1 888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



71 



THE COMPLETE GARDEN.* 



XXI. 



BY A WELL-KNOWN HORTICULTURIST. 



Continued from page 23. 

 THE PLUM. 



In its better varieties, tlie Plum is not ex- 

 celled for deliciousness by any other fruit. 

 The tree is hardier than that of the Peach or 

 Cherry, and will grow freely on a greater 

 variety of soil than any other fruit tree. 

 Comparatively it is a dwarf grower, which 

 suits it for cultivation in small grounds, 

 - while its handsome appearance at all times, 

 but especially when in flower, commends it 

 for ornament as well as for utility. With 

 the slightest at- 

 tention to protec- 

 tion from insects 

 it is a sure crop- 

 per,and lives and 

 produces fruit to 

 a good old age. 



*!o)7, Cultivn- 

 tinii, etc. While 

 this tree no 

 doubt prefers a 

 rich clay loam, 

 having an ad- 

 mixture of sand 



in its composi- . ,^ „ 



t i o n it will Well-shaped Quince Tree. 



succeed in almost any soil except that which 

 Is low and wet. Good cultivation is essen- 

 tial to the best results with Plums ; by 

 attending to this point young trees will 

 usually bear freely in the fourth year from 

 planting. The bearing stage arrived at, a 

 liberal supply of manure should be worked 

 into the soil, and many good growers invari- 

 ably apply a couple quarts of salt over the 

 surface about each tree, at this time. The 

 salt serves the double purpose of promoting 

 health and vigor to the trees and of rebut- 

 ting some kinds of insects. The above fertil- 

 izer should be applied and the land be worked 

 over at about leafing time in the spring, 

 after which, for six weeks, the soil should 

 be kept thoroughly tilled, not permitting a 

 weed to exist. A second turning over of the 

 soil should take place in early midsummer, 

 working the soil slightly towards the trees, 

 and, after pulverizing the surface thor- 

 oughly, a mulch of coarse manure or half- 

 rotted straw should be spread under each 

 tree as wide as the branches extend. No 

 further treatment should then be given 

 until the following spring, when the above 

 course should be repeated, and this every 

 year. Without heavy manuring Plum cul- 

 ture will not succeed. Bone manures and 

 ashes, besides the ones named above, suit 

 this tree very well. No pruning is needed 

 for the Plum beyond cutting out any super- 

 fluous branches and heading back rampant 

 growing ones, to induce shapliness of form. 

 A Selection of Varieties. Yellow and 

 Green: Bauvey's Green Gage (Reine Claude 

 of some), Coe's Golden Drop, McLaughlin, 

 Washington. Yellow Egg. Purple or Red : 

 Bradshaw, Fellemberg (Italian or French 

 Prune), Lombard, Pond's Seedling or Font 

 Dill, Shropshire Damson, Quackenboss. 



THE QUINCE. 



This fruit deserves better treatment at 

 the hands of growers than it usually re- 

 ceives. Aside from being much esteemed 

 for jelly and preserve making and for flav- 

 oring other cooked fruits, the tree is hardly 

 excelled among ornamental growers for 

 . beauty both in its blooming and in its fruit- 

 ing stages. There are but few varieties of 

 the Quince; those known as the -4pple or 

 Orange and the Angers being the most com- 

 monly grown. Rea or Rea's Mammoth is a 

 superior new variety. 



Soil and Cultivation. The Quince suc- 

 ceeds best in a deep, rich, loamy soil. It is a 

 •Copyright, 1887, Popular Gardening Publishing Co. 



mistake to suppose, as many people would 

 appear to do, that it requires no manuring, 

 for no tree responds more quickly than this 

 to liberal treatment both in this respect and 

 that of good cultivation. Not only should 

 the trees receive a top dressing of manure 

 every autumn, but the surface of the earth 

 about them should be kept tilled during the 

 early part of each season. 



Pruning. Naturally the Quince tree is 

 rather a crooked, irregular grower, but 

 with a little pains bestowed on training, it 

 may be had to be a regular and handsome 

 little tree. The best form, ordinarily, to 

 train it is to have a trunk two feet, or a little 

 more, high, and preceding from this a 

 rounded top. After planting the young 

 tree, attention must be given to securing a 

 vigorous, erect stem which may be done by 

 keeping it tied to a stake. To form the heail 

 side branches should be allowed to develop 

 above the height desired for the trunk, hav- 

 ing them so distributed as to provide a well 

 balanced, open, symmetrical head. The 

 Quince tree bears its fruit on small twiggy 

 shoots produced on wood two or more years 

 old. The fruit appears singly at the end of 

 spurs several iuches long. Such fruit spurs 

 should.after bearing, be cut back somewhat, 

 to cause new spurs at the same point. 



THE R.\SPBERRT. 



This delicious small fruit directly succeeds 

 the Strawberry, and like it commands the 

 attention of those who have scarcely room 

 for fruit trees. The sub-acid fruit is hardly 

 surpassed for the dessert and is held in the 

 highest esteenj for making preserves, jellies, 

 tarts and the like, while for evaporating 

 the black cap varieties stand unexcelled. 

 Raspberries possess one advantage over 

 Strawberries for growing in small places, 

 namely: that they seem to be benefited by 

 slight shade, while the latter are not. 



The Raspberries generally in cultivation 

 embrace three distinct species with their 

 hybrids and varieties. The species are rep- 

 resented by the large fruited kinds of for- 

 eign blood, with red and yellow berries 

 (Ruhitf: Idws); the native Red Raspberry, 

 {R. striijosuK) with its improved varieties, 

 and the native Black Cap Raspberry (K. 

 occiclentalix) also known as Thimble-berry, 

 with improvements. The two former kinds 

 may be classed as the Upright Growers, the 

 latter as the Caps. 



Soil and Cultivation. The Raspberry 

 will thrive in any .soil that is rich and deep, 

 but it naturally prefers light to clay land. 

 Previous to planting, the soil should be 

 deeply spaded or plowed, trenching the 

 subsoil in the former case, subplowing it in 

 the latter, and be at the same time well ma- 

 nured. The best time for planting is early 

 in the spring. A good distance apart 

 to set the plants is in rows four or five 

 feet apart, the plants three or four feet 

 in the rows. This admits of cultivat- 

 ing with the horse both ways in areas 

 of fair size, while in the smaller plats 

 it aids in securing clean culture, which 

 is important, and in confining the red 

 kinds (sending up, as they do, suckers 

 from the roots) to a small compass. The 

 soil between plants should be kept deep- 

 ly stirred during the first summer and some- 

 what less so later, but at all times the aim 

 should be to allow no weeds to grow Still 

 the cultivation should cease by August of 

 each year, in order that late plant growth 

 shall not be promoted. If weeds appear after 

 the cultivation period they should be cut 

 with a sharp hoe near the surface or else 

 pulled up by hand. A heavy mulch of 

 swamp hay or old straw applied after the 

 spring cultivation may take the place of 

 summer cultivation and serves the excellent 

 purpose of keeping the ground moist. 



Prnninf/. Young Raspberry plants 

 should be set with the germinal bud about 



two inches below the surface, then after 

 covering them over, cut oft the old wood at 

 two inches above the surface. No further 

 pruning will be needed the first year. In 

 the second year and later the upright grow- 

 ing class should have the young bearing 

 canes cut back in the spring to one-half 

 their length on an average. After the canes 

 have had a crop of fruit they are of no fur- 

 ther use and should, for neat culture in the 

 garden and where staking is done, be pruned 

 away after the crop is gathered. In field 

 culture it is now customary to allow the old 

 canes to remain until the following spring 

 in order that they may support the young 

 canes somewhat. The plants should, in the 

 garden especially, be restricted to hills and 

 all suckers beyond four or five, be kept down. 

 The cap class does not sucker from the roots 

 as the young growth proceeds directly from 

 the old plant. In pruning these, the canes 

 of which bend toward the earth, cut the 

 canes about midway of the bend. 



Protection. Nearly all kinds of Raspberry 

 plants succeed better for being protected 

 during the winter. The preferable way of 

 doing this is shown in our engraving. First 

 aspadeful of earth (A) is thrown close again.st 

 one side of the plant over which to bend the 

 canes, and then these are covered entirely 

 over with earth (B) to several inches deep. 



A ScJcction of Varieties. Upright Grow- 

 ers: Clarke, Fontenay (good fall bearer if 

 the canes are cut to ground in the spring) 

 Herstine, Hudson River Antwerp, Orange, 

 (Brinckle's), Cuthbert, Hansell, Marlboro, 

 Reliance, Turner (very hardy). The Cap 

 Class]: Gregg, Mammoth Cluster, Ohio, 

 Shaffer's Colossal, Souhegan or Tyler. 



THE STRAWBEURY. 



In rank of popularity the Strawberry 

 stands at the head of all the fruits known 

 as small fruits. Were it not that the Apple 

 has the advantage of a season extending 

 almost the year through, the Strawberry 

 would undoubtedly crowd it hard for first 

 place over all fruits in the esteem of con- 

 sumers. The advantages that the Straw- 

 berry possesses as a popular fruit are : first, 

 that it can be grown perfectly in quarters so 

 small that the planting of tree fruits could 

 not be entertained. Second, it comes into 

 full bearing the second year from planting ; 

 third, its earliness in the season; fourth, its 

 ease of cultivation and productiveness ; 

 lastly its beauty and lusciousness. The 

 absence of anything short of the universal 

 cultivating of the Strawberry by land 

 holders can only be accounted for on the 

 score of neglect to set out the plants. 



Soil and Cultivation. Any soil that is 

 suited to growing ordinary garden or field 

 crops will answer for the Strawberry. Still 



Rasphcrrij Plant, Before and After Covering. 



we should bear in mind that this fruit is 

 composed of a vei-y large part of water 

 and the plants are rank feeders; hence, to 

 secure the best results, the soil should, 

 previous to planting, not only be deeply 

 stirred by trenching or subsoiling to pro- 

 mote the retention of moisture to it, but it 

 should be well enriched. Then, with thor- 

 oughly clean surface culture, it is one of 

 the easiest feats of horticulture to rai.se 

 an abundance of most superior fruit. 



Two methods of cultivating the Straw- 

 berry prevail, namely, the hill method and 

 the matted row plan. For general culture 

 whether in the garden or in the field, we 



