72 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



December, 



prefer the latter system as being productive 

 of the best results with the least labor. In 

 tlie garden, beds of three rows side by side 

 at 15 inches apart, and the plants the same 

 distance apart in the rows may be formed 

 across the plot to be occupied. Then one 

 row should be skipped, bringing a new bed 

 of three rows thirty inches from the first, 

 and so on. The spaces between the beds 

 will serve as walks, by means of which the 

 soil can be kept clear and the fruit be gath- 

 ered without treading on the mat of plants. 

 In field culture the method does not vary 

 materially from that described, excepting 

 that the rows are planted a uniform dis- 

 tance apart, usually three feet, to admit of 

 horse culture between them and the plants 

 set at one foot apart in the row. 



The simple idea of the matted system is 

 to allow the plants to run and propagate 

 freely, occupying the bed or row with a solid 

 mass of fruiting plants. The only attention 

 needed in the way of cutting the runners, 

 which always appear freely, is to cut the 

 first set that comes out on plants put out 

 the spring previous, so that the young 

 plants may become the better established 

 for sustaining runners, and then cutting 

 these as they extend too far into the walks 

 or between the rows. By this system beds 

 had best be newly set on a fresh spot every 

 second season, for if allowed to stand long 

 the plants become injuriously crowded and 

 weeds are liable to get a strong foothold. 



Hill culture is suited to the case of those 

 persons who do not object to be at the pains 

 of cutting away, all through the season, 

 every runner that appears on the plants. 

 When this is done the plants, in good soil, 

 form large, handsome stools that present a 

 very fine appearance, and the fruit is large 

 and highly flavored. But the gross product 

 to a certain area is usually less than by 

 the matted system and the work consider- 

 ably more. The planting for the hill system 

 should be done in beds, as recommended for 

 the matted method, except that the walk 

 between the beds might be six inches nar- 

 rower. Whatever system of culture is 

 observed it is important that the surface of 

 the soil between the plants be kept tilled 

 to entirely prevent the presence of weeds. 



Protection and Mulchhxj. In all locali- 

 ties where tlie winters are severe, Straw- 

 berry plants should beslightly covered with 

 coarse manure, marsh hay, leaves or straw, 

 at the approach of each winter. This cov- 

 ering should not be applied until after the 

 ground is frozen, usually about December 

 first, or a little earlier. The covering must 

 also not be thick. Many errors are made by 

 covering Strawberries both too early and 

 too heavy. The cover must be drawn from 

 the crowns of the plants early in the spring, 

 but here it may remain for keeping the 

 fruit from soiling until after the current 

 season's crop is gathered. Some, who like 

 to be at nice pains about a fruiting mulch, 

 remove the winter covering entirely, replac- 

 ing it just before fruiting time with a coat 

 of cut hay or straw, or grass mowings 

 from the lawn. Besides keeping the fruit 

 clean the mulch serves to keep the ground 

 cool and prevents it from baking. 



Sch'ction of Varieties. Of the multitude 

 of varieties that are offered in the cata- 

 logues the following list embraces an ex- 

 cellent selection of tested sorts: Crescent (P), 

 Cumberland, Jersey Queen (P), Triomphe 

 de Gand, Bubach (No 5) (P), Sharpless, 

 Wilson and Charles Downing. 



Of the above kinds, those followed by the 

 letter (P) have not perfect flowers, being 

 destitute of Stamens, and are termed pis- 

 tillate. All the others have perfect flowers. 

 To supply the defect of such or any pistil- 

 late sorts, it is only necessary that to every 

 four rows of these there be planted one row 

 of any kind that has perfect flowers. Usu- 



ally the pistillate sorts are splendid bearers, 

 well worthy of this special attention. 



Peach Culture in Western New 

 York. 



We have had three successive good 

 crops of Peaches in Western New York, 

 and as a result much fresh interest is 

 awakened on the subject of Peach tree 

 planting. Land tillers are always ready to 

 try experiments that promise better returns, 

 and in the revival of Peach culture many 

 of them are now looking hopefully forward 

 to good paying results. 



Commenting upon the essentials to suc- 

 cessful Peach culture, a writer to the Rural 

 Home presents an excellent article from 

 which we make the following extracts: 



Those who embark in Peach culture and 

 will choose favorable localities and soil, 

 prepare the soil well; select good trees of 

 profitable varieties, plant them as they 

 should be planted, and keep a sharp look- 

 out for the grubs in the roots; pick, pack, 

 and market the fruit in accordance with 

 true business maxims, you will be likely to 

 succeed, while those who pursue the oppo- 

 site course will meet with doubtful success. 



Don't try to grow all the Peaches that 

 consumers may demand. You will be more 

 likely to succeed if you start with four or 

 five acres than if you exceed that number. 

 You have got to be educated in the business 

 partly by experience. 



Do not plant Peach trees in a locality 

 where the mercury falls, nearly every year, 

 below 16' below zero. The probability is 

 that so low a degree will kill the fruit-buds, 

 although under some favorable conditions 

 buds have survived 30°. In the same neigh- 

 borhood the mercury will frequently fall 

 from five to ten degrees lower in a valley 

 than on a hill-top ; hence, select elevated 

 ground for Peaches. Northwest protection 

 by a wood lot or a range of hills may save 

 the crop in some seasons. In the absence of 

 this an Evergreen belt is a great help. 



Peaches need a dry soil, and generally 

 succeed better on a sandy or gravelly loam 

 than on a clay loam. Still we have seen 

 splendid crops on underdrained clay loam. 

 Quite frequently, in years past. Peach 

 orchards on the light, sandy soil of Ironde- 

 quoit, between Rochester and Lake Ontario 

 have borne crops when those on heavier 

 soils in other directions have borne no fruit. 



For planting, choose good, vigorous trees, 

 one year's growth of bud, and give prefer- 

 ence to those having a healthy ancestry. 

 Although the "yellows," the great scourge 

 of the Peach growers of western New York 

 and Michigan, is probably a contagious dis- 

 ease, propagated by living germs, those 

 germs are more liable to take hold of trees 

 with impaired constitutions than of sound 

 ones. The stocks should, if possible, be 

 propagated from pits of seedlings grown 

 where the yellows have never prevailed, 

 and the buds should be taken from bearing 

 trees growing where the scourge had never 

 been known. At any rate, we should insist 

 upon sound ancestors. 



As to varieties, you want but few, and 

 those the best. You want two or three of 

 the very early sorts, such as Waterloo, 

 Alexander, Early Rivers ; to be succeeded 

 by a few Mountain Rose, or some other 

 equally good sort. By this time Early Craw- 

 ford will be ripe, and you want no other 

 ripening at the same time. Then between 

 that and Late Crawford you may work in a 

 few Fosters and Stumps, perhaps, and Old 

 Mixon Free. This latter will come in con- 

 flict with I^ate Crawford, but as it is a surer 

 producer we would plant it. If your soil is 

 certain to grow the Late Crawford well, we 

 would advise you to plant pretty largely of 

 that splendid variety, but if you have never 



tested it upon your soil you would run con- 

 siderable risk in doing so; but we would ad- 

 vise taking some risk at any rate. Then to 

 follow the last named there are Ward's Late, 

 a white-fleshed, and HUl'sChili and Smock, 

 yellow-fleshed. 



To make sure of obtaining varieties true 

 to name, we know of no better way than to 

 contract, in writing, with some reputable 

 nur.seryman for the varieties you want. 

 Should they fail to be what you paid for 

 you could collect damages if the nursery- 

 man was reliable. We have seen but a few 

 large Peach orchards where there was not 

 more or less of spurious, worthless, or 

 nearly worthless, varieties growing. 



Plant your trees in perfectly straight 

 rows about a rod apart each way, requiring 

 160 trees to the acre. Carefully examine 

 the roots of every tree, before planting, for 

 the grub, and if found cut them out. Many 

 would say, head back the top to three or 

 four buds, so that it will branch near the 

 ground, but we think we should prefer to 

 have them branch as much as four feet from 

 the ground, so that a horse might be able to 

 pass under the branches in cultivating the 

 trees, for don't you forget that the trees 

 must be cultivated thoroughly. 



If the trees are well-fed, hoed crops may 

 betaken from between the trees for the first 

 three years, but allow ample space around 

 every tree for its roots to forage in, and 

 suffer no worthless weeds to rob the trees 

 of food. Bone-dust and potash are good 

 special fertilizers and should be used freely. 



To prevent grubs simply raise a mound of 

 earth twelve to flfteen inches high around 

 the stem of the tree. It would be likely to 

 prevent the moth from laying her eggs in 

 the roots. This course has long been recom- 

 mended by writers on Peach growing. 



Received at this Office. 



CAT.U-OGl'ES, ETC.— FIGURES INDICATE PAGES. 



Cozad & Litson, La CyKne. Kans. Nursery. 10. 



D. S. Myers & Son, Briagevllle, Del., Nursery, 34. 

 J. D. Kruschke, Plqua, O., Miami Strawberry, 4. 

 Will. C. Bec-kert, Alleghany. Pa., Florist, 90, 

 Peter Henderson & Co,, New York City, Florists, 46. 

 Parsons & Sons Co., Fiusliing, N, Y., Nursery, luo. 

 A. B. Cleveland Co., New York City, Bulbs, 4. 



J. B, Wild & Bro,, Sarcoxie. Mo,. Nursery. 24. 



T. S. Hubbard Co., Fredonia, N, Y., Grapes. 14, 



Cleveland Nursery, Lakewood, C, Small Fruit, 12. 



J. V. Cotta, Nursery, Illinois, Nursery, 8, 



John Saul, Washington, D. C, No. 7. Bulbs, 38. 



Wm. H. Smith, Philadelphia. Pa., Seeds, 16. 



T. S. Ware, Tottenham. London, Eng.. Bulbs, 100. 



Reasoner Bros., Manatee, Fia., Nursery, 100. 



Chas. A. Reeser, Springfteld, O., Bulbs, 32. 



H. M. Engle & Son, Marietta, Pa., Chestnuts, 4. 



E. H. Krelage & Son. Harlem. Holland Bulbs, 48. 

 McJIath Bros., Only, Va., Vegetable Plants. 4. 



p J. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga,, Nursery, 64. 



Wm. B. Haitlaud. cork, Ireland, Bulbs, 16. 



W H. Eastman, East Summer, Me., Seedsman, 32. 



S. H. Runiph, Marshailviile. Ga., Nursery, 32. 



Bush & Son ,i Meissner, Bushberg, Mo.. Grapes, 8. 



H. P. Keisey, Highlands, N. C, Nursery, s. 



A. J. Cavwood & Son. Marlboro, N. Y., Small Fruit, 8. 



Schlegei & Fottler, Boston, Mass., Bulbs, 16, 



H Cannell & Sons. Swanley. Kent, Eng., Florist, 88. 



F. W. Wilson, Chatham, Ont., Nursery. 58. 



J. M McCulIough's Sons, Cincinnati, O., Peach Pits 2. 

 Wm Paul & Son, Waitham Cross. Eng., Nursery, 200 

 E. W. Reid, Bridgeport O., Small Fruit 4. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Report of the State Entomologist of New York for 

 1886. J. A. Lintner, Albany, N. Y. 76. 



The Origin, Plan and Results of the Experiments of 

 Sir J B. Lawes, at Rothamsted, Herts. England, 37. 



Report of the 33rd Meeting of the Western New York 

 Horticultural Society, at Rochester, Jan. 1889. P. C. 

 Reynolds, Secretary, 137. 



Reports of Experiments ou the Fermentation of 

 Wine, etc., by E. W. Hilgard, of the California Experi- 

 ment Station, San Jose. Uliistrated. 48. 



Report No. 56. on Condition of Crops for October, 

 Department of Agriculture. .50. 



First Annual Report of the Vermont Agricultural 

 E.xperinient Station, Burlington. W. W. Cooke. Di- 

 rpotor 152 



U s' Consul Reports on "The Licorice Plant. "Com- 

 piled bv W. Hunter, 2d Assistant Secretary, 20. 



"Fruit Culture in Various Countries," being U. S. 

 Consular Report No. 41^. Compiled by John Davis, 

 Assistant Secretary, 841. 



Bulletin No. 12, Vermont Experiment Station, con- 

 cerning Insecticides, Seed Tests and Analysises.W.W. 

 Cooke. Director, BurliiiKtou IH. 



Bulletin of rhe Botanical Department of the State 

 Acricultural College. Ames. Iowa, by Byron D. Hai- 

 stead. Illustrated February. 188S, 118. 



Volume XVI of the Proceedings of the Minn. Horti- 

 cultural Society at Minneapolis, March, 1888. S. D. 

 Hillmai], Secretary, 4f4. 



Annual Report XVII of the Michigan Horticultural 

 Society Meeting at Hillsdale, February, 1887, also a 

 History of the Geology of Mich. Chas. W. Garfield, 

 Secretary, Grand Rapids, 587. 



Root Crops for Stock Feeding, and How to Grow 

 them, being Prize Essays and Practical Experience. 

 Edited by w. Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Pa.. His. ?2. 



