1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



135 



^n, remain at a perfect stand-still until the soil 

 becomes warmed throii(?li suffieiently toset na- 

 turc'sdiminiitivc nitrate maniifaeturcrsto work. 

 Then the plants take a start, aiul if the appiiea- 

 tion of eoai-se manure was copious, thus keeping 

 up a lariie late supply of available nitrogen, they 

 will make a larpe late jrrowth of vine, set fruit 

 still later than they would have done otherwise, 

 and probably carry only a small part of the crop 

 to maturity. 



Hcmember that we do want a large amount of 

 vine, our profits depend on our getting it, but 

 we want it early. And we can easily get it early 

 by manuring heavily with good compost in the 

 autumn before, and by applying some good fer- 

 tilizer in the hill at planting time, or by using a 

 high-grade complete fertilizer copiously in the 

 spring. The aim must be to put all the needed 

 mineral elements at the plants" disposal in some 

 form, and also to proride them with available 

 nitrogen from the very start. Then there will 

 be no stand-still; for the supposed "'check due to 

 transplanting or exposure" is nothing more nor 

 le.ssthan lack of a little nitrogen just at that time. 



Nitrate of Soda. The method described will 

 do well enough for farm operations. The ex- 

 pert gardener, however, with whom earliness is 

 a matter of the very flpst consideration, hjis still 

 other resources in reserve. He selects the earli- 

 est good variety: starts his plants early: takes 

 more pains with them than it would pay the 

 farmer to do, who grows his crop for the can- 

 neries at about ?8.00 per ton, and makes his soil 

 especially if not so, excessively rich. His reward 

 for all this is the price of §2.00 per crate and 

 more often obtained for his fruit. But one of 

 the most important resources of the market 

 gardener is nitrate of soda: and its judicious use 

 offers him advantages which he cannot afford to 

 ignore. A mere trifle of it applied in the hill 

 when the plants are first set out, will furnish them 

 with just that small quantity of available nitro- 

 gen so sorely needed at this time in order to start 

 at once a vigorous and healthy vine growth. 

 Earliest and fullest development of the plants, 

 arid as the natural consequence, an early and 

 full crop of fruit, are thus secured. 



Yet there is danger in late applications of 

 nitrates, especially when the mineral elements 

 of plant food are butscantily suppUed. Suppose 

 you have planted on thin soil, have noticed that 

 your plants have not made a particle of growth 

 for two, three, perhaps four weeks, and all at 

 once the idea strikes you to hurry them along 

 with copious applications of nitrate of soda, or 

 sulphate of ammonia. You will find that you 

 are only making a bad matter worse. By letting 

 the plants alone, and abiding your time, or bet- 

 ter by giving them a good ration of some high 

 grade complete manure (say Mapes' special Po- 

 tato manure I, you can retain the proper balance, 

 and secure an amount of fruit proportionate to 

 the foliage, even if somewhate late. By the late 

 and copious use of nitrate of soda, if at all effec- 

 tive you can only produce a strong growth of 

 vine too late to allow much fruit to set, or what 

 has set, to come to maturity. 



The Advantages. By means of the manage- 

 ment recommended you secure early and full 

 development of the vines, comparative freedom 

 from disease, and a maximum crop— always a 

 paying one— and this whole crop in advance of 

 the autumn frosts. This is not the extent of the 

 advantages. You also secure perfect fruit. The 

 fruit of all varieties grows not only larger, but 

 also fairer and smoother on well-fed vines, and 

 consequently brings more money than the fruit 

 from starved plants which is liable to be small, 

 ribbed, scallopped, irregular. 



Oive the Needed Space. 1 cannot urge with 

 too much emphasis the necessity of giving to 

 each plant the room required for the fullest de- 

 velopment which it is very likely to attain under 

 our improved method of culture. Here is where 

 so many fail. A few dwarf varieties. Dwarf 

 Champion among them may be set as close as 

 four feet apart each way: but for the common 

 market sorts — the Potato-Leaf, Mikado, Acme, 

 Perfection, Paragon, Cardinal, or the newer 

 Ignotum and Matchless— five feet each way is 

 the very lowest limit allowable,and five and one- 

 half feet will be better with the spreading ones 

 among these sorts. 



Hardy Roses: Culture and Kinds. 

 [Extract of paper read by R. A. Moore, before the 

 Connecticut Board of Agriculture.'] 



That division of Roses known as the 

 Hybrid Remontant or Hybrid Perpetual 

 contains most of the desirable hardy varie- 



ties. There is also a middle ground be- 

 tween these divisions, of Roses that will 

 with.stand our ordinary winters with slight 

 protection. This field is occupied for the 

 most part by the Hybrid Teas and Hybrid 

 Noisettes, two comparatively new classes 

 which have arisen : first from crosses be- 

 tween Remoutantsand the Teas, and second 

 between Noisettes and Bourbons. They 

 contain a few choice and almost indispens- 

 able varieties to even the most limited col- 

 lection. La France is the most beautiful 

 and conspicuous member of the first group, 

 and Coquette des Alps and Blanches of the 

 second group. 



CaltiTation, The location should be an open 

 and sunny one, free from the injurious effects of 

 the roots and shade of trees, though shade in it- 

 self is beneficial. The soil should contain not 

 too much clay, nor too much sand. 



Any good garden soil with natural drainage is 

 suitable, lioses almost refuse to grow in a dry, 

 sandy soil, but are equally impatient of a wet, 

 clayey one. These conditions can be modified by 

 drainage, the addition of sand, woodashes, leaves 

 and the like when too heavy, and muck, clay and 

 turf when too light and sandy. 



In the preparation of the bed a liberal use of 

 stable manure is important, and unless the soil 

 is very heavy, cow-manure is preferred, but in 

 claye}' and cold soils, horse-manure. Do not 

 manure too deepl.v, nor is it necessary to make it 

 or the soil specially fine. A mixture made of 

 well-composted stable-manure, turf, leaves and 

 bone-dust is the best application, especially for 

 old beds. During the blooming season liquid 

 manure applied often and weak is beneficial. 



If the plants are set in rows the distance be- 

 tween them should be not less than 2J^ to 3 feet. 

 The rows should be at least 4 feet apart. Early 

 spring I think the best time for setting, though 

 in dry soil fallmay answer equally well. If Koses 

 are received in the fall they can be kept perfect- 

 ly till spring by burying the whole plant horizon- 

 tally a foot deep in dry soil. This gives the 

 advantage of early spring setting which is im- 

 portant. In setting, make the hole sufficiently 

 large, arrange the roots properly, and firm the 

 soil weU with the feet, covering the hardened 

 surface with a little loose earth. 



If budded plants are used they should be set 

 from .3 to 4 Inches deeper than those upon their 

 own roots. The large majority of Roses are bet- 

 ter on their own roots than budded either on the 

 Mannetti or Dog-rose stock. Clean cultivation 

 after setting is essential to a good growth. 

 Mulching is preferred by some during the sum- 

 mer blooming, and does well in a dry season. 



Pruning. The chief objects are to give and 

 preserve a symmetrical form and to promote 

 growth for the flower buds. Plants of delicate 

 habit and weak growth require severe pruning; 

 those that are vigorous in growth should have 

 the shoots moderately shortened but the 

 branches well thinned out. The rule is that 

 severe pruning gives the best flowers but less of 

 them; and for quality few plants should be left 

 in the spring exceeding two feet in height, 

 though where an excessive growth has been 

 made the previous season it is not always safe to 

 cut back too severely. There is very little to 

 choose as to time between late fall and early 

 spring, though I prefer to prune sparingly in the 

 fall and complete the work the following spring. 



Insects and Fungi. Among the insects we 

 have the common Rose bug or Hose chafer, the 

 catterpillar or leaf roller, the Rose slug, and the 

 Rose hopper. Hand picking is generally resorted 

 to with the Rose bug and leaf roller. Paris green 

 I have tried with only partial success. In white 

 hellebore is found a sovereign remedy for the 

 Rose slug and hopper. Mix one ounce of the 

 powder with three gallons of water and apply 

 thoroughly with a garden syringe or small 

 broom. A watering pot is hardly suitable 

 as the under as well as the upper side of the 

 leaves must be reached. Make the application 

 on the very first appearance of these pests and 

 at intervals as may be required. The dry powder 

 answers quite as well but is apt to give the leaves 

 an unsightly appearance for several days, es- 

 pecially if the hellebore is mixed with flour. 

 The best remedy known for mildew is flour of 

 sulphur, which must be used upon the first sign 

 of the fungus, or little good will result. 



Varieties. A Rose for general cultivation 

 must be hardy, of free growth, of good form and 

 color aud fragrant; for exhibition purposes some 



of the qualities must be wanting. There are 

 other desirable points, such as freedom of bloom, 

 permanency of color, beauty of foliage and the 

 like, hut the lirst five are essential. Some of the 

 most beautiful exhibition flowers fall short of 

 the perfect Rose fSaronem Rothschild the best 

 ligbt-colorcd Rose in cultivation, hardy, perfect 

 in form and color, but an indifferent grower and 

 without fragrance. M(i<l. Oahrid Lnizet, though 

 not equal in form and color, is hardy, a fine 

 grower, and somewhat fragrant. Louis Von 

 Boulte is probably the best dark Rose we have as 

 an exhibition Rose, almost perfect in form and 

 color, deliciously fragrant, but of poor growth, 

 and not entirely hardy. Both Fi.iher Holmes and 

 Haron dc Bongtctten would outrank it, both be- 

 ing hardy, of fine growth, good form and color, 

 and fragrant. The only ones in the lists which 

 need protection are Coquette des Blanches. Eliza 

 Boelle. La France and Louis Von Houtle, though 

 the others might receive some benefit from it. I 

 have both Blanches and Alps which have endured 

 the winters of the last twelve years without any 

 protection whatever; though the tops are more 

 or less injured, they renew their growth quickly 

 in the spring and bloom freely during summer. 



Winter Protection. There is nothing better 

 than a mount of earth. Leaves are also good, 

 and an excellent plan is to cover the bed in the 

 fall with a heavy coating of leaves, then cover 

 this with coarse manure, forking it in the follow- 

 ing spring. 



A few of the most promising new Koses are 

 Mrs. John Laing, Columbia, Clars Cochet and 

 Earl of Dufferin. 



The popular Rose is very light or very dark 

 the intermediate shades being neglected. The 

 color of a Hose must be pure; a purple shade is 

 always an objectionable one. Most Roses incline 

 to fade into that color. 



The following is a good list of stage or exhibi- 

 tion Roses: MerveiUe de Lyon, La France, 

 Mabel Morrison, Eugenie Verdier, Capt. Christy, 

 Fisher Holmes, Baroness Rothschild, Louis Van 

 Houtte. Mad. Gabriel Luizet, Jean Loupert; 

 Pride of Waltham, Zavier Olibo. 



The three best Moss Roses are White Bath, 

 Crested, and Gracilis. 



Shipping Crates and Baskets. 



[From a talfc on '' Money or Small Fruits." before tfie 

 -V. r. State Agricultural Society by J. H. Hale.' 



The baskets and boxes used should be 

 new and clean, and made of the whitest 

 wood that it is possible to obtain. All .should 

 be as rounding full as can be conveniently 

 packed without injury to the fruit. There 

 should be no inferior fruit put in, and that 

 in the bottom and middle of the package 

 should be just as good as that on top. 



Baskets thus packed should be carefully placed 

 in clean bright crates or boxes, and of the size 

 required by the markets where the fruit is to be 

 sold. We in the east, mostly use the square 

 quart-American baskets, well ventilated at sides 

 and corners and pack them in thirty-two or forty- 

 eight-quart-crates that are all ventilated at sides 

 and ends, and are returned when empty. 



In some sections of Pa., Ohio, Ind., Ills and 

 Mo. they use shallow boxes, about 14x20 inches, 

 called a tray: into these they turn loosely sixteen 

 quarts of berries Putting four of these, one 

 above the other, with a thin cover over the one 

 on top, and cleats nailed on the sides to hold 

 them together, makes a stand containing sixty- 

 four quarts. In the market, the berries are 

 scooped up, and measured by the quart, more or 

 less mussed , with a shrinkage of about 12 per 

 cent. This is an abomination, and surely no 

 money can be made on small fruits thus handled. 



In the west aud south west most of the fruit is 

 send to market in what is known as the ' Hallock," 

 a box five Inches square, two and a halt deep, 

 bottom elevated half an inch, so as not to crush 

 the berries below, and no slit or hole for ventila- 

 tion. These are packed three deep without any 

 slats between them, in cheap twenty four quart 

 gift cases and sell with the fruit. 



I am satisfied after several yeai's careful study 

 of the markets, both east and west, that we are 

 ventilating our baskets and crates too much, and 

 by allowing so much air to reach our berries we 

 are not keeping them in good condition as long 

 as we might. Of course where berries are picked 

 in the heat of the day, and packed at once, 

 they must go in ventilated baskets and ciates, 

 also if wet from rain or dew, they will dry off 

 and keep longer when well ventilated, but I am 



