i888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



21 



8li2. Ailin? Camellia. It is evident that 

 something is the matter with the roots of the 

 plant, so turn it out the pot, reduce the l>all of 

 earth as much as possible and place in a smaller 

 sized pot, giving fresh comi)ost. Your plant 

 evideutly suffered from imperfect drainage. To 

 grow Camellias well, they sliould be given a 

 porous or soft-balied pot, one pniportionate to 

 the size of the plant, a compost eonip<'.'^'-'d uf two 

 thirds turfy loam, one third well ilcca.\'ed cow 

 manure, and the pot should be well drained, if 

 it is one third filled with drainage, it is none too 

 much.— C. E. Parnell. 



858. Weeds, To keep Purslane from becom- 

 ing so rank, keep the ground well cultivated so 

 that they will be destroyed while small.— C. E. P. 



8.5.5. Ants in Lawns. Scatter wood ashes or 

 lime freely and freijuently around and over the 

 hills.— C. E. Parnell. 



852. Worms on Alternantheras. 1 would gather 

 the worms carefully by hand and destroy.— C.E. P. 



845. Fly on Chrysanthemums. Dust the plants 

 freely with Tobacco dust, or spray the infected 

 parts with Coles insect destroyer; white heUe- 

 tore or Persian insect powder applied with a 

 sulphur bellows or insect gun wUl also destroy 

 them.— C. E. P. 



867. Asparagus. To put up bunches in good 

 shape, you should procure a regular bunching 

 machine. The size of the bunches .should be 

 from three to four inches in diameter and from 

 sL\ to eight Inches in length. Keep the tops ex- 

 actly even, and cut the bottom off square, tie in 

 near the top and near the bottom, using bass 

 bark, or broad soft twine. When shipped, it is 

 packed in crates with tight bottom witli slat 

 sides and tops. The crates should hold four dozen 

 bunches, and deep enough to hold one layer 

 when standing upright. When packing, place 

 the bunches in firmly to protect the toi) from 

 becoming injured, and see tiiat the Asparagus is 

 perfectly dry before packing.- C. E. P. 



865. Grapes. (o> Grape cuttings when placed 

 in sand or soU, and protected from cold will 

 grow in the spring, (b) In setting out Grapes, I 

 would not shorten the roots, but merely cut off 

 those that have become broken, still they will 

 not decay to any extent if left uncut, (c) Ordi- 

 nary grafting wax is not injurious to Grape 

 vines.— C. E. P. 



863. Strawberry Insect. I am not acquainted 

 with the insect you describe, and the only remedy 

 I can suggest will be for you to gather and des- 

 troy them. I would occupy the ground with 

 some other crops, and plant the Strawberries in 

 another place.— C. E. P. 



871. Pepper for Cabbage Worms. I know of 

 no reason why Cayenne Pepper dust would not 

 answer as well as that from the red.— C. E. P. 



860. London Purple for Cabbage Worms. Yes, 

 it can be applied while the plants are small, 

 but just as soon as their heads show indications 

 of forming, it should no longer be used.— C. E P. 



868. Verbenas Batting, (a) There may be some 

 insect pests at their roots; take a plant up and 

 examine it carefully; or the ground may be too 

 rich, if so you have no remedy but to change the 

 soil another season. The Verbenas prefer a deep 

 sweet tui"fy loam, (ft) I know of no remedy for 

 the worms, except to pick them off carefully and 

 destroy them.— C. E. P. 



866. Dealbata Acacias, If you wiU raise the 

 bottom of the frame about an inch or so from 

 the surface of the ground, so as to ixTinit the air 

 to circulate around the plants, I think that you 

 will have no further trouble.— C. E. P. 



.'<19. Tan Bark Ashes. Yes, it will prove to 

 be a good fertilizer. Apply liberally, harrowing 

 it in thoroughly before sowing the seed.— C.E. P. 



818. Insects on Grapes. I don't think that the 

 bees injure the llowers. The wa.sp and the small 

 insect will not trouble them, if projicrly bagged 

 as so often recommended in this paper.— C. E. P. 



914. Mnlberries Fruiting. Yes, if several trees 

 were near each other. The Russian Mulberry is 

 diojeious and Downing is variable. The best 

 success in fruiting the Mulberry is reached when 

 planted in groups with varieties or si>ecies inter- 

 mingled.— J. L. BuDD, A me«, Iowa. 



937. Bark Cocas on Magnolia. The tree evi- 

 dently is some species of Magnolia. The insect 

 is one of the many bark lice that effects trees and 

 plants. It is not an easy insect to deal with, 

 because of the difficulty of applying insecticides 

 directly to them. One of the best remedies is 

 made by bringing two gallons of water, U> which 

 has been added one q>iart of soft.soap. to the boil- 

 ing point, and then stirriny iutn it one pint of 

 crude carbolic acid. This should In- applied with 

 a scrubbing brush to the affected parts, June 

 being the best season, and then at intervals later 

 as needed. A more recent remedy and highly 

 praised, consists of one fourth pint of Fir tree 

 oil, to two and a half gallons of water, applying 

 the same to affected parts with a syringe. Fish 

 brine from the barrels of salt fish, applied to the 

 trees with a syringe is said to kill the insect; we 

 think this latter lirjuid ought t()be diluted some- 

 what with water, when applied to trees in leaf. 



815. Works on Botany and Greenhouse Plants. 



Woods Class llocik of Hotany or American Hota- 

 nist and Florist are good works on Botany. Hen- 

 derson's Hand Hook of Plants is the best work 

 for your purpose.— C. E. P. 



841. Ehododendron Protection. A very good 

 protection for Rhododendrons is to stick in the 

 ground about them limbs of Evergreens, and 

 pile leaves all about, over, and under plants. 

 Great care must be used with barrels not to 

 make use of those that have held brine or salt. 

 I lost a Gt)lden Yew by placing over it a very old 

 salt barrel; but there was enough of the saline 

 left to do the work. If you cannot get Ever- 

 green boughs, you can get leaves, and then 

 hold them in place with light sticks. Of course 

 the plants woidd be broken with the weight on 

 top.if notsupported by leaves placed underneath. 



835. Gooseberries for Market. This fruit, so 

 highly valued in England, has been neglected 

 here quite too much. Of varieties, that depends 

 on location and culture. I grow, on clay soil with 

 warm southeast exposure, all sorts, and no mil- 

 dew. Of the American varieties, I find one about 

 as good as another. The ground should be strong 

 and rich, but not highly manured with fresh 

 manure. Cultivate and keep clear of weeds; with 

 me the sprawling bush form is as successful as 

 well-trained, erect stems; but the fruit is smaller 

 and gets soiled. No plant enjoys mulching more 

 than the Gooseberry; use sawdust. The profit on 

 Gooseberries is not equal to that on Currants 

 because the demand is not so gi-eat: but the sup- 

 ply is also small and therefore the market is 

 good. They bring about eight cents a quart, 

 f the newer sorts the Industry is promising, 

 but I dare not speak surely of its prolific bear- 

 ing; with me as yet, it does not bear neavily. 



858. Weeds. >fothing will keep Purslane 

 from coming up if the seeds are there. Don't 

 let any seeds get ripe. Keep it hoed and buried 

 or burned. It makes a good fertilizer if it is 

 buried where it will rot; weeds are useful in the 

 right place.- E. P. Powell. 



835. Currants Dropping, I think that the 

 worms are the cause of the trouble; they may 

 have injured the clusters so as to have caused 

 dropping, before hellebore was applied.— C. E. P. 



848. Black Easpberry Blight, I find that 

 cutting out the main stalk under the ground, 

 leaving only the roots, which grow up the next 

 season all right is a method of overcoming the 

 disease, otherwise roots and all are Wiled.— C. 

 Mills, Onondaga Co., N. T. 



835. Gooseberries. Late grown from medium 

 to large size will sell in New York from $2.00 to 

 $2.50 per bushel. Extra large ones from fifty 

 cents to one dollar higher; there is no demand 

 for small ones. For the past two seasons, a few 

 have been received from Canada which sold 

 readily. If shipped in barrels or boxes, they should 

 be well ventilated, as they become heated 

 quickly.- C. W. Idell, New York. 



834. The Gueii Plum. This is one of the finest 

 in cultivation, above medium in size, color pur- 

 ple, perfectly hardy, and an abundant and earlj' 

 bearer, ripens early, and with me does not rot. 

 I consider it one of the very best. — A. A. H. 



918. Hollyhock Propagation. Hollyhocks al- 

 ways come true to color, either from seed or 

 when plants are kept over from one year to 

 another.— A. A. H. 



741. Black Knot on Plum Trees. Never allow 

 a single bunch of black knot to remain on the 

 tree an hour after you discover it. I always 

 have a sharp knife in my pocket, and when I 

 discover a black knot on a tree, it is removed at 

 once; and this is not all, puta drop of turpentine 

 on the scar and it will prevent other knots from 

 growing around the edge of the wound.— A. A. 

 Halladav, Vermont. 



872. Wood Ashes. It will not injure the 

 trees unless applied in great quantities; but why 

 place them so close to the trunks ? Rjither scatter 

 around and work under with a fork.— C. E. P. 



874. Blackberries Drying before Eipe. They 



may be troubled with an ailmeut of fungoid 

 origin, so I would cut back and destroy all shoots 

 as soon as they show indications of drying.— 

 C. E. Paknell. 



876. Tomato Blight. I think that you are 

 gi\ingyour plants too much water and so advise 

 you to gradually reduce the supply.— C. E. P. 



877. Hust on Raspberries. Cut off at once 

 and burn every sprig that shows indications of 

 rust. This only will prevent the destruction of 

 all your jtlants by the rust.— C. E. P. 



903. Aquarium Management, The water in 

 an aquarium should never be changed, but mere- 

 ly added to, as evaporation takes place. The 

 oxygen for the fish is supplied by the plants 

 which it is absolutely necessary to grow. "Nov- 

 ice" can obtain these in almost any pond. The 

 aquarium should be covered by a piece of glass, 

 projecting about H inch over tne sides all round, 

 which prevents dust settling upon the surface. 

 Snails do not purify the water, but simply cleanse 

 the glass and the jilants from the confervoid 

 growth which appears in stagnant water. 



908. Blanching Celery. My way of earthing 

 up Celery, or rather ineparing for that operation, 

 is to tie up the plants some time before any soil 

 is put to them. This support to the leaves causes 

 a more upright growth and keeps them together, 

 when the earthing up can \xi done easily and 

 quickly without any of the soil getting into the 

 hearts of the plants. Instead of cutting away 

 the ties and removing them, we leave them on; 

 they rot off quite soon enough, and if they do 

 not it matters Utile, as Celery cannot well be 

 held too closely toifether to blanch and exclude 

 the wet. The soiling up piecemeal, as is prac- 

 ticed by many, is a mistake, as the plants require 

 much water all the time they are growing, and 

 it is imijossible to give them this after they are 

 earthed, without washing some of the soil in 

 amongst the leaves, and that either causes them 

 to rot or cripples the hearts.— C. J. Gaines. 



910. Lilium Auratnm Treatment. If kept in 

 the house they should be at rest after the stalk 

 has died down. The plants being only sparingly 

 watered until potting time this month. With 

 good management they will flower better the 

 second season than they did the first, and stronger 

 the third than they did the sec(md. If they have 

 blossomed out-of-doors, the roots may be lifted 

 for the winter and stored away dry and cool, and 

 in either case started in slight heat the next 

 year. They do better out-of-dooi-s, almost, than 

 under glass. After flowering some people place 

 the pots containing the plants out-of-doors; this 

 is an error, as they suffer from wet.— Remle. 



883. Gas Lime in Soil. While the Lime used 

 in purifying gas is a good material for improving 

 cold, heavy land, has the effect of killing wire- 

 worm and other insects, four tons to the acre 

 is the (juantity usually applied and immediately 

 dug in. With the quantity mentioned, nothing 

 can bo done other than to keep the garden under 

 constjiut cultivation for some time, then grow- 

 ing some rank feeding root crop.— Remle. 



786. Nitrate of Soda. It is of great benefit to 

 Chrysanthemums, Dahhas, Carnations, &c., dur- 

 ing their growing period, acting as a powerful 

 stimulant, and very soon imparts a luxuriant ap- 

 pearance to the foliage. But, like soot and other 

 stimulating manures, ought not to be given to 

 the plants at rest. A solution should contain 

 about one pound of nitrate in twelve gallons of 

 water. If scattered evenly on vacant ground, 

 it is of great service in destroying slugs and 

 other garden pests. It is also beneficial when 

 applied sparingly to lawn.— J. W. V. 



897. Yuccas Hard/. I should think they would 

 be, but if any doubt exists, the lightest kind of 

 winter covering will be sufficient to make them 

 perfectly safe.— Remle. 



843. Tree Paeony not Blooming. The probable 

 cause is lack of plant food in the soil. Give a 

 heavy coat of manure over winter and the trou- 

 ble will likely be remedied.— Remle. 



804. Setting out Strawberries. To ensure a 

 satisfactory result it will be necessary to use 

 potted plants.— C. E. P. 



833. Barberry from Seeds. Sow as early in 

 spring as possible, in drills two feet apart in a 

 nicely prepared bed or border; sow thinly, cover 

 carefully, and keep the young plants well weeded 

 at all times.— C. E. P. 



854. Cyclamen Treatment. After the plants 

 cease blooming, they should be turned out of 

 their pots and planted out in a nicely preparred 

 border. Here they should be permited to renjain 

 until September, when they should be taken up 

 and potted. For potting use porous or soft baked 

 pots, and let them be well draineil and propor- 

 tionate to the size of the bulb;at first waterspar- 

 ingly, gradually increasing the supply as growth 

 advances. When the plant.s are alunit to bloom, 

 liquid manure should be given at times, after 

 the blooming period is over, gradually re<luce the 

 supply of moisture. Inside, they should be given 

 a light sunny situation and a tempeiiiture of 

 from .50° to 60°. In planting tliem outsiile keep 

 the bulb or corm about an inch and a half below 

 the surface— C. E. P. 



803. Transplanting Tree Pseonies. I would 

 transplant as early in the spring as possible after 

 the gi'ound is in a proper comlition.— C. E. P. 



800. Coal Slack for Heavy Soil. I would use 

 the coal slack by all means.— C. E. P. 



813. Stove Plants. Stove plants are those that 

 require for their proper development an average 

 night temperature of not less than 65°.— C. E. P. 



75.3. Eemoving Soot from Trees. Dissolve 

 whale oil soap in water at the rate of two ounces 

 to a gallon, and syringe the trees thoroughly 

 with this some damp evening. Early the next 

 morning syringe copiously with clear water. 

 The mixture applied before rain will materially 

 assist in removing the sottt. — t?. E. P. 



913. Onions for Wintering. No one objects to 

 Onions being large for autumn use, but the lar- 

 gest are not the best keepers. I find none to 

 keep better or longer than bulbs that weigh from 

 three to four ounces each, and such, where sound 

 and well harvested, might be kept for nine 

 months, in suitable quarters. 



