1 88 8. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



55 



well ventilated, and as near the freezing 

 point as possible, since the bulbs will sprout 

 at about 45°. They are successfully kept 

 near Chicago, by heaping them in long 

 piles just before freezing weather, covering 

 them with almost six inches of earth and 

 letting the frost enter. When frozen, litter 

 Is heaped over the earth to keep the frost in. 

 If allowed to remain thus until the frost is 

 drawn out naturally in the spring, the 

 Onions will come out intact and perfect, 

 but will not keep long after removal. 



Some Vital Points in Vegetable 

 Culture. 



BY L. F. ABBOTT, ANDRESCOGOIN CO., MAINE. 



In the growing of vegetables I am satis- 

 fled that one of the greatest errors is over 

 crowding. The mistaken notion is enter- 

 tained by many persons, that the quantity 

 of a crop is increased by closely growing 

 or planting. On the contrary, both in weight 

 and quality, the crop of all vegetables to 

 be as large as the nature of the ground 

 planted permits, will be found to increase 

 in proportion, as sufficient space is afforded 

 for the proper tillage of the ground during 

 the growth, and for the admission of the 

 requisite influence and circulation of light 

 and air. 



Another great impediment to success in 

 the production of fine vegetables Is the lack 

 of due attention to the proper tillage of the 

 ground. While I do not fully concur with 

 the teaching of old Jethro Tull that tillage is 

 manure, yet I do admit that oftentimes bet- 

 ter crops and more satisfactory returns in 

 first-class vegetables might be realized, 

 with less expenditure of fertilizers and a 

 more lavish expenditure of elbow grease. 

 Nothing can supercede the advantages ac- 

 cruing from deep culture, and while this is 

 true of all, or nearly all crops that farmers 

 cultivate, it is most emphatically true of 

 garden crops. 



Good drainage is another requisite to grow 

 satisfactory crops of vegetables. Plants 

 nor trees can thrive at their best with cold 

 feet. A hea\'y clotted, soggy soil is unfitted 

 for growing anything except Cranberries 

 and Chickweed. 



A proper rotation of crops upon the gar- 

 den soil is a matter for consideration. Ma- 

 nure should be given to those plants above 

 ground, as the Cabbage tribe. Peas, Beans, 

 Potatoes — the latter is not properly a root — 

 and similar vegetables, and these followed 

 by root crops, as Carrots, Parsnips, etc. 

 Experience seems to favor the practice of 

 continuing the Onion crop year after year 

 on the same spot. 



Those who are experienced cultivators 

 have no need of these suggestions, but few 

 who are not so will not be easily convinced 

 of the importance, until by direct experience 

 they are satisfied of their value and truth. 



Matthew Crawford's Hints on Small 

 Fruit Growing — Work for Women. 



This well-known horticulturist of long ex- 

 perience in small fruit raising, is well quali- 

 fied to instruct those who are about to start 

 in the culture of fruit, and he is especially 

 sanguine of the place women will eventu- 

 ally hold in this work. 



The first thing required, according to a 

 recent statement from his pen in the Chau- 

 tauqua Farm and Vineyard, is to post up on 

 the work. Study your facilities, your land, 

 capital, nearness to market, and ability to 

 obtain needed help. Secure the control of 

 some good land. It costs as much to pre- 

 pare and cultivate poor land as rich, and 

 the profits are little or nothing. 



Plant but few varieties, and only such as 

 generally succeed. You can well afford to 

 do without those new kinds that are "des- 

 tined to supercede all others." Be more 



practical than theoretical. Be more ready 

 to believe what you see than what you hear. 

 Take some good horticultural papers, and 

 read them attentively. Join a horticultural 

 society if there is one within your reach. 



Do your work well, for both profit and sat- 

 isfaction come from a little well'done, rather 

 than a large plantation grown in a slipshod 

 manner. Sell no poor berries, as they will 

 injure your credit more than they are worth. 

 Use them, or give them to those who have 

 none, and cannot afford to buy. 



Keep your plants growing during the 

 growing season, but injure no roots in culti- 

 vating, for while plants make their own re- 

 pairs, they should be better employed. The 

 force expended in healing a broken root 

 might be more profitably used in building 

 up the plant or storing away nourishment 

 for the next crop of fruit. 



All the berry plants do best on land that 

 is rich, moist, — not wet,— and cool. With- 

 out richness there is nothing to make fruit 

 of. Without moisture to dissolve the food 

 in the soil it is unavailable, for all plant 

 food is taken up in solution. Without a 

 comparatively cool soil the plants cannot 

 remain healthy. Each plant should have 

 plenty of room, and no other roots should 

 be allowed to rob it of food and moisture. 

 The surface of the soil must be kept loose 

 by stirring or mulching, so as to admit air 

 to the roots, for they cannot live without it. 

 As a plant can make its wants known only 

 by signs, whoever is most faithful in sup- 

 plying the wants will succeed best. 



Each plant set out is an independent es- 

 tablishment, and if not hindered will go 

 steadily on doing the work appointed to it 

 by nature, — gathering its food, and chang- 

 ing the raw material, by means of the rain, 

 the sunshine and the atmosphere, into deli- 

 cious fruit. It is the fruit grower's province 

 to see that all the conditions are favorable, 

 so that their returns wiU be in exact pro- 

 portion to his judgment and thoroughness 

 in this respect. 



Here knowledge is power, and this fact is 

 a strong reason for women ;taking up the 

 business of small fruit growing for market, 

 as there are few pursuits which offer more 

 advantages with fewer drawbacks. It is not 

 laborious neither does it reqiiire much capi- 

 tal, and fruit growers meet with less oppo- 

 sition than almost any other class, and next 

 to none from coarse or ignorant people. 

 Their protlucts generally meet with a ready 

 sale, and here for once, woman has an 

 equal chance with man. When she sends 

 fruit to market no one demands it for half 

 price because it was gro^vn by a woman. 

 There is not a single qualification needed 

 for the business of growing small fruits 

 that woman does not possess. 



Fine fruit sells on its own merits, and a 

 good article is always in demand at a paying 

 price. No advertising is needed to sell it, 

 and no money is spent in building up a 

 trade. It can be grown in any part of the 

 country, and there is a market for it where- 

 every people live. The demand for fruit is 

 not based .simply upon its being delicious 

 and attractive, it is a real need. The human 

 system has a natural appetite for the coralii- 

 nation of acids and sugar that is found in 

 berries, and the market for direct fruit is 

 never overstocked. 



Small fruit growers have another advan- 

 tage in the tact that their products come 

 into market in the summer, when people 

 have money and are liberal in spending it. 

 One reason for women being so generally 

 successful is that they attend to details. 

 They are in sympathy with their pets, and 

 learn their habits much sooner than men do. 

 As a rule they are not so ready to neglect 

 their work, and this is important in this 

 business where it is not hard work, nor the 

 ability to do hard work that makes fruit 



growing successful; it is the heart work, the 

 real interest, the carefulness, the faithful- 

 ness, and the good judgment that are put 

 into the enterprise. 



A Report on Raspberries in Canada. 

 Ked : Cuthbert has proved to be by far 

 the best with us. Though somewhat ten- 

 der, it has stood our severe climatic condi- 

 tions well, and proved itself to be prolific, 

 large, good color, firm, and of delicious 

 Havor. The .severe winter of 188(>-87 injured 

 many of the canes. It is somewhat late but 

 extends the time of berries, and is a variety 

 « hich should be found in every Kaspberry 

 plot. Growing side by side \vith the Phila- 

 delphia, an excellent opportunity is found 

 for comparison; and, as, from time to time 

 I have gone to the ground in the berry 

 season with visitors, I have always found 

 they soon judged in favor of this variety, 

 popiUar Ijoth for home and market use. 

 Philadelphia with us ranks second. It is 

 very prolific, hardy but not a firm berry, 

 and thus not so marketable. It makes a 

 fine show on the bush, but does not pick as 

 readily as the Cuthbert. It has rather a 

 poor color and ripens comparatively early. 

 Turner comes next, of good flavor but not 

 very firm berry, and consequently not a 

 good shipper; hardy, and seems as if it would 

 grow under adverse conditions better than 

 most varieties, but not an early berry. Her- 

 stine has not done much with us. Its bear- 

 ing season seems short; berry soft and canes 

 fairly hardy. Niagara has given a fine yield, 

 but late. Clarke is a large, bright, luscious 

 berry, but soft and not very prolific here; 

 canes tender. Highland Hardy is a small 

 bush, and a poor grower, tender with us, 

 killing down and bearing soft berries. 

 Brandywine has produced some fair crops, 

 but on the whole has done poorly. Thwack 

 has not fruited well. 



Black: None have done remarkably well. 

 All have suffered considerably from our 

 cold seasons, many hills have died out com- 

 pletely. Davison's Thomless, though 

 killed badly, has proved to be a strong 

 grower and has furnished some good fruit. 

 Gregg is a little late in the season and has 

 also suffered, but has yielded a fine, large, 

 firm berry. Mammoth Cluster has killed 

 out very much; it is medium early. Saun- 

 ders' Hybrids have proved themselves to be 

 prolific; the berries are inclined to be soft, 

 a good flavor, but a very poor color; being a 

 cross between the red and black, they have 

 the color of neither the one nor of the other, 

 but a sort of moldy-like appearance. This 

 no doubt would affect their sale, but for 

 home use these berries are worthy of a good 

 place. They seem to possess the flavor of 

 black more than red berries. 



White: Caroline has been fairly prolific 

 and comparatively hardy. 



CONCLUSION'S: 1. We have been very suc- 

 cessful in obtaining a satisfactory yield 

 from red Raspberries, especially the flrst- 

 mentioned on the list. 



'2. We are inclined to believe, that leaving 

 the old canes till spring aids in keeping the 

 snow about the hill, and thus serves as a 

 protection during tlie winter months. 



3. Our climate is rather severe on black 

 varieties. 



4. Ground for Raspberries should be well 

 drained and thoroughly cultivated. 



.5. The best red varieties are: Cuthbert, 

 Philadelphia, and Turner; of black, Gregg, 

 Mammoth Cluster, and Saunders' Hybrid 

 (57); of white, the Caroline. These make up a 

 collection likely to do well in most places 

 in Ontario. 



6. Farmers, with a little care and a small 

 amount of labor, might easily grow Rasp- 

 berries for home use, and thus save many a 

 toilsome tramp and weary hour to members 

 of their household, who strive to gather wild 



