248 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



August, 



But the "tree dealer" has no time to wait 

 for them, and the grower must do the 

 dealer's bidding, or he will see the coveted 

 order go to somewhere else. The "tree but- 

 chers" are set to work,down come the leaves, 

 out or off come the tender, immature little 

 roots. The poor trees suffer, but who cares; 

 they are paid tor. When I see circulars, 

 announcing that trees will be ready for 

 shipping by Sept. 20th, from sections where 

 the first light frosts can hardly be expected 

 before the middle of October, or later, I 

 cannot help haying grave doubts as to the 

 success of stock, which must be dug a 

 month or more too soon in order to have it 

 ready for shipping by the time announced. 

 This abuse is growing worse from year to 

 year, and can ultimately only result in ruin- 

 ing our fall trade entirely. 



Throughout the greater portion of our 

 country, fall is undoubtedly the best season 

 of the year for transplanting trees, shrubs 

 and vines. Aside from physiological reasons, 

 the soil is then generally in the best con- 

 dition, the planter has more time, and can 

 give better care to the planting than in busy 

 spring. The earth about the newly set trees 

 will become firmly settled by the late fall 

 rains and winter snows, the roots will be- 

 come established in the soil, the unavoidable 

 bruises will heal over, and when the first 

 warm spring rains come, long before the 

 ground has become sufficiently dry for 

 proper preparation of spring planting, your 

 fall set trees will grow and push into new 

 life and vigor, provided always that you 

 have furnished a tree, shrub or vine that 

 was properly matured, both top and root, 

 when taken from its bed in the nursery row. 

 Do not let us counteract the advantages of 

 fall planting by an undue haste, just be- 

 cause if we will not do it some other fellow 

 will. I beg to finish my remarks by sub- 

 mitting the following motion or resolution: 

 Whereas, the practice of shipping deciduous 

 trees, vines and shrubbery at unseasonably early 

 time in tlie fall, and before such stock has come 

 to a proper stage of maturity, making it entirely 

 unsafe for removal, is highly prejudical to the 

 best interests of the nurseryman, as well as to 

 those of the planter, and 



Whereas, such a practice is tending to create 

 a general distrust and disregard against all fall 

 planting 



Resolved, that we, as American Nurserymen, 

 in convention assembled, disapprove and protest 

 against such practice, and request our members 

 to discountenance and discourage the same at 

 every opportunity. 



Mr. Campbell, of Ohio: In my judgment 

 it is too early to take up a plant or tree until 

 the foliage has fallen, and until the roots 

 are thoroughly ripened,— until the plant or 

 tree is dormant; at that time it can be taken 

 up with safety. 



Mr. Parsons, of New York, fully agreed 

 with Mr. Campbell. In old times we never 

 commenced the taking up of trees until by 

 shaking them we could shake the leaves off. 

 Mr. Hale, of Connecticut, would rather 

 plant in the fall, but wants the selection of 

 the time of digging; nurserymen have in- 

 jured their business and injured fall sales 

 by forcing the business immaturely. 



Mr. Meehan, of Pennsylvania, said that 

 they commence digging trees as fast as the 

 leaves begin to change color. The leaves are 

 only waiting for the frost to come, and when 

 the frost comes and takes them off, or we 

 take them off, we can see no difference. 



When Mr. Meissner's resolution was 

 brought to a vote nearly every member fav- 

 ored it, and it was adopted. 



Judge Miller's Strawberry Report. 



The quantity of Strawberries consumed 

 may be in proportion to the intelligence and 

 refinement of the people. Never before in 

 the life of the writer were they more abund- 

 ant and cheaper in the west than this season; 



and while discouraging to the grower, it was 

 a boom to the consumer, as they came with- 

 in the reach of the poorer classes. 



We usually try to be guided in the future 

 by the past, so that what and how we shall 

 plant of this delicious fruit for the coming 

 yearin 1891,isa matter to be well considered. 

 Unless a man has a fair show for a home 

 market, it will be well to go slow, and plant 

 such as produce abundant crops of good- 

 sized berries, of good color, and at least 

 reasonably good quality. This latter item 

 seems to be of the least importance as a rule, 

 for a fruit that is large and showy, will out 

 sell one of much better quality if less at- 

 tractive in appearance. Of course for our 

 own use we want the best. 



For a berry of the largest size, immensely 

 productive, fair quality, and firm enough 

 for any near market, Bubach (No. 5) would 

 be my choice. For little earlier I don't see 

 how we can dispense with the much abused 

 yet extensively grown Crescent. And for 

 an earlier berry than we have yet had, 

 Michel's Early and Schnell's Earliest will 

 take a place in this list. With these planted 

 on a southern slope (along side of each other, 

 as Michel is perfect flowering, but Schnell is 

 pistillate), and Gandy and Schnell's Late on 

 a northern e.xposure, 1 think we can have 

 Strawberries for six weeks instead of only 

 four,as is about the usual length of the crop. 

 Just now my plants of the Vandeman are 

 in full bloom, and as they came from Ark- 

 ansas it may be that this will be still later 

 than any we yet have tried. 



Many of the older berries have done well 

 this season, such as Crescent, Minnesota, 

 Cumberland, Capt. Jack, Windsor Chief, 

 etc., and if we compare these with the new 

 ones they will not lose by the test. 



The majority of the boomed varieties, one 

 by one, fade away and are scarcely men- 

 tioned after a few yeare of trial. Not so, 

 however, with Bubach, Warfield,Haverland, 

 and among the newer ones. Eureka, which 

 also has come to stay if I know anything 

 about a valuable berry. 



Townsend's No. S and No.7, also Mrs. Gar- 

 field and Ohio Centennial show so well that 

 they may make a longer visit among ns than 

 many of the recent ones have done. Then 

 S. B. Miller, of Illinois, has a lot of new 

 seedlings that will be heard of ere long. I 

 might name a number of varieties fruiting 

 here for the first time, but none of them are 

 superior to many mentioned here. 



Now the crop is about over, and many 

 will feel Uke giving up the growing on ac- 

 count of the unprofitableness of the present 

 season's crop, and neglect their plantations 

 even for their own use. This should not be 

 allowed, as even if not grown for the market, 

 one should have plenty of good berries for 

 one's own family. 



Had I not set out a new plantation the 

 past spring and nursed them well up to the 

 present time, I should feel like turning them 

 under and planting late crops or sowing 

 Buckwheat on the land. But we will try it 

 one season more 



So cheap were they this season that the 

 boxes, crates, express charges and a trifling 

 commission would have covered the trans- 

 action and left me nothing for the berries. 

 But this should not prevent all who have 

 land, from growing plenty for their own use, 

 and some to give their neighbors who can 

 not raise them. The old beds that are not 

 worth leaving should now be plowed imder 

 and left until tops are well decayed, and then 

 renewed with fresh plants, if desirable, first, 

 however, giving it a good coat of well-rotted 

 manure. If to be iised this fall, it is a good 

 plan to take new runners and set them in a 

 bed four or six inches apart, and keep them 

 well cultivated. They will l)ecome strong 

 by the first of October. 

 Last fall I set out a large number of such 



plants, and the crop they produced this 

 season was very satisfactory. Where plenty 

 have been kept in stock, and are to have 

 another crop, they should be dressed up, and 

 the old leaves cut off close to the crown. 

 Clean all the decayed matter away, and then 

 draw mellow ground up even with the 

 crown. This will cause new roots to start, 

 and establish the plant for another crop. If 

 a bed is not too old, and it is desirable to 

 renew the bed, there should be strips of a 

 foot broad dug up and raked smooth; lay 

 and bed the young runners on this, and by 

 fall the old part can be plowed down or dug 

 and covered with the spade. 



That young plants grown from those that 

 have borne a crop of fruit will not bear as 

 well as when grown from new ones that 

 have never never borne fruit, is a doctrine 

 laid down by some, and there is likely truth 

 in it, but sometimes it happens that we must 

 run the old ones or not have any. And that 

 plants a year old are not worth planting is 

 not quite tnie, for one dry season here, 1881 

 I think, there were no runners made, and we 

 were obliged to use old plants in the spring 

 of 1882. The following season these plants 

 bore a good crop. 



Summer vs. Fall Planting of Straw- 

 berries. 



CARL HOLTMAN, ULSTER CO., N. Y. 



In some of the southern states I have seen 

 good crops grovsTi on plants set as late as 

 September or even October of the previous 

 year, but whether such good results are ob- 

 tained from plants set thus late, I am not 

 quite sure. I aiu perfectly safe in saying 

 that here at the north we have no use what- 

 ever for planting deferred until the fall 

 months, not even where potted plants are 

 used. I have tried this time and again, and 

 always with the same lack of success in 

 getting berries enough the next fruiting 

 season to pay for the extra trouble in caring 

 for the bed during fall and winter. 



When planting in early spring we start 

 with a clean bed, and with a whole season 

 for the full development of plants for fruit- 

 ing ahead of us; and if we take good care of 

 the plantation we are reasonably sure of a 

 good crop that will pay well for the previous 

 season's attention. 



Fairly good results may be secured by 

 summer planting however. In this case I 

 would want about the earliest runners 

 made on plants that have never fruited. 

 Such plants may usually he had in July, 

 and if taken up as soon as well grown and 

 well rooted, with a good chunk of soil left 

 adhering to the roots, moved to the new 

 plantation close by, and set and otherwise 

 cared for properly, the chances are they will 

 make good plants and develop embryo fruit 

 stalks before winter. Then mulch as good 

 culture requires, and trust to Providence. 



With good potted plants we might even 

 start a bed early in August and not spoil 

 our chances. But no time should be lost. 

 Select the strongest runners, and let them 

 strike root in thumb pots. Pinch off second- 

 ary runners, in order to concentrate all 

 energies of the vine upon the potted plant. 

 When the pot has become filled with roots, 

 take it up, soak in water if dry. Knock out 

 the ball of earth with the plant, and set out 

 carefully, firming the soil about it. 



I am sorry to say some nurserymen instead 

 of doing as above take up the rooted runners, 

 press them in a thumb pot, leaving them 

 there a day or two, then knock out the 

 plants, squeezing the earth together in a 

 tight ball, andsend forth as "potted plants." 

 Such plants can give no satisfaction. 



I always set good potted plants of my own 

 growing, and that as early in the season as 

 possible, and I have good success. If 1 can- 

 not have such plants early, I prefer to wait 

 until spring, and make sure of my chances. 



