongued 

 tree peddler. 



What I Know About Beans. 



E. P. POWELL, ONEID.\ CO., N. Y. 



It is now full ten years since I planted the 

 Black Wax Bean, one of the Southern Cow 

 Peas — which variety I cannot now recall— 

 the small yellow Field Bean, a few Limas, 

 the Yard long for pickling, and the Refugee. 

 I am not certain, but there were also about 

 my garden some of the Scarlet and some of 

 the White-Flowering Beans, grown more 

 for beauty than use. When harvest time 

 came there were a few Beans remarkable 

 for nothing but their mixed colors, but they 

 pleased my little Fritz, and we picked them 

 out and sorted them. 



The next year these were planted and 

 now that attention had been drawn to cross- 

 ing Beans, I began to make careful selections 

 of any variations that occurred. If pods 

 appeared out of the normal, strings were 

 tied about them and the seed saved for plant- 

 ing. There were no marked results for these 

 years, except a large number of very pretty 

 or fancy Beans, some of them varying decid- 

 edly in form from what I had planted. I 

 could only show about twenty very curiously 

 striped and spotted rich colored sorts. 



Systematic Selections. Nowbeganadis- 

 tinct plan. I proposed to secure white pods 

 of a large size, with white Beans inside, or 

 Beans that would cook white. Black Beans, 

 except for soup, are worthless and were 

 rejected. The result was a large number of 

 sorts with white pods of many different 

 shades, pink or silver or golden, all very 

 beautiful. But I had broken the barriers 

 of varieties, and even of species, for the blood 

 of the Cow Pea was manifest in my products; 

 and it was not easy to quiet the disturbed 

 spirits. Apparently one variety, when plant- 

 ed, would come out in the fall three or four- 

 fold. The tendency to sprout could not be 

 controlled. 



All this while I used no artificial means 

 for crossing, leaving that to the insects, and 

 confining my own efforts entirely to selec- 

 tion. The difficulty in managing systematic 

 crossing of Beans is great, and I have seen 

 no reason troubling myself about it. The 

 chief act is in selecting valuable strains and 

 fixing them. I had already, in the course of 

 five or six years, originated several hundred 

 sorts, varying more or le.ss, and most of 

 them had been repeated. Still I could see 

 no sign of the Lima. Evidently old long- 

 est ablished variations, in the Bean family 

 were hard to break up, as old habits are, 

 while modern strains sported about at ran- 

 dom. But at last I found, about five years 

 ago, a very evident touch of the Lima blood 

 in a very prolific pole Bean. It was some- 

 what flattened and in quality was excellent. 

 Its marked characteristic was, however, 

 prolific bearing. Meanwhile I had discarded 

 Black Wax and did my best to eradicate 

 every trace of it; in its place introducing the 

 Golden Wax. Several reappearances, in 

 different modifications, occurred of the 

 Yard-long or Pickle Bean and it was clear 

 that for increased size of pod I was to rely 

 largely on that sort. The white pods each 

 year, being selected in preference to others, 

 began to show some superbly beautiful 

 results. The Refugee reappeared only in 

 bush sorts and gave only a variation of col- 

 or. But of these there was a rich purple red 

 sprout which, for its exquisite color, its 

 immense crops and fine style of growth, I 

 fixed and retained. 



Curious Novelties. Four years ago, while 

 passing through my experiment grounds 

 with a friend, we came upon the first 

 great surprise. It was a pole covered with 

 pods of enormous size, one of which I meas- 

 ured. It was eight inches long and three 



