1890 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



263 



Tho inirasitii' spet-ies of insootsaie, with \or.v 

 riiro fxeeittions, rith»'r two-winded or ioiir- 

 wiiiyred tlics. Tlu'ir lity thoy eji:j?s on t\w siirfm-e 

 of till' boiiy of thoir vk-tlni, ffUuMiiK t'H'ni fast 

 until tIu'Ki'"l'f^'ii»iI Imtfh. or by nifaiKsof vari<ms 

 inK'-''"'"*"^l.v sliapi'd ovipositories. they puuctuio 

 tho skin and li^ave, their ewjfs in the fatty tissue 

 beneath. The K-rubs, upon hatehintr, feed all 

 around luiderneath the skin of the poor eater- 

 pillar or worm, and do n<tt penetrate t(t the vital 

 parts until they are g'rown, and have no further 

 use for their host, except as a shelter while they 

 are in the pupa state. They then devour the 

 remaining orgiin"; and spin their eoeoons soa)e- 

 timcs within, sometimes upon the surface of the 

 infested larvie. 



An example of the latter that will be familiar 

 to most of you is the small parasite of the Tomato 

 worm, which often covers the surface of the 

 still living larvie with little white cocoons stand- 

 ings on end, which have very much the appearance 

 of grains of rice. In cases of larger parasites 

 like i^phion and its allies, but a single one infests 

 a Marva, and these generally transform inside 

 the body of their victim. 



The tree crickets, which have so long been 

 classed with injurious species because of the 

 punctures they make in Grape vines and Rasp- 

 berry canes, in the process of oviposition, are 

 according to my own observations, far more 

 beneficial than pernicious. This is especially the 

 case with the broad-winged species {Ecanthus 

 Latipennis). Having carefully reared it for two 

 successive years in a rearing cage I am prepared 

 to class it as one of the most efficient aids that 

 we have in reducing the numbei*s of the plant 

 lice and other small insect* that attack our fruit 

 trees, vineyards and lierry patches. And if it 

 does occasionally kill a twig in preparing a safe 

 nidus for its eggs, it certainly makes ample com- 

 pensation. 



Entomologists have long realized the value of 

 jiredaceous and parasitic species, yet but few 

 attempts have been made to increase the num- 

 bers of the latter or to introduce them from one 

 country or region to another. The European 

 parasites of the Cabbage butterfly have been im- 

 ported into some sections of the Eastern States 

 and are doing good service in the market gardens 

 near some of our large cities. As man affords 

 unnatu ral facilities for the increaae of vegetable 

 feeding species, by covering such vast areas with 

 certain kinds of grains and fruits, it would be 

 but reasonable for him to devote some attention 

 to the recognization and protection of their 

 natural enemies. When the armies of cannibal 

 insects meet the armies of the vegetable feeders 

 in anything like an adequate proportion, we shall 

 be able to close up our Paris green and Loudon 

 purple factories, and convert our spraying 

 machines into approved watering appliances, and 

 leave our fields and orchards to their natural 

 protectors. 



CONDENSED GLEANINGS. 

 An Apple ^torape House. The building as 

 here illustrated is :iO feet long, 24 feet wide, and 

 nine feet high, inside measure. Two walls sur- 

 round it, a and h, which are 1% feet thick and 

 constructed of wood. The space in middle of 



BURDOCK CUTTERS. 



each wall is tilled with sawdust, as the walls are 

 built up. The space between the inner and the 

 outer walls, c, is filled with charcoal. The 

 ground or floor of the interior and c is made of 

 clay and sawdust. The roof must slope enough 

 to throw off water freely, and the earth about 

 the building be graded so as to let the water flow 

 away as fast as it falls. Have the entrance door 

 at the north end of the building. The outside 

 wall should have a double door, d, one openiug 

 out and the other opening in. The door, e, is 

 single and opens directly inU) the fruit room. In 

 severe cold weather fill this space with straw. 

 Wooden shutters,/, four in number, are placed 



-J_ 



<»ii a level, four feet iibovo the y:riniiul, in the 

 exterior imd interior walla, as indicated. They 

 are t'<»r use in eleaninpr and airin^r the room Ik'- 

 fore imttinp: the fruit in. Tho interior is fitted 

 up witli shelves, bin.'*, and plaees for barrels, or 

 other artieles in -which fruit may be packed. 

 Tile slielves are as shown in g h, and extend 

 from tlie lloor up to the ceiling— one foot above 

 each other, the first four or five tiers being on a 

 level, (/, and the rest on an angle, 7(, of about Ut"^ 

 and. to give free circulation of air, the shelf 

 pieces are made of narrow boards with an inch 

 space left between each, the front, i, to have a 

 ledge-board attached to prevent fruit from 

 rolling off. In the center of 

 room space is reserved for a 

 stand or table upon which to 

 place the fruit for final assort- 

 ment before going on to the 

 shelves. ProWde dr.v moss, or 

 cotton, for the table, thus form- 

 ing a cushion-like receptacle for 

 the fruit; carefully glean out 

 aU specimens having bruises, and 

 let the sound fruit lay for several 

 days in order to throw off surplus 

 moisture. Supply the shelves 

 with a thin layer of dry moss, or 

 cotton, wipe the fruit with a dry 

 flannel cloth, and place on the 

 shelves, being sure that none 

 touch each other. Keep the atmosphere of 

 room dry rather than humid, and the tempera- 

 ture always as nearly as possible 46° to 48° Fahr. 

 —Orange Judd Farmer. 



Prairie Trees from Seeds. As a rule failure 

 almost invariably follows the attempt to grow 

 trees from seed planted where the trees are in- 

 tended to stand, yet the difference in the first 

 cost, relatively, between seed and rooted trees or 

 cuttings, induces many to plant seeds. The cost 

 of the seed usually required for five acres is 

 three or dollars, of cuttings twelve to eighteen 

 dollars, and of young trees from twenty to 

 thirty dollars. The cost of planting seed or trees 

 is almost as much in favor of the seed. The 

 only possible chance of success with seeds is 

 when the ground selected has been previously 

 cleanly cultivated by some hoed crop, or better 

 by summer fallowing, and when it is put in the 

 finest condition and the seed planted late in fall. 

 If the trees are to be raised from seed, seleet a 

 clean, rich piece of ground in the garden, which 

 should be made as fine as possible by thorough 

 haiTOwing and planking, stretch a line length- 

 wise the patch, and make a drill about six in- 

 ches wide and two inches deep. Sow the seed 

 thickly in this drill, say about twenty-five seeds 

 to the foot, and cover with the tine earth, which 

 should be compacted firmly with the feet or hoe, 

 according to moisture in the soil. Other drills 

 can be made parrallel with this, about thirty in- 

 ches apart, so that the ground between can be 

 kept cultivated by a horse hoe or harrow toothed 

 cultivator. If good ground is selected and clean 

 culti\'ation carried out, the seedlings will be of 

 .just the right size to transplant the next spring, 

 and by clean cultivation or summer fallowing 

 (preferabl.v the latter) of the ground which they 

 are intended to occupy, you have the first essen- 

 tials of success But here, aselsewhere, "eternal 

 cultvation is the price of trees.— American 

 Agriculturist. 



Orape Care. An American " Grape cure " can 

 not exist as yet, for lack of the proper curative 

 material. The Concord and Delaware remain 

 our types of popular Grapes, with least amount 

 of acid centre, but still too much. Aside from 

 acidity, with its more or less unpleasant conse- 

 quences, there has in late years been brought to 

 public notice, a real danger to life from swallow- 

 ing the seeds. We have noted several cases of 

 death which physicians said were due to the 

 lodgment of Grape seeds in the intestines. It 

 would be well for our physcians to tell us 

 whether this lodgment of seeds is due to weak- 

 ness or imperfect action of the bowels, or 

 whether it is liable to occur in any healthy 

 nature. The foreign Grape is eatable, and its 

 seeds are small; the native Grape must be 

 swallowed like a pill. The new danger will cer- 

 tainly lead many eaters to refuse to swallow the 

 seeds. This will compel them to be satisfied 

 with the juice, only, of our standard sorts, e.ject- 

 ing the firm, acid pulp, or else to limit them- 

 selves to the very few sorts whose pulp is tender 

 and sweet, although their seeds are large. 

 Would it not be well to see what can be done in 

 the wa.v of " breeding out." These large seeds? 

 —County Gentleman. 



The Twiggy Genista. ^(Itnlxtu Miyitl^i is' 

 without doubt, one fif the )>iost IjCHutiViil ol all 

 the showy li-guminous shri|i)s in the KcW Arbo- 

 retum. Although a!iMti\c>of Matieira, it ^-x^iUs 

 with us quite as hardy as our native llroom 

 (.CytiKiiK svapariUK). In spiljp ot its merit tho 

 species is far from common }, it lias small leaves 

 and slender branchlets, cvc|a' one of whit'his 

 terminated in .luly with an iiWifcht, golden j'a-| 

 ceme. There arc numerous oW ^petMineng flW 

 Kcw from six to eight or ten feet I'it-'li arid' tifi/ 

 much through, and these must ha\'K4;ur<('svfiiJly 

 passed through many winters which •tuli^flicir 

 mark on not a few of our indigenous trees and 





a 



^ 



i 



m:: 



PLAN OF APPLE STORE-HOUSE. 



shrubs. In some gardens Cf.t'ir(7rt(a is cultivated 

 under the name of O. elata, which really repre- 

 sents a widely different plant, and is nothing 

 more than a vigorous form of the European 

 G. tinctnria, a pretty perennial with a woody 

 base.— U. Nicholson, in Forest and Garden. 



Burdock Catters. The instrument shown at 

 the toji of illustration can be made by any black- 

 smith, using an old spade handle and a piece of 

 old wagon spring. .Set the cutter about two 

 inches from the Kurdock, at an angle of about 

 30° from the perpendicular; with the foot press 

 the cutter down far enough to cut off the root. 

 Now lift the Burdock by the hand, from its 

 place, and the work for that Burdock is done. 

 This instrment and process severs the roots 

 below the crown, and it will not sprout again; 

 The blade of the other instrument, shown at 

 bottom, is a wide piece of old wagon spring, 20 

 inches in length, sharpened at both ends. A 

 block of bard wood, seven inches long, is bolted 

 to centre of blade to hold the wooden handle, 40 

 inches in length. With this implement one 

 stroke is required, and one can take out weed 

 roots at a rapid rate —From County Gentleman. 



Fruit-Dangers and Remedies. An excessive 

 amount of fruit, or, if eaten either in the unripe 

 or over-ripe state, produces various disturb- 

 ances in the system, chiefly so because of its 

 tendency to ferment and decompose within the 

 digestive tract, and to produce stomach and 

 bowel disorder. If these disturbances are not 

 too great, or too prolonged, they need occasion 

 no special anxiety. A dose of castor oil;- to 

 which a few drops of laudanum have been added, 

 is usuall.v suflieient to clean out the irritating 

 "debris," and in a day or two the natural equili- 

 brium is restorted. If there is much griping and 

 pain with the movements, and these become too 

 numerous to be comfortaiile, the dose of oil 

 should bo followed by curtailing activitj— by 

 quiet and repose— by a diet of meat broths, con- 

 taining rice, barley, or sago; by rice, and milk 

 milk toast, etc. — Medical <^'lassics. 



The Climbing Hydrangea, There are vines 

 more desirable than this for certain purposes, 

 but where there is wanted a stout, vigorous, 

 rapid climber, that will supjiort itself just as the 

 Trumpet Vine does, it will be found in this. It 

 has large, green leaves, thickly set along the 

 stem, and, as it gets large and strong, it flowers 

 every spring, soon after the foliage expands. 

 While the flowers are in large heads, such as 

 some other Hydrangeas have, there is not the 

 beauty in them that there is in such sorts as the 

 paniculata graudifiora. Still, it is uncommon 

 in a climber, and no detraction at all. For fences 

 carriage houses or any place where large vines 

 are used it will be found a good thing to have, 

 but it should not be set where there is objection 

 to birds building in it, as its thick, branchy 

 growth forms a good place for nests.— P. I-'armer. 



Blanching Celery, A crisp, delicacy of flavor 

 seems to be only obtainable by a generous bank- 

 ing with earth. Previous to banking, tie the 

 stalks in a compact bunch ; the earth is then 

 packed as high arf)und the stalks as is deemed 

 advisable. A simple way to prevent the possible 

 objections in damp weather, that the stalks ara 



