1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



>83 



1,823. Trees and Berries. Jtuch will depend 

 on kind of trees and their ai?e. It the trees are 

 of slow (frowtb. Apples, Plums, Cherries, etc., 

 and newly set out. Blackcap Kaspberries mijfht 

 for a few years be set as close as four feet to 

 them, but on general principles it would be 

 better even than to stay at a little more respect- 

 ful distance. .-\11 suokorin(t bush fruits, like Red 

 Hasplx'rries and especially lilackberries, are too 

 apt to encroach upon the trees, and deprive them 

 of room, food and moisture, to allow of being 

 planted very close to the trees, even when these 

 are newlv planted. We would plant all such, 

 and preferably even Blackcaps, only in rows be- 

 tween the tree rows, not in the latter rows them- 

 selves, and have the bush fruit rows not less 

 than eight feet apart from the tree rows. A 

 combination of this kind will do very well for a 

 number of years, provided that the necessary 

 amount of fertilizer is put on the land, to feed 

 both trees and bush fruits.— (3. K. 



I.SS*. Currants in Oeorgia. We have no doubt 

 that Currants would succeed with you under 

 garden culture if planted in good loam and in a 

 cool half-shady situation. We believe you will 

 Und the north side of a fence or wall, or a gar- 

 den with only trees enough to slightly temper 

 the fierceness of the summer sun. just the place 

 where Currants will do their best with you. At 

 least it is worth the trial.— G. R. 



1.821. Orowine Lotnaes. Yes, Lotuses, like 

 Water Lilies and other aquatic plants, can be 

 grown in wash tubs sunk into the ground. It 

 will be necessary, however, to have the tub 

 strong and well-hooped, so it will not be liable to 

 give out. The culture being same as Water 

 Lilies, we quote the following hints, concerning 

 ponds and tubs, from O. J. Farmer : Many per- 

 sons are not aware of the ease with which Water 

 Lilies can be made to grow and bloom in all 

 their beauty and fragrance in the yard, with the 

 trifling cost of constructing a small pond, or 

 sinking in the ground an old tub, or barrel sawn 

 in halt, and kept filled with water during the 

 summer, covering up with straw and boards 

 in the winter to keep from freezing. The ponds 

 should be made about two feet deep; for Lilies 

 bloom better in shallow than in deep water. Get 

 some healthy, knotty roots, cover but slightly 

 with rich mud, till with water, and the job is 

 ended. For tubs, take any strong barrel free 

 from tar, oil or salt ; old molasses, or whiskey 

 barrels are about the best, for the nature of their 

 contents presupposes them strong and well 

 hooped. If an old wagou tire he driven snugly 

 on the bottom and tlie tub well painted, they 

 will last a dozen years or more. Xow saw the 

 barrel in two at the bung, fill eaclj half full of 

 fine loam, or if the barrel be a large one, only 

 fill about a third full, lay in the roots, straighten 

 out the small fibers, and cover to the depth of 

 about two inches, and if it is intended to put 

 fish in, overlay with coarse gravel to prevent the 

 fish from burrowing down and exposing the 

 fibrous roots until all are well set. Now sink 

 the tub to a level with the ground, and fill very 

 gently with rain or river water ; well water is 

 not natural to acquatic plants. I venture that 

 ninety per cent of the failures to grow plants in 

 this way are the result of using well water. Re- 

 plenish the tubs with water from time to time, 

 to supply evaporation; this is all the care they 

 need. If desirable, these tubs may be set on a 

 platform on rollers, instead of sunk in the 

 ground, and can thus be kept indoors during the 

 winter. Kept filled with water, they will come 

 out early in the spring.— G. R. 



1.822. Sal Soda as Fertilizer. Sal soda is 

 merely an impure carbonate of soda. Its direct 

 fertilizing value depends on the amount and 

 character of its impurities. For many domestic 

 purposes this washing soda serves as a substitute 

 for potash ; but plants will hardly be thus put 

 off. If derived from sea weed, one of its im- 

 purities, most likely, will be potash, and this 

 alone can impart to the material any value as 

 direct plant food. This value, however, will 

 hardlv be large, and it is very uncertain at best, 

 as sal'soda is very variable, and may not contain 

 any potash. Of course it would not pay to pur- 

 chase it for fertilizing purposes, at anything like 

 the usual rate paid for it.— G. K. 



1.826. PlTuns for Profit. We have a favor- 

 able opinion of the Botan Plum, which has 

 been sent out for a number of years under this 

 name by eastern nurserymen, and more recently 

 was introduced as Abundance. It is an early 

 and sure bearer where we have seen it, and its 

 fruit quite handsome and palatable, although 

 only of medium size. The Spaulding is also a 

 sure and abundant cropper in New Jersey, but 

 we have no means of knowing how it will do else- 

 where, and we are not by any means fully con- 

 vinced of the value of the fruit for dessert. 

 Probably it will be good for canning purposes. 

 The Botan, however, is decidedly promising 

 both for home and market growing, and we 

 would advise our inquirer in Western New York 

 to try it on a small scale. Until more definite 

 data are made known of the behavior of the 

 varieties named in the different localities (the 

 same as with all other new fruits ), it would be 

 wise to depend for extensive orchard planting 

 on the older, known to-be-reliable standard sorts, 

 the Lombard, Bradshaw, and others of like repu- 

 titaon.— G. R. 



1,827. Clematis Disease. This is a new ail- 

 ment, and we know ii.< yet little how to handle 

 it. We are afraid that ashes and lime water will 

 be of little avail, as the marauders are safel.v 

 imbedded inside of the galls. It will do no harm 

 to make the trial, however. 



1,7(10. Propagating Cbrysanthemnms. The 

 plants throw up suckers abundantly from the 

 roots soon after flowering. These are cut off 

 below the surface by running a knife into the 

 soil, and put out in pots or bo.-ses precisely like 

 cuttings. Light soil with a layer of sand on top 

 is excellent. The tendency of these plants is 

 toward too much top growth, and it is best to 

 take top cuttings from them for the next sea- 

 son's flowering. An easier way, with sufficient 

 room is to cut off the old plant about six inches 

 above ground after lilooming, and later take 

 cuttings from the new shoots which spring up. — 

 Fred W. Card. 



1,744. Propagatini; Blackberries. Cut the 

 roots into pieces two or three inches long, in the 

 full, pack in sand or sphagnum through the 

 winter and plant out in spring; or the roots may 

 be taken up in spring, cut and planted immedi- 

 ately. The former method is more generally 

 recommended. They are also propagated by 

 transplanting the suckers.— F. W. C. 



1,746. Bnbber Tree Cuttings. These do better 

 with bottom heat, but can be rooted without it. 

 Plant in coarse sand, like other cuttings. Cover- 

 ing with a frame of glass or belljar may assist. 



1,751. Budding and Grafting Eoses. Usually 

 budded. Insert the buds on young wood where 

 the bark will loosen readily, whenever well 

 formed buds which have not started into growth 

 can be had. Such are generally found on 

 branches bearing a bud or flower.- F. W. C. 



1,767. Bnd ding Roses. La Marque is an excel- 

 lent stock for Marechal Niel ; the roots bear 

 forcing well.— F. W. Card. 



1,776. Planting Dablia. Separate the tubers ; 

 or better still bring them in early in spring and 

 just cover with soil in shallow boxes. Take off 

 the young shoots, with a little piece of the tuber, 

 as they form and pot them off, planting out later. 



1,737. Hydrangea Paniculata. May here be 

 propagated from cuttings taken in the latter part 

 of July, or during the month of August. At 

 this time of the year the young green shoot is 

 beginning to get firm, and it is found to strike 

 best when in this condition. The cuttings should 

 be about three or four inches in lenght, and the 

 lower leaves should be removed and the cuttings 

 placed in pots containing a good sandy soil. 

 They should receive a good watering and then 

 be stood in a hot-bed or a green-house, where 

 they mav receive a little bottom heat, and be 

 protected from the rain. The shoots of last 

 summer if taken off with a heel and placed in a 

 hot-bed that may be at work, will grow.— H. W. 

 Smith, Louisiana. 



1,776 Planting Dahlias. The Dahlia tubers 

 may be planted just as they were taken up, if it 

 is desired to do so, and it is not required to in- 

 crease the stock. But treated in this way they 

 would be rather late coming into flower. The 

 best way would be to place them in a hot-bed 

 just as thev were taken up, and when they have 

 made shoots two or three inches long, to divide 

 them into as many pieces as plants required 

 taking care that each piece possess a shoot. It 

 the plants are divided when first planted, the 

 risk is incurred of having no Dahlias at all, as no 

 piece will grow unless it contains an eye.— H.W.S. 



1,740. Boses in Greenhouse. The imperfect 

 buds and drooping leaves may be due to the 

 want of sufBcient moisture at the roots. If they 

 are in pots, the soil has probably become dry in 

 the centre and the water finds its way down by 

 the side of the pot without moistening the soil 

 right through as it was intended to do. It would 

 be well to examine the roots and if the cause is 

 as suggested, to stand the pots in a tub of water 

 until the soU becomes thoroughly moistened If 

 planted out, the ground should be pierced with 

 a small iron bar before the water is applied. 

 Sometimes the cause is too much water. Bad 

 drainage will also have very much the same 

 effect (irowing the Roses in close damp atmos- 

 phere] and then opening the sashes when the sun 

 is shining strongly will cause the leaves to wilt 

 owing to the rapid manner in which the moisture 

 is carried off.— H. W. Smith, La. 



1 745. Propagating Clematis. The Clematis is 

 generally propagated by grafting it on the 

 Traveller's Joy, but this is a method that cannot 

 be successfully employed by an amateur. It 

 may be increased from cuttings of the half- 

 ripened wood taken in summer, but they re- 

 quire heat to enable them to make roots. The 

 best plan would be to layer a shoot. This is done 

 by bending down a shoot, and pegging it firmly 

 in the ground burying it about two inches deep. 

 At the tiend a slanting cut should be made about 

 two inches long beginning on the underside and 

 going about half way through the shoot. These 

 layered shoots will require a full twelve months 

 to make root.— H. W. Smith, La. 



1,73-2. Buhach Mannfactnrers. Buhach, the 



strongest, best and most reliable insect powder 

 in the niiirket. is made by the Buhach Producing 

 and Maiiiitacturing Company, whose address is 

 Channel street, Stockton, Cal. 



I,sl2. Black Knot. This is not caused by an 

 insect, although insects usuallj' get into the 

 diseased tissues after they are ruined by the 

 fungus, or vegetable parasite which causes the 

 black warty growth. Of course this disease is 

 extremely contagious, the infinite spores or 

 seeds of the fungus when ripe being easily scat- 

 tered about by the winds, and ready to grow 

 wherever they find suitable conditions, i. e. 

 young wood of Plum and Cherry trees, and 

 moisture. The disease can be eradicated by the 

 prompt use of the knife, cutting out all parts as 

 soon as noticed to ix- affected, and burning them. 

 Paring off the wart at an early stage of develop- 

 ment, and painting the wood with turpentine is 

 also said to be an effective treatment. At the 

 same time the trees should be well caied for, and 

 liberally fed. Your own observation, that " the 

 worst samples you have seen, were on Plum and 

 red Cherry trees which had been allowed to eke 

 out a miserable existence ever since they were 

 planted, in a tough sod " and that the disease 

 ■'appears to be much less prevalent among trees 

 that have been well cared for " suggests a very 

 promising course of treatment. 



1.816. Dncbesse ( d'Angonleme ) Pear. This 

 here and elsewhere is one of the most reliable 

 and profitable market Pears, especially when 

 grown on Quince. The following description 

 found in American Fruit Culturist, fits it to a 

 dot : " Very large, very obtuse-pyriform, some- 

 times oblong-obovate, surface uneven ; greenish 

 j'ellow, often some russet ; stalk an inch to an 

 inch and a half long, very stout ; cavity deep, 

 often wide; ealy.\ small, basin uneven; flesh 

 yellowish white, melting, buttery, juicj", very 

 good when well grown, poor or worthless when 

 small ; succeeds admirablj' and does best on 

 Quince stock. It has been remarked that when 

 t^iis Pear weighs less than four ounces it is 

 worthless in na%or. Ripens mid-autumn and 

 later." 



1.817. Horticnltnral Literature. You will 

 want a good book on fruit culture, Uke the 

 American Fruit Culturist or Barry's Fruit 

 Garden, and if you have any specialty, a work 

 on the cultivation of that particular fruit ; the 

 balance should be invested in good horticultural 

 periodicals. 



1,800, Potash for Strawberries. It is always 

 preferable to apply the potash salts, muriate, 

 kainit, etc., in the the fall or early winter, but 

 we would not hesitate to put a reasonable quan- 

 tity, say 200 to 300 pounds per acre, on Straw- 

 berries in early spring. It should be supple- 

 mented, however, by applications of bone dust, 

 or by dissolved bone black, or other plain 

 superphosphate. 



1,793. Boot Grafts. One of our western con- 

 tempories has the following to say on this sub- 

 ject : We have strong evidence to place before 

 our readers that it is best to use crown roots for 

 grafting— that is the surface section of the root 

 instead of pieces cut further down. While any 

 portion will start the cion, the crown portion 

 will give it the best start. Says Prof. Budd : "I 

 know from experience that the upper part of the 

 seedling root makes a better tree than the second 

 or third section of the same root." (,'ommenting 

 on this statement of Prof. Budd, Judge Miller 

 says: "The above is correct in regard to the 

 crown part of the seedling, and four inches of it 

 is worth more than eight inches of the next cut. 

 I don't suppose an.v nurseryman would use a 

 whole root, as the lower part is simply in the 

 way. To use four to six inches of the upper 

 part of the seedling will admit of planting so 

 that the graft can strike roots readily. I know 

 this much, that at Stark Bros.' nurseries I par- 

 ticularly noticed the great superiority of those 

 whole-root trees over the ordinary ones." Nur- 

 serymen should make a note of this ; and tree 

 buvers should endeavor to obtain crown-root 

 grafts, and take them only from nurserymen on 

 whose statements they are sure they can rely. 

 One point is to be remembered about crown- 

 root grafts. Be sure that the cion roots, and 

 that no suckers grow from the root grafted into. 



1,790. Moving Large Trees. Success depends 

 largely on the care and thoroughness with which 

 the work is done. If a good chunk of earth is 

 left adhering to the roots, pretty large trees can 

 be moved with entire safety until the buds 

 begin to start, and even after that date. For 

 very large trees, we would prefer to do the 

 moving very early in spring. Let a trench be 

 dug all around the tree, say two feet or more 

 from C'cnter, cutting the roots at that distance, 

 and about that deep. Then when the outside of 

 that ball of earth is frozen hard enough to keep 

 the whole unbroken in the mo%ing process, have 

 the tree lifted out of its place, transferred to its 

 intended above, where a corresponding hole was 

 dug previously, and here planted in. Such jobs 

 can usually be done to best advantage by the 

 professional house movers. 



