1 66 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



Tender Fruits. Among our Peaches we 

 have lost one tree ; the Peen-to. It had made a 

 most vigorous growth last summer, but evident- 

 ly it is too tender to stand even a mild winter in 

 this climate; and although it may sprout up 

 again from the lower part of the trunk, yet it 

 will probably be best to tear it out and replace 

 by a hardier sort. One or two of our old stand- 

 ard, tender Apricots also succumbed to the cold 

 and changes of the past winter. The Russians 

 are coming out with flying colors, and may give 

 us a few specimens of fruit. 



The Vineyard. This has received a thorough 

 stirring up with the disk harrow ; and so have 

 the young orchards. What an elegant tool this 



Shrubbery at "Woodbanks." One of the 

 first steps taken in improving these grounds a 

 year ago, was to set out a large collection of 

 hardy ornamental shrubs. This we did knowing 

 the many good qualities o£ this class of embel- 

 lishiVg material and because we desired to test 

 them extensively in the interest of our readers. 

 The character of one part of this work is shown 

 in the accompanying engraving, which repre- 

 sents the largest of eight shrub borders planted, 

 this one being VJO feet long by 25 feet across at 

 the widest part. The entire bed contains about 

 200 plants averaging in distance not far from 

 four feet apart. 



For best effect we believe strongly in planting 



j The half-and-half mtxture of the two forego- 

 I ing which occupies plat 2 is less handsome than 

 ; the plats of the same kinds separately. This is a 

 I surprise to many gardeners, who had relied on a 

 [ mixture of these too staple kinds as being near 

 ! the ideal lawn grass. The defect seems to be, 

 that the Red Top being of stronger growth 

 crowds the Blue Grass unduly, giving it an im- 

 perfect color, while the former is less beautiful 

 j than where it thickly occupies the ground alone. 

 Plat 4, a mixture used extensively for lawns, 

 consisting of equal measure of Red Top, Blue 

 Grass, Crested Dog's Tail, Fescue (Vestuca duri- 

 i twcula) English Rye Grass (ioh'umperenne). This 

 ' plat is hardly equal in appearance to plat 2, 



Plan of large Slirubbery Border on the Popular Gardening Grounds. 



is, anyway, for just such work in stone free soil. 

 We consider it far superior to the plow, as it 

 stirs the surface thoroughly without danger to 

 the roots of trees or vines, and at a small fraction 

 of the time needed to plow the same area. 



The Strawberry Bed. The matted rows have 

 wintered very nicely, especially where thorough- 

 ly mulched. Some single plants, that were left 

 without mulch, however, are badly heaved out, 

 and many of them entirely killed. Last winter 

 seems to have been a test winter for unmulched 

 beds, and many of them, in this vicinity, have 

 fared very badly. 



Hot Bed Pests. We have never been more 

 thoroughly impressed with the importance of 

 boarding up the hot-bed clear from the bottom, 

 to exclude moles, rats and mice than this year. 

 This is because we have never had much trouble 

 before. Moles do not work in our soil, and we 

 always found means to trap or poison rats or 

 mice it they made themselves obnoxious. This 

 year, however, our hot-bed is infested by a breed 

 of mice that seem to be proof against traps and 

 poisons. They began on a lot of choice young 

 Cauliflower plants, grazing them off like sheep. 

 Traps were set without avail Next we resorted 

 to bi-sulphide of carbon, pouring a couple of 

 ounces into each mouse hole and stopping it up. 

 This had no other effect, but to make the trouble- 

 some rodents dig other holes, and cut down all 

 the plants near them. Getting desperate, we 

 soaked Wheat in a solution of arsenious acid, 

 and flUed up the holes with it. This was readily 

 taken, but the mice continued their work as 

 before At last they got into our Tomato and 

 Pepper seed boxes, and the first we noticed, all 

 our plants of Henderson's Early Ruby and Table 

 Queen were gone. This aroused us to action. 

 The flats were taken up, and replaced closely 

 together, and close to the frame, thus excluding 

 every chance of entrance from the underside. 

 The part containing these flats with Tomato, 

 Pepper and Egg plants, etc., was then divided off 

 from the rest of the bed by means of panes of 

 glass set on edge close to the outside of last row 

 of flats. We think these plants will now be safe, 

 but we shall continue to experiment with traps 

 and poisons. A year ago our frames were badly 

 infested with fleabeetles, and later on with 

 Potato beetles also, the latter paying considerable 

 attention to some Potato seedlings, and Egg 

 plants. Toads at last came to our relief. This 

 year we have not waited for the toads, but have 

 strewed Tobacco dust thickly all over the sur- 

 face of the bed. The flea beetles have left ; and 

 the Potato beetles have not yet appeared. 



not only flowering shrubs but nearly all other 

 ornamental material, in groups or masses. The 

 bed illustrated represents a single large mass of 

 shrubbery and each variety or species of shrub 

 used, consists again of a mass of from three to 

 seven plants apiece. The names of the respec- 

 tive kinds planted are given in the engraving. 

 The smaller shrub borders planted, vary in 

 size down to a dozen shrubs apiece. Besides 

 these there were planted on our grounds 

 several large masses of evergreen trees and some 

 of deciduous trees. 



One object in thus planting shrubs extensively, 

 was quick results in embellishing our grounds. 

 In this we are not disappointed. The shrubs, 

 true to nature, grew remarkably well and many 

 kinds flowered profusely even in this first season. 

 Having set the plants somewhat closely, by mid- 

 summer the groups made a fine appearance, in 

 this respect greatly exceeding the growths of a 

 tree nature planted at the same time It is a 

 chief advantage of this class of plants, that they 

 present a mature appearance in one fourth the 

 time required by other woody growths. The 

 more extensive our experience in cultivating the 

 entire class of hardy flowering shrubs the more 

 heartily canwe urge this culture upon our friends. 

 Their leading merits may thus be summed up: 

 low cost, hardiness, ease of culture, early mature 

 effects, large assortment, beauty of flowers, 

 foliage and form, long season of bloom in the 

 different varieties. 



Tests op Lawn Grasses. Our largest lawn, 

 consisting of about one-halt an acre, was sown a 

 year ago with six different kinds and formulas 

 of grass seeds, each lot occupying a separate 

 area. This was the order of the plats over the 

 piece and which was much longer than wide. 

 Plat 1. Red Top {AgroMin vulgaris). 

 " 2. Half-and-half Red Top and Kentucky 



Blue Grass. 

 " 3. Kentucky Blue Grass l.Poa pratensis). 

 " i. A mixture which is widely in use. 

 " .5. Crested Dog-tan (Cynosunts cristata). 

 " 6. Orchard Grass (Dactylis glomerata). 

 " 7. Timothy tPhleum pratense). 

 The most attractive plat of the seven to-day, 

 April 18, and when the grass in places has started 

 enough to require clipping, is the third plat con- 

 sisting of Blue Grass alone. This grass is flne in 

 growth, even, stands very close, and is of a beau- 

 tiful dark green color. 



Next in attractiveness, is plat 1. sowed with 

 Red Top alone. This grass is somewhat coarser 

 than the Blue Grass and several shades lighter 

 in color, but yet forms a handsome even lawn. 



hence would in this soil (a Chestnut loam) seem 

 to have little to commend it. 



Plat 5. Is no more satisfactory than plat 4. 



Plat li. Orchard Grass alone, is at this writing- 

 quite even and handsome, the young growth 

 being of a vivid green. It stands about third in 

 point of attractiveness of all the plats. 



Plat 7. Timothy has an inferior appearance at 

 this date. 



As but one season has passed since the sowing 

 of the foregoing plats, while permanent results 

 IS the main object in a lawn, it may not be proper 

 to pass final judgment on the kinds and formulas 

 and later reports on the same will be given. Ad- 

 ditional tests of mixtures and separate grasses 

 are being made the present season. 



New Use For Old Material. 



THEO. F. LONOSECKER. MOSTGOMERV CO., OmO. 



Where canned goods are bought from the 

 stores, there is an accumulation of tin cans. 

 For several years I have made use of theni 

 as follows: When burning rubbish they 

 were thrown into the fire and left there a 

 few minutes until the solderingwas melted, 

 when with a long pole they are drawn from' 

 the fire. They are then in the condition 

 shown in the illustration at the left. Flat 

 boxes of nearly same height as the cans are 

 bought at the groceries. The cans are set 

 so closely together in the boxes that the 



'U 



lluw Ui use Ukl Tin Cans 



edges of the tin come together. Good soil 

 is then thrown in the box until the cans and 

 the intervening spaces are filled. 



Cucumbers, Lima Beans, Nutmegs, 

 Watermelons, etc., may be planted in the 

 cans. When all danger of frost is over, 

 take box and all to the field where wanted; 

 make a hole of sufl5cient size to receive the 

 can. In picking up the can and plant, press 

 the tin together, so to prevent the soil fal- 

 ling out. Set it where wanted, and fill in 

 the soil around the can. Take hold of the 



