152 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



Fig. 57 shows this method, while the tree 

 in Fig. .58 is slightly protected by stones 

 placed around it. 

 .52. In prmiing remove huds nr smnU syiroiit-s- 



not neederl, i-ather than irait tintil they 



have developeil, find then eut them off. 



Pruning by nibbing off superfluous buds 

 can be done at any time, and without the 





$m 



48. Oood tUlaeje is as good as miiJching. 

 The layer of loose surface soil may well be 



termed a mulch. It preserves moisture near- 

 ly as well as a foreign mulch like straw, 

 sawdust, etc.; it better admits the air to the 

 roots; it encourages deeper root growth; it 

 is more convenient in a garden; and it does 

 not provide a congenial harbor or propaga- 

 ting place for injurious molds, insects, 

 and quadrupeds as a mulch will do. 



49. In timeii of dronth water pro- 

 fusely if at all. 

 While as a rule it is true that if 



better culture and less water were 

 given in American gardens, the re- 

 sults would be better, yet there are 

 instances where watering during 

 drouth is desirable. Some of these 

 instances are as follows: Trees and 

 shrubs growing in sod ; vines against 

 buildings; Strawberry beds; beds 

 closely occupied with flowers, Celery, 

 etc. 



To water any of these properly, 

 the soil should be deeply punctured 

 with a bar of iron to admit the moist- 

 ure well down to the roots. Then 

 enough water should be applied to 

 thoroughly saturate the soil, and 

 this should suffice for weeks, perhaps 

 for the season. See figure .Mi. 



Never indulge in the common prac- 

 tice of applying a driblet of water to 

 each tree or plant daily, only to cause 

 the surface of the soil to bake, with- 

 out ever giving enough to soak down 

 to the roots. 

 .50. Stir the soil each time after 



being ivet from rain or rjtherwise. 



This is to prevent baking of the 

 surface, which would cause loss of 

 moisture in consequence of the un- 

 broken capillary action between 

 lower stratum and surface. Mel- 

 lowing and pulverizing the surface checks | slightest injury to tree or shrub. The re- 



"^K'y^ci-^' 





Where the latter abound, however, the 

 bodies of trees should be further protected 

 against in jury by a wash consisting of white- 

 wash flavored with copperas or carbolic acid, 

 or smeared with a piece of fresh animals' 

 liver, or with blood, grease, etc. 



Examine young fruit trees from time to 

 time for bark lice, and if such are found, 

 clean the affected limbs by scraping, 

 or wash them with a strong solution 

 of salsoda in water, one pound to the 

 gillon, or with some other strong 

 alkaline liquid, or paint them with 

 Imseed oil. Two or three times dur- 

 mg the growing season, look also 

 for borers. You may find indications 

 of their work on the body of tree near 

 the ground. Cut them out, or destroy 

 them with a piece of wire. As a pre- 

 \entive, which usually is much bet- 

 ter than a cure, the bodies near the 

 giound may be washed several times 

 a year with carbolized liquids; or 

 coal ashes may be heaped around 

 the tree bodies, or the latter sur- 

 rounded by mechanical obstructions, 

 like boxes, tarred paper, wire-screen, 

 etc. 



Fig. 5!). Viiuiiu liudilnl H'isr, 

 a, filan: uf Jtuililiu{i ttu- iin- 

 provid rariity im llir ]yil(l 

 root, b growth from bud, c c, 

 rampant wild shoots. 



Our Native Shrubs. 



E. P. POWELL, ONEIDA CO., N. T. 



We do not make enough of our 

 own native flowers, trees, and shrubs 

 for home adornment. I have learned 

 to make very great use of our wild 

 Plums and Cherries. They cannot 

 be surpassed for beauty either in 

 flower or fruit. If the robins would 

 let the fruit alone, it would be the 



Fill. i;0, Kihiinrniirk Tl'iVd. 

 tthH'f lit Inuliliuii Ihr Kihitiirnoch 

 on the Willi WiUiiw, h /), iirou'th 

 frin liitil, (■ c, irihl shoots. Tliese 

 'as so itficn ailmeed to grow hill delight of the eye nearly all summer. 



thi)ii.->ands of trees every year. 



These engravlng.s show what kills many fine budded trees and 

 shrubs, namely; letting wild sprouts from below the bud grow, thus 

 crowding and in time killing the budded part. See No. 52. 



tills. Clean and thorough cultivation is the 

 first choice in any event. If ever an annual 

 crop is grown between young growths, as is 

 permissible, and perhaps advisable in newly 

 planted orchards, etc., it should be one 

 which needs cultivation and hoeing, like 

 Beans, Corn, Potatoes, etc., but never a 

 grain or Clover crop. 



51. Trees with well-developed roots properly 

 planted need no stakes. 



If the root system is not perfect, so that 

 there is the least risk of displacement or 

 breaking by the winter's winds, the tree 



*t'^^^^ 







^iJ*^- 



Fig. 56. Preparitig to water a tree at the roots 

 by puncturing tlie soil with a bar. See No. 49. 



should be tied to a stout stake, or held 

 in place by several galvanized wires, or 

 cords, fixed to a collar at a convenient height, 

 and the other ends fastened to stakes or pegs 

 driven into the ground at a proper distance 

 from the trees. When trees are set in the 

 tall it is a good precaution not only to stake 

 them firmly but also to heap up the soil 

 around the body of each to the hight of about 

 one toot. This will give yet firmer support, 

 and also prevent girdling by mice. The 

 mound must be leveled again in early spring. 



moval of a large limb always injures the 

 tree's vitality. Be especially careful to pre- 

 serve a smooth, clean stem, by the prompt 

 removal of all suckers. 



Fig. .59 represents a young Rose bush; Fig. 

 60 a weeping tree. Both were budded at o; 

 the wood growing from bud, h }>, alone is to 

 be left, while the suckers, c c, issuing from 

 the stem or root below o, should be ruth- 

 lessly removed at the earliest possible oppor- 

 tunity. Evergreens are to be cut back in 

 April or May, .just before the trees start to 

 grow, in order to preserve the shape and 

 thicken the growth. 



53. Keep a record of all trees and shrubs 

 planted. 



This is especially necessary with fruits. 

 Labels may be lost, and if no record is kept, 

 loss and confusion of names will be the sure 

 result. A nameless fruit does not taste half 

 as good, or afford halt as much enjoyment, 

 as one does of which we know the exact 

 name, and all particulars. The most con- 

 venient method is to make a map or chart 

 of orchard, fruit garden and lawn, large 

 enough to show every tree, shrub and row 

 of small fruits, with the name f)f each writ- 

 ten out in full. This map should be on 

 stiff' paper, or pasted on paste board, and if 

 neatly executed may be framed and hung in 

 the sitting room. At the same time the 

 labels, preferably of zinc, moistened and 

 written on with soft pencil, should be re- 

 newed or replaced whenever needed, for the 

 grower's and visitor's convenience in recog- 

 nizing the variety. 



.54. Guard against rabbits, mice and in- 

 sects. 



Where the young growths are kept clean 

 by thorough tillage, no tufts of grass, no 

 weedy fences, no rubbish of any sort being 

 allowed near them, there will be no danger 

 from mice and very little from rabbits. 



and 



The variations in the Cherry family 

 are many, and it is hard to choose 

 between them. I advise any one who 

 is planting lawns^o get a large supply 

 grow most of them as bushes. This 

 can be done by cutting off the main trunk 

 at the ground and allowing the roots to 

 send up several in place of one. Cut them 

 back year by year at the tops. Many of our 

 larger trees can in this way be grown as 

 bushes. Among others the Tulip tree, the 

 Linden, the Magnolias, the Catalpas and 

 Beeches. I should like to find something 

 finer than a Catalpa trained after this 

 manner. Such shrubs or bushes will gen- 

 erally blossom profusely, while the leafage 

 is enlarged. 



The Coruus family is also extremely fine ; 

 perhaps Cornus Florida surpassing all other 

 native shrubs where it thrives. It is not quite 

 as hardy as it might be, but 1 get it along 

 with some care in Central New York. The 



Fig. 57. Staking ami Fig. aS. Steadying a 

 mouneling up a young yimng tree with stones, 

 tree for winter. 



red-barked Cornus is truly superb for win- 

 ter, turning to a fiery crimson in November, 

 and back to green in April. If planted in a 

 moist soil it spreads with much regularity 

 by underground shoots, rather than roots, 

 until it covers a rod square, or more if you 

 will let it. It is deliciously comfortable in 

 cold weather. Holmes tells us of the old 

 lady who got warm over a cold register; but 



