1 890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



167 



tin at a a, open it a little by a gentle out- 

 ward pressure and lift it out of the ground. 

 I find this as satisfactory as transplanting 

 from pots, and it is done as quickly. The 

 tins can be placed together, inside of each 

 other, and saved for future use. 



A Missouri Winter Pear. 



In annexed illustration we present the ex- 

 act likeness of specimen of the KruUWinter 

 Pear sent us last of .January by Mr. G. F. 

 Mallinckrodt of St. Charles, Mo. This is a 

 very handsome, well-shaped fruit, but not of 

 very high quality. We were tempted to 

 pronounce it sweet and 

 poor, reminding of the very 

 earliest summer Pears. 

 Where the Anjou, and 

 Winter Sellis, and Pears of 

 that quality succeed, the 

 KruU is not wanted. 



Yet it may And a place. 

 Mr. Mallinckrodt writes us: 

 "In this section we have 

 had no Winter Pears, or 

 none that will keep even 

 until mid-winter. This new 

 variety has the keeping 

 quality, and is here con- !'■ : 

 sidered "good to very good. " ' ' 

 Let me call your attentimi 

 to the firmness of tlesh In 

 fore fully ripe, and to tin 

 thickness of skin, which I 

 know will render itagnod 

 shipper." , ; ■ 



There can be no doubt as ■ 



to its superior keeping '■:,.'■_■ - i 



qualities, but unless we • -' 



did not test the specimens 

 sent us when just riglit, 

 the Missouri people must 

 be probably less fastidious 

 in regard to the quality of 

 \viuter fruit than we are. We confess that it 

 is not an easy matter to do full justice to a 

 fruit even but slightly inferior in quality 

 to the finest winter Pears, the taste of which 

 is vet in our mouth. 



How to Pack Plants for Shipping. 



L. B. PIERCE, SIIMMIT C«>., O. 



Notwithstanding the good examples set 

 by some leading plant growers of good 

 packing, there is still a frightful amount of 

 ignorance on the subject, and a loss to the 

 receivers of poorly-packed goods. 



In the introduction of a new Strawberry, a 

 few years ago, the plants being shipped 

 from a western state, many lost a part of 

 their high-priced plants simply because 

 they were packed too wet and too tight. 



In many cases shipments were delayed 

 and the result was fermentation and decay. 

 One nurserymen who ordered (iOO plants and 

 made less than ICX) grow, told me that he 

 feared it was done purposely in order to 

 have less increase the ne.xt year outside of 

 the disseminator's hands, but others who 

 were also heavy loosers considered it a result 

 of poor judgment and ignorance on the 

 part of the packer. 



There are several things to be considered 

 on the part of the shipper: these are in the 

 order of their importance: kind of plant; 

 season of the year; distance to be shipped, 

 mode of conveyance: place shipped to. 



Dormant plants give little trouble as a 

 rule, provided plenty of sphagnum is used 

 and they are packed sufficiently snug to 

 prevent shifting of position. 



Raspberry tips and small Evergreens, 

 however, need extra precautions. The for- 

 mer are generally shipped in barrels and 

 often little or no packing is used; the plants 

 are not pressed down, and the air 'gets to 

 many of them, so they become dried and 

 worthless. If the plants were all extra fine, 

 with compact heavy masses of roots, there 



would be little more loss than with to many 

 .■\sparagus roots, but this is rarely the case, 

 especially with plants grown on thin or 

 sandy soil. 



P.\CKIXG R.\SPBERRY PLANTS. Barrels 

 are the best packages and a layer of Sphag- 

 num or rowen hay should be placed in the 

 bottom coming up the sides six inches. 

 Some of both materials is best, and the hay 

 makes it possible to use less of the more 

 expensive Moss. After covering the bottom, 

 place 100 plants evenly distributed and cor- 

 rectly counted. 



Put on a half inch of Sphagnum, being 



I 



\ 



KRULL WINTER PEAR. 



careful to have it come to the sides of the 

 barrel. Then put on a thin layer of hay 

 which makes a definite division, then another 

 hundred plants,and so on. When the barrel 

 is heaping full, make a follower of a square 

 board with the corners sawed oft that will 

 just go into the barrel, put it on and let a 

 heavy man step on, and settle the mass as 

 firmly as possible, then pack it full again 

 and once more tread it down. Then saw a 

 piece of fence board to just fit in above the 

 follower, put it in and fasten by nailing 

 through the staves. If the barrel is tight, 

 bore two or three holes in the bottom and 

 then pour in a couple of pails of water at 

 the open end letting it soak through the 

 plants, the overplus going out at the bottom. 



Thus packed. Raspberry tips will keep 

 moist and in good condition for two or three 

 weeks. 



Packing Young Evergreens. Young 

 Kvergreens if of a length of ten inches or 

 more are best packed in a box just long 

 enough to contain two lengths, the roots 

 being placed together in the center of the 

 bo.x, pressed in tightly and a wide board 

 nailed across. The cover should hide from 

 view all but the very tips, in other words 

 the whole box should be covered except two 

 inches at each end left open for ventilation. 

 This will prevent any mistaken kindness on 

 the part of station agents in watering the 

 tops. I once received a box of young Ever- 

 greens from northern Michigan. The plants 

 came .Saturday evening and I was not able 

 to go until Tuesday morning. The plants 

 were expressed with the exception of the 

 roots which were covered by a board. The 

 weather was warm and the agent thinking 

 to do me a kindness watered the tops. The 

 trees had been packed ten days, and possi- 

 bly watered en route by some other kind 

 but ignorant official, and the result was the 

 plants were a mass of mold and about 6,000 

 out of 7,.500 failed to grow. 



Str.^wberrt Plants. These should be 

 shipped in strong half-bushel market bas- 

 kets lined with parafine paper, with plenty 

 Sphagnum, and it is much better not to 

 bunch the plants if they are to be shipped 

 any distance, but arrange them in layers 

 with Sphagnum. The paper in the bottom 

 should be in two pieces one lapping over the 

 others two or three inches to give drainage. 

 Varieties can be separated by a piece of 

 heavy cardboard two inches wide, extending 

 across the package and marked on both 

 sides with an indelible pencil, a tag also 

 being tied to each variety where it com- 

 mences. After packing, 

 a piece of white netting 

 should be tacked over 

 the basket, and the basket 

 set for a few minutes in a 

 tub containg two inches 

 of water. On no account 

 wet the foliage of any 

 growing plant in packing. 

 Plainly stencilled on the 

 top of the handle should 

 be the legend: " Do not 

 water these plants." Only 

 .500 to 1,000 Strawberry 

 plants can be packed in 

 a basket, and for large 

 orders boxes must be used. 

 Old berry stands can be 

 used by attaching new 

 and longer standards or 

 using only three drawers 

 with the original stand- 

 ards. After packing the 

 lower drawer, nail thin 

 strips two inches wide 

 across the standards, then 

 place another tray and 

 pack, and so on. 



Vegetable Plants. 

 These may be packed in 

 as Strawberry plants. 

 Especial pains should be taken with stuff 

 shipped in hot weather, or to the southern 

 states, and plants should not be offered so 

 low that the seller cannot afford to pack 

 properly. An instance comes to mind where 

 a friend lost .5.000 Cabbage plants in conse- 

 quence of the shipper's disregard of the 

 orders given hira by the patron concerning 

 the selection of express company. The 

 charges, instead of being about 3.5 cents as 

 they would have been by the one route, 

 were SO cents, and the plants being two or 

 three days on the way instead of less than 

 one day, and with tops freely watered by a 

 kind express agent, smelled like "krout," 

 and were worthless. ■ 



the same way 



1,781. number of Vines in Grapery. A lean- 

 to 16x9 will contain four Gnipe vines pruned to 

 a single cane each. Black Hamburg is the surest 

 and best. The border should be made rich, and 

 weLl-prepared for the best results. Yes, a man 

 of business if he likes it, can find time to give it 

 all the attention required. It takes less care than 

 the same number of out-door vines as you have 

 no mildew or insect enemies to contend with. — 

 Chas. L. Jones. V. J. 



1,706. Sizing for Hotbed Sash. Stretch closely- 

 woven muslin or factory cloth tightly on the 

 frame, then apply with a paint brush three 

 ounces paraffin dissolved by heat in one pint 

 boiled linseed oil. Scrape off all you can on 

 upper side with a caseknife. I have some made 

 this way which but for being discolored are now 

 as good as ever, after being exposed two years 

 summer and winter. It is perfectly waterproof. 

 ~C K. Meyer. 



1,679. Tomato Bot and 1,697 Tomato Mildew. 

 Try Bordeaux mixture.— H. VV. S. 



1,706. Sizing for Hotbed Cloth. The follow- 

 ing is a good recipe for the waterproofing of 

 cfdico: Old pale Linseed oil, three pints; sugar 

 of lead one ounce ; white resin four ounces. 

 Grind the sugar of lead with a little of oil, then 

 add the rest and the resin. Incorporate thor- 

 oughly in a large pot over a gentle fire, and with 

 a large brush apply hot to a fine calico stretched 

 loosely previously by means of tacks, upon the 

 frame.— H. W. Smith, ia. 



