tt8 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



Fkbruary, 





Correspondent 8 are urged to anticipate the seaBon in pre- 

 senting queationa. To ask, for tnatance, on April 15 or id 

 what Peas had beat be sown, could bring no answer in 

 the May iaaue, and none be/ore June, tchen the answer 

 would Be unseasonable. Questions received before the I2th 

 of any month stand a good ohance of being answered in the 

 MXt paper. Not more than three questions should be sent 

 at one time. Answers to questions bearing on the com- 

 parative t<alue of implements, etc., offered by different 

 dealers must not be expected. Neither can we promise to 

 comply with the request sometimes made to "please answer 

 by mail," Inquinea appearing without name belong to the 

 name next following. 



Replies to Inquiries are earnestly requested from our 

 readers. In anauxring aueh give the number, your 

 looality and name, the latter not for publication, unless 

 you desire. Write only on one side of the paper. 



1,6:SX Mildew in Pit. Plants stored In pit are being 

 destroyed by mildew or rot. Those left are simply 

 branches with a number of smallleaves which often 

 rot before fully developed.— J. L. J., Brooklyn, N. T. 



1,631. Rust on Verbenas. How remedied or pre. 

 vented?— S. C. O., Michigan. 



1,632 Celery for Market. Have little experience In 

 growing Celery. How should I proceed?— Subscriber. 



1.633. Queer Behavior of Peaches. Fruit on one 

 of my trees stopped growth when size of marbles; two 

 or three months after began to grow again and came to 

 full size, but too late to ripen. Tree apparently healthy, 

 W. W. R.. Toronto, Ont. 



1.634. Wood and Goal Ashes. What is the differ- 

 ence in their value? Are the latter worth haulJug four 

 miles for small fruits and orchard trees?— F. R. W., 

 Dayton, Tenn. 



1.635. Shrubs for Wisconsin. Are Allanthus, Rosa 

 canlna, and Weeping Florida Dogwood hardy here? If 

 so where obtained?— J. L. J., Fort Howard, Wis. 



1,6:36. Volunteer Tomato. How does It compare with 

 Dwarf Champion in regard to earliness?— J. McP., 

 Morriston, Iowa. 



1.637. Dwarf Pear Orchard. Can Pears be grown 

 for market on dwarf trees with profit?— F. J., Lisbon, 

 Mich. 



1.638. Deutzia gracilis. How to be treated for win- 

 ter forcing?- R. N.. Dayton, O. 



1.639. Plants for Rockery. Give list of plants sulta 

 ble for this purpose.— W. F. S,, Chicago, III. 



1.640. Boad Scrapings. Are they good for potting 

 soil?— Sub., City. 



1.641. Quinces Near Ditch. Would you advise set- 

 ting Quluce trees along the bank of a deep ditch through 

 low land?— J. K. L., Pemsgrove. N. J. 



1.642. Grafting Cherries. Can Morello be grafted on 

 common stock or how Is it propagated?— D. F., Peeks- 

 kill-on-Hudson, N. T. 



1.643. Caterpillars on Pecan Trees. Our Immense 

 two trees for past two years have been covered with a 

 grayish caterplllar,eating leaves and destroying young 

 nuts. What can be doue?- S. S. J., Augusta, Ga. 



1.644. Growing Spinach Seed. How done, and how 

 many pounds per ace are considered a good yield?— 

 H. G. W., Ehn Grove, W. Va. 



1.645. Pear Tree Not Fruiting. My large Seckel 

 has ceased to bear for two years. Is It bark bound 

 and if so. would a wash of potash water help it? 



1.646. yard for Hens. How large should it be for 12 

 or 15 hens? How high the fence to keep them in?— 

 F. N. S., Meriden, Conn. 



1.647. Orange Potato. What Potato Is of Orange 

 color outside and Inside? Where can it be obtained?— 

 P. B., Mt. Carmel. III. 



1,648 Numbering Forceps. Can they be obtained 

 in this country, and where? F.M., Peterborough, Ont^ 



1.649. Curculio-Proof Plums. Are the Spaulding 

 and Abundance euroullo pronf as claimed? 



1.650. Golden Beanty Plum. Is this the same as 

 Coe's Golden Drop? If not, where can It obtained?— 

 T. S. G.. Dallas, W. Va. 



1.651. Plants Damping Off. Tomato and Cabbage 

 plants started nicely, but .'^oon began to rot off just 

 above the ground. What is the cause and remedy?- 

 E. C. S.. Covington, Pa. 



1.652. Wine Making. Please name best work on 

 Grape wine making.— Vine, Thorold, Ont. 



I,fi5:i. Early Blackberries. What variety Is best for 

 market? How Is Ancient Briton and Brinton's Early? 

 T. W., Muscotah, Kans. 



1.654. Amaryllis for Continuous Bloom. What 

 sorts would you recommend?— M. E. F., Woburn, Mass. 



1.655. Peach Seedlings- Will they live longer and 

 bear better fruit than stock from nurserymen?— W. S. 

 J., Augusta, Ga. 



1.656. Camellia Ailing. Large leaves turning brown 

 and dropping off.— C. H. D., Canada. 



1.657. Blackberry Culture. Give simple directions 

 how to grow, prune and cultivate in Georgia. How 

 often should plantation be renewed? 



1,65S. Fertilizer Application. Should ground bone 

 and potash be applied on top or mixed with the soil?— 

 W, S. J.. Augusta, Oa. 



1.659. Barren Plum Tree. My 13-year old thrifty 

 Plum tree- apparently Coe*a Golden Drop— blooms full 

 every year, but only produces about a quart of fruit. 

 Shall I cut It down?— O. B., North CambHage, Mass. 



1.660. Mint Culture. Please give directions as to 

 soil, fertilizers, distillation and profits per acre.— C. S., 

 Tuckerton, Pa. 



1.661. Bulbs for Second Blooming. Can Tulips. 

 Narcissus, Polyanthus, Hyacinths, Freeslas and Chinese 

 Sacred Lily be used successfully the second time? 



1.662. Ornithogalum Arabicum. Has grown well, 

 but not bloomed In two years?— Subscriber. 



1.663. Salt for Asparagus. If really necessary as 

 claimed, how much and what kind shall I apply? 



1.664. Fertilizer for Strawberries. Patch well ma- 

 nured with yard manure. Will commercial fertilizer 

 be of benefit?-S. P. S., New York. 



1.665. Seed for Onion Setts. Will Mr. Faxon please 

 tell in what particular the seed for setts differs from 

 that for large Onions?- P. S., Naperville, Ills. 



1.666. Healthy Cold House Plants. Please give a 

 list of choice plants least attacked by Insects.— L. B., 

 New York City. 



1.667. Salt for Fruit Trees. Is this of benefit?— 

 W. F., Idaho. 



1.668. Trimming Cactus. How Is It done, both on 

 new and old growth?- H. B., Syracxise, N. Y. 



1.669. Juneberry. Has any improved variety been 

 Introduced? 



1.670. Ink fcr Zinc Labels. What Is best to use?— 

 N. M. R., Oregon. 



1.671. Killing Hazlebushes. How Is It done most 

 conveniently and effectively?- Reader, Canada. 



1.672. Cooking Mushrooms. Please publish some 

 good recipes.— A5IATEUR. 



1.673. Renovating Fruit Trees. Have just come In 

 possession of an old neglected orchard— a perfect wild- 

 erness. How must I treat It?— R. S, T., Boston. 



1.674. Brighton Grape. Is this an imperfect bloomer 

 and to be planted near other varieties?— P. H., Cin- 

 cinnati, Ohio. 



1.675. Cauliflower Seed. How obtained?— F. L. H., 

 Oakfietd, N. Y. 



1.676. Clematis not Blooming. Planted three years 

 ago, grows well. How can I make It bloom?— Mrs. L., 

 Cash, Mi-is. 



1.677. Asparagus Plants. Of what age should they 

 be when set?— B. F. K., Edgerton, O. 



1.678. Fertilizer for Grape Vines. How much 

 muriate of potash or phosphate should be put to each 

 vlne?-W. L. H., Trenton, N. J. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



1,633. Celery for Market. Before you can 

 hope to t>e successful in growing- Celery for 

 market on a large scale, you snould try to learn 

 all about by reading all available literature on 

 the subject, and by growing it on a small scale. 

 Also try to find out what is demanded in your 

 nearest market. As you gain experience in 

 growing Celery, and in selling it to best advan- 

 tage, extend your operations as you think 

 circumstances will warrant. One of the first 

 and most important requisites is a supply of 

 good plants, and it is usually easier for a good 

 gardener to grow them than to buy them. In 

 purchasing them from a distance we are never 

 sure what we will get. Sow seed of Golden 

 Heart, White Plume, or whatever will sell best 

 in your market, in a well-prepared, very rich 

 seed bed, as early in spring as can be done. 

 Cover seed but lightly, feed with nitrate of soda, 

 cultivate and weed whenever required, and thin 

 early to have them stand not over 50 to the foot 

 of row, and you will get plants far better than 

 you will most likely be able to buy. Now select 

 a deep well-drained, rich soil, naturally moist, 

 but not wet. In June or July make furrows 

 three or four feet apart, scatter some of the very 

 best, well-rotted manure in them, then re-fill 

 with soil, mixing this and the manure well to- 

 gether. Now stretch a line a little one side of 

 the furrow, or make a straight mark, and set 

 the plants six inches apart, in this row. Culti- 

 vate and hoe, and keep free from weeds. When 

 the proper time comes, " handle," to make the 

 plants grow upright, and further on "earth up," 

 or bleach in any way you prefer. 



1,600. Bed Currant, We have growing on strong 

 clayey loam, the Fay's Prolific, Cherry, and Red 

 Dutch, and value them in the order named. Plants 

 of the Fay's Prolific and Cherry, (same age) grow- 

 ing side by side yielded about the game for the first 

 three years, after which time the Fay's outyielded 

 the Cherry considerably. The Fay's is also not 

 quite as acid as the Cherry, which is an improve- 

 ment. The old Red Dutch while not quite coming 

 up to the others in yield, has the advantage of 

 being sweeter and of more flavor.— W. C. Jennison. 



1,586. Sweet Corn. Has the Gold Coin proved a 

 success? For table use we say no. It finds no 

 friends in this locality. The kernels are tough and 

 thick on the outside, with but little substance in- 

 side. We grew this variety by itself last season 

 for the purpose of securing a seed supply. Though 

 successful in this respect, we can only recommend 

 It for ensilage, for which purpose it seemed well 

 as it is sweet, grows eight to ten feet high, bearing 

 two large ears to the stalk In Massachusetts the 

 Corn should be planted early, if desired to have 

 the mature. — W. C. Jennison. 



1629. Gooseberries Among Dwarf Fears. The 

 finest crop of Gooseberries I ever saw I found the 

 past summer in a neighbor's garden among her 

 Dwarf Pears, which were twelve feet apart, three 

 Gooseberry plants between each two. and three 

 rows of Strawberries between Pear rows.— J. L. B. 



1,64.3. Caterpillars on Pecan trees. There are 

 a number of moths, the larvae of which feed on 

 Nut trees. Whether their name or nature, it seems 

 reasonably sure that spraying with arsenical 

 poisons will put a stop to their ravages. Try Paris 

 green in a weak solution, say one pound to 200 

 gallons of water and spray the trees as soon as the 

 caterpillars make their appearance. If this is not 

 strong enough, and the foliage wiil stand it, put in 

 a little more Paris green. Experiments of this 

 kind are in order, but should be made with proper 

 caution. 



1,649. Curculio-Proof Plums. We greatly doubt 

 that there is a single Plum which the curculio 

 would not attack. Yet there are varieties, which 

 bear so heavy that the curculio comes as a blessing, 

 performing the work of thinning which otherwise 

 would have to be done by man, or if neglected 

 would result in a worthless lot of fruit. There are 

 also Plums bearing fruit the juice of which does 

 not seem to agree with the curculio larva, so that 

 the egg if deposited on the fruit, may hatch, but 

 the worm will die before it does much damage. 

 The Spaulding seems to belong to both these classes 

 of Plums. We have seen it bear heavy crops of 

 Plums year after year, notwithstanding a whole 

 army of curculios in the neighborhood. In reality, 

 it bears too heavy for its own good, and it has al- 

 ways been necessary to take off the crop long be- 

 fore it comes to maturity in order to save it from 

 the rot. For this same reason we do not know 

 what the ripe Spaulding is like, but we have not a 

 very exalted idea of the unripe fruit, although it 

 usually sold well in the local market. It seems to 

 us we would not want it where a really good Plum 

 can be grown. The sort introduced as "Abund- 

 ance" is a Japanese Plum originally sent out some 

 years ago, and yet sold by several New Jersey nur- 

 serymen, under the somewhat indefinite name of 

 "Botan." This Plum is promising, bears young 

 and full, defying the curculio attacks, but yielding 

 readily to rot where that prevails. W^e think highly 

 of it; but we doubt that the name "Abundance," 

 or "Spaulding" either, will ever find a place in the 

 fruit catalogue of the American Pomological So. 



8C38. Celery Seed Growing, Seed is sown in 

 spring in good rich soil. The Celery is then grown 

 along until frost sets in when it is trenched. The 

 trench should be somewhat drier than when the 

 Celery is just stored for market. The plants in- 

 tended for seed purposes, should then be selected 

 and only those taken which are true to the type. 

 Select plants of good size, soUd in stem, and with 

 an abundance of heart leaves. As spring ap- 

 proaches they should be hardened off, and set out 

 about the first part of May. Use only those plants 

 that are sound. Set the rows four feet apart and 

 twenty inches in the row. The soil should be rich, 

 well cultivated, and the weeds kept out W^hen 

 the seeds are brown, cut off the stalk at the root, 

 carry away in cloths and tresh. The remaining 

 seed is then dried in the sun a few days and a^ain 

 treshed. when all the seed will come off which is 

 ripe enough to be saved The seed is now dried 

 and cleaned and will remain good five years. An- 

 other method that some growers practice is to sow 

 the seed in greenhouses in December and grow 

 until spring when the plants are treated as above 

 described. It takes only one year to produce seed 

 in this manner. The last method X would not ad- 

 vise as I think it would have a tendency to run the 

 Celery into seed (or seeders as we term them) in- 

 stead of makiug a good marketable plant.— J. R. 

 V. B., Kalamazo, Mich. 



1591. Poultry Hanure, We consider the most 

 valuable of all manures for Onions. Cabbage, Rad- 

 ishes, and as a top dressing of flower beds. Col- 

 lect once a week and put in barrels or boxes and 

 keep dry until about two weeks before you want 

 to use it. piace on a floor of some out-building if 

 not mnist. dampen and cover with at least two 

 inches of fine soil or plaster, to prevent escape of 

 ammonia; leave for one week, then cut the pile 

 down, and work over.it is now ready for use.— B. 



163 1. Mildew in Pit. The probability is that 

 the pit is too damp Perhaps water may be drip- 

 ping in through the glass, and keep the earth in 

 pots soaked Or the ncded ventilation is not pro 

 vided, and there is little chance for evaporation. 

 Examine the soil in pots carefully, and see if every- 

 thing is as it should be. The f' blowing extract from 

 The Garden published in Europe is good advice: 



Damp is sometimes a most destructive agent, 

 and the gardener needs to be on the alert when it 

 shows signs of spreading among his plants. De- 

 caying leaves left on plants harbor damp, and are 

 sometimes the me'tns of spreading it to choice sub- 

 jects the gardener is loth to lose. In the green- 

 house, where fire-heat is applied, the effects of 

 damp can be lessened by applying a little fire-heat 

 on cold. dull, misty, or wet days, and giving some 

 air at the same time. The shelves on which the 

 plants stand should be kept as clean as possible, 

 and it is well to cause as little drip as possible upon 

 the floor of the house, unless the plants are of a 

 character that will take no harm from the presence 

 of moisture on the floor. All that one can do is to 

 keep the house as dry as possible; to keep all de- 

 caying foliage gathered from the plants; to stir 

 the surface soil so that damp cannot gather there, 

 and to give air on all favorable occasions. The 

 soil about the roots must be kept dry. It is sur- 

 prising how long plants will endure in a dry state 

 during the dull winter months; they are then best 

 able to resist frost. All the tenderest plants should 

 be placed in the warmest and sunniest part of the 

 house. 



