140 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



Correspondent 8 are urged to anticipate the season in pre- 

 8enting questions. To aak, for instance, on April lb or 20 

 what Peas had best be sown, could bring no anatoer in 

 the May issue, and none before June, irn^n the annjcer 

 would be unseasonable. Questions received before the Vith 

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

 next paper. Not more than three questions should be sent 

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

 parative vaXue of implements, etc., offered by different 

 dealers must not be expected. Neither can we promise to 

 oomply with the request sometimes made to "please ansteer 

 by mail.*' Inauines appearing without name belong to the 

 name nesrt foUoiinng. 



Replies to Inquiries are earnestly requested from our 

 readers. In answering such give the number, your 

 looality and name, the latter not for publication, unless 

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



1.679. Tomato Rot. Can anything be done for it? 



1.680. Cabbage Lice. Give best way to kill them.— 

 Subscriber. 



1.681. Setting Asparagus Plants. Ground open; 

 plants growing. Can I set them out now? 



1.682. Pruning Grape "Vines. Buds ready to burst. 

 Is It safe to prune now?— R. W.,Keliogg's Landing, La. 



1,6SS. Fertilizer for Celery. My muck land Is good 

 for any ordinary crop, only Celery does not grow right. 

 What fertilizer should I use?— J. D., Darrtoivn, O. 



1.684. Propagating Double Primroses. How done, 

 and at what season?— R. F. M., Cincinnutti, O. 



1.685. Grape V"ines and Diseases. Has the Ameri- 

 can translation of the French work announced last 

 September issue P. G. yet been published? If so where 

 can It be had and at what price?— E. T., York, Neb, 



1.686. Plum. Rot. Our Plums are all spoiled by rot. 

 What can we do for lt?-J. H., Kent, O. 



1.687. Propagation by Sprouts. Will the sprouts 

 from roots of Wild Goose, Miner, Damsou and DeSoto 

 reproduce the kind? 



1.688. Pruning Neglected Plum Trees. How should 

 this be done? 



1.689. Zonale Geraniums. What are their distin- 

 guishing characteristics? Why are leaves of my Ger- 

 aniums turning yellow?— M. M. M., .Wir Sharon, Iowa. 



1.690. Book on Poultry and Fruit. Can you recom- 

 mend a work suited for New Jersey?- T. J. L., Wilkes 

 barre, Pa. 



1.691. Planting Early Crops. When is proper time 

 to start Tomatoes. Celery, Cucumbers?— A. A., P?iila. 



1.692. Self Blanching Celery. Will the variety sent 

 out as NelUs* Self Blanching bleach without earthing? 



1.693. Asparagus for Minnesota. Which variety 

 would you recommend? 



I,6W. Small Fruit Varieties. Which give best re- 

 sults in Central Minnesota?-C., St. Paul, Minn. 



1.695. Cost of Picking Small Fruits. What price is 

 usually paid per quart of StrawbeiTtes, Raspberries 

 and Blackberries?— A. E. B.. Ind. 



1.696. Tree Fruits for Ohio. What varieties of Pears, 

 Plums, Cherries. vu'u*^"*?s and Grapes are most profita- 

 ble for market in Summit County and vicinity?— H., 

 Big Rapids, Mich. 



1.697. Mildew on Tomatoes. Many vines last year 

 were killed by a yellow mildew. It stopped when the 

 rainy season set In. How prevented? 



1.698. Bark Cracking. Bark on Apricot and Plum 

 trees splits and cracks, often killing young trees. What 

 is the cause and cure? 



1.699. Grapes Running to Vine. , Is it true that 

 eastern varieties run to vlue in Arizona, and do not 

 fruit?- J. L. R., Arizona. 



1.700. Propagating Chrysanthemnms. How done 

 In large quantities?—!. S. J., Ohio. 



1.701. Bark Lice on Pear Trees. How can I get rid 

 of them? A. B. A., Ohio. 



l,Wi. Sweet Peas not Blooming. Why, when the 

 same seed produced blooms freely elsewhere?— H. C. B. 



1.703. Grafting Evergreens. When and how done? 

 Would the clon of a variegated kind, If grafted on other 

 kind, keep its variegated character?— J. C. M., Cal. 



1.704. Packing Trees. How best done for a journey 

 of 1.000 or 1.500 mUes?— A. L. D. 



1.705. Protecting Strawberries from Grubs. Is 

 there any wash In which the $2.00 a dozen Strawberry 



Slants might be dipped, or any other device that will 

 eep the white grub off? Experience not theory Is 

 wanted.— J. L., Pulaski, N. V. 



1.706. Sizing for Hot-bed Cloth. Please give recipe? 

 A.M.. Ont. 



1.707. Road-side Trees. What kinds would do best 

 In this state, and ou soil almost pure sand, except six 

 Inches on top? How close should they be planted and 

 howmanured?- B. B,, Dover, N. H. 



1.708. Coal Ashes as Fertilizer. What value have 

 they for fruit trees compared with wood ashes?— M. L. 

 W., Ypsilanti, Mich. 



1.709. Black Leaves on Orange Tree. It is full of 



buds, but the soot like color on leaves does not wash 

 off, even with soap. Is It disease, and If so, how cured? 

 E. O. N'., Tracy City, Tenn. 



1.710. Marianna Plum for Stock. How is It pro- 

 duced, from seed, cutting or by layering? 



1.711. The Forelle Pear. Is the Trout Pear proving 

 a good variety In any part of this country?— TToottsidc, 

 Dayton, O. 



1.712. Poultry Journal. Which would you recom- 

 mend? Mrs. cm., Col. 



1.713. Table and Room Decoration. Do you know 

 of any illustrated book on this subject?— W. R. H., 

 Yonkers, X. Y. 



1.714. Honey Locust for Hedge. Can this be rec- 

 ommended?— T. A. I., Brant/ord. Ont. 



1.715. Large Prolific Strawberry. What variety 

 yields as well as Crescent, having large berries?— C. T, 

 H , Ohio. 



1,T16. Prunns Pissardi. Where can It be obtained^ 

 and when does it bloom?— Mrs. E. M. W., Miss. 

 1,717. Strawberry Seedlings. How are they started? 



Have not been successful with them.— J. S. M., A^ F, 



l.Tlf. Spraying Pumps. Oneof considerable capac- 

 ity, say holding r.0 gallons. Is wanted. Which should I 

 select?— D. M., Camp Hill, Pa. 



1.719. Tools for the Orchard. Where can those 

 shown on page 31 be obtained?— E. W. D., Me. 



1.720. Violets from Seed- Can't get the seed to start 

 in open air. How should it be handled?— Wayside. 



1.721. Sweet Corn. What are three most reliable 

 kinds, early, medium and late? 



1,723. Value of Ashes. What difference in ashes 

 housed and left out doors? 



l,?i3. Roses from Seed- Can good varieties be 

 grown from seed? How are they started?— J. L., Dex- 

 ter, Mich. 



I,r24. Florida Cedar. Are they of quick growth, 

 and how many should stand on an acre? 



1,?25. Grafting the Grape. If done in June, is the 

 new wood or last year's wood used forcions?— T. W. 



I,?26. Apples for Market. I am ten miles from rail- 

 road. St. Louis Is my nearest town. Land, poor hill- 

 side. Freight excessively high . Will It pay me to plant 

 Apples tor market? 



1.727. Green Manuring for Orchard. What crop is 

 best for this? Reader. 



1.728. Alfala or Luzerne. Is this good for pasture, 

 or is there danger from bloating?— J. B., Perri/ Da/^. 

 Oregon. 



I,r29. Mushroom Spawn. How prepared?— H.W.S. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



1635. Shrubs for WiBConsin. Ailanthus and 



Weeping yiorida Dogwood are not hardy in 

 Northern llHnois, and probably would not be 

 hardy in Wisconsin. The Weeping Florida Dog- 

 wood is a difficult thing to transplant.— A. B. A. 



1.680. Cabbage Lice. These can be disposed of 

 by spraying the plants with strong Tobacco tea, 

 or the kerosene emulsion. Formula for prepa- 

 ring the latter has been published repeatedly in 

 recent numbers of Popular Gardening. 



1.681. Setting: Asparagus Plants. This can be 

 done any time from fall to spring, when the 

 ground is in good working order. 



1,596. Fruit Evaporating. The first requisite 

 is a strong steady current of uniform heat, pre- 

 ferably ranging from 150° to 200" Fah. The 

 arrangements for securing Ihis are as varied as 

 the different manufacturers can make them. 

 Whatever the plan, it is essential to rapid drying 

 that there be a good draught of dry air to carry 

 away the moisture given off by the steaming 

 fruit. The want of this is very noticeable in 

 damp muggy weather: the amount that can be 

 run through at such times being considerably less 

 than on bright, dry days. In handling Apples 

 see that not a moment is lost between the 

 pairing machine and the bleacher. The aim in 

 bleaching should be to pre\eDt fruit from color- 

 ing, not to whiten it after it is colored. Very 

 httie bleaching. suffices to do this. But above all 

 it is necessary to have good quick help, reliable 

 machinery and careful management, ft must 

 be done on close business principles or the 

 balance will be on the wrong side of the ledger.— 

 F. W. Card 



1,615. FropagatinET Begonias, ^[anicata aurea 

 maybe propagated from stem cuttings if any 

 can be removed, without injuring your plant, 

 but the main source of increase with this as well 

 as Countess Louise Erdody must be leaf cuttings. 

 Use the older, 'hard leaves, cut off the stem near 

 the blade and cut away the outer portion. Place 

 the remaining part in moist coarse sand. Koot* 

 will form at the base of the blade. V^e bottom 

 heat if available, but they should root readily 

 without it. It is better to propagate Begonias 

 each spring, so to have young Iresh plants for 

 winter use. If the old plants are to be carried 

 over, they should be kept rather dry, and given 

 a partial season of rest during the latter part of 

 winter.— Fred W. Card. 



1.682. Pruning Orape Vines, This work can 

 be done at any convenient time after the leaves 

 fall until spring, but autumn is usually consider- 

 ed preferable by expert vineyardists. If neg- 

 lected until now, the work should be done at the 

 fli'st suitable day. 



1,685. 0rape Vines and Diseases. So far as 

 we are aware, the American translation of Prof. 

 Viola's work "'Amei'icau Grape Vines and their 

 Diseases " has not yet been published. As soon 

 as it comes out, our readers will be given notice 

 through Popular Gardening. 



1.686. Plum Bot. The only method of combat- 

 ing this disease now known, is by gathering tdl 

 the affected specimens carefully, and destroying 

 them leaving none to propagate the disease. 



1.687. Propagation by Sprouts, The sprouts 

 coming from the roots of Wild Goose, Miner and 

 other Plum trees are of course of the same 

 variety of fruit as was the stock of the tree. 



1.692. Self-Blanching Celery. NeUis' Self- 

 Blanehing is probably similar to White Plume, 

 and If so, will need very httle earthing up. The 

 flavor, however, is usually improved by earthing 

 up in same manner as is usually done for the 

 common sorts. 



1,684. Propagating Double Primroses. This 



is not without difficulties. The time for this 

 work which offers the best chances of success, is 

 March, and perhaps early in April. Syringe the 

 plants two or three times a day, keeping well 

 shaded from the hot sunshine. Also cut away 

 ail bad leaves, and give a liberal supply of water 

 at the roots. This treatment, says one of our 

 English exchanges, will insure cuttings or side 

 shoots in about a fortnight. These are cut off 

 from the parent plant, and close to it, and the 

 loAver leaves nicely trimmed off, leaving three or 

 four fully-developed leaves around the heart. 

 Now insert singly in 3H inch pots in finely sifted 

 soil, consisting of loam, leaf-mold, and sand. 

 Press the cuttings gently into the soil, and water 

 with a fine-rose pot, but not over the leaves. 

 Plunge the pots half-way up in the propagating- 

 box on a brisk bottom-heat; put on the glasses 

 or lights, and shade from all sunshine; open the 

 box every morning early for an hour or two, and 

 sprinkle overhead with water gently according 

 to the weather. They must not on any account 

 be allowed to flag. In three weeks they will be 

 ready to take imt. when they must be caret uUy 

 and gradually hardened off. The temperature 

 necessary to bring forward the cuttings should 

 be from 60 degrees to 70 degrees.- .4?/icr(go. 



1.693. Asparagus for Minnesota. For planting 

 on a large scale for market, the old, well-tried 

 and thoroughly reliable Conover's Colossal is yet 

 the variety which we would select. There are a 

 number of newer candidates, the Palmetto, 

 Barr's (or Philadelphia) Mammoth, etc., which 

 are claimed to be superior, but have not yet been 

 sufficiently tested to have established theirstand- 

 ing. These may be planted in an experimental 

 way on a small scale. 



1,695. Cost of Picking Small Fruits. The 

 prices usually paid for pickers are as follows : 

 114 cent per quart for Strawberries ; 1 to 1J4 

 cents per pint for Red Kaspberries ; 2 cents per 

 quart for Blackcaps ; IH cents per quart for 

 Blackberries; 1 cents per quart for Currants. 



1,699. Grapes Eunniug to Vine. We do not 

 know why common varieties of Grapes, that 

 grow strong wood in Arizona, should not fruit 

 there as well as elsewhere, provided they were 

 properly managed. Our correspondent also asks 

 for a list of fruits that we know will fruit in 

 Arizona. We are unable to comply. People 

 who live in Arizona must know much better 

 than we do what fruits succeed there, and what 

 fruits do not. Ask fruit growers living near 

 you ; but if they cannot tell, it is about high 

 time that they should find out by making trials. 

 We make this statement for the benefit of all, 

 who are inclined to ask questions concerning 

 local conditions about which reliable informa- 

 tion could be had near home. 



1.637. Dwarf Pear Orchard, Like all other 

 crops, Pears on dwarf trees may be grown success- 

 fully in one locality, or ou one man's place, and be 

 a failure in another locality, or ou another man's 

 place. There are a large number of Dwarf Pear 

 orchards right in this iuimfdiate neighborhood, 

 and most of them bring money to their owners. 

 But soil and climate here seem to suit the wants of 

 the Pear, both dwarf and standard. There is 

 hardly ever any trouble to sell at a good price 

 all the good Pears you can raise, if you wdl 

 only produce them. So if your location is adapted 

 to Pear culture, and you make a good selection of 

 trees and varieties, and eive them the high cultiva- 

 tion that Dwarf Pears always require, you will 

 most likely succeed in making Pear culture pay. 

 But if you have an idea you can set any kind of a 

 dwarf Pear tree in any kind of soil, and then will 

 only have to wait patiently for the big returns, 

 without further effort, you will surely find out that 

 Pear culture does not pay. 



1618 Pruning Peaches. If not already done 

 this work should be attended to at once. My plan 

 is to have my trees form a head as low as possible. 

 Many of my trees branch out as low as eight inches 

 from the ground. Prune every year, and cut off 

 one-half to two-thirds of last years growth. Cut 

 away all dead wood no matter how small; put a 

 pint of dry unleached ashes to each inch of diame- 

 ter of tree at grnund. and repeat this every year. 

 If this plan is loUowed year after year, little will be 

 heard of the yellows, and our Peaches will bring bet- 

 ter prices. I w^ould rather have one bushel of 

 Peaches containing 120 Peaches, than five bushels 

 containing 300 Peaches each —J. L. B. 



