268 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



1,995. Sweet Violets for Cut Flower Trade. 

 From your questions, we iufer that you desire 

 to grow VioJets on but a small scale. In our 

 own experience, we have never been successful 

 in forcing them in ordinary frames, but have 

 confined our culture in latter years to green- 

 houses about ten feet wide, the roof consisting 

 of ordinary sash which extended to the ridge, 

 the alternate ones of which were made to lift at 

 the top. Formerly there were many advocates 

 of Violet culture in frames, but this practice has 

 been largely abandoned, and houses similar to 

 the one described have with better success been 

 used in their stead. These houses are of very 

 simple construction in many cases. The sides 

 are often made of 2x4 inch uprights covered on 

 the exterior by building felt and matched stuff 

 or clapboards, and the inside with matched stuff. 

 The sash roof consists simply of rafters extend- 

 ing from gutter board to ridge and 

 at a distance apart to receive the 

 sash with a lap of at least one inch 

 on each side. These rafters are placed 

 opposite each other and a short pur- 

 loin strip of wood or iron rod is at- 

 tached from each rafter to the one 

 opposite at such a height as will ad- 

 mit of head room in the walk of the 

 house which is directly under the 

 ridge. A common cross sectional size 

 for the rafter is «x4 inches, laying 

 this flat ways. Some builders 

 strengthen the rafters by nailing a 

 cleat IJ^xlJ^ inches lengthwise of 

 the rafter on the outside, said cleat 

 coming between the sash and ser\ - 

 ing also to keep out the cold. In 

 cultivation, some grow Violets in 

 pots, while others plant them out on 

 the bench, the latter method being 

 most generally preferred. In eithirr 

 case the benches to accommodate 

 the plants should be near the glass in 

 oidei- to have the advantage of both 

 light and air. The soil preferred for 

 Violets is a strong calcareous loam, 

 one from which moisture will readi- 

 ly escape. Under the soil there should 

 be no confined heat. In watering the plants it is 

 of utmost importance not to wet the foliage. 

 The vai'ieties most generally cultivated are 

 Marie Louise, and Neapolitan. The cost of frame 

 will depend entirely upon its size, the cost of 

 labor, lumber, etc., all of which are variable. 

 Violets require a low temperature, not to exceed 

 40 degrees at night, and 30 or 30 degrees higher 

 during the day, ventilating freely in all suitable 

 weather. And as the V^iolet is nearly or quite 

 hardy, there can be no objection to (jpening the 

 frames to an extent that would not be suited 

 to average greenhouse plants. Another impor- 

 tant requirement is that of keeping the jjlants 

 clear of runners which will start freely, and of 

 all decayed leaves. It may be added that the 

 business of Violet growing is one in which there 

 is greater liability of failure than in that of 

 most other plant-^, but with careful attention to 

 the points given failure should be rare, while 

 without it success need hardly be expected.— E. 



1,978. Apple Twig Blight. This is the same 

 disease thatalso attacks Quinces, Pears and other 

 trees, killing the ends of twig's. It seldom does 

 serious injury. We cannot name a cause, nor 

 suggest a reliable remedy.— E. K. 



2,003. Preventing Tomato Hot. The only thing 

 that to our knowledge can be done to prevent 

 the rotting of Tomatoes, and blighting of the 

 leaves, is spraying the plants with Bordeaux 

 mixture, or other copper solutions. - E. R. 



3,00:i. Eradicating Burdock. If cut deep 

 enough below the surface of the ground, they 

 will not sprout again. You can also make a sure 

 job of killing them by applying a few drops of 

 some powerful acid (sulphuric, for instance), 

 or a tcaspoonful of turpentine or kerosene upon 

 the root after cutting otythe top.— E. R. 



1,970. Celery Blight. The yellow and brown 

 spots on the leaves, and the decay of the latter, 

 indicate the work of the C«lery Leaf Blight. 

 This usually appears during a spell of hot and 

 dry weather, and after once having got a foot- 

 hold in a patch is liable to do serious damage, 

 unless checked by cooler and moisture weather, 

 as the disease is very contagious. I have seen it 

 continue its work of destruction sometimes not 

 only during the late fall months, notwithstand- 

 ing pleutiful rains, and quite cold weather, but 

 also in the cellar and in the trenches after the 

 plants had been put in winter quarters. Appli- 

 cation of fungicides have proved of little or no 

 avail thus far. Shading the plants, as suggested 

 by Prof. B. T. Galloway (Report of section of 

 Vegetable Pathology, U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture 1888), perhaps mulching on carefully 

 selected cool and moist ground, may be means of 

 avoiding attack of this dreaded malady. So far 

 as our observations have extended, says Prof, 

 (ialloway, the disease occasions the greatest in- 

 jury in sections where the summers are long, 



hot, and dry. In regions where the soil through- 

 out the months is cool and moist, and the air is 

 also in a constantly humid condition, the disease 

 is unknown. Just such conditions as the fore- 

 going are to be met with in the vicinity of Kala- 

 mazoo, Jlich., where the finest Celery in the 

 country is grown. Where it is not practicable to 

 shade plants by natural means, artificial shades 

 in the shape of screens made of coarse sacking or 

 laths will be found fully as effectual. Lath 

 screens are preferable to those made of cloth ; 

 they are cheap and easily made by nailing the 

 laths at each end to two narrow boards 10 feet in 

 length. The laths are usually placed about 1 

 inch apart, thus allowing plenty of air to reach 

 the plants, at the same time effectually shading 

 them. Such screens when finished are 4 feet 

 wide and 10 feet in length; they may be sup- 

 ported by posts driven down on either side of the 

 bed, the height of the former of course depend- 

 ing upon the size of the plants. As the plants 

 increase in size the screens may easily be raised. 



GUMMING OF ROMAN HYACINTH BULBS. 



At the approach of cool weather, which usually 

 comes on in September, the screens may be 

 discarded entirely, as the fungus at this season 

 loses its activity. It remains alive, however 

 in the old leaves during the winter and following 

 spring. Conidia found in fragments of old 

 leaves late in the spring germinated readily when 

 sown in water. A knowledge of this fact shows 

 the importance of destroying the old diseased 

 leaves in the autumn, as each small fragment of 

 the latter harboi-s thousands of the reproductive 

 bodies of the fungus.— E. R. 



How to Grow Strawberries In Dry 

 Gravel. 



W. W. MUNSON. CORNELL rNn'ERSlTV. N. Y. 



Lovers of this most luscious of fruits will 

 welcome every device for makinp; possible 

 its successful culture in difficult places. It 

 has been truly said, " A man who can grow 

 Corn, can, ;/ he will, grow Strawberries." 

 There are some soils, however, which will 

 not grow Corn successfully. On such soils 

 the following device, adopted by one of the 

 professors at Cornell l^niversity, will be 

 found valuable: 



The gentleman alluded to, Professor Rob- 

 erts, had for years tried to raise Strawber- 

 ries in his garden, but failed every time. 

 The soil is a very loose gravel, and the long 

 summer droughts would kill the plants. 

 Finally, remembering that grass and weeds 

 are always green and vigorous by the side 

 of old rails or boards, he applied the princi- 

 ple to his Strawberry bed. After setting the 

 plants, a wide board was placed on each side 

 of the row, leaving a space of two or three 

 inches. The result was all that could be 

 desired. The plants grew vigorously and 

 bore abundantly; while for the spaces be- 

 tween the rows being covered, there was no 

 time required in keeping down the weeds. 



The device is not patented, and is well 

 worth trial by those who are troubled by 

 the drying out of their soils. 



an exudation of gum, generally at the 

 crown, or more rarely, at the sides Tn bad 

 examples they swell and soften, gum bursts 

 through the entire surface, and the bulbs at 

 length putrefy. The figure at the left shows 

 the external aspect of a slightly affected 

 bulb, while that at the right represents a 

 cross section. The gum torms a kind of 

 seal at the crown, through which the flower- 

 ing shoot, even if sound, cannot penetrate. 

 Sometimes Roman Hyacinths, imported 

 in an apparently sound and healthy con- 

 dition, deteriorate and perish by gumming 

 before the time of planting arrives. If the 

 unsound examples are planted they perish 

 in the ground, or if they are only slightly 

 affected they do not flower. 



The gum is produced in the 

 heart and between the scales. On 

 a microscopical examination of 

 the soft thick gum it is found to 

 be thickly traversed by the my- 

 celium of the above mentioned 

 fungus, Penicillium crustaceum, 

 Fr. The gum when removed 

 from the bulbs and placed under 

 favorable conditions for growth 

 generally produces the fruiting 

 condition of this fungus from the 

 mycelium within. The Penicil- 

 lium, it is supposed, cannot set up 

 decay in perfectly sound sub- 

 stance, but it doubtlessly greatly 

 accelerates decay when it once 

 alights on any slightly bruised or 

 unhealthy surface. 



It has been proved by experi- 

 ment, that gumming increases in 

 the bulbs as the fungus extends in growth- 

 It appears, then, probable that the Penicil- 

 lium spores are imported with and inside 

 the bulbs, and that it the bulbs receive any 

 slight bruises or other injuries, in packingor 

 transit, gumming is started. The gum, 

 with its contained growing fungus, by irri- 

 tation increases the gumming. The gum, 

 \yith its fungits, is probably capable of set- 

 ting up gumming in other bulbs by contact. 

 Every bulb, which shows the slightest 

 trace of gumming should be removed and 

 burnt, for it is probable that by the exuded 

 gum the disease is extended from one bulb 

 to another in collections. 



Some Drouth-Time Observations. 



" AMATECR." R(H-HE.STER, N. Y. 



The occurence of drouth is so common in 

 our climate that any points we may gain in 

 preventing our gardens from suffering 

 greatly are of much importance. 



Herbaceous borders and beds, being 

 usually filled with a great variety of sub- 

 jects, suffer from drought severely, partic- 

 ularly the shallow-rooting species and such 

 as root freely, like the Phlox, which is a 



The Gumming of Hyacinth Bulbs. 



The disease of Hyacinth bulbs popularly 

 termed " gumming " is due to the attack of 

 a fungus PeniciUiiiin cnistacfum. As 

 shown in the accompanying illustration, re- 

 engraved from cut appearing in an article 

 on this subject in the Gardeners' Chronicle 

 some time ago, the diseased bulbs exhibit 



UTILIZING OLD HOES. See pOffe 231. 



gross feeder, soon impoverishing the soil 

 near and sucking the moisture out of it like 

 a crop of Peas. I have found that the best 

 provision against drouth on these is to mulch 

 such borders with rotten leaf-mould early 

 in the season, which will keep the soil moist 

 without watering, if put on annually two 

 or three inches deep. Cool moisture-loving 

 subjects, like the herbaceous Sptra'as and 

 most -\lpine subjects, should be mulched by 

 themselves if the whole of the ground can- 



